110 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1916, 
lations, and attention was given to complaints of illegal trapping and 
poisoning of fur-bearing animals. 
Warden Larson was employed throughout the year in the eastern 
part of Alaska, with headquarters at Chicken. Until the latter part 
of the year this warden was employed in a temporary capacity and 
only a moderate allotment was made for field work. The territory 
which may be covered, however, from this point as a center by a capa- 
ble warden who is experienced in field work in Alaska is considerable, 
and it is hoped that it will be possible to give more attention to the 
fur-bearing animals in this part of Alaska in the future. 
REGULATIONS. 
The only change made in the year in the departmental regulations 
for the protection of the minor fur-bearing animals in Alaska was 
that which gives complete protection to martens from March 15, 
1916, to November 15, 1921. The affording of this protection to 
the martens appears to have met with entire approval. Comment 
has been made, however, that the prohibition upon the taking of 
_martens will cause trouble for the alleged reason that traps set for 
minks and ermines will capture martens. The Bureau has been dis- 
posed to believe that trappers need not experience much difficulty in 
this matter. As a general proposition, minks are trapped mostly 
along watercourses, while martens are taken on higher grounds, and 
ermines are taken in the course of trapping for other animals and are 
not made an object of special pursuit. In any event the Bureau is 
firmly of the opinion that martens in Alaska must receive for a period 
of years greater protection than has been accorded them in. recent 
years. It may be that experience will show that some further steps 
are desirable in order to secure in the best way this protection. 
It developed that some persons were retaining legally-taken marten 
pelts in their possession in Alaska, and in order that they might not 
be embarrassed in case they wished to ship these from Alaska the 
Bureau, acting upon the suggestion of a warden, arranged for the 
recording of all pelts which the owners proposed to retain in Alaska 
after November 15, 1916. All shipments of marten pelts made after 
November 15, 1916, will be checked against these records. Through 
March 31, 1917, 58 reports were received, recording 3,031 pelts. 
SHIPMENTS OF LIVE FUR-BEARING ANIMALS FROM ALASKA. 
Aside from 17 blue foxes shipped from the Pribilof Islands by the 
Bureau, the only live fur-bearing animals shipped from Alaska in 
the calendar year 1916 were 12 cross and 2 silver foxes consigned 
by J. R. Gibson, Copper Center, to the Alaska Fur and Silver Fox 
Co., North Bend, Wash. 
