SITKA SEAL CATCH
VERY SMALL
It has been reported that
the catch of fur seal made by
the Sitka Indians this year
is the smallest ever known,
only forty skins having been
taken. Only one boat with
five hunters went out and due
to the inclement weather, they
were compelled to lie in shelt
er much of the time. The
movement of seals is still on
and probably will not be over
until about the first of July,
but there will be no more hunt
ing of seals as the men have
returned to prepare for the
fishing season.
.Last year 280 seals were tak
en by the Sitka hunters and
the year before about 500- In
times past the catch has run
as high as \2,500. The regula
tions put in force by the de
partment are making it in
creasingly hard for the Natives
tp get any skins at all. The
kill is made from a canoe with
a spear. The seal herd passes
many miles out at sea and the
run from shelter takes many
hours and is impossible during
rough or threatening weather.
The seal is a wary animal and
since the patrol is being made
by the government vessels it
is becoming increasingly im
possible for the hunters to
come within striking distance
of a seal. The presence of
such a boat as the Unalga which
has patrolled for several years
alarms the seal for miles around.
Only the Sitka and Hoonah
Indians are allowed to hunt
for the seal during the passing
of the herd on its way to the
Pribilof Islands.
QUIN AULT SEASON POOR
The salmon season on the
Quinault River, Washington,
which started April 15th and
ends June 15tTi, is described
as failure so far, with scarcely
enough fish' for the fresh
market. Some of the canners
who had prepared to pack
Quinault have withdrawn from
the field and sold their cans,
and anything that may be avail
able for canning before the
end of * the season will be handl
ed by some of the clam can
neries north of Grays Harbor
The Quinault Sockeye or Blue
back salmon has been well
known for its high quality.
LOOK OUT FOR TAGGED
FISH
The attention of trollersand
other fishermen is called to the
fact that a re ward of 50 cents
is offered for the return of
each tag taken from a tagged
salmon, with information as to
how, when and where the fish
were taken.
As was stated recently ex
tensive tagging operations are
being carried on in the States
of Washington, Oregon and
California up into the Alaskan
coast. 2000 Kings have been
tagged in California and an
equal number in Oregon. About
2,500 will be tagged in Wash
ington and the same number
each off the Vancouver dis
trict and in Southeastern Al
aska. Other species besides
Kings will be tagged in South
eastern Alaska to the number
of 15,000 or 20,000.
The tag is a numbered
aluminum strap, bent over the
back of the tail and clinched
through. The tags and in
formation should be sent to
the Bureau of Fisheries at
Juneau of Ketchikan.
The reward for the return of
halibut tags is also still in
effect. These should be sent
to the International Fisheries
Commission, University of
Washington, Seattle.
SALMON BAY CLOSED TO
SEINERS
Salmon Bay, on the east
coast of Prince o? Wales Is
land, has been ordered closed
by the Department of Com
merce in such a manner that
fishermen, to set a net, must
go out of the Bay entirely.
The dead lines have been plac
ed at such a point that the
Petersburg Packing Co- have
been able to set a trap on the
south side of the entrance in
a part of the bay. Here the
salmon play back and forth
with each tide and the stream
itself might just as well be
blocked for all the salmon
that will go up the creek this
summer. It is doubtful if a
single seing crew will fish at
Salmon Bay this season.
T ROLLERS A SSOCIA TION
ORGANIZED
A very successful Trollers
Association has been organized
recently with headquarters at
Ketchikan. A number of men
are acting as delegates in the
various trolling camps and re
port that the idea is going like
wild-fire. It is planned to
hold mass meetings of trollers
on the Fourth of July with
the purpose of enrolling more
members, in all the trolling
centers. The organization will
be known as the Alaska Trol
leys Association or the A.T.A.
Expert on Repairing
PHONOGRAPHS
OUTSIDE TRADE SOLICIT
ED. LA FONTAINE
Ketchikan,
Alaska
KETCHIKAN UNDERTAKING CO.
Successors to
J. R. HECKMAN CO.
Careful Attention Given Out-of-Town Cases.
E. J. DYER E. M. MARSHA
PHONES
Black 257 White 68 White 261
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