THE ALASKA FISHERIES
By CHAS. D. GARFIELD
In the fisheries, Alaska finds its
greatest present resource. The de
velopment of the Territory has pro
gressed in the same manner in which
the Pacific states gained importance.
The more easily exploited products,
those which brought the greatest
return from the least efforts of labor
and capital, received earliest atten
tion. Furs, mining and fisheries
were developed in the order named,
but today, in value of production,
the order should be reversed.
Of the fish products, it is known
that salmon leads all the others.
In early development of the Terri
tory the salmon fisheries were es
pecially attractive, as there was a
steady demand I and an established
market for the products, affording
an occupation, covering but a few
months in the spring and summer,
and, in earlier days, an easy catch
with the fish practically coming to
the cannery. Gradually the industry
grew until canning and salting plants
were covering the best known waters.
Then came a period when there was
an unusual activity and much spec
ulation ending in many financial fail
ures and the inevitable depression.
With the reconstruction of the busi
ness many strong combinations were
built up which stabilized the output
and market and brought i about a
very profitable period. The com
bined concerns are the ones practi
cally in control of the industry to
day'. Of those controlling the indus
try none are residents of the Terri
tory, their people take little, if any,
personal or collective interest in
Territorial or civic affairs; there is
no constructive, economic or social
policy involved; they come in the
spring with their boats, supplies
and employees, diligently engaged in
the reaping of the harvest and when
it is garnered, load it into the ships
and depart with those who have
assisted in the gleaning, giving lit
tle thought to the elements which
prepared for, seeded and nurtured
the crop; they come and go, having
reaped where they did not sow, as
though they had gathered a farm
crop without contributing to the
preparation and cultivation of the
soil.
It has been estimated that not
over ten per centum of the value of
the product, including the license
tax thereon, is added to the annual
wealth of the Territory. True,
there are places in Alaska where
supplies and help cannot be ob
tained locally and so long as condi
tions remain as at the present, the
situation will continue. In such
places the pack of fish should be
so regulated as to maintain an un
depleted supply, that a local, hardy
and capable population may be built
up depending mainly upon the in
dustry for support. There are many
districts where the local population
can be readily increased to suffi
cient proportions for handling the
pack in season and find employment
in other fisheries or industries dur
ing the rest of the year. The great
est need of the Territory today is
a substantial increase in strong, vig
orous, industrial workers and its
affairs should be so arranged as to
attract such people to its shores and
provide them a livelihood. If the
salmon industry is to continue as a
valuable asset and play its part in
the upbuilding of the Territory, then
it must be handled with the greatest
care, with due consideration for all
the various elements entering into
its economy and such an adjustment
of output with provision for mainte
nance of supply as will fully guar
antee its stability. A careful survey
of the industry, convinces one that
to preserve the integrity of the busi
ness there must be a curtailment of
operations to produce the desired
effect. Then will follow a reduc
tion in the number of plants and of
operating plants in the remaining
plants, gear, boats, etc. The thought
seems to prevail that in the future
there will be may small plants scat
tered throughout the Territory in
stead of the large centralized can
neries. These changes will cause a
serious contraction in the revenue of
the Territory and some other means
must be provided to make up more
than the difference. The public ex
penses are growing yearly and there
must be an increased yearly ex
penditure for the care of and build
ing up of the fisheries for many
years to come. It is an important
question in any event. The extrava
gance of the past must be* met by
economy in the future.
The profits from the various forms
of the fishing industry have been,
at times, unusually large. In the
Bering Sea and Western Alaska op
erations the fishermen particularly,
have often, in less than sixty days
of actual fishing, earned more money
than in the work of a year at home.
In other parts of the Territory the
earning have been relatively the
same. The Indians have received
unusual sums and in some instances
children have been better paid than
adults are in the States, and at the
same time the operators have taken
good profits. From an economic
standpoint it would be far better
for the Territory that all classes
have a permanent residence and em
ployment throughout the year. Hun
dreds of seine boats and trolling
boats come to these waters for two
or three months in the year, each
taking its quota of the natural
wealth and leaving practically noth
ing in exchange. There should be
a remedy for this and some way
must be devised to confine the fish
ing privileges, where possible, to
bona fide residents so that a larger
portion of the wealth of the Terri
tory be retained and utilized for
further development.
While new and proper legislation
is being delayed the present laws
and regulations should be enforced.
The effort in this respect made by
the controlling authority has been
inadequate in the extreme. If proper
enforcement had been obtained the
industry would not be facing its
existing serious situation. One re
sult of the failure of law enforce
ment has been the pilfering of fish
traps, commonly called piracy. Those
engaged in this nefarious occupa
tion have reasoned that it was no
more of a crime to take fish from
the traps than for the traps to vio
late the law by illegal fishing. While
ore crime does not justify another,
still criminality must be eliminated
from all classes, as violations of
the law and regulations by trap
owners are seized upon with avidity
as an excuse by the so-called pirates.
It is believed that some cannery
operators must be in league with
the fish pirates, otherwise there
could be no sale for stolen fish.
There have been many indictments
for illegal fishing and a number
have been found guilty; there have
been convictions for piracy, but it
would have been far better to have
adequate enforcement of the laws
through patrol and preventive ef
forts than to have so many viola
tions, with a comparatively small
percentage of detection and convic
tion.
Alaska has a handicap of weather
conditions as related to artificial
propagation in comparison with the
Pacifiic States, but has much in its
favor in the way of unobstructed
and unused streams and unpolluted
waters.
Baranoff Lake
The result of the planting of
1.350.000 eyed salmon eggs in Bar
anoff Lake near Warm Springs Bay,
is awaited with much interest. Six
hundred and fifty thousand hump
back eggs were deposited in sand
and gravel beds of three inlet
streams flowing into the north side
of the lake, October 23, 1919; 300,
000 cohoe eggs were deposited at
several places along the North shore
in about six feet of water over
sardy bottom, January 1, 1920;
400.000 cohoe eggs were deposited
at several places along the south
shore in shallow water over sandy
bottom on January 19, 1920. The
Iasi two plants were made through
holes cut in ten inches of ice. The
lake is about two miles long and a
liali a mile wide with a superficial
area of 698 acres. The elevation
above tide water in Warm Springs
Bay is 133 feet.
A large inlet stream at the head
flows through a flat valley for some
distance and several small feeders
non the more or less abrupt hill
sides furnish a big supply of water