62 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
INVESTMENT, PERSONS ENGAGED, AND PropucTs oF ALASKA HALiBpuT FISHERY 
In 1920. 
Item. Quantity. Value. Item. Quantity. | Value. 
INVESTMENT. PERSONS ENGAGED. 
; Number. 
Fishing vessels: Number. Wihitestc repel te oa ee 2 TEEN 3. Seetamat 
Steam and gas.......... 102 |$1, 281, 246 || Natives..................... 24 |. 235-Bosse 
Net tonnage. . de ill eters Se SSS SSS 
Launches... .._-.- 53, 400 Totals 2228 ose ee 768 '.| 33-6.454 
Dories and scows. =e 11, 700 SS 
Fishing apparatus.........- 86, 124 PRODUCTS. 
SHOLEIPLONeLEyE jee eee eee oe ote eee 357, 833 Pounds. 
Cash capital.......... Smee aa cane 480,419 || Fresh (including local)..... 7,506, 763 |$1, 034, 380 
nye Se sag hss acdcocacs 7, 788, O17 
Dotalis cscs - etic lseees eee eee 2,270, 722 || Canned (15 cases)........... 720 75 
TPotallse (28 ce perked st 15, 295, 500 | 1,726, 798 
HERRING FISHERY. 
In the aggregate, the production of herring in Alaska in 1920 was 
greater than ever before, but there was a wide variation in the quan- 
tity of certain products as compared with the previous year. In 
1919 approximately 52 per cent of the catch of herring was used 
in the preparation of pickled and canned herring and other food 
products. In 1920 almost 80 per cent of the catch of herring was 
used as bait or in the manufacture of fertilizer and oil. Of 15 com- 
panies handling herring in southeast Alaska, 7 were primarily op- 
erators of reduction plants, 6 were handling herring exclusively for 
bait, and 2, the smallest operators of all, were engaged wholly in the 
preparation of food products. In central Alaska the situation was 
decidedly different. There were 13 operators, all of whom were 
chiefly engaged in the preparation of food products, while 2 op- 
erated reduction works in connection with or supplemental to the 
packing of pickled herring. All herring taken in western Alaska 
were pickled; the limited output resulted from the operations of 
three packers at Golovin Bay. 
STATISTICAL SUMMARY. 
The herring industry shows an investment in Alaska of $1,396,612, 
an increase of 55 per cent over the investment in 1919. Employment 
was given to 376 persons, as compared with 427 in 1919. Products 
were valued at $1,303,614, as against $1,676,170 in 1919, a decrease 
of $372,556. Out of a total of 8,751,405 pounds of food products, 
approximately 94 per cent was prepared as Scotch-cured herring. 
This was an increase from 7,718,985 pounds in 1919 to 8,223,490 
pounds in 1920, or 64 per cent. 
In the same period the Norwegian-cured product decreased from 
2,216,120 pounds to 344,619 pounds, or approximately 844 per cent. 
