Report of the commissioner of fisheries xxxiii 



A detailed account of the extent and condition of the Ahiska fish- 

 eries in 1923 and of the activities of the bureau under the laws and 

 regulations for the protection of the fisheries is embodied in the 

 annual report of the Alaska service for that year/ 



VISIT TO ALASKA BY TRESIDEXT IIAKDIXG AND OTHER OFFICIALS 



An event of importance was the trip of President Harding and 

 his official party to Alaska in July, ld'2o. Members of the party in- 

 cluded the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, the 

 Secretary of Agriculture, and the Speaker of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives. Close attention was given to the fishery resources of the 

 Territory, and as a result a much better understanding was derived 

 of their importance and of matters affecting their conservation. 



Another important official visit to Alaska was made by Senator 

 Wesley L. Jones and Re])resentative Lindley H. Hadley, of Wash- 

 ington, accompanied b}'^ the Commissioner of Fisheries, who spent 

 about two months in the Territory in 1923. While attention was 

 devoted to various matters of public interest, special consideration 

 was directed to fishery problems. Southeastern, central, and west- 

 ern Alaska, including Bristol Bay, all Avere included in the itinerary. 

 A trip was also made to the Pribilof Islands to observe fur-seaJ 

 activities there. 



NEW ALASKA FISHERY LEC.ISLATION AND REGULATIONS 



For years attention has been directed to the necessity of securiritr 

 further legislation for the protection of the highly important salmon 

 and other fisheries of Alaska, Avhicli had suffered serious depletion as 

 a result of overfishing primarily through the lack of authority t<> 

 properly control the situation. The Alaska fisheries act, approved 

 June G, 192-t, represents a distinct advance in providing means for 

 the proper conservation of this (jiii- greatest domestic fishery. The 

 broad power lodged in the Secretary of Conunerce to indicate the 

 time, place, and manner of taking all fisheries products from the 

 waters of Alaska is the outstanding feature of the act. The act 

 provides for the promulgation of i-egulations of general application 

 within each area, and also declares it to be the intent and policy of 

 Con<j:i'ess that there shall be an escapement of at least 50 per cent of 

 the salmon to the spawning grounds. There is an extension also of 

 the 36-hour closed period to Bristol Bay, Cook Inlet, and the Copper 

 River Delta, thus making this prohibition apply to all waters in the 

 Territory. Powers of arrest and seizure are also lodged in desig- 

 nated employees of the bureau. 



On June 21. 1924, the Secretary of Commerce promulgated regu- 

 lations modifying very extensively the fishery privileges previously 

 enjoyed in Alaska. These regulations created eight fishing areas, 

 to which Avas added one more area later in the season, in all of 

 which distinct limitations were im|)osed on fishing. Chief among 

 these were the creation of 2U-day closed seasons in southeastern 

 Alaska, the extension of the 3()-hour weekly closed period in other 

 sections to periods varying from 48 to 84 hours, the fixing of the size 



^Alaska Fishery and Fur-seal Industries in 102:'.. By Ward T. Bower. (Bureau of 

 Fisheries Document No. 9T;j.) 



