THE SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 
127 
As soon as the redlish commence to ran (usually about June 25), the king-salmon 
fishing ceases and the gear for redfish is put out, not because the king salmon stop ■ 
running at that time, but because the redfish are more profitable. 
CHILKAT RIVER, 
The Chilkat Eiver comes after the Stikiiie, Taku, and Uuuk in size. It empties 
into the head of Chilkat Inlet over the extensive McClellan Flats. Canoes go some 
distance above Klukwan, the largest and prineipal Chilkat village. The Chilkat, 
while draining an extensive glacial region, has no tide-water glaciers around its 
mouth, and therefore is not obstructed by ice during the summer. The lower river 
valley is large and wide, but the water at ordinary stages is confined to a few 
channels, which flow around sand banks and marshy and wooded islands. The river 
proper has its source in the high ranges to the northwestward, near the headwaters 
of the Alsek. At Klukwan, about 20 miles above its mouth, the Chilkat receives as 
a tributary the water of the Tsirku, an outlet to Chilkat Lake. The lake is 5 miles 
long, and its greatest width is 1 mile. Its feeders are said to be spawning-beds for 
large numbers of redfish. 
Most of the redfish are taken by the cannery fishermen with drift gill nets. 
Columbia river boats are used, each manned by two white men, or one white man and 
one native. The fishing is carried on in Chilkat Inlet between Glacier Point and 
McClellan Flats, a range of about 7 miles. The average catch for the season by the 
cannery fishermen during the past four years has been 300,000 redfish. The fish- 
ermen receive $100 for working the ship to Alaska and return to San Francisco, and 
3 cents is paid the boat outfit for each king salmon, redfish, or coho taken; the men 
are boarded by the cannery. The cannery, besides obtaining fish from this source 
under its own supervision, i>urchases fish from the Chilkat and Ohilkoot Indians. 
The Indians fish from canoes moored to posts, or from platforms built over the 
streams. They use a large gaff (common among all Alaska Indians), consisting of 
an nnbarbed hook about 4 inches across the bend, secured to a pole 10 or 12 feet long. 
This is thrust into the water, and when the Indian feels or sees a fish, he impales it 
and drags it ashore. When fish are plentiful the liook is siiuply dragged through 
the water. A large number of the fish from the Chilkoot are taken in this way. 
OHILKOOT RIVER. 
Chilkoot Eiver empties into the head of Chilkoot Inlet and is the outlet of 
Chilkoot Lake. It is about 1| miles long in a general northwest-aud-southeast 
direction, and is one of the smaller streams of Alaska, but has a large run of redfish. 
The lake is about 2J miles long and 1 mile wide, and is fed by glacial streams. More 
redfish are taken at Chilkoot than at Chilkat, as the fish are confined to a single broad 
channel and are more easily captured. The Chilkoot may be classed with streams 
like Iletta, Karta Bay, and Kaha Bay. In 1896 the run of fish in this stream was so 
large that the eanuery was obliged to limit the number purchased of each Indian 
fisherman to 100 per day. 
The Chilkoot Indians supplied the Pyramid Harbor Cannery in 1894 with 62,284 
redfish; in 1895 with 68,000; in 1896 with 159,000; and in 1897 with 48,000. The 
Chilkat Indians furnished 30,872 in 1897, this being the first year since 1893 that they 
supplied any fish. Four years ago they demanded 10 cents a fish, and as the cannery 
