cook's inli:t and its people. 95 



realm of its indulgence throughout Alaska. Also in another, bvit 

 wholly correct sense, the natives themselves shamefully waste the 

 flesh of those fine salmon. To illustrate the extraordinary nature of 

 this suggestion, let the following statements of fact be recalled : 

 The native population of Cook's Inlet is not large — it is embraced in 

 about one hundred and sixty-eight families, averaging four souls to 

 each household ; everyone of these families prepares at least seven 

 hundred and fifty to eight hundred pounds of dried salmon for its 

 own specific consumption during the winter months. That amount 

 of cured fish, therefore, is about one Imndred and twenty-six thou- 

 sand pounds, and as every pound weight of dried meat is equal to 

 an original weight of at least eight or nine pounds of fresh, or im- 

 dried, then this cured total gives us an immense aggregate of 



which it ascends long distances in its spawning season. In Alaska it is known 

 to extend as far north as Bering Strait, and it is especially abnndant in Cook's 

 Inlet and in the.Yukon. Individuals weighing nearly one hundred pounds 

 are occasionally reported from these waters, and even in the Columbia. The 

 finest product of this salmon is the salted bellies, which are prepared prin- 

 cipally on the Kenai, Kassilov, and Yiikon Rivers ; the fame of this luxury 

 once extended to the centre of government in Russia. The well-known 

 * quinnat salmon ' is the same species ; its importance, as evidenced by the 

 efforts of the United States Fish Commission and other commissions toward 

 its propagation and distribution, is too well understood to require additional 

 mention. The great bulk of the salted salmon exported from Alaska are the 

 small 'red fish,' 0. iierJm ; and this species is sought after simply on account 

 of the beautiful color of the flesh and not for its intrinsic value, which is far 

 below that of most of the other species. All the salmon extend northward to 

 Bering Strait, but only one, gorbtischa, is reported as occurring north of the 

 Arctic Circle ; gorhusclia is said by trustworthy parties to reach the Colville 

 River. In the early part of its run the flesh of this little ' humpback ' seems 

 to me to be particularly good. Other members of the family of iSalmonida;, 

 and very important ones, are the species of S(dmo {%)urx)uratus and (jairdneri) 

 and SalveUnus walma, two of which reach a large size in Alaska. The first 

 two are not known to exist much to the northward of Unalashka, while inalnia 

 is believed to extend to the Colville. iS. (juirdnen resembles, the Atlantic 

 salmon in size and shape, but its habits are different ; it is found filled with 

 mature eggs in June. I have not seen any very large examples of 8. pur- 

 2^uratas from the Territory, biit the species is extremely abundant and valuable 

 for food. The red-spotted char, S. iiialmK, is everywhere plentiful and is 

 highly esteemed as a food-fish ; it grows much larger in Northern Alaska than 

 in California, and has some commercial value as an export in its sea-run con- 

 dition under the name of 'salmon trout.' Natives of Alaska make water- 

 proof clothing from the skins of this fish." 



