708 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Table 31 shows graphically the catch of kings from 1893 to 1927. Fluctuations 
at first had apparently little significance ; but from the low catch of 14,083 in 1897 there 
was a steady rise through six years until the catch reached 66,023 in 1903, and then 
dropped suddenly to 17,668 in 1905 due to the loss of canneries by fire, as explained 
above, rather than to a scarcity of fish. As canneries were reestablished, the catch 
again climbed rapidly and in the next two years almost reached the high level of 1903. 
Then began a series of mild fluctuations which culminated in a new peak catch of 
83,763 in 1915, from which another decline occurred and for a period of seven years 
(1918 to 1924) the catches were only about half the average catch for the preceding 
decade. It is interesting to note how closely these larger fluctuations in the catch 
of king salmon coincide with those in the catches of reds which were also greatly 
reduced from 1919 to 1924, inclusive. It seems quite certain that this depression was 
partly economic, but it is thought that kings were actually somewhat scarcer after 
1917 than for several years preceding. The recovery from this period of poor catches 
was rapid and abrupt and it brought the catch of 1927 to the highest level ever 
reached in the production of king salmon in the Cook Inlet district. 
Practically nothing of a biological nature is known of the Cook Inlet king salmon. 
Its spawning grounds are unexplored; its age at maturity is unknown, and the run in 
one year bears no apparent relation to that of any other year in so far as shown by 
the catch statistics. Until these gaps in our information are filled we can not be sure 
of just what is happening to the salmon runs, but from the data considered here no 
definite evidence is seen that the king salmon have suffered any alarming depletion 
in more than 40 years of uninterrupted fishing. 
PINK SALMON 
The supply of pink salmon in Cook Inlet has never been large if the catch may 
be accepted as an indication of the size of the run. Apparently no serious effort 
was made to take this species until after 1907. Previously the annual catch had never 
been more than 100,000 and in several years none was reported. 'Beginning in 1906, 
pink salmon have been taken every year, the larger catches falling in the even years, 
while the number taken in the odd years was invariably negligible until 1927. This 
oscillation in runs is clearly illustrated in Table 32. Only three times in 32 years has 
the catch exceeded 1,000,000, thus giving rather positive proof that the inlet is not 
an important producer of pink salmon. The first large catch was reported in 1912 
when 1,661,524 were taken. Two years later 1,252,850 were caught and in 1916 — 
the last of the three big years — the catch was 1,682,672. Since then it has varied 
between about five and seven hundred thousand. This reduced catch since 1916 is 
probably due to biological causes, although it may be that in later years the fishing 
effort has not been sustained after the runs of other species was over. The pro- 
hibition of fishing in 1924 from August 10 to the end of the year and in 1926 from 
August 10 to 25, may also have cut into the pink-salmon season so as to render 
larger packs impossible. 
