ASK OPEN SEASON COLUMBIA
A recommendation that the
Columbia River be open at all
seasons of the year to hook and
line fislieimcn was made in the
report of the joint Oregon
Washington legislative commis
sion on the fishing industry of
the two states given to the House
of RopresonatC.ves in Olympia
on February 18.
The commission also recom
mends enactment of legislation
piohibiting sale of troll-caught
-almon under 26 inches in
length, in th«? two states, and
that a $5 license fee be required
lor commercial smelt fishermen
with a cne-helf cent per pound
tax on commercial smelt. The
repo:t was referred tc the House
C ommitteo.
TRAP STILLER REGULATION
IS MODIFIED
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The rQc of any v;i>’e spiller in
connection with any fish trap is
prohibited, was a new regulation
promulgated by Henry O’Malley
in the interest of the conserva
tion of salmon.
The Juneau organ of the in
terests declared that this regu
lation was of no special import
ance as it affected but a very few
traps. Ketchikan interests rose
in full forc° and sent out a Ma
cedonian cry to all the Alaska
Chambers of Commerce to op
pose the regulation.
Henry O'Malley modified the
regulation in the interest of con
servation—of the traps.
--V
HALIBUT TREATY RATIFIED
BY SENATE
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The United States Senate on
the 26th of February ratified the
halibut treaty between the
United States and Great Britain
for the preservation of halibut
in the North Pacific and Bering
Sea.
Under the terms of the treaty,
the closing season is advanced
from November 15 to November
1 and the opening to begin on
the 15th cf February.
Conclusion of the treaty w :•
consummated on the 9th of May.
1930 at Ottawa by the Interna
tional Fisheries Commi-sin
which was created by a previous
treaty and this commission was
empowered to investigate and re
gulate the halibut industry
The Fishing Vessel Owners’
Association is on record as op
posing the earher closing date
but their protest did not receive
the consideration expected in
view of the results of the com
pletion cf the treaty. The Puget
Sound Fresh Fish Dealers As
sociation, which is made up of
nine of the wholesale houses in
Seattle, on the 8th of J 'nuuvy
endorsed a resolution urgi ’ pa
cification of the treaty and clos
ure of the fishing season crom
November 1 to February 15 of
each year.
There is no question that im
mediate steps must be 1 ‘-'an '
curtail the ^eb bing of this. '• oh.
The gear in present use exceeds
by 28 per cent that which vac
used three years back when
slower boats were operated and
rehauled in by hand. If the
differential in cla°s of equip
ment were considered that per
centage would be considerably
larger. Added to which, the larg
er vessels today are fishing
banks in the Gulf of Alaska
where in previous years their
catches were delivered from
Cape Flattery and Southeast
ern Alaska waters. The situation
in Canada is even worse than in
nlaska and Puget Sound for at
the rate of depiction as of 1923 it
would be but a very few years
vhcr the Canadian fishermen
world be able to even secure
halibut in those waters.
While many of the fishermen
end owners will not agree that
the closure dates should be ex
tended, eventually they will ad
mit that this move will be bene
ficial to the entire industry.
22 PLANTS MAY REMAIN
CLOSED IN S. E. ALASKA
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Twenty-two out or 35 salmon
canneries in Southeast Alaska
may not operate during the
coming season, according to au
thentic reports received here
this week. Low prices of salmon
and the big 1930 carryover are
given as the reasons for tbr con
templated shutdown of a large
number of plants.
It is reliably reported that
the Alaska Pacific Salmon Cor
poration, the biggest Southeast
Alaska company, will operate
only three of its canneries—one
rf Ketchikan, the second at
Kabe and the third at Port Al
thorp. Its biggest plant—at
Funtor Bay—will remain closed,
it is said.
No information was available
on the other plants win hi
are
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