FRAZER RIVER RUN
OF SALMON PROBED
Victoria, B. C.—A commis
sion of engineers from the fed
eral and provincial governments
will make an investigation at
Hell’s Gate, 100 miles east of
Vancouver on the Frazer river,
to determine whether the gate
impedes the salmon run to the
upper river. The Frazer river
run was ruined in 1913 when
a rock slide occurred during
the construction of the Grand
Trunk Pacific railway and
blocked the gate.
With the exception of Alas
ka, this is said to have been
the biggest run on the Pacific.
Runs for succeeding years suf
feied when the fish were un
able to reach the upper river
to spawn.
CARD OF THANKS
To Edward G. Morrissey Ed
itor Ketchikan Alaska Chron
icle:
Sincere thanks and apprecia
tion is here by extended to
you for your able assistance in
securing the election of the en
tire Republican ticket in the
First division of the Territory.
It is estimated that you made
fully 250 votes for the Repb
lican candidates, especially for
Sutherland, and Paul, by your
able and slashing editorials.
i rue, you forecasted the elec
tion of Mr. Marquam, but every
one then believed, and now
knows, that you were merely
kidding the bleachers.
Trusting that we may have
your continued assistance, I
gratefully remain,
P. F. Gilmore,
Republican Divisional Commit
teeman.
It Pays to Advertise in The
Alaska Fisherman.
FRANK REED DEFENDS
OPPOSITION TO HERRINC
Editor Sentinel:
I have just read an article in
the Pacific Fisherman (page 7
of the November issue) in re
gard to the herring situation.
Now that the Pacific Fisher
man has had its say I should
like to offer a few words in
defense of the stand which the
residents of the Territory have
taken on this matter.
In the first place the author
of the article intimates that we
are hollering before we are
hurt. He asserts that no def
inite knowledge is available on
the subject.
Now I am a troller, and I
have been in the game since
May, 1913, and I have fished
Chatham Straits every year
since that date. In 1916 and
1917 I was employed by the
Alaska Herring and Sardine
Co. of Port Walter, Baranof
island, and I have made a care
ful study of the herring and
I finc] since 1916 the herring
are getting scarcer every year.
The season of 1925 the herring
were so scarce in Tibencoff
Bay and Pillar Bay and all
along the shores of Chatham
Straits, I could not secure
enough for bait in the gill nets
which every one is equipped
with: nets ranging from 8 to
48 fathoms long hung measure.
This year, 1926, there were
periods of from one to two
weeks at a time that we never
saw a herring in Tibencoff
and Pillar bays. Tibencoff bay
is one of the principal bays
for herring and salmon and
halibut fishing. There are one
thousand fishermen who will
bear witness that these state
ments are true.
There are now in the Terri
tory of Alaska 19 herring re
duction plants owned and oper
ated by non-residents. They
hire their crews both for their
plants and fishing crews out
side the territory, and they are
paid off outside also, which is
no benefit at all to the res
idents of Alaska. These planes
when operated at full capacity
consumes on an average of 100
to 150 barrels of herring an
hour and operating day and
night it is amazing the amount
of fish required to keep them
going.
Now in the Territory of Al
aska there are some three
thousand resident fishermen
owning their own boats and
gear, the valuation of boats and
gear being over $2000 each, and
it is very essential to those
fishermen that the herring be
left alone on the fishing
ground which is the natural
feeding places for the king
salmon and halibut, for if the
herring are taken the salmon
and halibut will leave. These
three thousand fishermen and
their families depend solely on
the fish for their livelihood
and at the rate that the her
ring have been taken in the
past ten years to satisfy the
reduction industry, in two or
three years at the most the
fishing industry of Alaska Is
at an end; these three thou
sand men and their families
are ousted and the chief assets
of our country have geen des
troyed. It is far better to
sacrifice the fertilizing industry
now than to sacrifice the fish
ing industry as a whole at the
end of two or three years,
which is sure to happen unless
drastic measures be instituted
to stop this wasteful method.
On page 5 of the same issue