40 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1916. 
pound nets, a total of 70; central Alaska, 10 driven pound nets; and 
western Alaska, 9 driven pound nets. 
Of the total of 373 pound nets used in Alaska in 1916, 38 were 
operated by independents, who sold their catch to various canneries. 
Of these 38 independent pound nets, 17 were in southeast Alaska and 
21 in central Alaska. 
Seines caught 36 per cent of the total number of salmon taken from 
Alaskan waters in 1916, pound nets 33 per cent, and gill nets 30 per 
cent, while the remaining 1 per cent was taken by lines and dip nets. 
In 1915 the catch by the respective forms of gear was: Pound nets 
42 per cent, seines 29 per cent, gill nets 27 per cent, and 1 per cent by 
other appliances. Further comparison shows that in 1916 the catch 
by pound nets declined 9 per cent and that it increased 7 per cent by 
seines and 3 per cent by gill nets. The proportionate catches by 
districts is shown in the following table, according to the principal 
kinds of apparatus used: 
PERCENTAGE oF SALMON CAUGHT IN EAcH District By PRIncIPAL ForRMS or GEAR. 
Southeast Alaska. Central Alaska. Western Alaska. 
Apparatus. 
1915 1916 1915 1916 1915 1916 
Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent.| Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. 
Stirs C0 eR eA inciise oacpodtecice 39 43 32 58 6 7 
Poundnets! = | gases eee -Ae ste ses etaass 57 52 52 35 7 7 
Gillmetsience es csecee etcease eee eeeeee sane 3 3 15 6 86 85 3 
The total catch of salmon in Alaska in 1916 was 72,055, 971, as com- 
pared with 63,537,244 in 1915, an increase of 8,518,727. Southeast 
Alaska shows a decline of 6,400,967 salmon, but this falling off is more 
than balanced by the gain of 10,181,902 in central and 4,737,792 in 
western Alaska. Considering the Territory as a whole in 1916, the 
catch of cohos exceeded that of the preceding season by 1,121,747; 
chums by 2,561,206; humpbacks by 911,569; kings by 69,773; and 
reds by 3,854,432. 
So much has been said about the remarkable efficiency of pound nets 
as compared with seines that figures upon the basis of official returns 
for the season of 1916 may prove of interest. Considering Alaska as 
a whole, 434 purse and haul seines were operated, which caught 
25,725,808 salmon, an average of 59,276 per seine. In the same 
season 373 pound nets were operated, which caught 23,982,614 
salmon, an average of 64,296 per pound net. It will thus be seen 
that the difference in the average catch of the two forms of apparatus 
is only 5,020 salmon. This disproves the oft-repeated statement of 
certain persons, chiefly those engaged in the purse-seine fishery, that 
the pound net catches such enormous quantities of salmon that it 
is the form of fishing apparatus upon which full responsibility must 
