52 
FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1909. 
Shrimps . — Shrimps are found in a number of places in southeast 
Alaska, being fairly abundant at times in Lynn Canal and in the 
vicinity of Wrangell, while the investigations of the Albatross have 
shown that they are abundant in the waters of central Alaska, south 
of the Alaska Peninsula. They have been reported from a few 
places in western Alaska. This summer the assistant fur-seal agent 
on St. George Island found about a pint of shrimps, Spirontocaris 
polaris (Sabine) in the stomach of a nesting cormorant killed on 
the island. The condition of the shrimps when taken from the bird’s 
stomach indicated that they had but recently been eaten, thus show- 
ing that the crustacean must be abundant in that section of Bering 
Sea. 
Preparations are now under way at Wrangell, in southeast Alaska, 
for the catching and shipping of shrimps to Puget Sound ports, 
where they command high prices. Some prospecting has already 
been done and a few of these crustaceans, known to the fishermen of 
Puget Sound as 44 big-spots ” (which average 5 inches in length), 
44 coon-stripes ” (2 inches in length), and 44 pinks ” (1 to 1J inches in 
length) , have been gathered. For this purpose a trawl is used which 
has an oblong mouth 10 feet long by 4 feet wide, the net bag being 
about 10 feet in length. The mouth framework is made of iron pipe. 
The trawl is dragged from the stern of the boat and is hauled in by 
means of a windlass. 
Clams . — Clams are abundant throughout Alaska, but in no section 
are they used to any considerable extent commercially, although the 
time is probably not far distant when the gathering and marketing 
of clams will be an important industry. The razor clam, Machcera 
patula , is especially abundant in southeast and central Alaska. The 
mud clam (probably Panopea generosa) has been reported from 
southeast Alaska. There are said to be large beds of clams and other 
edible shellfish along the Arctic coast, especially between Cape Prince 
of Wales and Icy Cape, immense numbers being washed up on the 
beaches during the prevalence of heavy southerly and southwesterly 
gales. 
Cockles . — Beds of cockles, sometimes called scallops, are known to 
exist in Funter Bay, on Admiralty Island, and in Dry Strait, near 
Wrangell, and would probably be found in many other places if 
systematic search were made. They are eaten, but not sold. 
Mussels . — Mussels are plentiful in many sections, especially along 
the Aleutian chain and in southeast Alaska, where they form an 
occasional addition to the natives’ larder. About twenty years ago 
some were taken from the neighborhood of Unalaska and planted 
around St. Paul and St. George islands, of the Pribilof group, where 
they have thrived and are now found in abundance. The few whites 
