Fisheries Conservation
Is escapement of salmon the En
tire Problem.
; In our numerous arguments against
the fish-trap, we are told that es
capement of salmon into the streams
comprises the entire question, and
that if this is provided for, we have
solved it. Therefore, it makes no
difference to Alaska how the fish
are caught, whether by seines or
traps. In this way, Charles D. Gar
field would sweep aside the entire
question of gear and its relation to
the problem of saving the fish.
We have always insisted that the
above is not a statesman-like pre
sentation of the question.
The problem of statescraft for
Alaska is ‘‘the development of Al
aska.” For this purpose, the United
States government has spent about
sixty million dollars building the
Alaska Railroad, and is spending
many millions more in building roads.
For this purpose, the Territorial
legislature has adopted the system of
taxing mines so that the mine own
er pays taxes only in the event his
mine makes a profit of over $5,000
and then only on the excess.
For this purpose, the Forestry De
partment is bending every effort to
induce large interests to come here
and build pulp mills.
The possibility of creating a great
commonwealth here is so reasonable
that no questions are asked about
great projects such as those we
have mentioned. We are reminded
that Norway and Sweden with an
area of 300,000 square miles have
a population of over seven and one
half million people although those
countries are in practically the same
latitude with less natural wealth
than we have in Alaska.
The development of this Territory,
then, is the first consideration of
statesmen.
Even if the depletion of the fish
eries were not the invariable result
of trap fishing, still we would say
that trap fishing was indefensible,
because the trap is owned almost
entirely by residents of outside dis
tricts.
The income of the fishing popula
tion would treble if traps were
abolished. Consequently, the income
and profits of the small business
man would treble, for it is well
known that seiners spend freely here
in Alaska. Instead of one big trap
man making a hundred thousand dol
lars as at least one did last sum
mer, fifty seiners would make a pro
portionate share of that amount. The
distribution of wealth would be a
great blessing to Alaska, for it is
better for us that ten men should
make ten thousand dollars each, than
for one man to make one hundred
thousand.
WHERE IS CREEK MOUTH?
Every fisherman and canneryman
wants to know where the legal mouth
of the stream is and very few know
what the law considers the creek
mouth.
During the last term of the Dis
trict Court, the Bureau of Fisheries
on complaint of Ole Benjaminson of
Petersburg, owner of the gas seine -
boat Era, arrested William Tam
aree and crew for fishing at the
mouth of Salmon Bay, north Prince
of Wales Island. The 500 yard marie
according to the posts of the Bureau
of Fisheries had been for three
years about 600 yards above the
point where Tamaree was fishing,
but on July 27th Jack White order
ed the posts moved to the bay’s en
trance.
William Tamaree was defended b>
William L. Paul, and the case turned
on the question of "What is the
legal mouth of the Creek.” The
law was given by Judge Thomas Reed
as follows:
"The fourth question, and the prin
cipal question in this case is wheth
er he took salmon by means of a
seine within five hundred yards of
the mouth of the stream then flow
ing into Salmon Bay.
"Now, taking up the fourth ques
tion, I charge you that the mouth
of a stream is where its waters
meet the line of mean low tide.
Now, by mean low tide is meant the
ordinary low tide; that is, the aver
age tide. You all know that tides
vary, but the line of mean low tide
is the line of the average low tide,
and where the waters of the stream,
whether they are brackish or wheth
er they are pure, meet the line of
the mean low tide, that is the mouth
of the stream. Of course, you as
well as I, know that often a stream
flows through what is known a;
tidelands and the waters of the
stream may become Krackish from
the salt water leaking into it from
the tidelands or part of the salt
water of the sea flowing into the
stream. But that does not deter
mine or change the line of mean
low tide, and the mouth of a stream,
as stated, is where its waters meet
the line of mean low tide.”
The jury then retired and twelve
minutes later brought in a verdict
of “not guilty.”
Some people think that the Bu
reau of Fisheries were trying to
close Salmon Bay to seiners purely
for spite as that is where William
L. Paul and his folks fish from year
to year, and that the Bureau is
seeking this method of getting re
venge. Mr. Ball, field agent of the
Bureau, has written that he is de
termined to close that bay “to pre
serve the fish” but we would add,
“for the benefit of the big Peters
burg Packing Company’s trap that
is close by and which caught over
300,000 fish last summer while the
seiners caught less than 25,000.”
—■ -
The last we heard of Dan Callahan,
that big, genial Irishman that we
thought nobody could influence, was
when he was sitting in the doorway
of a blacksmith shop in Fairbanks
looking like the very son of toil
himself. He was rather sore that
day because he claims he was double
crossed. He thought he was going
to get a job with the road commis
sion.
The next time, Dan, let it be “cash
in advance.”
For many years, Alaskans did not
know that there was such a place
as Angoon. BROTHERHOOD lead
ers and members will have to sit up
and take notice that Angoon is lead
ing all the Camps in spirit. This
community of about 200 souls sent
in their quota for the paper already
and also the sum of $100 for the ex
penses of the work ordered by the
Convention. Besides this they have
raised almost $800. for a new Pres
byterian church, and they are also
ordering an electric plant. Their
order for wire and other supplies
placed with the Pacific Marine Co.,
of Seattle, will come to one thousard
dollars.
-» .
We learn with regret that Daisy
Hobson of Killisnoo is dead. She
was a member of the SISTERHOOD
at Angoon.