122 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1919. 



Since the railroad schedule of two trains per week was entirely 

 inadequate for any work on the upper river, arrangements were made 

 for a speeder to carry the party over the road as desired. The first 

 trip was made on July 21, to the head of the Abercromhie Rapids, 

 many stops being made to take views of the stream and to study the 

 currents and probable course of the fish in ascending the river. 

 Especial attention was paid to the Abercromhie Rapids themselves, 

 and both banks of the stream were examined carefully. Along the 

 railroad track were various dipping stations at the margin of the 

 water where men were at work; these places were inspected closely 

 and studied from various aspects of the problem. The other side, 

 formerly fished by the Carlisle Packing Co., but now closed territory, 

 was not visited, as it could be reasonably well studied from the top 

 of the west bank. The problem of fishing in these rapids is dis- 

 cussed at another point. 



On July 22 a visit was made to Clear Creek, a tributary on the east 

 side of the Copper River, where the railroad crossed it at Mile 43. 

 Redfish were spawning there, and a careful study of this stream was 

 made, the peculiar conditions of which are discussed in another 

 section of this report. 



July 23 was spent at the plant of the Abercromhie Packing Co. in 

 an examination of the fish and a comparison of them with the mate- 

 rial studied at an earlier date as noted above. On the following 

 days this comparative study was carried further by the examination 

 of new material in the canning plants at Cordova. At the same time 

 equipment and apparatus were prepared for the trail and packed. 



The party left Cordova for the trip to the interior early on the 

 morning of July 26. On the way north stops were made to investi- 

 gate small streams emptying into the Copper River from the west, 

 also certain small lakes that lie between the Tasnuna River and the 

 north wall of its valley. They are located in the alluvial plain near 

 the junction of the river with the Copper, and despite reports show 

 no evidence of being waters in which the salmon were about to 

 spawn or of having served such a purpose previously. The small 

 tributaries on the west which were said to carry salmon showed no 

 trace of fish at that time and no evidence of spawning during that 

 season. It seems probable that they are not used by the red salmon, 

 though some are not unlikely to furnish spawning places for the silver 

 salmon which run up later. 



An entire day was devoted to the study of Long Lake which has 

 been reported as an important spawning ground for salmon. The 

 results of the investigation are discussed in a separate section of this 

 report. 



On July 29 the party loft the railroad at Chitina and investigated 

 the lakes there and the small stream that joins them with the Copper, 

 which are certainly good spawning grounds for the red salmon as 

 shown by the record of observations, given later in this report. The 

 party left that day for Copper Center, reaching the road house at 

 the latter point late in the evening. The following day was devoted 

 to an investigation of adjacent portions of the Copper River and of 

 the Klutina, which joins it at Copper Center. An opportunity was 

 given to observe the methods of fishing practiced by the natives 

 there and to confirm by general testimony the statements concern- 



