PACIFIC HERRING 
307 
The total catch for southeastern Alaska from 1910 to 1928 is given in Figure 46. 
As is shown by Table 33 the mode from 1911 to 1913 was caused by dry salting of 
herring, which was done in Yes Bay, on Behm Canal, near Ketchikan. The failure 
of this business in 1914 was caused by the dwindling of the herring runs in this vicinity, 
which does not appear to have been caused by a temporary scarcity, as herring have 
never been abundant in this locality since that time. The rise from 1916 to 1920 
was due to the exploitation of southern Chatham Strait, the introduction of the 
Scotch method of curing herring aided by war prices, and an attempt to can kippered 
herring on a large scale. The canning project failed for want of a market, and the 
pickling industry waned owing to the small size of the southeastern Alaska herring 
in comparison with those taken in the newly opened Prince William Sound district. 
These facts, together with a tremendous slump in the herring oil market, are respon- 
sible for the drop in 1921 which can in no way be assigned to biological factors. 
Table 33. — Pounds of raw herring caught in southeastern Alaska, 1910 to 1928 
Used for re- 
duction 
Pickled 
Used for 
bait 
11, 780, 000 
305, 448 
1, 573, 359 
15, 052, 000 
743, 496 
5, 096, 000 
10, 540, 000 
1, 130, 376 
6,711,500 
11, 660. 000 
912, 512 
5, 613, 689 
8, 640, 000 
' 1,150,198 
5, 800, 180 
5, 835, 000 
2, 690, 116 
5, 403,410 
8, 474, 000 
7, 586, 480 
4, 407, 050 
9, 236, 000 
5, 688, 696 
6, 247, 380 
6, 170, 000 
21, 022, 917 
4, 871, 935 
7, 330, 818 
5, 386, 798 
3, 284, 455 
25, 520, 118 
1, 578, 102 
5, 525, 500 
4, 529, 250 
3, 620, 068 
3, 875, 048 
16, 558, 025 
14, 314, 926 
2, 964, 015 
34, 928, 897 
3, 744, 463 
3, 807, 139 
50, 631, 732 
4, 409, 372 
3, 449, 800 
100, 859, 050 
6, 903, 483 
7, 331,825 
141, 956, 289 
2, 014, 577 
3, 706, 878 
93, 825, 293 
4, 414, 776 
7, 413, 655 
117, 552, 660 
5, 831, 643 
7, 070, 626 
681, 079, 132 
93, 448, 447 
94, 153, 444 
Dry salted 
Canned 
Miscella- 
neous 
76, 152 
3, 217, 890 
13, 702, 093 
8, 783, 398 
1, 045, 420 
4, 000 
51, 000 
21, 714 
328, 990 
25, 050 
1, 169, 000 
851, 700 
1, 488, 750 
3, 693, 375 
2, 378, 925 
5, 070, 075 
269, 775 
102, 000 
37, 500 
11, 500 
62, 750 
287, 240 
455, 910 
12, 000 
12, 750 
8,688 
23, 788 
29, 942, 843 
12, 900, 900 
347, 690 
Year 
1910. 
1911. 
1912. 
1913. 
1914. 
1915. 
1916. 
1917. 
1918. 
1919. 
1920. 
1921. 
1922. 
1923. 
1924. 
1925. 
1926. 
1927. 
1928. 
Total 
13, 734, 959 
24, 113, 386 
32, 134, 969 
26, 991, 313 
16, 635, 798 
13, 928, 526 
22, 387, 270 
24, 890, 501 
35, 650, 277 
21, 923, 846 
32, 904, 995 
12, 024, 366 
33, 899, 716 
42, 480, 499 
58, 790, 144 
115, 563, 018 
147, 686, 432 
105, 677, 512 
130, 454, 929 
911, 872, 456 
Since 1922 the causes of the fluctuations in the catch may be more readily 
ascertained owing to the completeness of our records, and the adoption by that date 
of the power purse-seine boats by all except the Killisnoo and Big Port Walter plants. 
The catches and the boats of these two plants have been excluded in order that our 
data might be comparable from year to year. The catches of all of the other reduc- 
tion plants, the number of purse-seine boats employed, and their total net tonnage 
have been plotted on a logarithmic scale, so that their rates of change might be readily 
compared. (Fig. 47.) The number of boats increased at a very slightly lower rate 
than the catch, but this is to be expected owing to the larger size of the newer boats. 
The total net tonnage has been plotted so that the catching capacity of the purse- 
seine fleet may be comparable from year to year. For five years, from 1922 to 1926, 
the total net tonnage and the catch increased at almost identically the same rate. 
In 1927 the catch decreased sharply but commenced to rise again in 1928, although 
at a slightly lower rate than formerly. At the same time the number of boats showed 
a very slight drop, compensated for by the increase in the net tonnage. 
