42 



ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1917. 



to justify the additional cost of preparing their fish fresh for ship- 

 ment. Those who made large shipments of fresh salmon from 

 Alaska were H. Bergman, at Ketchikan; National Independent Fish- 

 eries Co., at Juneau; Pacific Mild-Cure Co., at Waterfall; C. M. Coul- 

 ter, at Wrangell; Alaska Coast Fish Co., at Douglas; Glacier Fish 

 Co., at Petersburg; and Ijars Hansen, at Kake. 



Several of these companies are engaged in the fresh-salmon trade 

 only incidentally, as their major operations are along other lines. 

 This business shows, however, some investment in plants, boats, 

 and fishing apparatus; it also shows a considerable outlay in wages 

 paid to those employed in it. 



Investment in the Fresh-Salmon Trade of Southeast Alaska in 1917. 



A total of 37 persons were employed by the concerns, engaged princi- 

 pally in the marketing of fresh salmon. Statistics are not available 

 to show the quantitj^ of salmon that was used fresh locally, but it 

 may be estimated as having been 1,000,000 pounds, having a value 

 of SI 00,000. In view of the fact that fresh salmon are served through- 

 out the season in aU leading restaurants and hotels in Alaska and on 

 all steamers plying along its coast, the above estimate may be too 

 conservative. A large quantity of fresh salmon was also consumed 

 at the various canneries and fisheries, which it would be desirable to 

 include in order that the fisheries might receive fuU credit for what 

 they produced. 



DRY SALTING, DRYING, AND SMOKING OF SALMON. 



In southeastern Alaska the Cross Soimd Packing Co. of Alaska, at 

 Gull Cove, dry salted 1,500 pounds of red salmon, valued at $120, 

 and 53,100 pounds of humpback salmon, valued at $2,424. In cen- 

 tral Alaska the Kenai Fishing & Packing Co., at Eshamy Bay, dry 

 salted 100,000 pounds of red salmon, valued at $10,500. At Apokak, 

 in western Alaska, the Kuskokwim Fishing & Transportation Co. 

 dry salted 47,000 pounds of king salmon, valued at $4,700; 130,000 

 pounds of red salmon, valued at $11,700; and 40,000 poimds of coho 

 salmon, valued at $3,600. 



The only reported drying and smoking of salmon was done by the 

 Beluga Whaling Co., at Three Mile Creek, Cook Inlet. About 1,400 

 pounds of beleke, valued at $350, and 4,000 pounds of red sahnon, 

 valued at $450, were prepared in this way and marketed in Alaska. 



The Yukon River and its tributaries furnish large numbers of 

 salmon which are dried and smoked for local use by the Indians and 

 others, and as food for dogs. Accurate statistics of the number thus 

 used are not at present available, but it is known that hundreds of 

 tons of dried or smoked salmon are thus used. This source of food 



