88 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
ill southeast Alaska. A redflsh stream empties into the liead of Karta Bay about a 
mile from the salteiy. A Greek, or Slav, Baronovich by name, many years ago married 
the daughter of Skowl, one of the old-time chiefs of the Kasaans, and received from 
him this lishery, which has been one of the most productive in southeast Alaska. 
Baronovich lived at the saltery, where he paclied fish (about 400 barrels a year), kept a 
store, and traded with the Indians. He died some years ago. The saltery, wharf, store 
building, and several houses are still standing, but all are deserted. Baronovich’s 
sons, who during our visit were there to conduct the season’s fishing, were housed in 
shacks in a bight on the eastern shore of Karta Bay proper. 
For a number of years the Cutting Packing Company, then operating the cannery 
at Boring, leased the stream, paying $300 a year to the widow of Baronovich, but in 
1893, Avhen the cannery passed into the hands of the Alaska Packers’ Association, the 
lease was relinquished. The run of 1892 was so small that it did not warrant the 
cannery in holding the stream. On account of the low price of salt fish, the saltery 
has not been in operation, except in a desultory way, for a number of years. The 
Baronovich sons have still about 100 barrels of a lot salted at a loss a few years ago. 
This year (1897) they salted 41 half-barrels of humpback bellies. 
It appears that one of the first chiefs of the Kasaans, Sanhite (Billy Wilson), 
also has Indian fishing rights in the Karta Bay stream, and, with his fishing crew, con- 
ducts a separate fishery. He has a large house at Kasaan, but during the summer 
season lives in the Indian village at the mouth of the stream, where there are about 
a dozen houses and shacks. 
It is said that during the lease of the stream by the Boring cannery it was barri- 
caded, and that an Indian was paid $2 a day to keep the barricade perfectly tight. 
The cannery people say that the fencing was done by those claiming the fisheries. It is 
also said that on account of the rapid decrease of salmon the barricade was removed in 
1892, which explains the big run in 1896 ; in 1893 the stream was closed, and a small run 
in 1897 was expected. The stream has been open since 1893. 
At Boring it was positively stated that the Karta Bay stream was barricaded in 
1892, that it was open in 1893 and 1894 and very little fishing done, and was probably 
closed in 1895. 
In 1896 the cannery steamer took to Boring from this stream 84,545 redfish. Of this 
number Baronovich Brothers sold about 47,000, and Sanhite about 37,000. The price 
paid was $5.50 per 100. The fish are said to be of a large variety and to run 7 pounds 
in weight during the season. At the time of our visit about 100 redfish were taken 
at one haul; 25 of these averaged 6iJ pounds, the largest 9 iiounds, the smallest 5 
pounds. The Indians state, however, that the first fish are always small and that 
they average much higher as the run increases. 
KARTA BAY STREAM. 
Karta Bay Stream is said to have perhaps the earliest run of redfish in southeast 
Alaska. Fishing has commenced here on June 4, though that was an exceptionally 
early date. In 1897, on June 13, some salmon having been seen jumping, a haul was 
made and 100 redfish were taken. No other haul was made until June 25, when 600 
were taken and sent to Boring. It is a great, wide, beautiful stream, with a large 
volume of water that comes tumbling down over the rapids with considerable velocity, 
and is inore worthy of the name of river than the streams previously visited. 
