FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1908. 45 



tributaries of the bay. Knowing the catch made by the fishermen, 

 one would then be in possession of important data, viz, tlie total 

 run entering the single great hydrographic basin, Nushagak Bay with 

 its tributaries, during a season of abundance, and the number 

 which succeeds in escaping the large amount of fishing gear, thus 

 constituting the reproductive quota. 



Since Wood River does not carry all the salmon of Nushagak Bay 

 not caught by fishermen, and since no count was made in any of 

 the other rivers, the above totals for the season of 1908 can never 

 be accurately known. It is obvious, however, from a consideration 

 of the conditions that from the Wood River figures alone inferences 

 of importance can be drawn and the figures for both the total run 

 and the breeding quota fixed by estimate within certain limits. It 

 is, for instance, absolutely certain that in 1908 considerably more 

 than 29 per cent of the red-salmon run in Nushagak Bay escaped the 

 fishermen, for the record shows that 6,400,000 were caught, and it 

 is obvious that the 2,600,000 for Wood River does not represent 

 all the fish so escaping. 



In order to estimate the total breeding quota for 1908 it is neces- 

 sary to take into account the other tributaries to Nushagak Bay 

 and to obtain some reasonable basis for arriving at the run in them. 

 Wood River itself affords a basis of comparison. There are three 

 other tributaries of importance in this connection in the follow^ing 

 order: Nushagak (or "main" river), Igushik, and Snake. 



The Nushagak and Wood rivers are the main streams making 

 Nushagak Bay, the former somewhat the larger, but either of them 

 alone of far more importance than both the minor rivers together. 

 They debouch at the head of the bay and might be presumed to 

 divide the schools of salmon with approximate equality. Nushagak 

 River, however, has not been accounted by fishermen as a great 

 red-salmon stream. For reasons discussed elsewhere, it may never- 

 theless be accepted as certain that a very important fraction of the 

 run goes up this river, but there is no reason for believing it takes 

 more than half the fish reaching the head of the bay or more than 

 enter Wood River, while there is ground for the argument that the 

 number, while important, is considerably less. Therefore the Wood 

 River quota may be regarded as certainly a maximum for the 

 Nushagak. 



While Nushagak and Wood rivers are at the head of the bay, 

 Igushik and Snake occupy the other extreme, entering the bay on 

 the right bank and not far above its mouth. Their mouths are not 

 widely separated. One might argue that being near the entrance 

 to the bay where the schools of salmon are large, they are in a position 

 to receive large portions of the run. On the other hand, this is offset 

 by the fast that, unhke the two big rivers, they are not in the fairway 



