The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-20

oomething Should he Done 70 PPevent
Extlnction Of Salmon.
Forp4k and 4tream

oomething Should he Done 70 Prevent
Extinction Of Salmon.
Forest and Stream
The report recently issued By the hsh COM
mission on the salmon rivers Of Alaska brings
into prominence the question Of preserving the
fisheries on these rivers by government control
This matter II one that can Be taken hold Of
without difficulty 1t present, and the selling
ana holding these streams and permanent con-
troll and regulation OF the fisheries will interfere
with the rights Of no one, and need cost
nothing.
The science Of ash culture IL . modern one,
and II 10 only within . few yean that we have
learned much about It. One Of the chief din
culties encountered In carrying on thework Of
stocking and preserving streams has been the
existence Of vested rights. which have made it
In many places practically impossible to do
work which should b effective and lasting.
In Alaska no such difficulty exists as yet
There the streams visited by the salmon for
spawning run through territory which belongs
to the government. There are practically no
settlements, and law which pronounced the
fishing rights in these streams 70 be the property
OF the government would injure no one.
Such . law ought to be enacted Il
should provide for the leasing for q
term Of years ct public auction, the right to
capture fsh In these streams, such fishing to be
carried on under the eyes Of an inspector OF the
Quoted that ash should Be allowed to ascend
the rivers In numbers sufficient TO keep up the
rate Of increase.
The money received from such leases should
b turned over to the United States fish COM
mission, and By It spilled to dsh-culture work
In Alaska; that II, to the establishment Of sal.
mon and trout hatcheries on important streams
in that territory. II carefully worked out in de-
tail and properly managed, plan
such - this would insure the
pefmauency Of the salmon fisheries Of Alaska,
and would pay al its own expenses and provide
constantly increasing revenue for carrying ON
for al time the work Of 6sh culture In Alaska,
and on the northwest coast Of the Cnited States
AZ ct present conducted, the salmon fisheries
Of Alaska are often managed in most wasteful
fashion. There II one case for sxAmple-in Kan.
LUX bay-where the salmon assemble in vast mum.
bers before ascending the Karluk and numerous
rivers of Alaska peninsula and the Cooks inlet
region. Here they are caught 20 continuously and
greedily thst comparatively few are left to ~
cend the streams, and the fishing In these rivers
is already seriously Affected and win ultimately
be ruined. When this has besn accomplished,
such streams viii have to b Iestocked and st
very considerable expense.
The chief salmon rivers Of Cooks inlet are the
Kenai, Kassilov, Ninilchic and eushitna. The
excessive dshing ct Karluk, e 10 thought, Affects
the supply and the reproduction Of the salmon
route OF migration. In I8Se and 1880
fully oue-hslf Of the entire pack Of Alaska SAL
mon was obtained at Karluk. The eject Of con-
tinuing such exhaustive fishing win, In al
probability. b the practical sxtermination Of
the fish, 1t least 20 far q profitable operation 10
concerned.
If any action II to be taken BY congress on the
lines here suggested, It should be done with a
little delay % possible The time between this
and the assembling OF the Fifty-second congress
could Be- probably employed in draughting .
bill which should cover the points already 10
ferred TO, and any Others which might be sug.
gested to Colonel Mcdonald, and those most f.
miliar with Alaska and its fisheries, and such .
bill should Be introduced and passed at the
earliest moment possibleL
In the event Of long delay on the part Of the
government, not only viii the expensive pro-
cess OF restoration become necessary, but, In al
probability. the natives Of Alaska, whose main
food resource is being ruthlessly sduandsred by