yd ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1916. 
AFOGNAK RESERVATION. 
General supervision of fishing operations within the Afognak 
Reservation was exercised by Assistant Agent E. M. Ball. During 
June and July, Frank S. Morton patrolled the waters of the reserva- 
tion, being assigned to this special detail from the Afognak hatchery. 
Continuing the practice followed since the reservation was opened 
in 1912 to commercial fishing by the natives living therein, special 
rules were issued to assure greater protection to the more important 
streams of the island than is afforded by the general law and regu- 
lations. The streams at Malina and Paramanof were considered 
worthy of this special protection, in view of the fact that previously 
more salmon spawned in them than elsewhere about the island. 
Accordingly, a close season of five days at both places was established, 
Paramanof being closed from June 21 to 25, inclusive, and Malina 
from July 1 to 5. Litnik Bay was closed throughout the season. 
In conformity with the terms of the Department’s order of March 
21, 1912, permits to fish in the waters of the reservation were granted 
upon application to 64 natives. About the end of May these natives 
repaired to the several streams of the island and dividing into gangs 
of from three to six men each waited for the appearance of the salmon. 
Mahna and Paramanof were chosen by the greater number on account 
of larger catches at those places in previous seasons. In 1916, 
however, these streams attracted very few salmon, consequently the 
natives abandoned them and moved to other localities where the 
run was better. As a result of this elimination of the two important 
fields, operations at other places became congested by the influx of 
many more fishermen, and the catch of salmon per capita was cor- 
respondingly reduced. 
The total catch of salmon from all streams of the island declined 
from 134, 692 in 1915 to 73,181in 1916. The greatest decline occurred 
at Malina and Paramanof, a result not wholly unexpected, as this was 
the fourth season after the volcanic disaster of 1912, when practically 
all salmon-spawning grounds on the west side of the island were 
temporarily ruined by the great fall of ashes from Mount Katmai. 
The stream at Little Afognak was the only one to show a considerable 
increase in production. In 1916 it yielded 53,582 salmon of all 
species, as against 21,971 in 1915, thus showing a gain of about 143 
per cent. Furthermore, there was a marked change in the size of 
the salmon. Previously a large proportion of the red salmon taken 
at Little Afognak were undersized, two being counted as one, when 
sold by the fishermen. In 1916, however, there was a noticeable 
absence of the smaller fish. It is almost the unanimous opinion of 
the fishermen that the increased run of salmon in this region is the 
first unmistakable evidence of the beneficial effect of artificial pro- 
pagation. Another striking circumstance observed at the Little 
