FISHERY INDUSTRIES. 41 
For the first time in the history of the industry a salmon cannery 
was operated on the Yukon River and made a small pack of coho, 
chum, humpback, and king salmon. Expectations in-respect to the 
probable pack were not realized, as fishing could not begin until the 
river was free from ice, which did not occur until latein June. It was 
reported by those interested in the commercial exploitation of the 
salmon fisheries of the Yukon that a very large run of coho, chum, 
and king salmon, especially the latter, ascended the river, there being 
countless millions of these fish; they further stated that no appre- 
ciable impression on the supply of salmon in that region could be 
made if a number of Ganneries were in operation. 
This view seems to have been shared by a number of persons who 
have lived on the Yukon for years, as several of them have reported an 
almost inexhaustible supply of salmon annually ascending the Yukon. 
Contrary opinions, equally well supported, hold that the run of 
salmon was not large and that it would not be able to stand the drain 
of commercial fishing without seriously jeopardizing the continuing 
supply and depriving local inhabitants of an important and indispen- 
sable food article. Exact knowledge of the salmon runs in the Yukon 
River is limited, and until further investigations can be made the 
correctness of either contention is problematical. Realizing the 
great importance of the situation, the Bureau plans to have a thor- 
ough and comprehensive study made as soon as practicable by sev- 
eral of the best authorities on the habits and runs of salmon. 
In western Alaska the increase in pack over that of 1917 was 
approximately 200,000 cases, more than half of which was red salmon. 
The next greatest increase was in the pack of chums, which was more 
than double that of 1917, when 51,000 cases were produced. 
Approximately 24,500,000 red salmon were taken in western 
Alaska in 1918, of which number about 23,000,000 were utilized in the 
canning industry, while the remaining 1,500,000 were pickled. 
SALMON CATCH AND FORMS OF GEAR. 
As heretofore, the apparatus employed in the salmon fisheries of 
Alaska consisted chiefly of gill nets, sees, and pound nets or traps. 
There were 838 seines in operation, the aggregate length of which was 
131,127 fathoms. This is an increase of 239 over the number of seines 
used in 1917, southeast Alaska showing an increase of 175, central 
Alaska an increase of 59, and western Alaska a gain of 5. 
In the salmon industry 4,367 gill nets, measuring 479,112 fathoms 
were used. They were divided among the three districts as follows: 
Southeast Alaska, 435 gill nets, a gain of 7 over the number reported in 
1917; central Alaska, 1,158, an increase of 9; and western Alaska, 
2,774, a decrease of 762. This is a net decrease of 746 gill nets 
from 1917. 
There were in use in the salmon industry 79 floating and 473 driven 
pound nets, a total of 552. This is an increase of 82 over 1917. Of 
the number operated in 1918, southeast Alaska had 79 floating and 290 
driven, gains of 7 and 47, respectively; central Alaska had 166 driven 
pound nets, a gain of 30 over 1917, the increase being largely due to 
the operations of two new canneries in the western part of the district 
‘and the introduction of this apparatus in Prince William Sound, where 
it had not formerly been used; and western Alaska had 17 driven 
pound nets, as against 19 in 1917, a decrease of 2. 
