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  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  MINOR 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   TROUT. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  hundred 
  cases 
  of 
  DoDy 
  Varden 
  trout 
  were 
  packed 
  by 
  the 
  Mid- 
  

   night 
  Sun 
  Canning 
  Co. 
  at 
  its 
  cannery 
  on 
  Kotzebue 
  Sound. 
  Opera- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  confined 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August, 
  though 
  another 
  

   year 
  it 
  is 
  purposed 
  to 
  put 
  the 
  two 
  traps 
  in 
  earher. 
  The 
  catcli 
  was 
  

   lessened 
  this 
  season 
  because 
  of 
  unfavorable 
  weather, 
  also 
  by 
  schools 
  

   of 
  belugas 
  which 
  invaded 
  the 
  traps. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  shot, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  watchmen 
  will 
  be 
  stationed 
  at 
  the 
  traps 
  to 
  guard 
  

   against 
  further 
  disturbance 
  from 
  this 
  source. 
  

  

  The 
  plant, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  northerly 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  

   Kotzebue 
  Sound, 
  just 
  outside 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Noatak 
  River. 
  Aside 
  

   from 
  two 
  whites 
  and 
  one 
  Japanese, 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  performed 
  by 
  

   Eskimos, 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  women. 
  The 
  plant 
  was 
  built 
  in 
  1912 
  and 
  

   additional 
  buildings 
  were 
  erected 
  this 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  the 
  

   company 
  to 
  specialize 
  on 
  the 
  canning 
  of 
  Dolly 
  Varden 
  trout, 
  which 
  

   are 
  rich 
  in 
  oils 
  and 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  ready 
  sale. 
  The 
  color 
  is 
  a 
  pale 
  

   pink, 
  but 
  the 
  flesh 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  as 
  firm 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  salmon. 
  The 
  prod- 
  

   uct 
  is 
  very 
  palatable, 
  however. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  cannery 
  on 
  Bristol 
  Bay 
  a 
  few 
  cases 
  of 
  trout, 
  chiefly 
  Dolly 
  

   Vardens, 
  with 
  an 
  occasional 
  small 
  steelliead, 
  were 
  packed 
  this 
  season 
  

   as 
  a 
  specialty. 
  These 
  fish 
  were 
  butchered 
  and 
  packed 
  by 
  hand 
  and 
  

   then 
  processed 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  salmon. 
  They 
  were 
  caught 
  incidentally 
  

   with 
  the 
  salmon, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  noted 
  that 
  they 
  occurred 
  most 
  plentifully 
  

   near 
  the 
  beginning 
  and 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  run. 
  For 
  this 
  reason 
  if 
  

   the 
  canning 
  of 
  trout 
  were 
  developed 
  more 
  extensively 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  

   interfere 
  so 
  seriously 
  with 
  salmon 
  operations. 
  At 
  any 
  event, 
  during 
  

   the 
  off 
  years 
  for 
  salmon 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  a 
  profitable 
  undertaking 
  to 
  

   pack 
  trout. 
  Under 
  a 
  fancy 
  label 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  distributors 
  have 
  had 
  

   no 
  difficulty 
  in 
  marketing 
  at 
  quite 
  remunerative 
  prices 
  the 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  small 
  quantity 
  packed. 
  

  

  Another 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  situation 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  salmon 
  will 
  increase 
  pro- 
  

   portionately 
  with 
  the 
  canning 
  or 
  destruction 
  of 
  trout, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  conceded 
  that 
  the 
  Dolly 
  Varden 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  trout 
  are 
  

   most 
  destructive 
  enemies 
  to 
  both 
  eggs 
  and 
  young 
  salmon. 
  The 
  can- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  trout 
  in 
  Alaska 
  should 
  be 
  encouraged 
  and 
  supported 
  in 
  every 
  

   way. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  Shumagin 
  Islands 
  this 
  summer 
  a 
  few 
  barrels 
  of 
  Dolly 
  Varden 
  

   trout 
  were 
  put 
  up 
  at 
  a 
  sahnon 
  saltery. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  inciden- 
  

   tally 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  seining 
  ( 
  porati;'ns 
  for 
  red 
  salmon. 
  In 
  the 
  

   salting 
  process 
  merely 
  the 
  gills 
  and 
  viscera 
  were 
  removed 
  — 
  the 
  fish 
  

   not 
  being 
  split 
  open 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  he 
  fiat. 
  Curing 
  was 
  complete 
  but 
  the 
  

   method 
  of 
  packing 
  was 
  bad, 
  according 
  to 
  commercial 
  standards, 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  the 
  product. 
  If 
  the 
  trout 
  had 
  been 
  

  

  