EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES XXXV 



by tho. bureau and 14 small ])()wer l)oats cliartered for brief periods. 

 The Kittiirake, a 70-foot boat ac'(|uired by the bureau from the Navy 

 Department, Avas used for tlie first time in the patrol work. In 1924 

 the Blue Wing was purchased and added to the fleet. 



Violations of the fisheries laws and regulations when detected 

 were vi^'orously followed by prosecutions. Fines, exclusive of costs, 

 2)aid in the calendar yeai- V>2'-\ amounted to $4,880. The increased 

 force employed l)y the bureau in patrollino- tishino- orounds has 

 iireatly reduced illegal fishinii;. and at the same time has resulted 

 in the. detection of a laroei' ])ercentaiie of tlie violations that occur. 



AI;ASKA SAL.MOX jrATCIIEKlES 



In the fiscal year 1924 two private salmon hatcheries were oper- 

 ated in Alaska under the })rovisi()ns of the act of June 2C. 1906. and 

 17,284,000 red-salmon fry were liberated. 



The Alaska Territorial Fish Commission has transferred its fish- 

 cultural operations in southeast Alaska from Juneau to Ketchikan, 

 and a permanent hatchery has been constructed at the latter place. 

 The hatcheries at Ketchikan and on Eyak Lake were operated in 

 1923, but the one on Bear River was not completed in time for fisli- 

 cultural work in that year. 



The operations of Federal fish luitcheries are discussed in another 

 section of this report. 



SPECIAL STUDIES AND INVESTIGATIONS 



In 192o counts of red salmon ascendini^ streams to spawn were 

 made in two streams at Oloa Bay, near Alitak, Kodiak Island, and 

 in the Chignik and Karluk Rivers. The counts at the Olga Bay 

 streams together with the conunercial catch showed that slightly over 

 half the red salmon entering the waters of Alitak and Olga Bays 

 reached their spawning grounds. At Chignik the commercial take 

 of red salmon was so large in propoilion to the escapement that 

 commercial fishing was ordered discontinued at the close of August 

 21, 1923. At the Karluk River it appeared that a little less than 

 half the run of red salmon was taken commercially. 



The study of the migration routes of salmon was continued in 

 1923 under the direction of Dr. C. H. Gilbert. Ten thousand sal- 

 mon taken south of the Alaska Peninsula between the Shumagin 

 Islands and Isanotski Strait were tagged and released. Some of 

 these tagged fish were recaptured in Bristol Bay, at Chignik, Ali- 

 tak. Karluk. Afognak. and in Cook Inlet; also some were recaptured 

 locally on hiAh sides of the Alaska Peninsula. The percentage of 

 the tagged fish retaken in Bristol Bay indicates clearly that a large 

 portion of the run of .salmon along the south side of the Alaska 

 Peninsula is bound for Bristol Bay. Most of the fish tagged were 

 red salmon. 



The counts of salmon on waters tributary to Olga Bay and at 

 Chignik and Karluk were continued in 1924, and salmon-tagging 

 operations in southeastern Alaska Avere also inaugurated. Full 

 reports in regard to these activities are not yet available. 



