REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 71 
in 1914 was prepared by the Deputy Commissioner and issued in 
January,1915. In view of the fact that the fishing season of 1915 has 
not yet ended, no report thereon is possible, and reference will be 
made to some of the more important developments of the last calen- 
dar year. 
Bie the season of 1914 the Alaska fishing industry attained its 
highest value. The employment of 21,200 persons and the investment 
of $37,000,000 therein resulted in a yield of products valued at $21,- 
243,000, an increase of $5,500,000 over the previous year. This great 
advance was due largely to the abundance of red salmon and the rela- 
tively high prices commanded by canned salmon. 
In the patrol work along the Alaskan coast, the agents of the 
Bureau have found that the fishing interests in general are in sym- 
pathy with the protective laws and observe them fully. There have 
been, however, a number of more or less serious violations, usually by 
irresponsible employees. The fishery agents have successfully prose- 
cuted a number of cases in the local courts, and have had the helpful 
cooperation of the United States attorneys and marshals. 
The private salmon hatcheries in Alaska have been inspected, and 
during the season of 1914 all were found to be well conducted, 
although at some plants better facilities of feeding and rearing are 
desirable. During the fiscal year 1914 the five private hatcheries lib- 
erated over 64,000,000 red salmon fry, and were credited with rebates 
of taxes aggregating $25,741, the allowance being at the rate of 40 
cents per thousand for red or king salmon fry planted. 
Under date of April 27, 1915, the Bureau issued an announcement 
_that a hearing would be had at Seattle on October 1 to determine the 
advisability of setting aside as preserves for spawning grounds and 
limiting or prohibiting commercial fishing therein certain waters 
in Alaska as follows: Barnes Lake, near Lake Bay, including all its 
tributary waters and its outlet; Hetta River and Lagoon, including 
all tributary waters; and Sockeye Creek, the outlet of Boca de 
Quadra hatchery waters, together with its tributaries; and an area 
or zone within 500 yards of the mouth of each of the above 
streams. 
Under the authority conferred by the Presidential proclamation 
setting apart Afognak Island and adjacent islands as a fish-culture 
reserve, 73 licenses were issued to native inhabitants in 1914 to 
conduct fishing operations for salmon with seines and gill nets in 
the waters of the reservation. Their catch was 330,930 salmon, 
chiefly sockeyes and humpbacks, and were mostly disposed of at 
Kodiak. 
A limited number of permits was granted during the year author- 
izing the carrying on of certain fisheries operations in the Aleutian 
Islands Reservation. It is the plan of the Department to make the 
fisheries within this reservation subservient to the welfare of the 
native inhabitants and to allow no fishing that would be disadvan- 
tageous to them or to the perpetuation of the fisheries. It having 
been found that fish for use as fox food on the Pribilof Islands 
could be secured to advantage from the reservation, arrangements 
were made early in 1915 whereby the natives would be given the 
opportunity of furnishing the required supply. 
In the winter of 1914-15 the Bureau held protracted conferences 
with the representatives of fishing interests in Alaska regarding the 
