﻿128 
  

  

  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES^ 
  1913. 
  

  

  The 
  case 
  is 
  peculiar, 
  in 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  Husvig, 
  the 
  complainant, 
  who 
  

   was 
  guilty 
  of 
  violating 
  the 
  law, 
  though 
  probably 
  through 
  ignorance, 
  

   for 
  the 
  fisheries 
  law 
  of 
  Alaska 
  prohibits 
  the 
  casting 
  of 
  a 
  net 
  or 
  fishing 
  

   appliance 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  one-third 
  the 
  distance 
  across 
  any 
  body 
  of 
  

   water. 
  The 
  inhibitory 
  distance 
  clause 
  appears 
  in 
  section 
  4 
  of 
  the 
  

   act 
  of 
  June 
  26, 
  1906, 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  sahnon 
  fishing, 
  but 
  section 
  11 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  act 
  extends 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  hmitations 
  affecting 
  sahnon 
  to 
  other 
  

   species, 
  which, 
  of 
  course, 
  includes 
  herring. 
  So 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  present 
  

   law 
  is 
  in 
  effect, 
  any 
  stretching 
  of 
  seines 
  or 
  other 
  nets 
  from 
  shore 
  to 
  

   shore 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Alaska 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  impounding 
  herring 
  

   or 
  other 
  food 
  fishes 
  as 
  herein 
  described 
  will 
  in 
  future 
  result 
  in 
  prose- 
  

   cution 
  of 
  the 
  person 
  or 
  persons 
  involved. 
  

  

  Considerable 
  agitation 
  occurred 
  near 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  at 
  Craig, 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Prince 
  of 
  Wales 
  Island, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  alleged 
  

   wasteful 
  practices 
  upon 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  nonresident 
  fishermen 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  herring 
  operations. 
  It 
  was 
  claimed 
  that 
  only 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  best 
  

   herring 
  were 
  retained, 
  while 
  the 
  others 
  were 
  thrown 
  away. 
  An 
  

   investigation 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  by 
  Deputy 
  Warden 
  Walker 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  

   fine 
  of 
  $200 
  being 
  imposed 
  December 
  22 
  upon 
  Nels 
  Husvig. 
  

  

  Under 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  whaUng, 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  report, 
  will 
  be 
  

   found 
  a 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  erroneous 
  popular 
  impression 
  that 
  the 
  

   killing 
  of 
  whales 
  has 
  an 
  injurious 
  effect 
  upon 
  fishing 
  operations, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  herring. 
  

  

  STATISTICAL 
  SUMMARY. 
  

  

  The 
  statistics 
  show 
  a 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  fishery 
  of 
  1913 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  1912, 
  which 
  latter 
  year 
  was 
  particularly 
  good. 
  The 
  

   total 
  investment 
  for 
  1913 
  was 
  $261,480, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  $338,890 
  

   in 
  1912, 
  a 
  falUng 
  off 
  this 
  year 
  of 
  $77,410. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  1913 
  was 
  200 
  as 
  against 
  339 
  in 
  1912. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   products 
  declined 
  from 
  $239,278 
  in 
  1912 
  to 
  $191,105 
  in 
  1913, 
  a 
  

   reduction 
  of 
  $48,173. 
  

  

  Investment 
  in 
  the 
  Herring 
  Fishery 
  in 
  Alaska 
  in 
  1913. 
  

  

  