SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA SALMON STATISTICS 
473 
the catch in 1927 in Icy Strait was nearly double that of 1925. However, the catch 
in 1926, under possibly more stringent regulations, was nearly half again as great as 
that of 1924. It is of particular interest in this connection to note that while the 
catch of pinks was reduced in some sections of the strait by the imposition of restric- 
tions on fishing, it was sufficient in other sections to bring the total catch to approxi- 
mately normal levels and leave no evidence of depletion in this large district. 
The catch of chum salmon in the Icy Strait district increased quite steadily from 
1904, when the first catch was recorded, to 1918, in which year the catch was nearly 
one and a half million. The production from 1916 to 1920, inclusive, was fairly 
steady, averaging over a million fish annually. The break in 1921 resulted in the 
reduction of the catch to less than half a million fish and in no subsequent year up to 
1927 did the catch greatly exceed 700,000. Some of the causes of fluctuations in the 
catch of chums have already been discussed in connection with the treatment of the 
catches of pinks. The reduced catch since 1920 is not to be regarded as conclusive 
evidence of diminished runs since, as has been pointed out above, the chum runs are 
not ordinarily fished intensively. It seems probable that the abundance in this 
district has not changed materially since the earlier years. 
Cohos are taken in fairly large numbers in Icy Strait, but run much later in the 
year than do the other species and therefore the catches do not necessarily represent 
the full value of this fishery as canneries were frequently closed before the runs 
attained their maximum volume. As measured by the reported catches, the coho 
fishery reached its highest development in 1916. Since then the catches have been 
gradually smaller in Icy Strait though cohos were probably just as abundant in 1927 
as ever before. The productivity of this locality has probably been somewhat 
affected by the regulations establishing a closed season during the early part of the 
coho run in order to protect the end of the pink salmon run. 
The king salmon catch in Icy Strait, while never large, was maintained at a 
fairly constant level for many years down to 1920, but between that date and 1927 it 
held a notably lower level, although it is impossible to assign a definite cause for this. 
In 1927, however, the reported catch reached the unprecedented figure of over 
45,000 most of which were reported as having been taken by lines in Icy Strait. The 
streams in the Icy Strait section are small ; and so far as is known few, if any, kings 
are native to them. It is quite certain that the king salmon runs are merely migra- 
tory fish bound possibly for the Chilkat and Taku Rivers, or even native to the large 
rivers farther south, such as the Columbia, which are known to frequent the feeding 
grounds off the coast of southeastern Alaska. 
In summarizing the data for the entire Icy Strait district, certain localities show 
positive evidence of depleted runs of salmon, especially the bays in the western part 
of the district; but so far as the runs passing through Cross Sound and Icy Strait are 
concerned there is little indication of a failing supply of salmon. Although the 
catches were smaller at the end of the period here reviewed, they were not far below 
the level of production that might reasonably be expected to be maintained under 
normal fishing. The intensive fishing, as carried on for a few years, would undoubt- 
edly have worked havoc with the Icy Strait supply of salmon, but fortunately this 
period was followed by a few years of materially lessened activity permitting reestab- 
lishment of such runs as may have been depleted. The only exception is the reduction 
in the catches of red salmon which can be ascribed in part to depletion in certain local 
areas and in part to changes in the laws and regulations affecting the fisheries. The 
