tne quantity of herring they mainly, have been taking, herring have become more scarce in that section dur
ing the last few years, in fact, in order to keep then- Northern Tlants supplied with herring, the reduction
piants have been snipping the large spawn herring irom the southern sections of Norway to their Northern
slants.
The people of Norway are against the operations of reduction plants, and resolutions are being passed
at present against them. This past summer a law was passed which torbiu the taking of small fat herring
for other purposes than for bait and packing for food.
it is recommended now, and will probably be made a law this coming summer, that purse seines can
not be used in any Bay or Fjord, no matter how lar^e it may L»e, if the entrance to such Bay or Fjord
is, not over three nautical miles in width.
A few years ago the extensive cod fisheries in th^ Northern part of Norway, could easily get all the
herring bait they needed, close at hand, but during recent years, owing to the rapid depletion of the her
ring, they are shipping frozen bait in quantities, from tne boutnern section, and even considering the
thousands of pounds of bait that is shipped in, the filming uoais are often without sumcient bait.
In the last couple years several reduction plants nave been started in the Southern section of Norway,
and this was done owing to the depletion of herring in tne Northern Section.
Herring fishing is carried on practically all along the Norway Coast, starting in January of each year,
from about the center of their coastline, and extending southward, and continuing the fishing for large
spawn herring in that section, until some time in April. Then in June they begin fishing practically the
entire Norway Coastline. This lasts until the last of the year.
Herring seine boats in Norway are not allowed to take more herring in their nets than their boats will
handle, which would cause distruction to the herring, and there is a heavy fine imposed f* r such offences.
It is a noteworthy fact that at least 75% of the large spawn herring are caught miles offshore with
seine3 and drift nets.
The great majority of sentiment in Norway, by those who have the welfard of the country and the
conservation of its fish supply at heart, are against the operations of the reduction plants on all small
fat herring.
In both Southeastern Alaska and Norway, experience has proved that if any refuse or waste from re
duction or packing plants, is allowed to get into adjacent waters, and thereby polute them, no herring or
salmon will come into such poluted sections. t
These conditions in Nor ways vast Herring Fisheries, which operate practically the year round, compar
ed to Southeastern Alaska’s small inside fishing area, and tlie few months during which herring come in
to these small iraide waters, show plainly how imperative it is that Southeastern Alaska’s inside waters
must be protected. I
FISH AND THEIR NATURAL FOOD.
According to Nature, fish will follow their natural food, just the same as will animals ashore. A horse
will not go onto a rockpile to get son ething to eat, he will go where there is grass, no matter how tar
it i3, providing he has the right of way and the strength to get there.
Therefore, since herring is universally used as bait for catching halibut and King Salmon, it follows that
it is their natural food, and it also follows that if this natural food is done away with in a certain area,
that the halibut and King Salmon will go to some other place, where they will find the food of their
choice. Therefore in distroying the herring in inside waters, we are also distroying the run of King Salm
on and halibut which follow the herring, and should the King Salmon and halibut fishing be taken away
from Southeastern Alaska, the greatest industry in Alaska will be ruined. Ruthless destruction of herring
is bad enough in itself, but when we consider the loss of the King Salmon aud Halibut run also, the loss
become three fold greater.
HERRING SHORTAGE AND RESULTS.
The scarcity of herring in Southeastern Alaska’s inside waters is forcing the King Salmon trollers, who
have boats large enough to ride rough waters, to fish many miles outside the three mile limit, where thi
herring are, and where the King Salmon are feeding on them. Those fishermen whose boats will not
stand the rough outside fishing, must stay in inside waters, and their average catch in these inside waters
is very low. This would not be the case if there were herring in sufficient quantities in inside waters, as then
the King Salmon would follow the herring inside In great numbers. Should this herring scarcity become
' more acute, only those fishermen who have large seaworthy boats, will be able to make a living by fish
inf outside waters. The majority of them having smaller boats, and who mainly cannot afford to buy larg