THE ALASKA FISHERMAN
Published the 15 of each month at Ketchikan, Alaska
WILLIAM L. PAUL, ATTORNEY FOR THE
ALASKA NATIVK BROTH KRIIOOU
Entered as second - class matter at the Post Office at
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA
SUBSCRPTION PRICE $2.00 FOR TWELVE ISSUES
OUR PLATFORM:
ALASKA FOR ALASKANS.
FULL TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
ABOLISHMENT OF ALL TRAPS.
COMPETENT CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP.
Win Y NOT THIS REGULATION?
It shall be unlawful for any trap ,seine, gill
net, or other fishing device to have any fish
therein for more than one hour after any closed
period becomes effective.
This would stop the trapmen from furnishing
fresh fish to the canners over one week after the
closed season becomes effective as they did on
the west coast of Prince of Wales Island on
the pretense that the fish wore caught prior to
the closed period.
HATCHERIES
On the subject of hatcheries, we are frcm
Missouri. Up to the present time, not one
speck of evidence has been produced to justify
the hundreds of thousands of dollars which
have been spent on hatcheries in Alaska- We
have heard both Mr. Ernest Wentworth, the
hatchery superintendent and J. R. Heckman,
vice-chairman of the Territorial Fish Comis
sion, tell about what good will come some time
in the future. But neither man has ever claimed
or submitted any proof whatever that a single
salmon has ever come back to the streams of
Alaska from the millions that have been hatched
during the past 20 years.
There was a most extraordinary run of hump
back salmon at Ward’s Cove last summer, some
thing that has not occurred within the
memory of mankind. The hatchery advocates
would like very much to claim the credit for
this run, and perhaps in time they will. We
have heard that Mr. Wentworth, whose job
should depend on proof of success, has indeed
claimed that the run at Ward’s Cove was due
to the Ketchikan hatchery. We were talking
over this very subject when we heard J. R
Heckman, Wentworth’s boss, say: “Paul, I would
give a thousand dollars if I could prove that
those fish at Ward’s Cove came from the hatch
ery.” We answered him: “I wish you could,
but you planted no eggs there, nor did you re
lease any frye or small salmon there, and you
know you have built your entire hatchery system
on the parent-stream theory. Nos the explana
tion is somewhere else.”
The situation is simply this, unless Went
worth and Heckman can show the Legislature
that the hatchery system is serving a commer
cial purpose, the next Territorial Legislature
will undoubtedly abolish the system. Heckman
has been in charge of hatcheries for nearly
thirty years and the streams where he has
devoted the greatest time are today barren of
salmon. The Ketchikan experiment is his one
last effort to justify the expenditure of more
than $300,000 which has been soent on hatcher
ies because of his advice. His true position
was revealed when Hon. W. H. Grant asked
Mr. Heckman this question, “Would you put
vour own money into hatcheries?’’ To which
Mr. Heckman replied, “No, I would not.’’ This
occurred before the Ways and Means com
mittee of the last Legislature.
.As for Mr. Wentworth, the truth is that he
cannot show from his 28 years experience with
hatcheries a single salmon stream in Alaska
that has not become denleted in spite of hatch
eries located thereon. He was for many years
at Afognak. All that he can prove there is
that he hatched a lot of eggs. But did they
come back? that is the question in which busi
ness men are interested. Altho Mr. Wentworth
hatched from five to seventeen million eggs at
Afognak vearly, that stream today is not a
commercial stream.
If there were any real brains connected with
our hatchery svstem, the hatcherv experiment
would be carried on in BARREN streams in
stead of in streams well stocked by nature.
Such streams as Ketchikan Creek and Ward’s
Cove Creek can never prove the value of the
fish hatchery because there always has been
natural prooogation there.
The hatcherv advocates do not want a real
showdown. If they carried on the experiment
on a barren stream, the fact that the salmon do
not come back would be quickly revealed and
the fraud exposed.
Stop wasting the public’s money. This is the
only way to reduce taxes.
A friend said the other day, “Over $30,000
worth of material was purchased last month
from peddlars.” That may be. but consider
that more than five hundred thousand dollars
worth of salmon were caught in the Juneau
district alone last summer by trap interests
who left practically nothin** in the Territory,
even buying the groceries in “Seattle-”
BUYING AT HOME
This is the slogan of Edward G. Morrissey*
pilfered owner of the Ketchikan Chronicle.
This man wants all of us citizens to buy at
home from the local merchant who pavs all the
taxes. Why not be consistent, and ask the big
traomen, the big canners, the herring packers
and such as these to buy at home?
If traps were abolished, we could all buy at
home.
Either work for that , Mr. Morrissey, or else
admit that your slogan of buying at home Is S
mere pretense,