THE FISH PROBLEM IN
ALASKA
Continued from page Three
promulgated. The reason for so many
fish as if the ruling had never been
traps is on account of competition
between companies. In other words,
there are only a limited amount of
fish that run to a given area, two or
three traps placed advantageously
can catch all the fish. To increase
the number of traps will not increase
the number of fish caught but will
merely divide the catch among a
greater number of traps.
To further the illustration of the
favoritism of the Bureau of Fisheries
it was brought out on the floor of
the House of Representatives that
the order which closed Tenekee Inlet
and Freshwater Bay deprives the
seiners of a catch of some 180,000
salmon whereas the trap gives up
50,000. In addition to this the rules
of 1925 require that thirty-eight ad
ditional bays in the Ketchikan dis
trict shall be closed to fishing. These
bays are used exclusively by seiners.
The conditions are getting to be such
that the residents have no place to
fish but in the open waters where
they cannot compete with the traps
at all.
The conclusions reached by mem
bers of the Legislature are as fol
lows:
1. That the people of Alaska are
best fitted by knowledge, by prox
imity and by self-interest to regulate
the fisheries of Alaska.
2. That there should be a com
plete re-organization of the Bureau
of Fisheries, meaning thereby that
Henry O’Malley, present Commission
er, and most of his subordinates be
dismissed from the service in order
that there be indeed a change in the
policy of that Bureau.
3. That the conservation can only
be attained by measures which reg
ulate the gear, in other words, any
gear that is too efficient must be
abolished. This means, of course, the
trap system, and if it proves that
other gear is still too efficient, that
they be so regulated as to cut down
efficiency to the point where escape
ment will be guaranteed. For ex
ample, the purse seine could be
shortened and its depth decreased.
There would be a temporary hard
ship on the canneries for the packs
would be reduced; in other words,
whereas the seiners now catch about
fifteen million, the traps thirty mil
lion, the abolishment of the trap
would permit the seines to catch an
additional fifteen million, bring their
total catch up to thirty million, which
would allow fifteen million fish to
escape to the spawning grounds to
replenish the future runs. This in
creased escapement would mean a
decrease of perhaps a million cases
of salmon. The industry must either
accept this reduction in the interest
of their future business or else ac
cept the total destruction of the sal
mon species and of course the entire
industry within the next few years.
The Legislature does not place any
importance on the fact that the reg
ulations for 11)25 were approved by
a so-called Alaska Board of Advisers
for the reason that this board was
hand picked and consists entirely of
trap owners, cannery men, their at
torney and one lone fisherman who
was not suited to discuss this ques
tion with his associates. There was
much more brought out on the floor
of the House which T cannot tell you
at this time, for my letter is already
too long.
Yours respectively,
WILLIAM L. PAUJi,
Member of Legislature.
OBSERVATIONS OF THE
RAINBOW TROUT IN
OREGON AND ALASKA
In 1012 and 1913 1 operated an ex
perimental hatchery and rack for the
Bureau of Fisheries and the Oregon
State Fish Commission at Spencer
Creek, a tributary of the Klamath
River—about 10 miles south of Klam
ath Falls, Oregon. The object of
this experiment was to investigate
and classify what was known as the
Rainbow Trout. These investigations
led on to the Shasta, Kern and Sac
ramento Rivers, with the result that'
we have before us the problem of
the steelhead trout changing into
the rainbow, which has caused so
much confusion among fishermen of
late years.
We are living in a world of camou
flage and this particular species of
trout finds it to be for his protection
for he is less visible in fresh water
by giving up his silvery coat as an
andromous species of salmonoid, and
having a darker hue of the ever
present distinct lateral line of red
which is a characteristic marking of
the commonly known Rainbow Trout
throughout the Middle West and Pa
cific Coast, after leaving salt water.
To the average fisherman, a trout
is simply a trout, a fish a fish, now
what is commonly called a Rainbow
Trout is nothing more than a steel
head salmon—one of the most plenti
ful of the Pacific andromous salmon
oids known by various names such
as Winter Salmon, Hard Head,
Spring Salmon, SquareTail, Rainbow,
etc. It has a very extensive range
from Southern California to the
Arctic Circle. Its migratory habits
carry it far into the interior and
inland waters of the western states,
the Pacific states and Alaska—more
so than any other of this family,
This most remarkable fish is the only
specie of the salmon family that
does not die after spawning;.
In the Shasta, McCloud, Kern and
Sacramento Rivers of California, and
in the larger rivers such as the Co
lumbia, Snake, Fraser, Yukon and
others it has become perfectly land
locked in fresh water lakes and has
made the inland rivers and lakes its
sea. After breeding here for a num
ber of years, all instinct and desire
to return to its ocean home has
seemingly disappeared. He has been
especially favored by Nature to live
and thrive in salt or fresh water,
but the fresh water specie has never
attained the size or weight of his
sea-going brother.
After having secured some 3,000,
000 of rainbow eggs at Spencer
Creek during April and the early
part of May, it was found that the
same rainbow that had wintered in
the Klamath Lake and in the deep
holes of the Williamson and Sprague
Rivers in Oregon had entered Spen
cer Creek for the purpose of spawn
ing, and later on those that had
wintered in the deep water of the
Klamath River also appeared, and
along with them was the sea-run
steelhead, having still the silvery
salmon color of the ocean-going fish.
It is admitted that each and every
stream has its own different sub
species characteristic of the indivi
dual stream and can usually be spot
ted by the fisherman as being an
inhabitant of that specific stream or
district.
It has been noted here in Alaska
that steelhead seem to winter in
the deep water lakes and return
down stream for the purpose of
spawning in the early spring months
in a very poor and lean condition.
The rainbow trout and the steel
head are one ancl the same. It Is
only a question of change in tem
perature of water, food and environ
ment, that causes the difference in
color and marking. The proof of
the whole matter is that both species
spawn at the same time, the eggs
being of the same size from the fresh
and salt water species. Another un
failing test is the taking of steel
head salmon eggs, as had already
been done, and planting the eggs and
fry in a landlocked lake and obtain
ing the rainbow trout.
The steelhead or rainbow trout
offers to the fish-wise observer an
opportunity for the exercise of the
analytical mind and always repays
with a variety of unusually inter
esting natural studies and observa
tions.
A. J. SPRAGUE.
When in Wrangell go to the
Wrangell Restaurant.
Subscribe Now for the Alaskan
Fisherman.