PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 63 
The river is said to be 200 miles long to the first lake, a large one, 
Beyond this lake there are three other smaller lakes, all connected 
by short stretches of river. The largest tributary of the river is the 
Malchatna, which enters it about 100 miles from the mouth. There 
are also several small tributaries, two of these being Tikchik River 
and Portage Creek. There are three or four Indian villages on the 
Nushagak, Kaknak being the largest. A launch drawing 3 to 34 feet 
of water can navigate about 120 miles from the mouth. It is neces- 
sary to use a “bidarka’’ to go into the upper reaches. There are four 
rapids, around which a portage must be made in each case. 
The river on its lower course is large, and flows a great quantity of 
water into the head of Nushagak Bay. 
Wood River is about 24 miles long from its mouth to the first lake. 
Shoals and bars are frequent in the river, the depth on these at low 
water being 24 feet and at high water 4 feet. 
Aleknagik Lake, the first of the chain of three, is about 24 miles 
long, and has an average width of about 2 miles. 
Wood River is noted especially for the interesting counting expe- 
riment the Bureau of Fisheries is carrying on here. This very im- 
portant work was first taken up in 1908, as an indirect result of the 
order closing Wood and Nushagak Rivers to the commercial fisher- 
men, as noted below, and has been continued, with the exception of 
1914, to the present time. This work is made possible by the gen- 
erosity of the Alaska Packers Association of San Francisco and the 
Alaska-Portland Packers Association of Portland, Oreg., who furnish 
the material and erect the barricade, also the labor needed throughout 
the season, while the Bureau of Fisheries furnishes the personnel 
required to carry on the direct work of counting the fish and making 
other observations. 
A rack or trap is constructed across the foot of Lake Aleknagik, at 
a constriction in the lake contour something more than 200 yards 
wide, for the purpose of intercepting all salmon entering the lake and 
passing them through gates or tunnels at such a rate and in such a 
manner that an accurate estimate of their numbers can be obtained. 
The pot of the trap is located near the left bank, and this has three 
gates by which the salmon can be passed from the pot into the lake. 
Each gate is 2 feet in width, and its bottom rests on a wooden plat- 
form covered with white oilcloth, so that the fish can readily be seen 
as they pass over it when the gate is raised. When fish are passing 
- through a gate a small wooden frame with a glass center is arranged 
so it will float on the water, and in order to hold it in position it is 
fastened to the framework of the gate. This is for the purpose of 
making the water smooth so the fish can readily be seen even though 
the surface be disturbed by ripples, etc. 
When the fish are coming rather slowly every one is counted by 
means of a tally register as it passes out through the gates. When the 
