﻿62 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913, 
  

  

  where 
  they 
  had 
  fallen 
  from 
  the 
  nest, 
  driven 
  therefrom 
  no 
  doubt 
  by 
  hunger 
  or 
  friejht; 
  

   and 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  in 
  like 
  manner 
  death 
  came 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  young 
  birds 
  unable 
  

   to 
  fly. 
  As 
  the 
  slightest 
  interference 
  or 
  molestation 
  is 
  often 
  enough 
  to 
  cause 
  birds 
  to 
  

   forsake 
  their 
  nests, 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  presume 
  that 
  all 
  nests, 
  whether 
  built 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  bushes, 
  were 
  abandoned 
  under 
  the 
  shower 
  of 
  sand. 
  Of 
  

   all 
  the 
  birds 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  ptarmigans 
  probably 
  suffered 
  greatest 
  loss, 
  for 
  they 
  

   alone 
  were 
  incapable 
  of 
  flight 
  to 
  regions 
  beyond 
  the 
  stricken 
  zone; 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  live, 
  

   feed, 
  and 
  nest 
  exclusively 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  inhabit 
  the 
  higher 
  untimbered 
  sections 
  

   of 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  where 
  the 
  greatest 
  quantity 
  of 
  ashes 
  fell, 
  their 
  suffering 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  acute 
  and 
  little 
  hope 
  can 
  be 
  entertained 
  that 
  all 
  survived. 
  The 
  food 
  

   supply 
  was 
  cut 
  off, 
  nests 
  and 
  young 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  an 
  endless 
  field 
  of 
  dry 
  ashes 
  lay 
  

   about 
  them. 
  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  birds, 
  however, 
  did 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  equal 
  the 
  

   plight 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  streams. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  were 
  occupied 
  by 
  spawning 
  steelheads, 
  and 
  those 
  lake-fed 
  were 
  

   filled 
  with 
  ascending 
  red 
  salmon. 
  These 
  fish, 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  strength 
  to 
  stand 
  

   against 
  the 
  current, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  moved 
  by 
  the 
  turbid 
  waters 
  from 
  obedience 
  to 
  the 
  

   commands 
  of 
  nature; 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  became 
  almost 
  liquid 
  mud 
  their 
  gills 
  were 
  

   loaded 
  with 
  sediment 
  until 
  suffocation 
  resulted 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  finally 
  washed 
  to 
  the 
  

   bays 
  with 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  mud. 
  Fortunately 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  salmon 
  had 
  just 
  begun 
  and 
  

   therefore 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  fish 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  island 
  was 
  small. 
  An 
  approximate 
  loss 
  of 
  4,000 
  

   red 
  salmon 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  Letnik 
  stream, 
  where 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  being 
  held 
  for 
  cultural 
  

   purposes. 
  At 
  the 
  other 
  fisheries 
  the 
  loss 
  was 
  negligible, 
  but 
  few 
  fish 
  having 
  entered 
  

   the 
  streams. 
  

  

  Ocean 
  waters, 
  except 
  where 
  affected 
  by 
  streams, 
  were 
  only 
  slightly 
  discolored 
  for 
  

   a 
  few 
  days, 
  and 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  possible 
  that 
  in 
  waters 
  of 
  considerable 
  depth 
  there 
  

   could 
  be 
  any 
  great 
  upsetting 
  of 
  natural 
  conditions. 
  It 
  appears, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  

   change 
  was 
  great 
  enough 
  to 
  cause 
  the 
  cod 
  to 
  abandon 
  their 
  banks; 
  where 
  heretofore 
  

   they 
  could 
  be 
  had 
  in 
  abundance 
  none 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  taken. 
  

  

  Another 
  most 
  striking 
  and 
  noteworthy 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  eruption 
  on 
  marine 
  creatures 
  

   was 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  sea 
  urchins, 
  which 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  cast 
  upon 
  the 
  shores 
  

   or 
  drifted 
  about 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  straits. 
  There 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  considerable 
  loss 
  of 
  mollusks, 
  

   particularly 
  clams 
  and 
  cockles, 
  which 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  understand 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   their 
  native 
  element 
  is 
  mud. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  determine, 
  if 
  possible, 
  what 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  ashes 
  upon 
  the 
  

   food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  in 
  fresh 
  water, 
  an 
  examination 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  principal 
  

   water 
  systems 
  of 
  the 
  island. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  half, 
  which 
  is 
  heavily 
  wooded 
  

   with 
  spruce 
  and 
  less 
  mountainous 
  than 
  the 
  western 
  side, 
  that 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  

   had 
  not 
  been 
  choked 
  with 
  ashes 
  and 
  little 
  wash 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country 
  had 
  

   taken 
  place. 
  In 
  these 
  waters, 
  especially 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  streams 
  of 
  Little 
  Afognak, 
  the 
  

   supply 
  of 
  mollusks 
  and 
  worms 
  was 
  adequate 
  and 
  some 
  larval 
  forms 
  were 
  collected. 
  

   No 
  crustaceans 
  could 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  streams 
  and 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  are 
  almost 
  destitute 
  of 
  fish 
  food. 
  

   In 
  this 
  more 
  mountainous 
  section 
  where 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  ashes 
  was 
  heavy, 
  the 
  streams 
  were 
  

   literally 
  choked 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  mud; 
  old 
  channels 
  were 
  obliterated 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  

   spread 
  in 
  a 
  thin 
  sheet 
  over 
  the 
  meadows. 
  Those 
  discharging 
  into 
  lakes 
  formed 
  large 
  

   sand 
  bars 
  at 
  their 
  mouths, 
  sometimes 
  several 
  feet 
  in 
  depth 
  and 
  of 
  considerable 
  area. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  lakes, 
  all 
  operations 
  were 
  conducted 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  

   with 
  much 
  difficulty, 
  there 
  being 
  such 
  an 
  accumulation 
  of 
  ashes 
  in 
  the 
  lakes 
  that 
  

   the 
  net 
  was 
  often 
  filled 
  and 
  wrecked 
  by 
  overloading. 
  But 
  when 
  successfully 
  landed, 
  

   the 
  search 
  through 
  the 
  sand 
  for 
  living 
  creatures 
  was 
  often 
  fruitless, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  mollusks 
  

   appearing 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  efforts 
  made 
  on 
  Paramanoff 
  Lake 
  and 
  its 
  streams. 
  This 
  

   region 
  forms 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  barren 
  fields, 
  not 
  alone 
  of 
  small 
  organisms 
  but 
  fish 
  life 
  aa 
  

   well, 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  By 
  seining 
  in 
  the 
  creeks 
  with 
  the 
  plankton 
  

   net 
  two 
  small 
  trout 
  were 
  caught, 
  one 
  about 
  3 
  inches 
  long, 
  the 
  other 
  about 
  5. 
  In 
  the 
  

  

  