291, it is noted that all of Prince
William Sound Area is closed from
August 5th to August 23rd, for
commercial fishing, except a region
between Granville Bay and , Port
Nellie Juan. The Czar of this local
ity is an individual named Hanley.
How he got exemption I don’t
know. Perhaps the Bureau Oi
Fisheries could tell. Mr. Hanley
formerly operated a cannery at
Mile 5 3 on the Copper River (pretty
close to the grass banks, wasn’t
it?) He now operates a trap on Che
nega Island, and this trap is only
600 feet from the mouth of a sal
mon creek. The Bureau of Fisher
ies takes no notice of this infringe
ment of their own laws which
state “no trap can be erected with
in 1500 feet of a salmon creek.”
What mercy would this same
Bureau show to a poor fisherman,
caught fi'shing within 1500 feet of
a restricted area? Oh ye Gods,
didn’t Lincoln say the law makes
no distinction between the rich and
the poor, or to put it in modern
phraseology, between the men whr>
can grease an itching palm, and
those who can’t or won’t.
On Johnstone Point there is a
trap belonging to the Carlysle Com
pany 855 feet from the mouth of
the Lagoon to the shore piling.
What has the Bureau to say about
this trap?
People like Mr. Fostor say that
traps do not depreciate the fish
erman’s catch. Here’s an instance.
In 1925 the Stream Warden watch
ing Billy’s Hole reported 45,000
fish passing through. A trap was
installed outside the deadline in
Long Bay for the 1926 fishing sea
son so as practically to close the
entrance to Billy’s Hole. In 1926
the warden reported “No fish.’’
Was there ever such a convincing
argument for the abolition of a
machine, that is surely killing the
fishing industry. Magnificent,
wholesale slaughter, without giving
the fish a chance to propagate
their species.
Tit this famous Bulletin we read
‘Chignik Lagoon.”
“The distance between, most di
rect water measurement, from one
trap to another, must not be less
than one statute mile; except in
Chignik Lagoon, where there shall
be a distance interval of not less
than 10 Statute miles, LATERAL
LY, between any two traps on the
North Shore or the South shore of
the Lagoon.”
At first reading it would ap
pear, as if the Bureau, or their
bosses (The Packers), intended li
miting traps; but when you under
stand that the Lagoon is now con
trolled by the Big Three in the As
sociation, it is easy to see that
they want no smaller fry butting
in on their preserves. Some poor
Alaskan might want to start a hand
trap or a small cannery, hence the
ruling.
It would also appear that every
place in Prince William Sound,
where a few fish mill before spawn
ing is a restricted area, except of
course the trap locations. The fish
erman has no chance of surviving,
if he adheres to the Bureau’s laws,
than the proverbial snowball in
Hell.
Traps killing off the fish before
they enter the Copper River Delta,
and what few stragglers mill
around in the lagoons are “taboo.”
How is he going to make a living,
and remain a citizen of the Terri
tory? The Canneries don’t want
seine fish at any time whilst their
traps are working. When the traps
are empty the Packers want all the
'seine fish they can get, especially
if they have a lot of empty cans on
hand.
Reading the financial reports of
the Canneries for the 1926 season
should be very Interesting to the
fishermen this winter. A number
of those benevolent institutions re
port they have earned 100 per cent
on their capital. The Cordova fish
ermen are asking local tradespeople
to tide them over till the 1927 sea
•son. The comparison is obvious.
Enough said.
JACK O’SHEA
FAMOUS SPEECHES
“The cannerymen told me that
they would stop discriminating
against our local fishermen in the
Third Division and so I told them
that I would oppose any measure
taxing imported gillnetters.”—Ben
Grier. Of course, Ben only report
ed part of the conversation he had
with the cannerymen.
• * * *
“A great many times when I
speak, I am not really responsible
for what I say.” Tom Gaffney,
speaking in defense of Ralph Lo
men who had just been forced to
apologize to Charles Benjamin for
a gratuitous insult.
The Knights of Columbus gavo
a great reception just before the
legislature left Juneau, only a few
members of the Legislature were
invited. The Hon. Thomas Gaff
ney of Nome gave the principle ad
dress.
* * * *
“Many members of that body
(Alaska Legislature) evidently did
not appreciate the needs and condi
tions of the industry and the pack
ers on their part were inclined to
mistake this lack of understanding
for lack of sympathy. A little
PERSONAL contact has greatly
improved the situation.”—Pacific
Fisherman. i
It has. See elsewhere for a list
of Cannery Senators and Represent
atives.
PROOF POSITIVE
Hill: Say, do you expect to catch
a big fish with such a little hook?
Dale: Why not? My wife weighs
two hundred pounds and I caught,
her in my pocket the other night.
“Prisoner, have you anything to
offer in your own behalf?’'
“No your Honor, £’ve turned ev
ery cent over to my lawyer and a
couple ol jurymen.