« 
CHIGNIK TO RESUKRECTION BAY SALMON STATISTICS 663 
commercial run of salmon in any stream if allowed unrestricted employment, and 
the smaller the stream the more readily may this be done. There seems to be no 
good reason why Red River can not support a run of red salmon capable of yielding 
between 100,000 and 150,000 fish annually for commercial use. Table 13 shows 
graphically a wide fluctuation in the catch of red salmon and that the maximum yield 
was reached in 1912 when 412,907 were taken. In 1913 the catch dropped to 
293,439 and in 1914 further declined to 142,657. It increased to 212,124 in 1915, 
and remained slightly above that level for two years following. In 1918, the catch 
again dropped to 147,191, and another sharp drop in 1919 brought the catch down to 
80,375. A still more serious decline occurred in 1920 when the catch fell to 14,632. 
The slight recovery in 1921 brought the catch only to 28,977, and this was followed 
in 1922 by a catch of 12,222, the lowest figure it had reached in 19 years. Since 
that year, commercial fishing for salmon at Red River has been prohibited. Occa- 
sional observations of the spawning grounds in Red River have been made in recent 
years and in 1929 a counting weir was established and an escapement of 28,980 fish 
recorded. This represents, no doubt, the entire run and is so far below the former 
productivity of the stream as measured by the catch records alone that excessive 
depletion is clearly indicated. The earlier reports of observations made on the 
spawning grounds were much more favorable than this weir count indicates, and a 
continuation of the weir count will be watched with great interest. We have here 
an opportunity to observe the natural increase of a very seriously depleted run and 
the results will be of great importance from both practical and scientific points 
of view. 
Table 13 . — Graphic table of catches of red salmon at Red River 
[Each letter in this table represents a catch of 10,000 fish] 
1904. 
1905. 
1906. 
1907. 
1908. 
1909. 
1910. 
1911. 
1912. 
1913. 
1914. 
1915. 
1916. 
1917. 
1918. 
1919 
1920. 
1921. 
1922 
Year 
Catch 
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RRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRR 
RRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRR RRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRR 
RRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRR RRRR 
RRRRRR RRRRRRRRRR 
RRRR RRRR RRRR RRRRRR RRRR 
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 
RRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRR 
R RRRRRRRRRRRRRR 
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RR 
RRR 
RR 
The Red River fishery has produced rather limited quantities of pink salmon 
in each of the even years from 1908 to 1922, but these catches were wholly incidental 
to fishing for red salmon. Pinks were obtainable in large numbers in some seasons. 
Moser points out that in 1900 they schooled in dense masses off the mouth of the river 
early in August and put an end to fishing for red salmon before the usual closing of 
the season for that species. Available statistics give no indication of the size of 
pink salmon runs to Red River; likewise there is no information to show that king 
and chum salmon are taken except in very limited quantities, Cohos have not been 
reported from this locality at any time. 
