﻿FISHERY 
  INDUSTEIES. 
  89 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  fish 
  hooked. 
  The 
  power 
  troller, 
  however, 
  does 
  not 
  thus 
  play 
  a 
  fish, 
  but 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  hauls 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  while 
  the 
  boat 
  is 
  going 
  ahead 
  at 
  a 
  speed 
  much 
  faster 
  than 
  that 
  

   ever 
  attained 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  troller. 
  If 
  the 
  fish 
  is 
  hooked 
  securely 
  enough, 
  it 
  is 
  landed 
  

   without 
  delay; 
  but 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  slightly 
  hooked 
  or 
  is 
  an 
  unusTially 
  vigorous 
  one, 
  it 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  escapes 
  by 
  tearing 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  hook. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  apparent 
  that 
  by 
  tJii^^ 
  

   method 
  many 
  fish 
  are 
  hooked 
  wMch 
  escape 
  with 
  injuries 
  and 
  often 
  subsequently 
  die 
  

   as 
  a 
  result. 
  The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  power- 
  trolled 
  fish 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  those 
  trolled 
  by 
  hand, 
  

   owing 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  stronger 
  fish 
  hooked 
  by 
  

   the 
  power 
  trollers 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  tear 
  themselves 
  loose, 
  while 
  comparatively 
  few 
  are 
  lost 
  

   by 
  the 
  hand 
  troller, 
  who 
  plays 
  his 
  fisli. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  season 
  for 
  active 
  trolling 
  for 
  king 
  salmon 
  begins 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  March 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinues 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  Jime, 
  depending 
  somewhat 
  on 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  the 
  different 
  local- 
  

   ities. 
  Tlie: 
  principal 
  trolling 
  grounds 
  are 
  the 
  waters 
  about 
  Forrester 
  Island, 
  Cape 
  

   Ommaney, 
  Point 
  Lemesurier, 
  Point 
  Caamano, 
  Kashakes 
  Point, 
  Craig, 
  Wrangell, 
  and 
  

   Sunny 
  Bay. 
  There 
  are 
  various 
  other 
  less 
  important 
  groimds, 
  as 
  king 
  salmon 
  may 
  

   upon 
  occasion 
  be 
  caught 
  at 
  almost 
  any 
  point 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  but 
  more 
  especially 
  

   south 
  of 
  Wrangell 
  Narrows. 
  They 
  may 
  be 
  caught 
  throughout 
  almost 
  the 
  entire 
  year; 
  

   in 
  fact, 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  month 
  when 
  king 
  salmon 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  taken. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  

   winter 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  caught 
  at 
  Snow 
  Pass, 
  Zarembo 
  Island, 
  Tongass 
  Narrows, 
  and 
  

   other 
  places. 
  Early 
  in 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  they 
  begin 
  rimning 
  near 
  Wrangell, 
  and 
  

   a 
  short 
  time 
  after 
  that 
  the 
  nm 
  at 
  Craig 
  and 
  other 
  outside 
  points 
  commences. 
  

  

  Trolling 
  furnishes 
  employment 
  to 
  probably 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  1,500 
  persons 
  in 
  southeast 
  

   Alaska 
  each 
  season. 
  This 
  number 
  is 
  estimated, 
  as 
  trollers 
  are 
  so 
  widely 
  scattered 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  practically 
  impossible 
  to 
  make 
  even 
  a 
  reasonably 
  accurate 
  census. 
  There 
  are 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  of 
  coast 
  line 
  dotted 
  with 
  groups 
  of 
  camps 
  of 
  trollers 
  or 
  of 
  scattered 
  

   and 
  single 
  camps. 
  The 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  this 
  work 
  may 
  perhaps 
  be 
  

   accoimted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  trolling 
  operations 
  can 
  be 
  engaged 
  in 
  successfully 
  by 
  

   those 
  possessing 
  quite 
  limited 
  capital, 
  as 
  the 
  equipment 
  is 
  not 
  expensive 
  and 
  suitable 
  

   trolling 
  groimds 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  limited 
  as 
  are 
  suitable 
  gill-netting 
  grounds. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  a 
  

   hand 
  troller's 
  complete 
  equipment 
  does 
  not 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  exceed 
  $90, 
  allowing 
  a 
  valu- 
  

   ation 
  of 
  $30 
  for 
  the 
  boat, 
  $10 
  for 
  gear, 
  and 
  $50 
  for 
  camp 
  equipment 
  and 
  incidentals 
  

   possessed 
  by 
  most 
  hand 
  trollers. 
  Tlie 
  power 
  boats 
  vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  value, 
  ranging 
  from 
  

   $150 
  to 
  $2,000 
  each, 
  the 
  average 
  probably 
  being 
  about 
  $800. 
  

  

  Gill 
  netting 
  for 
  king 
  salmon 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  only 
  two 
  regions 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  

   namely, 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Stikine 
  River 
  near 
  Wrangell 
  and 
  in 
  Taku 
  Inlet 
  near 
  

   Jimeau. 
  In 
  the 
  former 
  region 
  the 
  nets 
  range 
  from 
  250 
  to 
  600 
  fathoms 
  in 
  length, 
  aver- 
  

   aging 
  about 
  375 
  fathoms, 
  while 
  in 
  Taku 
  Inlet, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  floating 
  ice 
  from 
  

   the 
  glacier, 
  the 
  nets 
  are 
  considerably 
  shorter, 
  aA'eraging 
  only 
  about 
  190 
  fathoms 
  in 
  

   length, 
  with 
  a 
  maximum 
  of 
  300 
  fathoms. 
  This 
  region 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  restricted 
  than 
  the 
  

   Stikine 
  River 
  grounds 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  afford 
  good 
  fishing 
  to 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  boats. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  with 
  gill 
  nets 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  chiefly 
  at 
  either 
  high 
  or 
  low 
  tide 
  and 
  preferably 
  

   at 
  niglit 
  or 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  if 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  turbid 
  to 
  conceal 
  the 
  nets 
  from 
  the 
  

   fish. 
  In 
  the 
  Stikine 
  region 
  one 
  fisherman, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  lives 
  on 
  a 
  boat, 
  which 
  is 
  ordinarily 
  

   but 
  a 
  large 
  skiff 
  powered 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  engine 
  and 
  liaving 
  a 
  small 
  cabin 
  forward. 
  Such 
  

   boats 
  are 
  valued 
  at 
  about 
  $400 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  carrying 
  capacity 
  of 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  tons. 
  Some 
  

   boats 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  better 
  type 
  and 
  are 
  correspondingly 
  more 
  valuable, 
  often 
  costing 
  

   as 
  much 
  as 
  $4,000. 
  Such 
  boats 
  generally 
  carry 
  a 
  large 
  skiff 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  gill 
  net 
  is 
  

   stowed 
  and 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  set. 
  

  

  The 
  mild-cure 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  general 
  classes 
  — 
  floating 
  stations 
  and 
  

   shore 
  stations. 
  The 
  latter 
  are 
  owaied 
  or 
  operated 
  chiefly 
  by 
  large 
  companies. 
  Of 
  

   these 
  are 
  the 
  stations 
  that 
  buy 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  state 
  and 
  do 
  their 
  own 
  mild 
  curing 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  buying 
  the 
  mild-cured 
  product 
  put 
  up 
  by 
  fishermen 
  . 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  those 
  

   which 
  only 
  buy 
  fish 
  mild 
  cured 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  small 
  operators. 
  The 
  floating 
  

   stations 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  large 
  scows 
  or 
  boats 
  of 
  considerable 
  capacity 
  to 
  small 
  power 
  

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