144 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



in a small spaee, all desperately struggling to make their escape, it 

 takes a skillful liand to grab tbeni one by one and throw them to the 

 beach. Each person is entitled to the number of salmon he succeeds 

 in dragging from the net. As may be supposed, this causes a greedy 

 and wild competition. Standing to their knees, and frequently up to 

 their waists, in water, they push each other about in a lively manner, 

 each one trying to get the lion's share. There is no quarreling over 

 the matter, everytliing being carried on in a good-natured numner. 



As fast as the salmon land on the beach they are knocked on the 

 head with a club by the boys, there always being a representative of 

 each family to see that the different lots of salmon do not get mixed. 

 After the seine has been emptied of its contents, the fish are strung 

 in bunches of thirty or forty each, thrown into the water, and towed to 

 the village, where they are cleaned. This work also falls to the lot of 

 the women, but it is not commenced until they have put on dry cloth- 

 ing, when they form themselves into family groups close to the water's 

 edge. They seldom leave their work until it is finished, unless driven 

 indoors by heavy rain. 



During our stay at New Morzhovoi a diligent search was made for 

 clams. There are only a few places where this mollusk is found, and 

 the natives keep them ijretty well thinned out. We only succeeded in 

 getting half a bucketful in one tide. 



Besides the agent of the Alaska Commercial Company, there are 

 three other white men who make their homes here; one follows sea-otter 

 hunting for a living, and the other two hunt bear. 



On the morning of July 20 the Albatro.^.s came to anchor on the south 

 side of Ikatan Bay in 12 fathoms of water. While here 43 cod and 3 

 Alaska pollock were caught from the ship. The average weight of the 

 cod was 9 pounds, length 29 inches. The following day 25 halibut were 

 taken in 30 fathoms of water on a "spot" situated about half a mile 

 from the shore and about the same distance from the ship. The ground 

 covered but a small area — less than a third of a mile across it; the 

 character of the bottom was sand and gravel. The boats that were 

 anchored here, there being several belonging to the U. S. S. Petrel 

 besides two from our ship, were obliged to keep close together in order 

 to get any fish. If one boat happened to swing two or three times her 

 length from the others, she would be off the ground altogether and not 

 a bite would be felt. All the boats, however, did fairly well. The 

 total weight taken by the two boats from the Albatross was 228 pounds, 

 a fraction over 1) j)Ounds each; average length, 27 inches. 



Judging from our limited experience in this bay, I am of the opinion 

 that all the fishing-grounds here are prolific. It is an excellent place 

 for small boats to fish. This fact, however, has not been overlooked, 

 for 14 miles from the Albatrosses anchorage in East Anchor Cove two 

 shore fishing stations have been located for many years. It is under- 

 stood that these stations have recently been abandoned, not on account 

 of the scarcity of fish, but for the reason that it has been found cheaper 



