that your purpose will be accomp
iisned by adopting the rule that no
king salmon shall be caught for
tvinmereial purposes which when
tiressed will weigh less than six
pounds.
Thanking you for any considera
tion which you can give us, we are,
'••iih respec*.
Yours very truly,
Alaska Trollers’ Association
By ERIC JOHNSON, President.
Seattle Chamber of Commerce
Enters
—o—
laughter and cry of children, bustle
and clink of shoppers, the activity
cf ship and boat yards, indeed, Alas
ka will grow in population and will
soon be knocking at the door of
Congress telling that body that we
have grown up.
It can be done, Mr. Garfield, but
first we must kick the Alaska De
partment of the SEATTLE CHAM
BER OF COMMERCE OUT of Alas
ka
WILLIAM L. PAUL
Lover of Alaska.
To CHARLES D. GARFIELD.
Former resident of Alaska
AliTOGETHKK now
Continued
-o
would be nothing here for them but
a job.
Build up a country that way?
Never.
Attain statehood that way? Never.
The blight that is over Southeast
* n Alaska must be lifted. We must
nave our land and timber for pii
vate ownership.
To swear is neither brave, polite,
i*or wise.—Pope
| i THE DRIFT INN ,
I L. A. Olsen, Proprietor j
| Tool Hall—Cigars and Tobaccos
J Furnished Rooms j
| Wrangell, Alaska j
BRITISH COLUMBIA FACES FISH
DEPLETION PROBLEM
Allied to the Alaska salmon fish
eries are the fisheries of British Co
lumbia. Depletion of Alaska salmon
marks depletion of British Columbia
salmon. The Alaska Native Broth
erhood members have warned
the industry and Alaskans that it
was but a matter of time wrhen sal
mon in Alaska would be scarce as
the proverbial hen’s teeth; later it
wits the assertion that to conserve
only the late run of salmon meant
the return of late runs of salmon in
their cycle. The report of Mr. Bab
cock, assistant commissioner of
Fisheries for British Columbia for
1927 bears these statements out. He
sa ys:
“1 saw and heard of fewer sock
eye in the spawning area of the
Fraser basin above Hell’s Gate Can
yon in August and September of
this year than in any other of the
preceding twenty-four years in
which I have hunted for them there
in those months. It was like hunt
ing for a needle in a haystack. In
most of the lakes in the Upper Fras -
er basin—which includes Stuart,
Fraser, Francois, Quesnel, Seton.
Anderson, and Shuswap—visited in
August and September, I did not see
01 hear of more than a few hundred
somteye in any of them.”
“Referring to conditions in Hell’s
Gate Canyon in the Fraser River,
Dominion Officer Scott is quoted as
having reported to Major Mother
well that very few sockeye were
s< f‘ii there in July and August, and
that but a limited number were
,-een there in September but that
a considerable number reached there
ef.rly in October and passed through
without delay. Presumably the lat
ter were fish that were later noted
in Adams and Little rivers, Shuswap
aica. Officer Scott reported that a
ve.y large number reached the Gate
on October 25th but that water con
diiions were unfavorable and that
many of the fish, which appeared in
good condition, either had no in
clination to or were not strong
erougli to puss above tile Gate.
‘Tlie early run of sockeye to the
Harrison—Lillooet Lakes section
was distinctly disappointing—the
smallest September run in many
years. Some uneasiness was felt
until October, when a good run of
lisli began, equal in number to those
wbicn have spawned in that sectiou
for many years. The Birkenhead id
the only section in the Fraser River
basin where the run of sockeye
snows no sign of diminishing. * * *
l’lie Skeena River Section: The
information supplied for this area
indicates that the run was ten days
Inter in arriving than usual and ran
seme fifteen days later.
Vciy little evidence was found iu
the Naas of the early run of sock
ey ■ but later reports show that tha
run was later but did not offset the
absence of the early run.
The report in detail
"ril'e catch of all species of sal
mon in the Provincial waters of the
Fraser River system this year pro
duced a pack of 2S4,,378 cases, as
against 274,951 cases in 1926, 276,
885 cases iu 1925, 2 12,059 cases in
1124, and 226,S69 cases in the
fourth preceding year, 1923.
“The pack consisted of 61,39.
coses of sockeye, 18,452 cases of
springs, 24,079 cases of cohoes, 120,
536 cases of pinks, 67,259 cases of
chums, and 10,6 5S cases classed in
pack .statements as “bluebacks and
st /ellieads.”
“The pack of sockeye was second
largest made since 1917. It was
24,296 cases less than in 1926 and
29,7 38 cases greater than the brood
year 1925. The pack of pinks—it
was a “pink” year—was 2,7 36 cas
es greater than in the brood-year
1925. The pack of chums was 21,
20(1 cases less than in 192 6 and the
colioe-pack was 2,66S cases greater
than in the brood-year 19 2 4.
“Tne catch of sockeye in the
State of Washington waters of the
Fraser River system iu 1 927 pro