THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 
75 
gangs, and therefore to overfishing, hut the statement is made that there is a marked 
increase of fish in these waters, and that other streams in this vicinity have felt it. 
When questioned as to the probable cause, the fishermen claim that these streams are 
receiving the adult fish produced by Mr. Oallbreath’s hatchery on Etolin Island, 
which was built and began operating in 1892, turning out 000,000 fry that year, and 
increasing until the present year, when about 5,000,000 eggs were hatched. The 
stream on which this hatchery is located is known as a poor salmon stream. There 
have been as yet no returns from the hatchery work, but the fishermen on the south- 
western coast of Prince of Wales Island believe that Mr. Callbreath’s fish are coming 
to their streams. 
EEKE INLET. 
This is a small arm making into the peninsula opposite Iletta and. separating 
Hetta Inlet from Sukkwan Strait. It is narrow, about a mile long, and has a general 
east-and-west direction. About one-fourth of a mile from its head lies the mouth 
of a stream— a lake outlet — 15 feet wide and about 0 inches deep, which carries red 
salmon. At low water the stream discharges over a cascade, and about 100 yards 
from the entrance is a fall a few feet high, and which is about high-water mark. 
Above this the stream is sluggish and opens into shallows and i)Ools varying in width 
from 50 to 300 yards, A mile from the entrance the stream opens into the lake, which 
is about a mile long with a greatest width of half a mile. It lies at the foot of a 
mountain ridge and runs about west-northwest and east-southeast. The bottom of 
the lower part of the stream is clear rock; the upper part, where it opens out, could 
not be examined for want of time. Part of an old barricade was found between the 
entrance and high-water mark. 
The Klawak cannery has taken a few scattering redfish here, but never more 
than 1,000 during a season. In 1890 the Hnnter Bay fishermen took 8,088 redfish 
from Eeke between July 10 and the latter i>art of August. In 1897 they caught 
9,213 redfish from July 14 to September 20; 473 cohoes from August 10 to 31; 25,400 
humpbacks from July 31 to August 31. A few fish were salted here in 1890. 
The stream may be said to have an annual value of 7,000 redfish. 
SUKKWAN. 
Leaving Eeke and passing around the point, up Sukkwan Strait to the westward 
about 5 miles, is the village of Sukkwan, consisting of a saltery and about a dozen 
houses and shacks. The village is on a bay, about a mile long and of the same width, 
at the head of which is the salmon stream. A few scattering redfish only are taken, 
the run consisting of cohoes, and humpbacks; the former run from August 5 to Sep- 
tember 30, and the latter from July 20 to August 25. The Klawak cannery in 1890 
took 4,403 cohoes between September 5 and 7 ; and 607 in 1897, between August 21 
and 30. In 1896 the Hunter Bay cannery obtained from Sukkwan 4,830 cohoes from 
the last of August to September 20; and in 1897 it took 3,317 cohoes from August 
24 to September 26. 
The saltery is operated by Banter & West, who this year (1897) i^acked about 300 
half-barrels of humpback bellies, selling their fresh fish principally to the canneries. 
So far as could be learned, this saltery has never packed more than 200 barrels; in 
1896 the output was 175 barrels of cohoes. 
They use one drag seine, 70 fathoms by 6 fathoms, witli 2f-incli mesh. 
