﻿FISHERY 
  INDUSTRIES. 
  63 
  

  

  stomach 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  fish 
  were 
  eight 
  minute 
  worms, 
  some 
  sand 
  and 
  vegetable 
  matter; 
  

   the 
  stomach 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  specimen 
  contained 
  one 
  maggot 
  and 
  three 
  salmon 
  eggs. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  water 
  system 
  destitute 
  of 
  fish 
  food, 
  the 
  Malena 
  Lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  comprise 
  

   an 
  area 
  which 
  is 
  almost 
  the 
  equal 
  of 
  Paramanoff 
  . 
  Not 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  salmon 
  

   that 
  had 
  entered 
  the 
  lakes 
  to 
  spawn, 
  the 
  only 
  fish 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  lake 
  were 
  stickle- 
  

   backs. 
  In 
  the 
  lower 
  lake, 
  sticklebacks 
  and 
  salmon 
  fingerlings 
  were 
  observed, 
  and 
  a 
  

   mixed 
  collection 
  of 
  about 
  40 
  specimens 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  by 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  stomach 
  contents 
  what 
  food 
  these 
  fish 
  were 
  finding. 
  Only 
  juices 
  were 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  salmon, 
  and 
  that 
  was 
  also 
  very 
  generally 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  the 
  

   sticklebacks, 
  though 
  one 
  specimen 
  had 
  eaten 
  a 
  small 
  mollusk, 
  and 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  others 
  

   had 
  found 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  worms. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  in 
  a 
  much 
  emaciated 
  condition, 
  

   which 
  alone 
  would 
  seem 
  sufficient 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  Better 
  conditions 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Letnik 
  Lake 
  region 
  where 
  the 
  small 
  streams 
  

   had 
  generally 
  cleaned 
  themselves 
  of 
  ashes 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August. 
  From 
  the 
  gravel 
  

   bottoms 
  of 
  these 
  streams 
  many 
  moUusks 
  and 
  worms 
  were 
  collected. 
  The 
  larger 
  

   streams 
  were 
  still 
  gorged 
  with 
  sand, 
  therefore 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  whatever 
  fish 
  

   food 
  may 
  have 
  abounded 
  in 
  them 
  had 
  been 
  completely 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  this 
  view 
  was 
  

   confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  unsuccessful 
  efforts 
  to 
  find 
  living 
  organisms 
  within 
  those 
  areas. 
  In 
  

   the 
  shoal 
  places 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  mollusks, 
  large 
  and 
  small, 
  were 
  present 
  in 
  fair 
  abundance, 
  

   so 
  also 
  were 
  small 
  bugs 
  and 
  worms, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  deeper 
  waters 
  dredgings 
  were 
  without 
  

   results. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  streams 
  and 
  lake. 
  Those 
  

   from 
  streams 
  were 
  strong 
  and 
  well 
  fed, 
  but 
  the 
  lake 
  fish 
  were 
  lean 
  and 
  weak. 
  

  

  These 
  investigations, 
  however, 
  offer 
  no 
  convincing 
  proof 
  that 
  any 
  great 
  destruction 
  

   of 
  fish 
  food 
  resulted 
  as 
  a 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  eruption, 
  though 
  they 
  may 
  show 
  an 
  im- 
  

   poverished 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  waters. 
  Unfortunately 
  nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  scarcity 
  

   or 
  abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  food 
  in 
  these 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  before 
  the 
  volcanic 
  eruption. 
  

   Data 
  of 
  that 
  kind 
  would 
  now 
  be 
  valuable 
  for 
  purposes 
  of 
  comparison, 
  for 
  only 
  in 
  that 
  

   way 
  could 
  the 
  destruction 
  be 
  determined. 
  The 
  almost 
  total 
  absence 
  of 
  mosquitoes 
  

   and 
  sand 
  flies 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  is 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  immediate 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  ashes 
  

   upon 
  their 
  larval 
  forms 
  and 
  breeding 
  places; 
  and 
  this 
  condition, 
  coupled 
  with 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  these 
  insects 
  had 
  been 
  veritable 
  pests 
  in 
  past 
  summers, 
  establishes 
  conclu- 
  

   sively 
  that 
  the 
  weaker 
  forms 
  of 
  life 
  were 
  destroyed 
  in 
  large 
  numbers. 
  

  

  Later 
  effects. 
  — 
  For 
  several 
  days 
  after 
  the 
  eruption, 
  the 
  fate 
  of 
  vegetation 
  on 
  the 
  

   southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  told. 
  It 
  seemed 
  certain 
  that 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  

   of 
  it 
  could 
  never 
  penetrate 
  or 
  push 
  its 
  way 
  through 
  10 
  inches 
  of 
  compact 
  ash; 
  the 
  

   danger 
  was 
  wholly 
  one 
  of 
  being 
  smothered, 
  as 
  the 
  ash 
  possessed 
  no 
  inherent 
  properties 
  

   that 
  would 
  be 
  detrimental 
  to 
  plant 
  life. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  robust 
  plants 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  throw 
  off 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  ash 
  and 
  continue 
  their 
  growth; 
  

   but 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  general 
  renewal 
  of 
  plant 
  life 
  until 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  June, 
  when 
  the 
  

   rains 
  came 
  and 
  caused 
  the 
  hitherto 
  unbroken 
  surface 
  to 
  crack 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  and 
  

   break 
  into 
  small 
  sections 
  like 
  parched 
  clay. 
  Through 
  the 
  interstices 
  thus 
  formed, 
  

   plants 
  made 
  a 
  remarkable 
  growth, 
  so 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  summer 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  valleys 
  

   were 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  rank 
  vegetation 
  which, 
  viewed 
  from 
  a 
  distance, 
  seemed 
  barely 
  

   less 
  luxuriant 
  than 
  in 
  previous 
  seasons. 
  Close 
  examination, 
  however, 
  revealed 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  this 
  vegetation 
  was 
  made 
  up 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  of 
  stout-stemmed 
  plants, 
  

   the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  being 
  the 
  hellebore, 
  water 
  hemlock, 
  

   broad-leaved 
  dock, 
  and 
  the 
  fire-weed, 
  which 
  outnumbers 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  species. 
  

  

  But 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  plants, 
  probably 
  none 
  will 
  be 
  as 
  seriously 
  affected 
  as 
  the 
  mosses, 
  not 
  

   alone 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  greater 
  abundance 
  but 
  rather 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  delicacy. 
  One 
  

   species 
  bears 
  a 
  berry 
  which 
  s 
  an 
  important 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  ptarmigan 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  

   early 
  winter. 
  

  

  Associated 
  with 
  the 
  mosses 
  are 
  the 
  "marowskas" 
  and 
  cranberries, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  

   are 
  of 
  some 
  importance 
  in 
  that 
  they 
  form 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  

   island. 
  They 
  were 
  so 
  nearly 
  wiped 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  ash 
  that 
  none 
  could 
  be 
  gathered 
  this 
  year. 
  

  

  