480 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Perhaps the most striking peculiarity of this district is the apparent preference of 
the salmon in their northward migration for the eastern shore of the canal. Available 
data indicate that in 45 years fishing in Lynn Canal, catches along the western shore 
were limited to operations at St. James Bay and William Henry Bay in 1924, and at 
Point Howard in 1926, and that these catches included less than 20,000 fish of all 
species in either year. There is no evidence that any other salmon were taken on this 
shore south of Chilkat Inlet. Presumably the Chilkat and Chilkoot runs of red 
salmon enter from the ocean, chiefly through Cross Sound and Icy Strait, although 
it is possible that some may come in through Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. 
The runs strike the west coast of Mansfield Peninsula between Hawk Inlet and Funter 
Bay, follow it northward to Point Retreat, touch Lincoln Island and the northwest 
coast of Shelter Island, and thence along the eastern shore of Lynn Canal to Eldred 
Rock and the Chilkat Islands, at which points the Chilkat runs are deflected to that 
river while the Chilkoot runs continue along the western shore of Chilkoot Inlet to the 
river of their origin. After passing Shelter and Lincoln Islands, this route of travel 
is clearly shown by the catches of traps located on that coast at Bridget Cove, Bridget 
Point, Point St. Mary, Point Sherman (which includes a catch at Sandspit in 1925), 
Eldred Rock, and Chilkat Islands. Fishing at these points has not been continuous 
unless, in the years for which no specific data are available, the catches were simply 
reported as coming from Lynn Canal. 
Funter Bay, indenting Mansfield Peninsula at the south end of Lynn Canal, has 
produced salmon, chiefly chums and pinks, in 1919 and from 1924 to 1927. A few 
thousand reds and cohos and a few kings were also reported from this locality. The 
reports of these catches may all be viewed with considerable doubt. In the first 
place, if Funter Bay has a local run of salmon, there is little reason to suppose that 
it was not fished before 1919, as a cannery has been in operation on the bay for more 
than 30 years. In the second place, if these figures represent catches actually made 
in Funter Bay, it is difficult to explain why the locality was fished only 5 years and 
that red salmon, the most desirable species, were not taken in 1919 and only one was 
caught in 1924. Moreover, all of these catches were reported by companies having 
canneries some distance from Funter Bay, while the company which is located there, 
the one most likely to fish the bay if salmon were obtainable, reported none at all. 
It is probable that these catches came from traps on the shore of Mansfield Peninsula, 
north and south of Funter Bay. 
The Mansfield Peninsula shore has been used for many years as a fishing ground 
for traps. Salmon were taken at Clear Point, False Point Retreat (which includes 
catches from “Cove” in 1926 and 1927), the Kittens, Naked Island and Point Re- 
treat, and at several intermediate unnamed points. Traps in these waters take the 
first toll from the Lynn Canal runs after they leave Icy Strait. They were probably 
operated each year after their introduction into these waters, but catch records 
are not continuous, a fact difficult to understand unless salmon from these localities 
were reported merely as coming from Lynn Canal. A shore that is followed closely 
by migrating salmon, such as the Mansfield shore, is not apt to be abandoned unless 
legal prohibitions compel that action. 
Berners Bay, the largest indentation on the eastern shore, is not an important 
producer of salmon. Small lots of cohos and chums were taken there in 5 years from 
1919 to 1925, a few hundred reds in 4 years, and a handful of pinks in 2 years. Kings 
have not been reported at any time. The catch in 1925 includes a small lot of chums 
