II PROTEST DEIST PRESENT REGULDTIONS GOVERNING THE PISHING OF
SALMON IN THE WATERS OF; ALASKA
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(By Cordova Fishermen's Union)
The Bureau of Fisheries, , De
partment of Commerce^ has been
very active during the past three
years enacting unjust rules and
regulations on certain methods of
fishing salmon, while some methods
of fishing which are destructive
to the fish have been entirely over
looked, possibly due to lack of
knowledge of same, and to which
lack of knowledge we now, vol
untarily, call their attention.
For the benefit of those who
have but a limited knowledge of
the methods employed to fish the
different species of salmon, we
will give a brief outline of the
construction of various fishing
equipment.
Purse seines, beach seines and
gill nets are types of gear which
are but little destructive to any
kind of sallmon, as there is more
than an equal chance for the fish
to pass by either end, or under
neath the lead line. And besides
that, this equipment is nearly al
ways drifting with the current and
is therefore, free from causing
any obstruction so as to hinder
the great majority of fish from
reaching their destination, the
spawning ground. These last named
types of gear have in fact been
the only methods of catching sal
mon which have been restricted
up until this time.
The other method by which sal
mon are caught by the use of the
fish traps, these words are easier
to pronounce than it is for any
escapement of fish to take place.
These traps are of two different
constructions, but their purpose is
identically the same, one is the
floating trap, and the other is the
pile driven trap
The pile driven trap is a straight
row of pilings extending from shore
and out thousands of feet, depend
ing upon the depth of the water.
This part of the trap is called
the “lead,” and wire netting is
spread between these pilings in
one continual length from shore
and out, being so arranged that
it makes a solid fence from the
the bottom and to a height above
the high water mark. This “lead”
is placed there for such purpose,
that, when the current is passing
along the shore line, great schools
of fish will drift with the current
up against this “lead” and nat
urally the fish will follow along
this obstruction out toward deeper
water.
On the other end of this “lpadl”
is driven another formation oi; pil
ing in the shape or outline of
a heart, generally known as the
“big heart,” this being tfie^first
chamber for receiving the fish. At
this point of this “heart” is an
opening whereby the fish can be
transferred into the second ch^ip
ber? also in the shape of a“Ji€*T|t,
and known as the “small
After the fish have been “playing”
around in these two compartments
they become more “gentle” and
“tame,” and can be transferred
still further through a sm«allw
■opening, commonly known as (a
“tunnel,” into a square compart
ment about forty feet by forty
feet, called a “pot.” From this
compartment is still another com
partment, or sometimes two, this
depending greatly upon the num
ber of fish the trap operator de
sires to impound.
From the side of the firrt “heart”
right abreast of the outer end of
the “lead,” another fence is con
structed^ called a “jigger,” in
about an angle of ninety degrees
from the direction of the “lead,”
this second fence averages in length
approximately >one thousand feet,
more or less. On the very extreme
end of this “jigger” is then con
structed a hook, so that if there
should be a school of fish that
might turn back from the opening
between the “lead” and the “heart”
and make a second attempt to
escape from this 'obstruction they
will -again be hindered and turn
back to the “lead,” and so given
the second opportunity to be
caught. This constitutes the main
construction of a salmon trap.
When reading the regulations
governng these traps? we find that
first, the distance between the
traps has lately been increased
so that the law provides a distance
of one and one-half miles between
two consecutive traps. Being that
there is then no obstruction within
the area of one and onejhalf miles,
it gives eacb trap twice the oppor
tunity to catch the fish the trap
otherwise would, that is, if an
other one; were placed half-way
between the two, or if the dis
tance between the traps were
three-fourths of a mile. That does
not seem likd conserving the
salmon.
Second, the law provides that,
“Throughout the weekly closed
season herein prescribed the gate,
mouth, or tunnel of all stationary
or floating traps shall be closed,
and twenty-five feet of the webbing
or net of the “heart” of such traps
on each side next to the “pot”
shall be lifted or lowered in such
manner as to permit the free
passage of salmon and other “fish
es.” Such regulation does not prop
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