THE FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1906. 41 



Of the four canneries located on this river ])iit two — the Wilhams 

 cannery of the Alaska Packers' Association and the cannery of the Red 

 Salmon Canning Company — were operated this season. The original 

 outfit of the Williams cannery was destroyed in the San Francisco 

 earthquake and fire, and it was then outfitted as a saltery, but later, 

 when the Cofi'ey Creek cannery of the association burned down, it was 

 decided to take a part of so much of the outfit as was saved and oper- 

 ate the Williams cannery with it. Mr. L. A. Pedersen, who built and 

 operated a saltery on Kvichak Bay, also had a small salting crew at the 

 Bristol Packing Company's cannery. 



The first fish, a king salmon, was caught on the 4th of June, but the 

 canneries did not operate until later. The red, king, and dog salmon 

 usually come in about the same time. Fishing for the canneries began 

 on June 22 and ended on July 29. The run tliis season, as for five 

 seasons past, was poor, and it looks very much as though the river 

 was almost exhausted. In 1901 the catch of red salmon amounted to 

 769,002 fish, in 1902 to 1,640,973, in 1903 to 1,703,536, in 1904 to 

 564,492, in 1905 to 432,779, and in 1906 to about 152,140 fish, the 

 same number of canneries being operated each year but 1906. Had it 

 not been for the supplies of fish sent from the canneries on the Naknek 

 River and the fisliing carried on by the Ugasluk fishermen in Kvichak 

 Bay, the pack of the Ugashik canneries would have been very small. 

 It is possible that one small cannery nfight make a pack, as was done 

 this season on the Ugaguk. It would be an excellent thing if this 

 river could l)e closed to all fishing for four or five years, so that it could 

 bo replenished, but it is hardly probable that there will ever again be a 

 rim large enough to permit the operation of the four large plants now 

 located on the river. 



Onl}^ gill nets are used in this river, and fishing is carried on almost 

 entirely in the wide portion of the river near its mouth. According to 

 the superintendent of the Alaska Packers' Association cannery, it is 

 impossible to tell from which direction the fish come when entering the 

 river — one season they will all be on one side of the river, and possibly 

 the next season all on the other side. A southwest wind will generally 

 bring them into the river. He considers the ebb tide as the best fish- 

 ing time, but fishing is carried on at all times. The salmon appear to 

 run as nmcli at night as in the daytime. The young fry on their way 

 to the sea generally come down the river in May. 



Bear River. — The Peninsular Packing Company's saltery at this 

 place did not operate this season. There is said to be a fine run of 

 cohos in this river in July and August, and trout are plentiful. 

 There is an Indian village on the river, but the superintendent of the 

 saltery at Nelsons Lagoon stated that he had tliis year made an agree- 

 ment with the Indians to open a store at the latter place, and in return 



