﻿40 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  PUR 
  INDUSTRIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  boats 
  holding 
  but 
  a 
  single 
  tierce 
  and 
  operated 
  by 
  only 
  one 
  person 
  and 
  supplied 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  by 
  that 
  person's 
  activity 
  at 
  trolling. 
  The 
  floating 
  stations 
  are 
  either 
  towed 
  or 
  go 
  

   under 
  their 
  own 
  power 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  and 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   any 
  regular 
  location. 
  Under 
  this 
  arrangement 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  brought 
  directly 
  to 
  tfaem 
  

   by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  caught. 
  The 
  shore 
  stations 
  run 
  regular 
  boats 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   grounds, 
  where 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  bought 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  

   for 
  preparation. 
  The 
  greatest 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  exercised 
  in 
  handling 
  salmon 
  for 
  mild- 
  

   curing 
  purposes 
  if 
  a 
  desirable 
  product 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  realized. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  cared 
  for 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   possible 
  after 
  capture. 
  In 
  their 
  preparation 
  the 
  heads 
  and 
  gills 
  are 
  first 
  removed; 
  

   next 
  the 
  fins 
  are 
  cut 
  off 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  opened 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line 
  along 
  

   the 
  abdomen 
  and 
  the 
  viscera 
  removed. 
  Following 
  this, 
  the 
  sides 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  

   cutting 
  close 
  along 
  the 
  backbone 
  on 
  each 
  side, 
  removing 
  the 
  backbone 
  and 
  leaving 
  

   the 
  two 
  approximately 
  equal 
  sides 
  of 
  flesh 
  containing 
  only 
  the 
  ribs 
  and 
  the 
  basal 
  bones 
  

   of 
  the 
  fins. 
  From 
  the 
  cutting 
  table 
  the 
  sides 
  are 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  tank 
  of 
  fresh 
  running 
  water, 
  

   from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  final 
  cleaning. 
  In 
  this 
  process 
  each 
  side, 
  or 
  fletch, 
  

   is 
  carefully 
  scraped 
  under 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  to 
  remove 
  any 
  blood 
  and 
  loose 
  tissues, 
  

   following 
  which 
  an 
  incision 
  is 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  skin 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  brine 
  to 
  penetrate, 
  and 
  the 
  

   fletch 
  is 
  then 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  heavy 
  salt 
  solution. 
  After 
  remaining 
  in 
  this 
  brine 
  from 
  5 
  

   to 
  10 
  hours 
  the 
  sides 
  are 
  then 
  taken 
  out 
  and 
  carefully 
  packed 
  in 
  tierces, 
  alternating 
  

   with 
  layers 
  of 
  fine 
  salt, 
  care 
  being 
  taken 
  not 
  to 
  use 
  so 
  much 
  salt 
  that 
  a 
  hard 
  salt 
  product 
  

   will 
  result. 
  They 
  remain 
  in 
  this 
  condition 
  for 
  about 
  15 
  days, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  repacked 
  

   and 
  graded 
  according 
  to 
  size 
  in 
  tierces 
  with 
  fresh 
  salt. 
  These 
  tierces 
  are 
  then 
  headed 
  

   up 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  cool 
  place 
  until 
  ready 
  for 
  shipment. 
  

  

  Mild-cured 
  salmon 
  may 
  be 
  served 
  in 
  various 
  ways, 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  confused 
  with 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  salt 
  fish. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  boiled 
  and 
  served 
  as 
  an 
  excellent 
  moderately 
  salt 
  fish 
  

   or 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  prepared 
  by 
  the 
  method 
  most 
  commonly 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  German 
  trade, 
  

   which 
  is 
  to 
  soak 
  the 
  sides 
  slightly 
  and 
  then 
  smoke 
  it. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1914 
  there 
  was 
  much 
  waste 
  of 
  king 
  salmon, 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   fish 
  and 
  the 
  mild-cured 
  product. 
  The 
  German 
  trade, 
  which 
  consumes 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  

   greater 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  product, 
  desires 
  sides 
  weighing 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  6 
  or 
  7 
  pounds, 
  so 
  

   that 
  when 
  smoked 
  and 
  sliced 
  the 
  slices 
  will 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  suitable 
  size 
  to 
  put 
  up 
  neatly 
  in 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  package. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  fair 
  market 
  for 
  well-cured 
  sides 
  of 
  6 
  pounds 
  and 
  over, 
  but 
  

   in 
  many 
  cases 
  fish 
  that 
  will 
  not 
  cut 
  a 
  6-pound 
  side 
  are 
  discarded, 
  irrespective 
  of 
  price, 
  

   although 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  fish 
  is 
  fully 
  as 
  good 
  or 
  even 
  better 
  than 
  the 
  large 
  

   ones. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  previously 
  indicated, 
  the 
  mild-cm-e 
  market 
  greatly 
  prefers 
  the 
  red- 
  

   meated 
  fish. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  white-meated 
  fish 
  are 
  frequently 
  refused 
  by 
  the 
  buyers 
  and 
  

   packers, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  taken 
  at 
  very 
  low 
  prices 
  considering 
  their 
  real 
  food 
  value. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  about 
  one-third 
  of 
  its 
  total 
  weight 
  is 
  waste 
  and 
  the 
  

   remaining 
  two-thirds 
  is 
  divided 
  equally 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  sides. 
  An 
  18-pound 
  fish 
  will 
  

   therefore 
  cut 
  two 
  6-pound 
  sides, 
  and 
  when 
  in 
  mild-ciu*e 
  operations 
  sides 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  6 
  

   pounds 
  are 
  desired, 
  all 
  fish 
  under 
  18 
  pounds 
  weight 
  are 
  discarded, 
  and 
  much 
  waste 
  

   therefore 
  results. 
  Diu"ing 
  this 
  season 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  king 
  salmon 
  for 
  all 
  of 
  south- 
  

   eastern 
  Alaska 
  was 
  only 
  about 
  22 
  pounds. 
  On 
  certain 
  trolling 
  grounds 
  not 
  over 
  20 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  weighed 
  22 
  pounds, 
  while 
  on 
  some 
  other 
  grounds 
  the 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  fish 
  of 
  this 
  size 
  was 
  not 
  much 
  better. 
  

  

  When 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  that 
  many 
  buyers 
  have 
  a 
  minimum 
  weight 
  limit 
  of 
  20 
  pounds 
  

   per 
  fish 
  and 
  a 
  limit 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  taken 
  from 
  each 
  person 
  per 
  day, 
  and 
  are 
  

   paying 
  more 
  for 
  large 
  fish 
  than 
  for 
  small, 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  fisherman 
  will 
  con- 
  

   tinue 
  to 
  fish, 
  if 
  possible, 
  even 
  after 
  he 
  has 
  his 
  per 
  diem 
  limit, 
  in 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  catch 
  his 
  

   limit 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  rather 
  than 
  small. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  fish 
  taken 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  limit 
  

   will 
  then 
  be 
  thrown 
  overboard. 
  The 
  scale 
  of 
  prices 
  at 
  one 
  station 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   Whites, 
  25 
  cents; 
  reds, 
  under 
  16 
  pounds, 
  25 
  cents; 
  reds, 
  between 
  16 
  and 
  20 
  pounds, 
  50 
  

   cents; 
  and 
  reds, 
  over 
  20 
  pounds, 
  $1. 
  At 
  another 
  place 
  the 
  following 
  prices 
  prevailed: 
  

  

  