THE FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN" 1906. 35 



traps, utilizing every fish caught, produced but sHghtly over 200,000 

 red sahuon. From the other three traps about 100,000 red sahnou 

 were obtained, making about 300,000 taken this season in all of the 

 Wood River traps. 



Several complaints were made that certain traps extended too far 

 into the stream, but the assistant agent's investigations do not sustain 

 this charge. A number of gill nets also are operated in the lower 

 reaches of the river, some, according to the trap men, to the full width 

 of the river. 



The following companies operated canneries on the bay this season : 

 Alaska Packers' Association (3), Alaska-Portland Packers' Associa- 

 tion, Northwestern Fisheries Company, Alaska Fishermen's Packing 

 Company, North Alaska Salmon Company, and Columbia River 

 Packers' Association, one each. The Alaska Salmon Company oper- 

 ated a cannery on Wood River just above its mouth. 



There were seven traps operated in the bay. The gill net is the prin- 

 cipal form of apparatus used. The gill netters operate principally in 

 the lower bay, but some go as high up as Lewis Point on the Nushagak 

 River and about 10 miles up the Wood River when the fish reach 

 these rivers. 



The fish began to run very early in this section, the first king salmon 

 being taken on June 7, the first dog salmon on June 10, the first red 

 salmon on June 11, and the first coho on July 11. According to the 

 older cannery men this was the earliest appearance of the red salmon in 

 twenty years, while dog salmon were never before known to come in 

 so early. King salmon ran larger and in greater numbers than usual. 

 The greater part of the red salmon pack was made between June 19 

 and July 9. The fish ran very steadily, except from July 3 to 9, when 

 a big run passed up the river. Nearly all of the red salmon caught in 

 June were taken below Point Ekuk, the fish not commg into the rivers 

 until in July. The dog salmon run was very heavy from the beginning. 

 It is the custom in Bristol Bay to pack dog salmon under a pink salmon 

 label. Only the early run is put up and these fish are firm and in good 

 condition. This season, however, several canneries continued pack- 

 ing dog salmon until the end of the season, although the late run pre- 

 sented a very repidsive appearance. About every fourth year there is 

 a very good run of humpbacks, and fortunately for the cannerymen it 

 occurred this season. It was early seen that the red salmon run was 

 going to be a short one, so after the middle of July most of the can- 

 neries proceeded to make up the deficiency with humpbacks. The 

 coho pack is usually a small one and this season was no exception. 

 The reason, however, is not so nmch the lack of fish as the fact that 

 the canneries are generally shut down in the middle of the run. Late 

 in the season the cannery men sometimes, when the pack is light, i)ut 

 up some of the small king salmon under a coho label. 



