﻿80 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  SALMON 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   FISHING 
  CONDITIONS. 
  

  

  Southeast 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  In 
  soutlieast 
  Alaska 
  this 
  year 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  pronounced 
  scarcity 
  of 
  

   red 
  salmon 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  season, 
  cannerymen 
  on 
  

   the 
  average 
  getting 
  only 
  about 
  one-fifth 
  as 
  many 
  reds. 
  At 
  one 
  or 
  

   two 
  canneries 
  in 
  the 
  Icy 
  Strait 
  region 
  the 
  pack 
  of 
  reds 
  was 
  larger 
  

   this 
  year. 
  Generally 
  speaking, 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  had 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  

   season 
  for 
  pinks, 
  although 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  traps 
  in 
  the 
  Ketchikan 
  section 
  

   did 
  not 
  do 
  very 
  well, 
  except 
  during 
  one 
  rather 
  short 
  period, 
  stormy 
  

   weather 
  causing 
  considerable 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  gear 
  and 
  lessening 
  the 
  

   catch. 
  During 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  run 
  was 
  at 
  its 
  height 
  many 
  of 
  

   the 
  purse-seine 
  boats 
  were 
  on 
  limit. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  no 
  serious 
  disturbances 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  strikes 
  by 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  this 
  3^ear, 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1912. 
  None 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  power- 
  

   seine 
  boats 
  from 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  invaded 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  to 
  fish 
  

   through 
  the 
  season 
  for 
  salmon. 
  Prospects 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  alluring 
  

   nearer 
  home, 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  it 
  was 
  demonstrated 
  in 
  1912 
  that 
  the 
  

   large 
  deep-water 
  purse-seine 
  rig 
  is 
  rather 
  too 
  unwieldy 
  for 
  profitable 
  

   operation 
  on 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  arms 
  and 
  reaches 
  of 
  southeast 
  

   Alaska 
  waters. 
  

  

  In 
  Icy 
  Strait 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  heavy 
  run 
  of 
  chum 
  salmon 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  as 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  1912. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  price, 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  canneries 
  made 
  no 
  efl'ort 
  to 
  can 
  chums; 
  in 
  fact, 
  in 
  many 
  

   instances 
  fishermen 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  return 
  them 
  alive, 
  if 
  possible, 
  

   from 
  the 
  seines 
  or 
  other 
  gear 
  used. 
  No 
  doubt 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   waste 
  of 
  chums 
  in 
  some 
  places. 
  Investigations 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  two 
  

   instances 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  waste 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  wanton 
  

   character, 
  but 
  sufficient 
  evidence 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  adduced 
  to 
  justify 
  

   prosecution. 
  At 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  only 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  brightest 
  of 
  

   the 
  chum 
  salmon 
  were 
  canned, 
  those 
  remaining 
  being 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  for 
  food, 
  or 
  disposed 
  of 
  to 
  halibut 
  fishermen 
  for 
  bait. 
  The 
  

   cold-storage 
  plants 
  took 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  chums, 
  and 
  the 
  shipment 
  

   fresh 
  to 
  Seattle 
  also 
  afforded 
  a 
  means 
  for 
  disposing 
  of 
  the 
  not 
  over- 
  

   esteemed 
  chum 
  salmon 
  in 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  this 
  season. 
  At 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  the 
  canneries 
  as 
  much 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  pack 
  chums 
  as 
  the 
  

   other 
  species. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  this 
  proved 
  not 
  an 
  unwise 
  course, 
  

   for 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  chums 
  advanced. 
  This 
  was 
  brought 
  

   about 
  by 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  chums 
  to 
  round 
  out 
  orders 
  and 
  thus 
  help 
  

   sell 
  the 
  better 
  grades. 
  

  

  In 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  canneries 
  outfitted 
  for 
  a 
  lighter 
  

   pack 
  than 
  the 
  previous 
  year, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  which 
  oj)erations, 
  

   generally 
  speaking, 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  close 
  much 
  earlier 
  than 
  usual. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  packs 
  were 
  completed 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August. 
  The 
  low 
  

  

  