FISHERY INDUSTRIES. 57 
Propucts or ALASKA Cop FIsHERY IN 1915. 
Products. Pounds. | Value. Products. Pounds. | Value. 
Vessel catch: Shore-station catch—Contd. 
Saltodvood!...22.)J2ff2 1)! 10, 553,175 |$291, 479 Monguds:.ttt. ke 12, 400 $620 
MGNPUOS hs axsceet ssicicscaes 18, 800 1,380 ——_ 
a Motaliis. 2st go8 3,623,800 | 97,340 
OU seis. ema sceccae 10, 571,975 | 292, 859 = 
————— Total: 
Shore-station catch: Saltedicod...............- 14,156,175 | 387,779 
Salted cod... .. PseSomsthisse 3,603,000 | 96,300 Stockfisht. tse" oases. 8, 400 420 
Htockihsh®. f2c sn 2 Soe 8, 400 420 WONBUCS enone see ssoae 4 31, 200 2, 000 
14,195,775 | 390, 199 
THE HERRING FISHERY. 
There is no phase of the fisheries of Alaska which seems to have 
had less attention commercially in proportion to its potential worth 
than the herring fishery. The waters of Alaska abound with a high 
erade of herring of a species differing so shghtly from that of the 
Atlantic coast that to the casual observer there is no real difference. 
Notwithstanding this abundance there has been no development of 
the commercial fishery in Alaska in any way approaching the possibili- 
ties along this line. Herring have been utilized chiefly in three ways: 
(1) As bait in the halibut fishery, (2) pickled for food, and (3) in the 
manufacture of oil and fertilizer. There have also been some ship- 
ments of dry-salted herring in bulk to the Orient, but prohibitive 
freight rates have made such ventures unprofitable. The develop- 
ment of the pickled-herring trade of Alaska has not been as successful 
as might have been the case if greater care had been exercised by the 
fishermen in handling the pack. There has been a disposition not to 
sort the herring with sufficient care, and the result has been unfavor- 
able to the trade. Most of the herring have been caught by means 
of purse seines, which has resulted in the taking of all sizes of the fish, 
but if gill nets of suitable size mesh were used, as is largely the case 
in the herring fishery in European waters, only the larger sized 
herring would be caught. This would do away with much of the labor 
in sorting the fish when preparing them for pickling. It is realized 
that when herring are taken for halibut bait, either to be sold in a 
fresh condition or to be frozen for future use, it is more profitable to 
use purse seines. 
On account of the unprecedented demand for herring in Europe, 
resulting from war conditions, the importations of Norwegian and 
Holland herring into the United States fell off in 1915, in consequence 
of which the market has been strong for American herring. As a 
result, shipments of pickled herring from Alaska in 1915 were greater 
than in the previous year, and it is reported that the quality and size 
of the fish were much improved over that of former years. Under 
present conditions it is believed that a good grade of Alaska herring 
