﻿38 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  the 
  power 
  trollers. 
  Two 
  checkers 
  on 
  the 
  boats 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  

   buyers 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  prevent 
  practically 
  all 
  surreptitious 
  disposal 
  of 
  

   fish 
  by 
  power-boat 
  trollers. 
  No 
  permits 
  were 
  issued 
  this 
  season 
  to 
  

   power 
  boats, 
  and 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  power 
  boats 
  were 
  present 
  there 
  

   was 
  practically 
  no 
  trouble 
  this 
  year 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  previous 
  seasons. 
  

   The 
  best 
  rmi 
  of 
  king 
  salmon 
  did 
  not 
  materialize 
  until 
  August. 
  It 
  

   was 
  too 
  late 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  particular 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  as 
  about 
  

   this 
  time 
  the 
  war 
  in 
  Europe 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  operations. 
  In 
  June 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  natives 
  left 
  the 
  Forrester 
  Island 
  camp 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  near-by 
  

   canneries. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  work 
  of 
  mild-cure 
  operations 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  in 
  

   1914 
  has 
  been 
  well 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  report 
  from 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Walker, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bureau's 
  force, 
  with 
  headquarters 
  at 
  WrangeU, 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  

   extract 
  from 
  this 
  report 
  is 
  herewith 
  reproduced: 
  

  

  The 
  king 
  salmon, 
  which, 
  is 
  the 
  species 
  utilized 
  in 
  miid-ciire 
  operations, 
  other 
  than 
  a 
  

   relatively 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  coho 
  salmon, 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  species 
  of 
  salmon 
  

   entering 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  and 
  in 
  1914 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  king 
  

   salmon 
  was 
  about 
  22 
  pounds. 
  In 
  certain 
  sections 
  of 
  this 
  district 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  some- 
  

   what 
  larger 
  and 
  in 
  others' 
  much 
  smaller. 
  Tlie 
  early 
  nm, 
  near 
  Craig, 
  averaged 
  about 
  

   30 
  pounds, 
  while 
  the 
  run 
  at 
  fJape 
  Ommaney 
  somewhat 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  did 
  not 
  

   average 
  over 
  15 
  poimds. 
  King 
  salmon 
  are 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  white 
  meated 
  or 
  red 
  meated 
  

   accordingly 
  .as 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  is 
  a 
  pale 
  flesh 
  color 
  or 
  a 
  rich 
  salmon 
  color. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  is 
  the 
  form 
  especially 
  sought 
  after 
  by 
  the 
  markets, 
  as 
  it 
  retains 
  its 
  color 
  

   perfectly, 
  save 
  when 
  canned, 
  and 
  is 
  rich 
  and 
  palatable. 
  Tlie 
  white 
  flesh 
  is 
  equally 
  

   rich 
  and 
  valuable 
  for 
  food, 
  but 
  being 
  less 
  highly 
  colored 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  demand 
  by 
  the 
  

   market 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  Fortunately 
  the 
  white-fleshed 
  individuals 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  

   minority, 
  there 
  being 
  only 
  about 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  that 
  are 
  of 
  tliis 
  color. 
  

   To 
  some 
  people 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  white-meated 
  king 
  salmon 
  is 
  considered 
  superior, 
  

   especially 
  when 
  eaten 
  fresh, 
  to 
  any 
  other 
  salmon, 
  and 
  its 
  lack 
  of 
  popularity 
  may 
  be 
  

   attributed 
  almost 
  entirely 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  a 
  rich, 
  attractive 
  color 
  rather 
  tlian 
  to 
  any 
  

   fault 
  in 
  quality. 
  

  

  Mild 
  curing 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  method 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  king 
  salmon 
  is 
  now 
  utilized. 
  

   It 
  is 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  five 
  years 
  that 
  the 
  mild 
  curing 
  of 
  king 
  salmon 
  in 
  Alaska 
  

   has 
  become 
  an 
  important 
  industry, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  it 
  has 
  ranked 
  next 
  to 
  

   canning 
  as 
  a 
  method 
  of 
  preparing 
  the 
  salmon 
  products 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  capture 
  of 
  king 
  salmon 
  is 
  effected 
  cMefly 
  by 
  two 
  methods 
  — 
  trolling 
  and 
  gill 
  

   netting. 
  A 
  few, 
  however, 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  traps 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  salmon, 
  and 
  diiring 
  

   the 
  season 
  just 
  closed 
  one 
  person 
  operated 
  a 
  trap 
  for 
  tliis 
  species, 
  but 
  with 
  indifferent 
  

   results. 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  trolling, 
  in 
  brief, 
  consists 
  merely 
  in 
  pulling 
  through 
  the 
  water 
  

   slowly 
  a 
  hook 
  baited 
  with 
  a 
  herring 
  or 
  having 
  an 
  artificial 
  spoon 
  attached 
  to 
  it. 
  The 
  

   trollers 
  are 
  of 
  two 
  classes, 
  those 
  operating 
  hand 
  boats 
  and 
  those 
  having 
  power 
  boats. 
  

   The 
  former 
  have 
  merely 
  rowboats 
  adapted 
  to 
  one 
  person, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  operator 
  

   tows 
  a 
  single 
  line 
  carrying 
  one 
  hook. 
  The 
  power 
  trollers 
  have, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  small 
  power- 
  

   propelled 
  boats 
  ranging 
  from 
  a 
  mere 
  rowboat 
  in 
  size 
  to 
  quite 
  stanchly 
  built 
  little 
  

   vessels 
  of 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  5 
  tons. 
  The 
  power 
  troller 
  lias 
  fitted 
  to 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  an 
  

   outrigger 
  or 
  pole 
  about 
  15 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  projecting 
  nearly 
  horizontally, 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  attached 
  a 
  trolling 
  line. 
  Frequently 
  a 
  third 
  outrigger 
  is 
  placed 
  vertically 
  

   at 
  the 
  stern, 
  to 
  which 
  is 
  attached 
  another 
  line, 
  thus 
  enabling 
  a 
  power 
  troller 
  to 
  operate 
  

   at 
  least 
  three 
  lines 
  at 
  once. 
  

  

  The 
  hand 
  troller 
  almost 
  invariably 
  plays 
  a 
  fish 
  when 
  hooked, 
  thus 
  tiring 
  it 
  out 
  before 
  

   attempting 
  to 
  remove 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  hook 
  and 
  insuring 
  the 
  landing 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  percentage 
  

  

  