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  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  both 
  for 
  bait 
  and 
  fertilizer, 
  but 
  will 
  also 
  permit 
  of 
  an 
  expansion 
  

   along 
  these 
  lines 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  herring 
  industry. 
  

  

  Herring 
  of 
  the 
  sort 
  desired 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  times 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   in 
  the 
  coves 
  and 
  estuaries 
  of 
  Frederick 
  Sound 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  

   Stephens 
  Passage, 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  lesser 
  extent, 
  are 
  reported 
  in 
  Summer 
  

   Strait 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  Chatham 
  Strait. 
  They 
  are 
  best 
  in 
  

   September, 
  October, 
  and 
  November, 
  but 
  by 
  January 
  have 
  usually 
  

   lost 
  so 
  much 
  fat 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  unfit 
  for 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  high-grade 
  

   product. 
  In 
  July 
  and 
  August 
  also 
  the 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  herring 
  are 
  

   in 
  prime 
  condition, 
  but 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  popular 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  

   can 
  not 
  be 
  cured 
  in 
  salt 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  their 
  stomachs 
  are 
  then 
  

   engorged 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  crustacean 
  popularly 
  known 
  as 
  "red 
  feed." 
  

   Much 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  about 
  the 
  impossibility 
  of 
  salting 
  lierring 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  subsisting 
  upon 
  red 
  feed, 
  and 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  John 
  E. 
  

   Shields, 
  who 
  has 
  had 
  a 
  large 
  practical 
  experience 
  as 
  a 
  fish 
  Salter, 
  

   are 
  of 
  particular 
  interest 
  in 
  this 
  connection. 
  According 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Shields 
  

   all 
  first-class 
  pickled 
  herring 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  viscera 
  completely 
  

   removed. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  done 
  he 
  contends 
  that 
  it 
  makes 
  no 
  difference 
  

   what 
  the 
  stomach 
  contents 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  — 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  remaining 
  

   obstacle 
  to 
  a 
  thorough 
  salt 
  cure. 
  He 
  states 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  

   eviscerate 
  herring 
  in 
  a 
  commercially 
  practical 
  manner 
  by 
  using 
  the 
  

   nose 
  of 
  a 
  knife, 
  not 
  too 
  sharp, 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  pinch 
  out 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  

   the 
  throat. 
  

  

  Too 
  much 
  stress 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  laid 
  upon 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  careful 
  

   attention 
  to 
  detail 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  all 
  fishery 
  products 
  intended 
  

   for 
  use 
  as 
  food. 
  This 
  applies 
  with 
  particular 
  force 
  to 
  salt 
  herring. 
  

   Too 
  often 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  carelessness 
  in 
  handUng 
  herring. 
  

   Strictly 
  fresh 
  fish 
  of 
  uniform 
  size, 
  properly 
  eviscerated 
  and 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  cured 
  are 
  absolutely 
  essential 
  to 
  a 
  wholesome 
  preserved 
  

   product. 
  Stale 
  fish, 
  irregular 
  sizes, 
  indifferent 
  curing 
  and 
  packing, 
  

   and 
  short 
  weights 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  causes 
  for 
  the 
  poor 
  demand 
  hitherto 
  

   prevailing 
  for 
  Alaska 
  salt 
  herring. 
  With 
  improved 
  methods 
  of 
  

   preparation 
  and 
  handUng 
  now 
  in 
  vogue, 
  a 
  steadily 
  increasing 
  market 
  

   should 
  be 
  the 
  certain 
  result. 
  

  

  There 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  a 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  industry 
  in 
  

   the 
  Shumagin 
  Islands 
  and 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  herring 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  like 
  

   those 
  occurring 
  in 
  Chignik 
  Bay 
  and 
  Shelikof 
  Strait, 
  are 
  exceptionally 
  

   large 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  very 
  fat. 
  In 
  size 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  are 
  extraordi- 
  

   nary, 
  running 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  200 
  per 
  barrel, 
  although 
  they 
  will 
  average 
  

   more 
  often 
  250. 
  In 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  harbors 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  islands 
  

   of 
  the 
  Aleutian 
  chain, 
  notably 
  in 
  Unalaska 
  Bay 
  and 
  Akun 
  Cove, 
  very 
  

   large 
  and 
  fat 
  herring 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  at 
  times 
  in 
  enormous 
  

   schools, 
  and 
  in 
  Goodnews 
  Bay, 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Kuskokwim 
  

   River, 
  immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  fine 
  fish 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  sort 
  are 
  reported 
  as 
  

   appearing 
  regularly. 
  

  

  