440 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
It is realized fully, particularly in view of the nature of the data, that the retention 
in the tables of all digits down to units is not justified and has no significance. No 
excuse is made for this inconsistency except that it does not seem to be a matter of 
particular importance and will do no harm — unless to the sensibilities of some few 
statistically minded individuals. 
In spite of the unsatisfactory nature of the data it is believed that the records here 
presented are of real value; and that, in spite of their faults, they show the history of 
these fisheries, over the period covered, sufficiently well to be useful in the manage- 
ment of the salmon resources of Alaska until such time as more adequate information 
is available. It can at least be said that these data approximate the best that can be 
had out of the faulty records of the past. 
No attempt has been made in part IV to give a general description of southeastern 
Alaska as a whole or a general account of the history of its fisheries, although this has 
been done in the preceding parts of this series. This region, however, is so large and 
conditions so varied that such an attempt would more likely be confusing than clari- 
fying. Such descriptions and historical accounts will, however, be found with the 
discussion of each major district. 
YAKUTAT 
The Yakutat district (fig. 1) extends from the west side of Yakutat Bay to the east 
side of Dry Bay, a distance of approximately 85 miles along the southern shore of 
Alaska. Eight important salmon rivers flow into the Gulf of Alaska between the 
limits of the district, all of which are indicated on the map. 
The district was not prospected for fish until after 1900, although the natives of 
the region had been utilizing salmon for many years and had given interesting accounts 
of the abundance of fish. Early examination of the physical features of the district 
led to the conclusion that a cannery, which would of necessity be located on Yakutat 
Bay, could not be profitably operated on account of the difficulty of transporting 
salmon from the several rivers from which the supply would be secured. An alter- 
native was the building and operation of a railroad to provide a constant supply of 
fish. The transportation of salmon by boat from these rivers would require staunch 
vessels capable of withstanding heavy seas along a coast exposed to the full sweep of 
the ocean and even were these provided there was no assurance that trips could be 
made at all times. The outlook was discouraging at first, but in 1901 an attempt 
was made to pickle salmon at Yakutat, although no record of the number of fish so 
used has been found. The salteries that first operated here were primarily interested 
in packing herring. However, in 1902, they put up a few hundred barrels of salmon 
from catches obtained in Ankau River and Slough. In 1904 a cannery was built and 
made the first pack of canned salmon in this district. A railroad 9 miles in length was 
also built, connecting the cannery with the Situk River from which a large part of the 
salmon were obtained, the balance of the catch coming from Ankau and Ahrnklin 
Rivers. In time operations were extended until all the rivers eastward of the Alsek 
were included in the fishing grounds of the Yakutat cannery, and each one made 
important contributions to the Yakutat pack. 
The largest river in the district is the Alsek. It is a turbulent glacial stream, 
rising in the Yukon Territory of Canada and draining a large, ice-covered section 
of the country on the northern slope of the coast range of mountains. The other 
rivers rise on the southern slope of the mountain range and, except the Ankau, 
Situk, and Italio, are of glacial origin. Dangerous River, probably next in size to 
the Alsek, is a swift, glacial stream, the outlet of a lake which is forming along the 
