ALASKA FISHEKIES AND FUR INirtJSTRIES, 1911. 9 



incvoming fish was kept, showed that approximately one-third of 

 the fish entering the lake were never recovered for spawning. They 

 spawn about the shores, remain in deep water until after the season, 

 or in some way are lost. 



Granting then that the number of red salmon entering Litnik Lake 

 was 40,000, this does not show any remarkable effect from the 

 closure. It was reported that when fished tliis stream was good for 

 from 10,000 to 15,000 cases. They are a rather small fish and may 

 be figured at 13 to the case, or a total output of 130,000 to 195,000 

 fish. On its face this makes a very bad showing, but there are two 

 facts to be noted: First, that this stream was fished by a barricade 

 resulting in not only the maximum catch, but an almost or quite 

 complete extinction of the spawners; second, that although closed 

 by law there was no official present to administer the law and a 

 certain amount of poacliing was carried on during the years preceding 

 1907, the year the hatchery was established. The extent of tliis 

 illegal fisliing it is impossible to determine. For these reasons it 

 would be manifestly unfair to take Litnik Stream as an example of 

 the results of an effective closing of a stream to fishing. 



The Naha has been closed for about half tliis period, during which 

 time a hatchery has been operated. Until 1911 all the fish that 

 could be secured in the upper or principal lake were taken for hatchery 

 use, so an examination of the hatchery record furnishes an approxi- 

 mate idea of the run. The year 1906 marked the first big impulse, 

 but contradictory to the theory of building up an isolated stream by 

 attention to it exclusively, the years following 1906 (except 1911) 

 show a smaller take than those just preceding. For example, for 

 the three years 1903, 1904, and 1905, the average take of eggs was 52 

 miUion, whereas in 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1910, the average was only 

 38 million. Thus it is seen that artificial as well as natural production 

 has failed to elevate the output of an isolated stream above the 

 normal level for the region. Tliis in no wise demonstrates either 

 that the protected natural production or the hatchery work has 

 been without efiect; it is easily conceivable that any increased output 

 has been distributed to the point of being lost from sight. The 

 figures only emphasize the necessity of arriving at positive knowledge 

 before advocating this or that measure or recommending expenditures 

 for particular purposes. Some of the questions regarding hatcheries 

 are fully discussed in another section of this report. 



The average age of the salmon is now in a fair way to be deter- 

 mined. Following the remarkable work of the Scotch and Norwe- 

 gian investigators on the Atlantic salmon, a study of the scales of 

 the various Pacific salmons has been undertaken. A careful exami- 

 nation of the scales reveals not only the number of years' growth, 

 but also the period spent in fresh water before going to sea. Areas 



