﻿44 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AND 
  FUE 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  spawning 
  grounds 
  above, 
  a 
  very 
  remarkable 
  condition. 
  Chignik 
  has 
  

   not 
  bad 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  any 
  hatchery 
  support. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  hardly 
  to 
  be 
  conceived 
  that 
  trap 
  fishing 
  will 
  ever 
  deplete 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  Cook 
  Inlet, 
  especially 
  since 
  traps 
  and 
  all 
  commercial 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  salmon 
  have 
  been 
  barred 
  in 
  the 
  tributary 
  streams. 
  The 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  inlet 
  are 
  very 
  turbid, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  established 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  do 
  not 
  follow 
  any 
  particularly 
  defined 
  course. 
  Good 
  catches 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  giU 
  nets 
  several 
  miles 
  offshore. 
  

  

  Traps 
  extend 
  out 
  into 
  a 
  channel 
  but 
  a 
  comparatively 
  short 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  its 
  width, 
  therefore 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  fish 
  have 
  ample 
  

   opportunity 
  to 
  pass 
  unobstructed. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  fish 
  strike 
  in 
  

   toward 
  the 
  shore 
  much 
  more 
  freely 
  than 
  at 
  other 
  points, 
  hence 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  spots 
  are 
  recognized 
  as 
  better 
  trap 
  sites 
  than 
  others. 
  But 
  there 
  

   is 
  ample 
  proof 
  that 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  salmon 
  travel 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  

   shore 
  line. 
  Specific 
  places 
  may 
  be 
  cited, 
  as, 
  for 
  example, 
  Nushagak 
  

   Bay, 
  where 
  fishing 
  covers 
  all 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  channel, 
  which 
  is 
  several 
  

   miles 
  wide. 
  In 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  salmon 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  movable 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  far 
  outside 
  the 
  

   range 
  of 
  any 
  traps 
  is 
  good 
  evidence 
  that 
  they 
  frequent 
  off 
  shore 
  

   waters. 
  At 
  no 
  point 
  in 
  Alaska 
  is 
  it 
  legal 
  to 
  extend 
  a 
  trap 
  more 
  than 
  

   one-third 
  across 
  any 
  body 
  of 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  but 
  rarely 
  ever 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  consider 
  this 
  feature 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska, 
  as 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  channels 
  

   where 
  traps 
  are 
  located 
  are 
  several 
  miles 
  wide, 
  and 
  traps 
  are 
  but 
  

   rarely 
  of 
  greater 
  length 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  than 
  1,000 
  or 
  1,500 
  feet. 
  On 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  rugged 
  shores 
  and 
  deep 
  waters 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  build 
  

   them 
  of 
  greater 
  length. 
  Nevertheless, 
  a 
  limit 
  should 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  

   the 
  length 
  of 
  traps, 
  as 
  is 
  customary 
  elsewhere 
  — 
  notably 
  the 
  traps 
  of 
  

   Puget 
  Sound. 
  

  

  A 
  great 
  deal 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  at 
  times 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  waste 
  caused 
  by 
  traps, 
  

   but 
  the 
  facts 
  do 
  not 
  bear 
  out 
  the 
  contention 
  that 
  tliey 
  are 
  wasteful 
  

   of 
  food 
  fishes. 
  They 
  may 
  take 
  a 
  negligible 
  number 
  of 
  fishes 
  not 
  at 
  

   present 
  utilized, 
  such 
  as 
  sculpins, 
  flounders, 
  and 
  trout. 
  If 
  such 
  fishes 
  

   as 
  sharks, 
  dogfish, 
  sculpins, 
  and 
  trout 
  can 
  be 
  captured 
  and 
  destroyed, 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  direct 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  salmon 
  industry. 
  Trout 
  and 
  sculpins 
  

   are 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  young 
  salmon. 
  

  

  From 
  one 
  pomt 
  of 
  view 
  the 
  purse 
  seine 
  is 
  more 
  wasteful 
  than 
  the 
  

   trap. 
  Seine 
  boats 
  are 
  sometimes 
  gone 
  from 
  the 
  canneries 
  for 
  several 
  

   days 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  grow 
  stale 
  in 
  the 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  particularly 
  if 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  is 
  poor 
  — 
  which 
  means 
  visits 
  to 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sn 
  all 
  streams 
  

   before 
  a 
  catch 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  that 
  justifies 
  a 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  cannery, 
  

   or 
  justifies 
  a 
  call 
  of 
  a 
  run 
  boat 
  or 
  collecting 
  boat. 
  Tlie 
  fish 
  from 
  

   traps 
  are 
  necessarily 
  superior 
  in 
  quality 
  to 
  at 
  least 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  

   fish, 
  for 
  with 
  but 
  very 
  rare 
  exceptions 
  they 
  are 
  alive 
  in 
  the 
  ]>ot 
  and 
  

   spiller 
  until 
  a 
  comparatively 
  short 
  time 
  before 
  being 
  canned 
  or 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  used. 
  

  

  