The Government Of
Alaska
(Continued From Page Three)
oflice. A complete delivery of ter
ritorial functions to the federal of
fiiciais and of abolishment of all
official responsibility to the people
of the Territory has been the avir
ed aim of that bloc.
The evils of the present system
are so apparent that at every Le
gislature for the past four ■sessions,
efforts have been made to retrieve
what has been lost and make the
officials responsible to the people of
the Territory for the expenditure
of territorial funds and for the dis
charge of all the territorial func
tions.
THE NEW FISH REGULATIONS
Tt is apparent, in running over the
Laws and Regulations for Protec
tion of Fisheries of Alaska, in De
partment Circular 251, that at least
a few of the salmon trust fish loca
tions are still unharmed. Take at
the mouth of the Karluk River, for
instance: “b” of section 15 reads:
“All commercial fishing for salmoa
is prohibited, as follows—Karluk
River: All waters within Karluk
River and within 100 yards of its
mouth where it breaks through Kar
luk Spit into Shelikof Strait.’’ The
“spit” through which the Karluk
River breaks into the strait belongs
to the Alaska Packer’s Association
by Congressional action. This was
a neatly worked scheme which gave
the packers absolute control of the
river mouth. The Northwestern
Fisheries (Booth) were a strong
contender for the long gravel penin
sula. hut they didn’t go about secur
ing the land in the same way that
the packers did, and lost out. How
ever, they both fish the river mouth
by drag seines. The packers prac
tically control the river fish from in
front; the Northwestern Fisheries
from the north side The 100 yard
clause in the regulations mean noth
ing at all, for the 3eines overlap the
river mouth each haul, and as fas*;
us one seine is out of the way, anoth
er takes its place, and this goes on
the whole of every fishing day ana
often away into the nights. The Kai
luk River and its salmon, mostly
reds, are therefore the property ot
the Packer s and the Northwestern
Fisheries Company. They have a
cinch play here. There is no oppor
tunitv for any butting, in by outside
parties. ,
The Karluk River, at one time,
was the greatest sokoi stream in the
world. At the time Joseph Hume
constructed a cannery there years
ago (one of the first, if not the very
first cannery in Alaska) he 3aid if
he had the equipment he could put
up a million cases a year there and
not make a showing in the number
of salmon caught. It isn’t done now
and it is doubtful, very doubtful, if
the “50 per cent escapement” regu
lation clause in the fisheries law will
build up the river again. The Kar
luk hatchery, government owned and
A. P. A. operated, has always been
a money making scheme for the
Packers, a load for the government
and a frost insofar as stream replen
ishment was concerned.
Apparently, it was deemed not ad
visable to molest the Packer's and
the Northwestern Fisheries Company
in tneir strangle hold on the Karlutt
River.
Dropping back to Saginaw Bay,
there is another bold 3troke at trap
protection that isn’t at all fair when
other places nearly like it are taken
into consideration. The bay, accord
ing to Circular 251 is protected in
side of a line drawn from Halleck
Harbor to the southwest shore oi
the bay, and between Halleck Har
bor and the mouth of the bay there
is a floating trap. The trap dom
inates the whole bay. No other fish
ing, by any method, is allowed in the
bay. One can’t even catch herring
inside, legally. Still, this floater i3
allowed to operate and in normal
years, it is a killer. Of course, it
is on the side of the bay that the in
coming salmon strike. The whole
of Saginaw Bay is, therefore, by
Fish Commission regulation, abso
lutely the property of one packing
concern. We don’t see where there
is anything fair in this.
At Security Bay, just beyond to
the westward, fishing isn’t allowed
within 3,000 feet of the salmon
streams. However, the traps that
dominate the bay from both sides
aren’t molested. The streams of Se
curity Bay are away up toward the
head of the bay. Traps are hedged
in around the bay entrances. All
this is very well for the packing out
fits, of course, but we fail to see, sc
far, where the tendency is toward
conservation of salmon nor where
there is equal opportunity for salm*
on catching appliances other than
traps. Wherever salmon traps dom
inate salmon streams, whether in
bay or inlet or approaches to the
bays and inlets, the salmon runs tc
those places are doomed. If the
Bureau of Fisheries really mean tc
protect the salmon of Alaska it will
have to come out flatfooted and dc
something beside windy play3 to the
galleries and a soft pedal on cannerj
hogging of salmon courses.
HAINES OFFICERS
The Haines Camp of the A. N. B
is Hie first Camp to send in the lis
of officers for 1928. Their name
follow:
President, James W. Brown; Vic
President, Sam C. Jackson; Secre
tary, Joseph Jackson; Cor-Secretary
Samuel A. Martin; Treasurer, Dav<
Tlunaut; Sgt.-at-Arms Thomas An
drews.
KETCHIKANS NEW MEMBER
The Ketchikan Camp of the A
N. B. is glad to be able to repor
that George Eaton has joined the!
organization. This has a greate
significance than the casual reader
will recognise.