﻿56 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  herring 
  for 
  bait; 
  therefore 
  every 
  effort 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  halibut 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  to 
  obtain 
  fresh 
  herring. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  cover 
  those 
  periods 
  when 
  

   the 
  schools 
  of 
  herring 
  are 
  not 
  easily 
  located, 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  resort 
  

   either 
  to 
  pickled 
  herring 
  or 
  to 
  frozen 
  herring. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  

   frozen 
  herring 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  fresh 
  herring 
  for 
  bait 
  purposes. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1914 
  conditions 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  were 
  

   rather 
  unusual, 
  as 
  herring 
  were 
  so 
  scarce 
  that 
  companies 
  operating 
  

   halibut 
  vessels 
  had 
  to 
  import 
  herring 
  for 
  bait 
  from 
  British 
  Columbia 
  

   to 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  operate 
  their 
  vessels. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  im- 
  

   ported 
  for 
  bait 
  was 
  frozen, 
  as 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  herring 
  affected 
  British 
  

   Columbia 
  as 
  well. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  was 
  imported, 
  as 
  nearly 
  aU 
  fishermen 
  entertained 
  the 
  idea 
  

   that 
  herring 
  would 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  southeast 
  

   Alaska 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  faU 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  winter, 
  A 
  heavy 
  run 
  of 
  herring 
  

   finally 
  appeared 
  along 
  in 
  December, 
  in 
  Tongass 
  Narrows 
  and 
  else- 
  

   where 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  and 
  from 
  that 
  date 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  the 
  herring 
  fishermen 
  were 
  quite 
  busy, 
  and 
  the 
  cold-storage 
  

   establishments 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  freezing 
  herring 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  capac- 
  

   ity 
  of 
  their 
  plants, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  early 
  scarcity. 
  So 
  numerous 
  

   were 
  herring 
  in 
  Tongass 
  Narrows 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  that 
  on 
  

   several 
  occasions 
  seiners 
  made 
  one 
  end 
  of 
  their 
  net 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  wharf 
  

   of 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  Fish 
  Co. 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  haul 
  along 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  

   dock. 
  The 
  herring 
  thus 
  obtained 
  were 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition 
  for 
  

   freezing 
  and 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  size 
  to 
  make 
  first-class 
  bait 
  for 
  hahbut 
  

   fishermen. 
  This 
  is 
  cited 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  while 
  there 
  may 
  sometimes 
  

   be 
  a 
  temporary 
  absence 
  of 
  herring 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  region, 
  which 
  causes 
  

   general 
  complaint 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  almost 
  invariably 
  

   enormous 
  runs 
  develop 
  sooner 
  or 
  later. 
  Notwithstanding 
  that 
  her- 
  

   ring 
  suitable 
  for 
  hahbut 
  bait 
  are 
  but 
  rarely 
  taken 
  in 
  appreciable 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  Tongass 
  Narrows, 
  it 
  is 
  recorded 
  that 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  in 
  

   December, 
  1914, 
  more 
  than 
  2,000 
  barrels 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  four 
  seines 
  

   in 
  this 
  restricted 
  area. 
  

  

  The 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  Oil 
  & 
  Guano 
  Co, 
  were 
  continued 
  at 
  

   KiUisnoo 
  this 
  season 
  as 
  during 
  past 
  years. 
  The 
  season 
  of 
  1914, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  rather 
  unsatisfactory 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  inclement 
  weather. 
  

   It 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  locate 
  schools 
  of 
  herring 
  when 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  agitated 
  or 
  disturbed 
  by 
  the 
  wind. 
  Operations 
  were 
  dis- 
  

   continued 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  September, 
  about 
  a 
  month 
  earlier 
  than 
  usual, 
  

   as 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  profitable 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  

   chance 
  on 
  uncertain 
  weather 
  conditions 
  through 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  Octo- 
  

   ber, 
  It 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  of 
  mention 
  that 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  halibut 
  

   steamers 
  obtained 
  bait 
  at 
  Killisnoo 
  this 
  season. 
  Heretofore 
  the 
  

   product 
  of 
  this 
  establishment 
  has 
  been 
  confined 
  almost 
  whoUy 
  to 
  

   oil 
  and 
  fertihzer. 
  The 
  growing 
  use 
  of 
  fish 
  meal 
  as 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  a 
  highly 
  

   desirable 
  form 
  of 
  poultry 
  food, 
  is 
  weU 
  set 
  forth 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  

  

  