22 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Under the provisions of the act of April 21, 1910, the Secretary of 

 Commerce and Labor is charged with all matters pertaining to the 

 care and preservation of all the fur- bearing animals of Alaska . Under 

 this authority the Bureau has drawn regulations relating to the killing 

 or capture in Alaska of certain fur-bearing animals other than seals, 

 and said regulations, having been signed and promulgated by the 

 Secretary of Commerce and Labor, are now effective in the Territory. 



For the purpose of putting into effect the provisions of the act 

 above referred to, the sum of $150,000 was appropriated. The imme- 

 diately necessary additional employees required by the enlargement 

 of the Bureau's functions on the islands have been appointed. The 

 Bureau, under authority of the law and by direction of the Secretary 

 of Commerce and Labor, has entered into negotiations for the pur- 

 chase of the buildings, boats, and other property of the North Ameri- 

 can Commercial Company on the islands. The company has placed 

 an apparently reasonable valuation on its property, and the proposi- 

 tion is under consideration subject to the results of an inventory now 

 being made by an agent of the Bureau on the islands. 



The data relating to the killing and the condition of the seal herds 

 to July 31, 1909, were published in the preceding report of the Bu- 

 reau. Those for the season of 1910 are not available at the time of 

 writing the present report, and in any event are more strictly ger- 

 mane to the succeeding fiscal year. 



THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES. 

 STATISTICS AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



The commercial fisheries of the United States, including the various 

 fishery industries dependent upon them, represent an investment of 

 about .$95,000,000, and the value of the products derived from the 

 fisheries proper is about $62,000,000. With the exception of the 

 mackerel and some other fisheries that for a number of years have 

 not been as extensive as formerly, all of .the more important branches 

 of the industry are in a prosperous condition. The catch of mackerel 

 during the past year was smaller than in the previous year, amount- 

 ing to 46,439 barrels fresh and 17,542 barrels salted in 1909, against 

 57,566 barrels fresh and 21,267 barrels salted in 1908. The spring 

 fishery in 1910 was poorer than for a number of years past, the catch 

 up to July 1 being only 16,410 barrels of fresh mackerel and only 

 2,490 barrels of salted mackerel. It was an exceptionally unfavorable 

 season for the seiners, as they took only about 2,200 barrels of the 

 total catch of fresh mackerel, the remainder being caught by the gill- 

 net fishermen. The fish were larger than usual, many of them weigh- 

 ing from 3 to 4 pounds each, but the greater portion from 2 to 3 

 pounds each. The fleet numbered about 50 seiners and 125 netters. 



