Empty All Gear at Beginning of
Closed Season
-X
, Ketchikan, Alaska
Dec. 19, 1929
Honorable Robert P. Lamont,
Secretary of Commerce,
Washington, D. C.
My dear Mr. Lamont:
The natives of Southeastern
Alaska by and through their
elected delegates at Haines
Alaska, appeal to you as the
responsible official under the
White Fish Law for relief against
the unjust discriminations of
the present fishery regulations.
To correct this matter and to
further the conservation of our
fisheries, these people adopted
the enclosed resolution which
asks that all fish gear be requir
ed to be empty of fish at the
hour set for closing whether
weekly or seasonal.
The resolution speaks for it
self.
Even a cursory investigation
will show that seines and gill
nets are already compelled by
the enforcement officers to be
empty of fish at the closing hour
while fish-traps are not so re
quired.
Yours respectfully,
William L. Paul.
.Grand President.
WHEREAS, all movable gear
ai*e required to be empty of fish
by six o’clock Saturday night,
end
WHEREAS, the Bureau of
Fisheries does not require the
fish traps to follow the w.m?
rule, and
'WHEREAS, this favoritism for
fish traps is not only a d’.i-crim
ination against movable "ear,
but it. makes it impossible to de
tect Sunday fishing by fish traps,
a'praptje* that is common, and
WHEREAS, a rule requiring
all gear to be empty of fish bv
six o’clock Saturday night would
be a wonderful conservation
measure and really effect the
purpose of the closed period,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLV
ED, that the Secretary of Com
merce be, and he is hereby re
quested to order all forms of
gear to be empty of fish by six
F.M., Saturday of each week or
r.,t the hour set for each closed
period.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that a copy of this resolution be
sent to the Secretary of Com
merce and to the Hon. Dan
Sutherland, Delegate to Congress
from Alaska.
William L. Paul,
Grand President.
ATEST:
Frank G. Johnson.
Grand Secretary.
RE: ALASKA FISHERIES
Practically every Indian resi
dent of Southeastern Alaska is
a fisherman of many years ex
perience, having been torn t >
the business of making a living
by fishing.
There is no person or group m
persons to whom the bus'ness of
fishing is more important, for
which reason, we affirm that the
Natives if Southeas"*j:n Alaska
are qun’ified to speak and have
the right to speak on the sub
ject of fishing and fish regula
tions.
Therefore we hereby resolve
that the saving of the fast dis
appearing salmpn and the fast
decreasing white population of
Alaska can only be stopped by
the adoption of the following
regulations;
1. -Th? fish trap muat oe abol
ished;
2. The seasonal closed season
must be abolished;
3. In lieu thereof e.-.capement
must be provided by a weeklv
closed system as at present or
by an extension thereo-1:
4. Resident fishermen of Alas
ka must be protected against
competition of non-residents as
in Oregon and Washington.
5. Herrirg for fertilizer must
be prohibited.
6. All gear must be empty of
fish at the hour set for closing.
Argument.
1st. The primary cause of de
pletion in Alaska is the fishtrap
with its 24-hour efficiency as
against the daylight efficiency
of the seine and gill net. In
California it is unlawful to build
a fishtrap.
In re 2nd:“If you breed late
fish, you will get late fish” is a
bio ogieal fact. “Like breeds
like.” “Early potatoes breed
eany pet t.es; early laying
hens breed early laying hens;
etc.” We proclaimed this fact
in 1923 when this seasonal plan
was first broached. Today every
practical oosercer points out this
danger. Dr. Charles H. Gilbert,
(deceased) published a similar
warning in the “Pacific Fisher
man” of October 1923.
In re 3rd: The weekly closed
plan guarantees a unform es
capement. of salmon throughout
the entire season. The reason
the present weekly clored sys
tem seems ineffective is this—
the trap system defeats it be
cause such a clcs>ng mere y de
crees that a different bunch of
traps will catch the fish which
are saved cn Sunday: it being
generally lelieved that salmon