of Alaska which I believe I advo
cated as President of the Territor
ial Senate at the last Session.”
What Henry i_J
O'Malley Said
On August 24th at Juneau* Henry
O’Malley, who holds the destinies ot'
Alaska in his hands, said;
“I have recommended that the
3eason for fall fishing from Septem
ber 14 to October 15 be closed, be
cause up to the present time no
large bodies of fish have shown up
in the streams of Southeastern A1
aska, and the streams are remain
ing extremely low. Consequently, if
fishing were conducted, pink and
chum salmon awaiting to enter the
streams to 3pawrn would be captur
ed and leave the spawning beds in
a serious condition, further jeojard
izing future runs.
“Trolling is to be permitted thru
out Alaska, which will permit the
taking of silver salmon for mild
curing. Gill netting will be per
mitted north of the fifty-eighth
parallel, as the escapement has been
more favorable in that section.
There is no change in the Stikine
river district.”
Ju3t before leaving Seattle to in
spect the fisheries of Oregon and
California, he again said;
“There will be no fall fishing ex
cept- by trolling south of the fifty
eighth parallel, and gill net fishing
only north of there. This is only
for fresh fish and mild cure, and
will be of no benefit to the pack
ers,” Mr. O’Malley explained before
departing for the south.
At Juneau on August 2nd, he said
drastic gear regulations are under
consideration for Southeastern Al
aska, with possible alterations in
fishing periods, for 1928 was indi
cated today by Henry O’Malley, U.
S. Commissioner of Fisheries in a
brief statement to tho press. Such
changes, he declared, are consider
ed to meet the situation caused by
an ever increasing quantity of cer
tain types of fishing gear.
GR*EAT GEAR INCREASE
“In certain sections of Southeast
ern Alaska, especially south of the
58 th parallel of north latitude,
there has been a great increase in
gear, and at present it is my inten
tion to more widely space this gear,
to close certain bays and estuariefl
to TRAPS and to eliminate traps
from points without these waters.
Traps so located in many instances
during the current year have pre
vented the tish from entering the
streams. If we are going to safe
guard the industry it is evident that
the gear must be reduced,” said the
Commissioner’s statement.
STUDY TRAP CATCHES
No decision will be made regard
ing the seasonal dates in South
eastern Alaska for the present. In
this connection the Commissioner’s
statement said:
At present, so far as the seasons
are concerned, nothing definite can
be announced. Before any decision
will be made, the Bureau of Fish
eries must secure data on trap
catches in variouB districts for a
number of years passed. It will
check them against conditions now
existing to determine whether the
present closing dates are properly
fixed and effective in safeguarding
runs for future spawning purposes.
On August 30th at Seattle, O’Mal
ley said;
“I have no doubt that if we did
reopen the season a number of
packers would be able to save them
selves, but it would be at the ex
pense of the salmon industry in
years to come, and that I could not
countenance.
“The department’s principal in
terest is in the perpetuity of the
salmon industry. To protect it this
season it must remain closed. We
know many operators suffered ter
rible reverses, but there’s nothing
that can be done about It.”
The Commissioner was appealed
to by the Sitka organization of the
Alaska Native Brotherhood to ex
tend the current Ashing season. A
petition signed by 42 fishermen,
members of the camp said, Bince
x July 6, the 13 boats fishing for the
I Sitka cannery had averaged about
\ 1,500 salmon per boat, and added:
“As this is practically our only
source of livelihood, we make a plea
that in your power there be some
arrangements made to extend the
fishing season, as the run this year
isi fully ten days later than for the
last three years.”
-:
J. R. Heckman Points Out
What He Terms Is Econ
omic And Industrial
Crime of the Pres
ent Century
Declares that Herring Industry Is
Being Utterly Destroyed For Sake
Of Temporary Gain; Asserts That
It Gan Be Made As Valuable In
Time As Salmon Industry; Says
Time to Act Npw
“It is a crime, one that will be
regretted later, that thi3 country is
allowing herring to be used for ferti
lizer; a food fish that will in time
be as valuable to Alaska as our sal
mon fishing has been. More ferti
lizer plants are going in every year
and making huge profits on using up
a good fish for making fertilizer.
This should be stopped immediate
ly regardles3 of who it hurts.”
The speaker was J. R. Heckman,
banker, packer, merchant and pro
perty owner, who has spent the
greater part of his life in the fish
ing and canning industry.
He also speaks as one who is
now interested in a cannery which
operates a fertilzer plant.
“If this industry for the use of
fertilizer is stopped before it is too
late,” he continued, "some of us
will live to see herring one of our
largest industries in Alaska. Thirty
years ago you could not sell a thou
sand cases of pink 3almon in the
world; today wei sell millions. The