12 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES, 
STREAM MARKING. 
In order to make more effective the closing order of December 23, 
1919, and to serve as a helpful guide to the fishermen, it was consid- 
ered advisable to indicate by appropriate notices at suitable places on 
shore the protected waters off the mouth of each salmon stream in 
which fishing is prohibited. Though these notices in themselves 
could not prevent unlawful encroachments on the streams, they would 
serve as guides to those instinctively law-abiding and as warning to 
those having no respect for the fishery laws and regulations. Thus 
no one could plead in extenuation of a violation of the regulations 
that there were no visible means defining the bounds wherein opera- 
tions would be illegal. 
The placing of markers at the mouths of streams is therefore in- 
tended to be helpful to the fishermen in enabling them to locate the 
outer boundary of the protected area of each stream, and at the same 
time the markers serve the further purpose of making more certain 
to those engaged in the enforcement of the law and regulations that 
encroachments upon prohibited waters are not accidental. 
The procedure generally followed in southeast Alaska in locating 
markers has been to define arbitrarily the mouths of streams at the 
line of mean low tide, unless physical conditions rendered such action 
impracticable. This is the case at some streams where considerable 
areas of silt have been deposited, which at low tide are exposed as 
comparatively extensive mud flats. Owing to the varied conditions 
encountered, no inflexible rule could be laid down for the determina- 
tion of stream mouths, but as far as practicable the mouth of each 
stream was to be fixed at the line of mean low tide. Where this could 
not be done, authority was given to mark the mouths of such streams 
at the line of mean high tide. 
Gratifying progress was made in the work of marking stream 
mouths in southeast Alaska. Signboards were erected at 189 streams. 
Of that number the mainland is credited with 21 streams, Chichagof 
Island with 60, Yakobi Island 2, Baranof Island 18, Admiralty 
Island 28, Kupreanof Island 5, Zarembo Island 1, Wrangell Island 
2, Etolin Island 5, Mitkof Island 1, Kosciusko Island 6, and Prince 
of Wales Island 40. There are several hundred more salmon streams 
in southeast Alaska which have not been marked, but which will be 
given attention as funds may be available for such work. 
In central Alaska markers were placed in 1920 at Eyak River, 
Mountain Slough, and Glacier River, all of which are streams of the 
delta of the Copper River, the several other outlets of the Copper 
having been marked in 1919. The Karluk River was also marked 
in 1920. 
The salmon streams in western Alaska are comparatively large and 
few in number. Of those tributary to Bristol Bay seven were marked 
in 1920. They are as follows: Nushagak, Snake, Igushik, Kvichak, 
Naknek, Egagik, and Ugashik Rivers. The mouth of the Yukon 
River was marked in 1919. 
STREAM WATCHMEN. 
No more important work than the watching of salmon streams 
engages the attention of the Alaska service. The preservation of the 
