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  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTEIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  in 
  1901 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  continuous 
  operation 
  since 
  that 
  time. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  August 
  24 
  to 
  October 
  16, 
  1913, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  9,480,000 
  

   sockeye-salmon 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken. 
  From 
  this 
  collection 
  there 
  were 
  

   hatched 
  and 
  liberated 
  in 
  1914 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  8,700,000 
  young 
  fish. 
  The 
  

   loss 
  of 
  780,000 
  is 
  thus 
  8.23 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  fry 
  from 
  the 
  hatching 
  

   troughs 
  pass 
  into 
  nursery 
  ponds, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  fed 
  on 
  prepared 
  

   fish, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  planted 
  in 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Naha 
  system, 
  eventually 
  to 
  work 
  down 
  into 
  tidal 
  waters 
  and 
  out 
  to 
  

   their 
  ocean 
  habitat. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  1913 
  was 
  quite 
  unsuccessful 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   taken, 
  but 
  in 
  1914 
  conditions 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  improved 
  somewhat, 
  as 
  

   during 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  August 
  22 
  to 
  November 
  30 
  a 
  take 
  of 
  22,500,000 
  

   sockeye 
  eggs 
  was 
  obtained. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  per 
  female 
  

   spawned 
  was 
  2,650. 
  The 
  first 
  eggs 
  taken 
  hatched 
  in 
  97 
  days 
  in 
  a 
  

   mean 
  water 
  temperature 
  of 
  45° 
  F. 
  But 
  oven 
  with 
  the 
  larger 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  eggs 
  this 
  year 
  over 
  1913, 
  returns 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  some 
  sea- 
  

   sons 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  disappointing. 
  The 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   taken 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  incessant 
  rains 
  causing 
  very 
  high 
  water, 
  which 
  made 
  

   seining 
  for 
  spawning 
  fish 
  difficult 
  and 
  permitted 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  

   enter 
  the 
  natural 
  spawning 
  streams 
  before 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  captured 
  

   for 
  hatchery 
  use. 
  Thus 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  weather 
  conditions 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  available 
  have 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  of 
  salmon 
  eggs 
  at 
  aU 
  hatcheries. 
  

  

  Karluk. 
  

  

  The 
  Karluk 
  hatchery, 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  Alaska 
  Packers 
  Associa- 
  

   tion, 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  Karluk 
  River 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   that 
  stream 
  near 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  Kodiak 
  Island. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  well- 
  

   equipped 
  station 
  of 
  50,000,000 
  salmon 
  eggs' 
  capacity, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   in 
  operation 
  continuously 
  for 
  19 
  years. 
  The 
  shadow 
  of 
  a 
  doubt 
  rests 
  

   upon 
  the 
  high 
  efficiency 
  of 
  this 
  hatchery, 
  not 
  through 
  any 
  fault 
  in 
  

   its 
  operation 
  or 
  management, 
  but 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  unfavorable 
  location, 
  

   practically 
  on 
  salt 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  impossibility 
  for 
  the 
  

   young 
  sockeye 
  salmon 
  to 
  remain 
  for 
  a 
  year 
  in 
  fresh 
  water 
  when 
  

   released, 
  as 
  is 
  their 
  habit 
  under 
  normal 
  circumstances. 
  The 
  fry, 
  after 
  

   hatching, 
  are 
  aUowed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  ponds 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  

   enough 
  to 
  compensate 
  for 
  the 
  benefits 
  which 
  they 
  would 
  otherwise 
  

   derive 
  from 
  a 
  season's 
  stay 
  in 
  a 
  fresh-water 
  lake. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  it 
  is 
  impracticable 
  to 
  transport 
  the 
  

   fry 
  from 
  the 
  hatchery 
  overland 
  to 
  Karluk 
  Lake, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  

   18 
  miles. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  before 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  hatchery 
  will 
  

   be 
  moved 
  to 
  the 
  lake. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  from 
  June 
  21 
  to 
  October 
  11, 
  1913, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   take 
  of 
  34,629,160 
  sockeye-salmon 
  eggs, 
  from 
  which 
  there 
  were 
  

   liberated 
  in 
  1914 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  31,546,080 
  fry. 
  The 
  loss 
  was 
  thus 
  

  

  