﻿54 
  

  

  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  The 
  relation 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  sahnon 
  in 
  the 
  Nushagak 
  region 
  to 
  the 
  

   escapement 
  into 
  Wood 
  River 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  table: 
  

  

  Red 
  Salmon 
  Run 
  in 
  Nushagak 
  Bay 
  and 
  Tributaries, 
  1908-1913. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  escape 
  in 
  1912 
  

   was 
  7.7 
  percent, 
  while 
  in 
  1913 
  it 
  was 
  12.5 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  total 
  Nusha- 
  

   gak 
  run 
  of 
  red 
  salmon, 
  including 
  both 
  the 
  catch 
  and 
  the 
  count 
  at 
  

   the 
  rack, 
  increased 
  from 
  4,192,214 
  in 
  1912 
  to 
  5,989,117 
  in 
  1913, 
  a 
  

   gain 
  of 
  30 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Attention 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  considering 
  

   these 
  figures 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  an 
  unascertained 
  number 
  

   of 
  red 
  salmon 
  ascend 
  to 
  spawning 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  Nushagak 
  River. 
  This 
  

   number, 
  however, 
  is 
  small 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  ascending 
  

   Wood 
  River. 
  While 
  the 
  count 
  of 
  those 
  entering 
  Lake 
  Aleknagik 
  

   does 
  not 
  therefore 
  show 
  the 
  escape 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  bay, 
  it 
  does 
  never- 
  

   theless 
  show 
  the 
  relative 
  escape 
  year 
  by 
  year. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  

   that 
  the 
  run 
  into 
  Nushagak 
  River 
  is 
  an 
  approximately 
  constant 
  

   factor 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  run, 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  vitiate 
  

   the 
  deductions 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  drawn 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Wood 
  River 
  

   counts 
  and 
  the 
  Nushagak 
  Bay 
  catches. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  season 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  Northwestern 
  Fisheries 
  Co. 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  Alaska 
  Fishermen's 
  Packing 
  Co. 
  (Libby, 
  McNeill 
  & 
  Libby) 
  

   made 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  Lake 
  Aleknagik 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  spawning 
  beds 
  and 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  personal 
  investigation 
  of 
  rumors 
  current 
  for 
  several 
  seasons 
  

   that 
  the 
  Government 
  rack 
  is 
  a 
  detriment 
  to 
  the 
  salmon 
  industry 
  

   because, 
  it 
  is 
  alleged, 
  fish 
  do 
  not 
  lead 
  through 
  it. 
  The 
  absurdity 
  

   of 
  these 
  reports 
  was 
  readily 
  estabUshed, 
  as 
  all 
  operations 
  were 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  conducted 
  properly 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  sahnon 
  

   did 
  not 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  rack. 
  During 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   124 
  dead 
  salmon 
  were 
  found 
  about 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Lake 
  Aleknagik, 
  all 
  

   of 
  which 
  had 
  died 
  from 
  gill-ruet 
  injuries 
  received 
  before 
  they 
  entered 
  

   Wood 
  River. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  rack 
  for 
  counting 
  

   operations 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  these 
  fish. 
  The 
  

   derogatory 
  rumors 
  respecting 
  the 
  rack 
  have 
  been 
  spread 
  by 
  persons 
  

   utterly 
  uninformed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  real 
  situation. 
  

  

  Observation 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  rack 
  again 
  this 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  sahnon 
  showing 
  injuries 
  from 
  gill 
  nets 
  operated 
  on 
  Nushagak 
  

   Bay. 
  It 
  was 
  determined 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  thus 
  injured 
  and 
  cscap- 
  

  

  