﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  33 
  

  

  ALASKA 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES. 
  

   SALMON 
  SERVICE. 
  

  

  Details 
  regarding 
  the 
  administration 
  of 
  the 
  sahnon 
  and 
  other 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  Alaska 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  report 
  issued 
  as 
  a 
  sepa^ 
  

   rate 
  document." 
  As 
  complete 
  returns 
  from 
  these 
  fisheries 
  are 
  not 
  

   obtainable 
  until 
  late 
  fall 
  or 
  early 
  winter 
  of 
  each 
  year, 
  the 
  information 
  

   here 
  presented 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1912. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  enforcing 
  the 
  fishery 
  laws 
  and 
  the 
  regulations 
  

   made 
  thereunder, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  usual 
  inspection 
  of 
  fishing 
  

   grounds, 
  apparatus, 
  and 
  methods; 
  and 
  information 
  regarding 
  the 
  

   various 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  and 
  ap^ 
  

   pears 
  in 
  the 
  special 
  report. 
  

  

  The 
  laws 
  and 
  regulations 
  have, 
  in 
  general, 
  been 
  well 
  received 
  by 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  interests, 
  and, 
  with 
  rare 
  exceptions, 
  have 
  been 
  respected 
  

   throughout 
  Alaska, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  field 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  have 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  determine. 
  The 
  region 
  is 
  so 
  vast, 
  however, 
  and 
  the 
  faciUties 
  

   so 
  lamentably 
  madequate 
  for 
  reaching 
  the 
  various 
  fishing 
  localities, 
  

   many 
  in 
  number 
  and 
  widely 
  separated, 
  that 
  personal 
  inspection 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases 
  was 
  utterly 
  impossible. 
  Unfortunately 
  this 
  appUes 
  

   more 
  particularly 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  for 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  greatest 
  need 
  

   of 
  regular 
  inspection. 
  This 
  fact, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  hmited 
  persoor- 
  

   nel, 
  and 
  the 
  limited 
  appropriation 
  available 
  for 
  traveling 
  expenses, 
  

   enables 
  the 
  Bureau 
  at 
  the 
  best 
  to 
  possess 
  no 
  definite 
  laiowledge 
  and 
  

   but 
  scant 
  information 
  regarding 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  locali- 
  

   ties 
  and 
  operations. 
  

  

  The 
  inspsction 
  of 
  the 
  canneries, 
  salteries, 
  and 
  hatcheries 
  was 
  

   more 
  satisfactory. 
  One 
  agent 
  covered 
  the 
  territory 
  from 
  Dixon 
  

   Entrance 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  to 
  Cordova 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  Of 
  the 
  53 
  canneries 
  

   operated 
  in 
  that 
  region 
  he 
  visited 
  all 
  but 
  5 
  at 
  least 
  once, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  salteries 
  and 
  minor 
  establishments; 
  and 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  hatcheries 
  

   was 
  visited 
  and 
  inspected. 
  Several 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  accessible 
  places 
  

   were 
  each 
  visited 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times. 
  In 
  the 
  Bristol 
  Bay 
  region 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  reach 
  all 
  the 
  canneries 
  and 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  only 
  

   those 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Nushagak 
  were 
  visited. 
  In 
  central 
  Alaska 
  an 
  agent 
  

   was 
  able 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  canneries 
  at 
  the 
  Kusilof 
  and 
  Kenai 
  Rivers, 
  and 
  

   the 
  inspector 
  kept 
  in 
  close 
  touch 
  with 
  the 
  fishing 
  operations 
  in 
  and 
  

   about 
  the 
  Afognak 
  reservation 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  1912 
  was 
  marked 
  by 
  an 
  unusually 
  heavy 
  run 
  of 
  

   salmon 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  Bristol 
  Bay, 
  which 
  resulted 
  in 
  an 
  increase 
  

   of 
  nearly 
  40 
  per 
  cent 
  over 
  the 
  1911 
  pack 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  There 
  was 
  

   also 
  an 
  unprecedented 
  run 
  of 
  humpback 
  salmon 
  in 
  central 
  Alaska 
  

  

  o 
  Alaska 
  Fishery 
  and 
  Fur 
  Industries 
  in 
  1912, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  Document 
  No. 
  780. 
  

  

  