﻿KEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  35 
  

  

  The 
  usual 
  statistical 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  fisheries 
  showed 
  24,263 
  

   persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  industry, 
  S38,263,457 
  

   invested, 
  and 
  products 
  valued 
  at 
  $18,877,480, 
  

  

  A 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  fisheries 
  is 
  a 
  growing 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  products 
  formerly 
  regarded 
  as 
  useless 
  and 
  the 
  equipment 
  of 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  plants 
  designed 
  to 
  utilize 
  such 
  materials. 
  Only 
  

   a 
  very 
  small 
  fraction 
  of 
  the 
  multitude 
  of 
  natural 
  aquatic 
  products 
  of 
  

   Alaska 
  — 
  fishes, 
  mollusks, 
  crustaceans, 
  etc. 
  — 
  ^has 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  utilized 
  

   b}'- 
  man. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  possess 
  a 
  high 
  food 
  value, 
  

   but 
  methods 
  of 
  preparing 
  them 
  as 
  food 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  developed. 
  

   Of 
  fishes 
  alone 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  300 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  fewer 
  than 
  a 
  

   score 
  are 
  as 
  yet 
  utUized 
  by 
  man 
  as 
  food. 
  How 
  many 
  more 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  

   to 
  possess 
  considerable 
  economic 
  food 
  value 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  determuied, 
  

   but 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  is 
  large 
  is 
  reasonably 
  certain. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  

   promising 
  is 
  the 
  herring 
  {Clwpea 
  pallasii), 
  a 
  very* 
  abundant 
  fish, 
  at 
  

   present 
  utilized 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  fertilizer 
  and 
  oil, 
  but 
  

   used 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  fresh, 
  frozen, 
  or 
  pickled, 
  or 
  as 
  bait 
  in 
  the 
  halibut 
  

   fishery. 
  A 
  closely 
  related 
  species, 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  herring 
  {Clwpea 
  

   liarengus), 
  is 
  the 
  fish 
  which 
  supports 
  the 
  largest 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  

   also 
  the 
  American 
  sardine 
  and 
  smoked-herring 
  industries, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  

   vast 
  amount 
  of 
  money 
  is 
  invested 
  and 
  whose 
  output 
  is 
  worth 
  millions 
  

   of 
  dollars. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  inherent 
  reason 
  why 
  tho 
  Pacific 
  herring 
  may 
  

   not 
  be 
  prepared 
  for 
  sardines 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  numerous 
  other 
  ways 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  herring 
  is 
  utilized. 
  

  

  The 
  eulachon, 
  the 
  capelm, 
  and 
  the 
  surf 
  smelt, 
  three 
  most 
  delicious 
  

   fishes, 
  literally 
  swarm 
  in 
  untold 
  numbers 
  in 
  Alaskan 
  waters, 
  but 
  as 
  

   yet 
  are 
  utilized 
  scarcely 
  at 
  all. 
  The 
  Dolly 
  Varden 
  trout, 
  so 
  abundant 
  

   as 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  nuisance 
  and 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  salmon 
  spawn, 
  

   should 
  be 
  studied 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  its 
  utilization 
  as 
  food. 
  The 
  score 
  

   or 
  more 
  of 
  surf 
  fishes, 
  rock 
  cods, 
  greenlings, 
  Atka 
  mackerel, 
  scul- 
  

   pins, 
  and 
  sand 
  lances, 
  are 
  all 
  promising 
  species 
  to 
  experiment 
  with. 
  

   There 
  are 
  also 
  the 
  clams, 
  crabs, 
  and 
  numerous 
  other 
  crustaceans 
  and 
  

   mollusks, 
  related 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  in 
  other 
  countries 
  support 
  important 
  

   fisheries, 
  yet 
  nothuig 
  is 
  done 
  with 
  them 
  m 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  Under 
  date 
  of 
  November 
  18, 
  1912, 
  after 
  a 
  hearmg 
  given 
  at 
  Seattle, 
  

   Wash., 
  on 
  October 
  18, 
  the 
  Secretary 
  issued 
  an 
  order 
  prohibiting, 
  

   until 
  further 
  notice, 
  all 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  for 
  salmon 
  (1) 
  in 
  all 
  streams 
  

   flowing 
  mto 
  Cook 
  Inlet, 
  together 
  with 
  their 
  lakes 
  and 
  tributary 
  waters 
  ; 
  

  

  (2) 
  in 
  Eyak 
  Lake 
  and 
  its 
  tributary 
  waters, 
  except 
  that 
  fishing 
  is 
  

   permitted, 
  under 
  specified 
  restrictions, 
  in 
  Eyak 
  River 
  below 
  the 
  lake; 
  

  

  (3) 
  in 
  Anan 
  or 
  Humpback 
  Creek, 
  its 
  lagoon, 
  lakes, 
  and 
  tributary 
  

   waters, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  region 
  within 
  500 
  yards 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  creek; 
  and 
  (4) 
  in 
  Naha 
  Stream, 
  its 
  lagoon, 
  lakes, 
  and 
  tributary 
  

   waters, 
  above 
  a 
  line 
  connecting 
  Loring 
  Point 
  and 
  House 
  Point. 
  The 
  

   order 
  became 
  effective 
  January 
  1, 
  1913. 
  

  

  