74 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The lake is about 10 feet above high water, and is miles long. Its lower part is 
circular and 1 mile in width, the upper part f mile in width, and all apparently deep. 
The general direction is north by east and south by west. A low point juts into the 
lake on the northwest side. At the upper end the shore is low, heavily timbered, with 
some grassy spots, and with gravel and sand in places along the shore margin. On 
all other sides the mountains, from which a number of cascades enter, are precipitous 
to the lake. A stream 10 feet wide, with an average depth of 4 inches, enters at the 
upper end. It runs through bottom land over a sandy and gravelly floor, and has a 
number of pools. The outlet at the lake end is covered with driftwood, which, how- 
ever, does not prevent the passage of fish. 
If Hetta stream has not received some accessions from other localities, it is xwob- 
ably being overfished. It may be classed now as being able to yield 150,000 redflsh, 
though under average conditions 50,000 seems to be the limit. Fish have been taken 
as early as June 27 (1897) and as late as September 26 (1897). During September, 
1896, up to the 20th, 40,529 redflsh were taken by the Hunter Bay cannery, and were 
said to be in good condition. This late catch is attributed, however, to the dry season 
and the extreme low water in the stream, which i)reveuted them from ascending until 
after the SeiJtember rains had raised the water, the result being that fish were held 
at the mouth and taken when desired. The September catch for 1897 could not be 
obtained. 
Hetta is one of the first-class red-salmon streams in southeast Alaska, and ranks 
with Quadra and Nichols Bay. It has been fished by the Klawak cannery since 1886, 
and, with their home stream, has been the main source of fish supx)ly for that cannery. 
When fishing for this cannery commenced here the rights of the Indian claiming the 
stream were recognized and a 20-year lease was made with him at an annual rental. 
In 1896, when the Hunter Bay cannery came into the field, it is said the owners declined 
to make any agreement in regard to this fishery, and the Klawak cannery at present 
I^ays no rental. Hetta is now fished by both canneries, and it is reported that this 
year there was some trouble between the different fishing i)arties. This is mentioned 
simply to show how complaints arise, first on the part of the Indians and then on the 
jjart of the canneries. It usually results in the survival of the most i^owerful corpo- 
ration, and the Indian goes to the wall. 
The following statistics show the Hetta stream catch since 1886: 
Klawalc cannery. 
Species. 
-do .. 
.do . . 
.do . . 
.do . . 
.do . . 
.do . . 
.do . . 
.do .. 
.do .. 
-do .. 
.do .. 
-do . . 
July 3 to Sept. 14 
July 4 to Aug. 26 
July 6 to Aug. 28 
July 6 to Aug. 28 
July 11 to July 16 
July 16 to Aug. 22 
July 11 to Aug. 23 
July 7 to Aug. 31 
July 3 to Aug. 24 
Jrrne29 to Aug. 23 
July 7 to Aug. 30 
Hunter Bay cannery. 
Specie 
J uly 10 to Sept. 20 Redflsh 
J line 27 to Sei>t. 26 do 
Aug. 22 to Sept. 26 Cohoes 
July 20 to Aug. 31 Humpbacks , 
96 6)7 
114, 796 
12, 904 
28, 196 
The increase in the catch for the last three years is remarkable. In 1895 it was 
nearly double the average of jirevious years. In 1896 and 1897 it was five times 
that average, and it must be remembered that in 1895 the stream was only fished for 
Klawak cannery. It might be inferred that the increase was due to the two fishing 
