﻿106 
  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  a 
  good 
  run 
  of 
  kings 
  in 
  the 
  Taku 
  this 
  year; 
  also 
  the 
  

   traps 
  in 
  Icy 
  Strait 
  caught 
  quite 
  a 
  few 
  kings 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  June. 
  

   For 
  a 
  first-class 
  nuld-cure 
  product 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  handle 
  the 
  fish 
  

   gently 
  at 
  all 
  times. 
  This 
  rule 
  was 
  not 
  observed 
  faithfully 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  trap 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  sides 
  or 
  fletches 
  

   showed 
  broken 
  or 
  ruptured 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  flesh. 
  The 
  

   gill-net 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  Taku 
  did 
  not 
  show 
  these 
  ruptures. 
  The 
  red- 
  

   meated 
  kings 
  from 
  the 
  Taku 
  were 
  mUd-cured, 
  while 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   white-meated 
  kind 
  were 
  frozen. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  some 
  that 
  king 
  salmon 
  

   from 
  the 
  Taku 
  command 
  a 
  better 
  price 
  in 
  the 
  German 
  markets, 
  to 
  

   which 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  mUd-cured 
  product 
  goes, 
  as 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  

   brighter 
  appearance 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  other 
  places. 
  In 
  the 
  Taku 
  

   region 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  whites 
  is 
  higher 
  some 
  seasons 
  than 
  others, 
  

   but 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  15 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  records 
  of 
  one 
  com- 
  

   pany 
  show 
  that 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  two 
  weeks 
  in 
  1910 
  nearly 
  48 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  the 
  king 
  salmon 
  received 
  were 
  white-meated. 
  Taking 
  a 
  fair 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  white-meated 
  kings 
  

   runs 
  about 
  18 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  whites 
  is 
  heaviest 
  during 
  the 
  

   early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  general 
  method 
  of 
  mUd-curing 
  king 
  salmon 
  at 
  the 
  shore 
  

   stations, 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  table 
  with 
  the 
  heads 
  projecting 
  over 
  

   the 
  edge. 
  One 
  man 
  then 
  cuts 
  off 
  the 
  heads 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  scored 
  

   four 
  or 
  five 
  times 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  better 
  curing. 
  The 
  

   next 
  step 
  is 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  viscera, 
  following 
  which 
  a 
  longitudinal 
  

   cut 
  is 
  made 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  backbone 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  

   and 
  a 
  similar 
  cut 
  is 
  made 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  backbone. 
  This 
  divides 
  the 
  

   fish 
  into 
  two 
  sides 
  or 
  fletches, 
  and 
  the 
  backbone 
  and 
  tail 
  are 
  thrown 
  

   away. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  command 
  the 
  best 
  price 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  have 
  

   each 
  side 
  weigh 
  8 
  pounds 
  or 
  upwards. 
  The 
  medium 
  grade 
  as 
  to 
  size 
  

   runs 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  pounds, 
  while 
  the 
  smaUs 
  are 
  under 
  6 
  pounds. 
  For 
  

   each 
  800-pound 
  tierce 
  it 
  takes 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  70 
  sides 
  or 
  fletches 
  of 
  

   the 
  larger 
  size. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  mediums 
  the 
  average 
  is 
  120 
  sides 
  

   per 
  tierce, 
  whUe 
  the 
  smalls 
  run 
  about 
  180 
  sides. 
  Sometimes 
  when 
  

   the 
  fish 
  run 
  extra 
  small 
  they 
  are 
  opened 
  up 
  but 
  not 
  spHt 
  into 
  two 
  

   sides. 
  The 
  fletches 
  are 
  placed 
  carefuUy 
  in 
  the 
  tierces 
  in 
  layers 
  of 
  

   salt, 
  and 
  after 
  being 
  headed 
  up, 
  the 
  tierces 
  are 
  turned 
  on 
  their 
  sides, 
  

   which 
  causes 
  the 
  fletches 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  edge 
  and 
  thus 
  aUows 
  the 
  brine 
  to 
  

   get 
  in 
  more 
  effectively 
  between 
  them. 
  After 
  about 
  12 
  days 
  the 
  

   tierces 
  are 
  opened 
  and 
  the 
  fletches 
  are 
  sorted 
  and 
  repacked 
  in 
  fresh 
  

   brine, 
  ready 
  for 
  shipment. 
  They 
  must 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  cool 
  

   temperature. 
  

  

  It 
  not 
  infrequently 
  happens 
  that 
  the 
  so-called 
  mild-cured 
  king 
  

   salmon 
  of 
  Alaska 
  is 
  in 
  reaUty 
  more 
  of 
  a 
  hard-pickled 
  product. 
  On 
  

   the 
  Columbia 
  River, 
  where 
  salting 
  is 
  light 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  kept 
  at 
  a 
  

   ^.emperature 
  of 
  about 
  35 
  degrees, 
  a 
  truly 
  mild-cured 
  product 
  is 
  the 
  

  

  