2G BULLETIN" 150, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



miles distant these scavengers are strangely missing. In some 

 cases the tidal currents carry the waste away, while in others, again, 

 it accumulates on the bottom throughout the season. In such in- 

 stances fermentation takes place slowly, with the production of 

 obnoxious gases, which may be liberated slowly or may be held within 

 the mass and released in large volumes and with considerable force. 

 In a few instances in Alaska the waste enters chutes beneath the 

 cannery floor, which conduct it to deep water at a distance from the 

 cannery. 



This practice has very serious .objections. Practically always 

 the waters around the canneries become fouled through the putre- 

 faction of this waste in the water. Even though it may fall upon 

 the bottom beneath the low-water mark, putrefaction within it will 

 cause it to rise to the surface and some of it will find its way to 

 the beach beneath and close to the cannery buildings. The amount 

 may be small, but it will be sufficiently great to taint the air with 

 its odor and convey the impression of an insanitary cannery. The 

 pollution of the waters of the neighborhood likewise most probably 

 results in those waters being deserted by fish which do not feed upon 

 the putrefying refuse. This has been pretty thoroughly established 

 in other regions in the case of certain food fishes. It is safe to as- 

 sume that other fish possess some of the same fastidiousness. This 

 may appear to be a matter of slight moment; but there are those 

 who believe, and whose belief seems entirely justified by the known 

 facts, that the disappearance of the salmon from certain waters of 

 the East where they once swarmed in great numbers has been caused 

 by the pollution of those waters. To be sure, this is a belief and not 

 a demonstrated fact, but to disregard it and the warning which it 

 gives is to run a risk that the fishing industry can ill afford to take. 

 Likewise, where the cannery is located close to a town the nuisance 

 created by the polluted waters results in a feeling of antagonism 

 on the part of the residents of such a settlement. To retain the 

 sympathy of the residents of a neighborhood in which an indus- 

 try 7 is located is being recognized as a matter of importance. 

 There is in Alaska already a lack of sympathy with the packers on 

 the part of the residents, who show an inclination to regard them as 

 being indifferent to the well-being of Alaska and Alaskans. It is 

 even claimed that this feeling has found expression in recent legisla- 

 tive enactments. 



In certain parts of the Bristol Bay region the lack of deep water 

 near the cannery makes it necessary to carry the cannery waste away 

 from the vicinity of the cannery. This is done by loading the waste 

 upon scows and towing them out to deep water for emptying. The 

 same practice is resorted to in certain regions on Puget Sound, where 

 the nearness of towns makes the pollution of the waters of the harbor 



