FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1908. 63 



But little halibut fishing is carried on in Alaska during the summer 

 months, as liahbut is then coming into Puget Sound ports in abun- 

 dance from the fleet operating ofl^ Cape Flattery, Washington, and 

 the fish, moreover, are in the deeper waters, where they are more 

 difficult to catch. The price is low, also, at that time. A few local 

 vessels make short trips and fletch their catch, but the low prices 

 received for fish prepared in this way during the past two years offer 

 little inducement to the enterprise. 



A considerable part of the Pacific coast halibut is shipped to points 

 east of the Mississippi River, Chicago, New York, and Boston being 

 the principal distributing centers. The demand from the coast, how- 

 ever, is showing a most health}^ growth, and will eventually take 

 the greater part of the catch. Dealers located at Tee Harbor, 

 Hoonah, Juneau, Douglas, Petersburg, Scow Bay, Wrangell, and 

 Ketchikan handle the fish from the fishing boats. Scow Bay, which 

 is on Wrangell Narrows, about 5 miles from its head, is the principal 

 shipping point. Here are moored several large house scows and 

 floats, alongside of which the fishing boats tie up and deliver their 

 catch to be boxed in ice for shipment and put aboard the regular 

 steamers for Seattle, which pass through the Narrows every few days. 



In addition to the fieets of power and sail vessels operated by 

 white men from the various ports, Indians in small boats do consid- 

 erable fishing each season. As they catch salmon during the sum- 

 mer, however, and but few of them can be persuaded to start 

 halibut fishing until the money they have made in salmon fishing 

 has been spent, which is generally not until after the holiday season, 

 they lose two of the best months of the season. They abandon this 

 fishery, moreover, as soon as king salmon become abundant early in 

 the spring. Their own interests suffer by this, as they are better 

 posted than most of the white fishermen as to the location of the 

 smaller fishing banks, and if they would give serious and undivided 

 attention to the halibut during the winter months, their returns 

 would be as great if not more, than they earn during the summer 

 salmon fishing. 



Statistics. — During 1908 there were 395 persons employed in all 

 branches of the industry, an apparent decrease of 64 as compared with 

 1907. The decrease is termed apparent because many of the Indians 

 spent more time fishing for king salmon than for halibut, and have 

 been counted in the former fishery, where the greater results were 

 accompKshed. The number of steamers and launches fisliing increased 

 9 over 1907, while the number of sail fishing vessels decreased 1, and 

 the transporters 2. The total investment has more than doubled in 

 value. The catch shows a gain of 1,174,388 pounds and $33,791 over 

 1907. 



