PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, COPPER AND BERING RIVER SALMON STATISTICS 245 
of 1925 to 1927 had been made under the same restrictions and regulations as were 
imposed in 1918 and 1919, with the gradually declining catches of the intervening 
years as further evidence, it might reasonably be held that the fishery, had been 
rapidly depleted. However, this was not the case, and it appears more probable 
that the chief factors responsible for the reduced catch have been economic rather 
than biological. There have been, undoubtedly, some very poor runs in recent years, 
since not only have the commercial catches been poor but there has been a marked 
scarcity of salmon, as shown by the failure of fishing operations for local use in the 
Figure 10.— Catch of king and red salmon in the Copper River district 
upper river; but, so far as the present evidence goes, there is little indication of 
serious depletion. 7 
BERING RIVER 
The Bering River district embraces the coastal waters of central Alaska from 
Point Martin on the west to Cape Suckling on the east, including Bering River, a 
tributary of Controller Bay which bay practically covers the coast from Point Martin 
to Okalee Spit and forms the principal fishing ground of the district. Bering River 
7 A more detailed analysis of the statistics of the red-salmon fishery of the Copper River is being made by Seton H. Thompson 
and will be presented in a separate report. Although this analysis is incomplete as yet it may provide more evidence of depletion 
than has been apparent in the data presented in this report. 
