36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 



Walrus Ivory and Oil Secured in Alaska, 1868 to 1905. 



a Data missing. 



Whales. — Whaling at the present time is participated in to a very 

 limited extent by the natives of Alaska, the Eskimos living along the 

 Arctic coast being the only ones engaged. At one time, however, 

 the natives of the Aleutian chain and the shores of Bering Sea fol- 

 lowed whaling whenever possible during the summer months. As 

 from the beginning, almost all of the whaling is done by the fleet 

 which rendezvous at San Francisco. About 1867 from 10 to 12 of 

 these whalers visited what are known as the Kadiak grounds, but this 

 ground was soon exhausted and the whole fleet now works exclusively 

 in the Arctic. Large numbers of humpback whales (Megaptera ver- 

 sabilis) are to be seen during the summer months in southeast Alaska, 

 but no effort is made to capture them. The bowhead (Balsena rays- 

 ticetus) is the common Arctic whale, and the one generally secured by 

 the whalers, although a few right whales (Balsena sieboldii) are taken 

 in certain seasons. The principal object of whale fishing at the pres- 

 ent time is the whalebone, which brings as much as $5 per pound in 

 the markets. As the whaling fleet generally pursues its prey in the 

 open sea and has its headquarters outside of Alaska, its work does 

 not come within the scope of this report except as it deals with the 

 natives. 



The belt of open water bordering the American coast from Icy 

 Cape to the mouth of the Colville River is a favorite resort for whales 

 during the latter part of summer and until winter sets in. From Icy 

 Cape to Point Barrow the coast is low and sand}' and backed by 

 shallow lagoons, its southern portion' being known to whalemen as the 

 "graveyard," owing to the great number of vessels that have been 

 wrecked there. It is along this stretch of coast that the natives do 

 their whaling. In April the ice pack begins to loosen, and soon there 



