KAELUK RIVER BED -SALMON INVESTIGATION 



3 



had been the size of the spawning escapement previous to imposing the restrictions. 

 It was known merely that it was inadequate and that the situation would be improved 

 by such increase as the restrictions would provide. Future observations would 

 reveal whether the regulations adopted would prove adequate, or should be strength- 

 ened to permit an even larger spawning reserve. In the present state of our know- 

 ledge, it is by this method that the majority of the fishing districts in Alaska must of 

 necessity be administered. 



It had been realized, however, even prior to the enactment of the Alaska fishery 

 law of 1924, that our ignorance concerning the size of an optimum spawning reserve 

 constituted a serious handicap in the administration of the salmon runs, and a program 

 of investigation had been adopted in 1921 with the purpose of obtaining the desired 

 knowledge. Such an investigation must of necessity concern itself with the inde- 

 pendent colonies of one or more individual streams, and these streams must be 

 carefully selected with certain requirements in view. As the essential part of the 

 problem is to ascertain the complete returns from spawning colonies of known size, 

 the streams selected for investigation must be so situated and of such character 

 that both that portion of the run taken for commercial purposes and the portion 

 that escapes to the spawning grounds can be accurately enumerated year after year. 

 None of the streams in southeastern Alaska fulfill these requirements, as their 

 colonies on their spawning migrations traverse long waterways behind the islands, 

 where they mingle with other colonies bound for different streams and in common 

 with them are there subject to capture. The spawning reserve in each of these 

 streams could be enumerated, but the commercial take belonging to any stream is 

 hopelessly commingled with the product of other rivers. For the same reason, 

 none of the highly important salmon streams in Bristol Bay lends itself to this in- 

 vestigation. The commercial takes of the various streams can not be segregated. 

 For similar reasons, the streams that enter Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet 

 are not eligible. 



It had been decided to inaugurate the experiment with the red or sockeye 

 salmon {Oncorhynchus nerka), partly because this species is the best known in its 

 life history and partly because, as the most valuable species in Alaska and the most 

 sought after, it is subject to a very intensive fishery and is in special need of pro- 

 tection. Two of the best-known red-salmon streams in Alaska, are the Karluk 

 River, on Kodiak Island, and the Chignik River, which empties on the southern 

 shore of the Alaska Peninsula, near its base. Each of tbese streams has supported 

 an intensively conducted fishery over a long term of years, and each of them still main- 

 tains a red-salmon run of importance, however it may be diminished from its primi- 

 tive abundance. Both the Karluk and the Chignik Rivers are of such size and 

 character as to permit the installation of counting weirs for enumeration of the 

 spawning escapement; and, what is equally important, their runs are nowhere 

 subject to any considerable commercial capture except in the vicinity of their respec- 

 tive mouths. Except for an insignificant number of stragglers, the Chignik red 

 salmon are not subject to capture beyond the confines of Chignik Bay, while the 

 Karluk fish are captured only on the beaches between Karluk Head and Uyak Bay, 

 with a limited number in Uyak Bay itself. Both of these streams answer admirably 

 the requirements essential for these investigations — their commercial take can be 



