‘Fins and Tails’
-o
THE UNSCIENTIFIC POLITICO
PSUEDO-SELF CON STITUTED
Fish-expert, who writes for the
Ketchikan Chronicle wrote an ed
itorial in part as follows:
“The bureau of fisheries after
the passage of the White bill pro
mulgated regulations designating
a certain closed period in the lat
ter part of August and early Sep
tember. The politico-scientists
told us that that would mean the
breeding of a lot of late salmon,
end the wiping out of the early
runs.
“Possibly it (the supposed early
good run this year) proves that
these politicians do not know any
more, if as much, as the bureau
of fisheries. We are more inclined
ro piace connaence m tne latter.
Aside from the facts, which are
with us. Dr. C. H. GILBERT, the
authority of the bureau of fisher
ies. wrote in October, 1923. “In re
ply to your letter asking my opin
ion as to the relative merits of
weekly closed seasons as compar
ed with the annual close seasons.
I beg to say that the matter is a
complicated one. with not all ad
vantages on one side, but AS BE
TWEEN THE TWO, I should put
nv dependence in the weekly close
season for purpose of conservation.
“Another disadvantage in the
seasonal closing comes from THE
STRONG PROBABILITY that early
fish BREED EARLY FISH, and the
late spawners again give rise to
late spawners. There is very good
reason to believe that in good de
gree this is the case. IF IT BE
TRUE, the net result of our sea
sonal closing would be to build up
an early and a late run, which
would yield nothing to the fisher
ies. while the mid-season would
feel little or no benefit from it.”
The facts are with us. The runs
of fish are getting later. But
again to quote “authority.”
We met Dennis Winn, field agent
of the bureau of fisheries last Sep
tember at Klawock, and we ad
dressed ourselves to him thus:
“Mr. Winn, now that the bureau
of fisheries has adopted the policy
of the closed season scheme of
conserving our fisheries, you have
but one question to answer—Will
the fish that spawn during the
closed season bring back fish dur
ing July and August in time to
be caught for canning? If they
do, the closed season is right. If
thehy do not, the closed season is
wrong. Which is it?”
to inis Mr. winn repnea, i uu
NOT BELIEVE THEY WILL COME
BACK IN TIME FOR THE CANS.”
Last February we talked with
Henry O’Malley, and we argued
the same question. Mr. O’Malley
answered us. “That is a point
about which we are very uncertain.
If remains to be seen.”
We do not pretend to know with
a certainty. We merely advance
the argument from our limited
knowledge of biology. To get early
potatoes, you must breed early po
tatoes. That is how early pota
toes were obtained. Someone dis
covered a potato that ripened be
fore the others. This one was
planted and it bred an earlv va
riety. That is the wav earh7 f°TT
ing hens were obtained. Every
thing in life indicates that tvrw
follows type. Freaks appear, but
freaks perpetuate their kind and
thus a new variety is begun.
Why not with salmon?
Herring spawn in the early
sowing. Sockeve come in June and
July. Pinks come in July and Aug
ust. Dogs come in August. Sep
tember and October according to
kind. Cohoes come in August and
September.
In some creeks, the humov run
would be over bv July 15th. In
others, the humpy run would not
start before August 10th. Often
the creeks having this variation
would lie next to each other,
fPlease note that under our pres
ent trap system, the weekly closed
season is a mere farce. It only
means that a trap farther up the
line catches the fish that escape
on the Sunday before).
Under the Bureau’s system, only
the late streams are protected.
Will it not follow that in time only
late fish will run?
Dr. Charles H. Gilbert, of Stan
ford, thought so.
Dennis Winn thinks so.
Henry O’Malley thinks so.
The facts indicate that this is
true.
IT IS SO.
THE REMEDY
The remedy for all our troubles
is this—ABOLISH ALL FISH
TRAPS, extend the weekly c’osed
season if necessary, continue a
sane limitation around fish streams
and continue stream watchmen.
THE RESULT
There would be a decrease of
one million cases in the p^c1:. Even
Mr. O’Malley now admits that this
must be. We have advocated this
for eight years.
The population and wealth of
Alaska would increase.
Ketchikan would double in pop
ulation. So would every town on
the coast.
TOM MARQIJAM iNDiCTEO
——o——
The Grand Jury of the 'nistrict
of Columbia called John Pegues,
associate editor of the Jimeni Em
pire, as witness, and afterwards
Om n;d jury indicted Tom Mar
que m for not reporting his cam
paign expenses.
rrhc Grand Jury says that the
total amount contributed to Tom
Marquam was $3000. That is far
short of the amount. One can
neryman told us that each can
nery contributed $200.
We suppose however that the
Omnd Jury has merely consider
ed the amount that John Pegues
got. If they had called Jack
Cehoettler, the Petersburg tool of
the trapmen, the jury might have
raised the amount to $3001.