Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09

| by artifce will soon be poured into the streams
] of that region. Piscicultural science has at
tanned such development that the propagation
of fnny species to any desired extent is q
| simple affair, requiring inexpensive apparatus
and only q little labor. The Senate has re-
quested Fish Commissioner Mcdonald to sug-
gest measures for preserving the industry, and
] an agent Is to be sent at once to Uncle Sam 8
arctic province to examine the situation.
] At the same time the peril which menaces the
salmon of Alaska Is scarcely so imminent as
has been declared. If there were On unlimited
demand the fishery would unquestionably be
wiped out within five or six years. Companies
would set up caAneries on every stream. block
| aiding all the rivers with nets and trays SO that
not a single fish could 60 up to spawn. and
pretty soon there would be no more to catch.
Fortunately, the market will only take a certain
product at profitable prices, and thus the bust
ness is forced to limit itself. This year, owing
to previous glut, the thirty-seven canning
concerns have been compelled to reduce their
output to half that Of last year. The fish they
legitimateiy need for their annual pack might
be taken without causing any perceptible dimin-
luton IN the numbers of the salmon, but the
trouble arises from their shockingly wasteful
methods. Not only do they prevent natural
propagation by extending barriers across the
streams, but they destroy many fish for every
one they use.
WhoLESALE WASTE
Their nets capture all fish indiscriminately
Some of the salmon have very pink flesh, while
| the flesh Of others is white or only light pink
All but the first kind are thrown away and
wasted because the market demands pink
| feshed salmon and buyers who receive any
other sort think that they are getting a poor
article. Although, as matter of fact, the
| white feshed fish are excellent in quality as
those which have pink meat. there is not a
single cannery on the largest river south Of
Boring sea, the Stickeeu, simply because the
! salmon that frequent it have mostly white flesh
II was believed by the aboriginal natives that
this difference OF coloring was due to the differ
ert species Of shrimps on which the salmon feed
In various localities: the Russians accepted this
view and 1t has been Endorsed by modern
naturalists.
HOW SALMON STREAM is RUINED.
For the sake Of illustration take virgin sal
mon stream to which the fish are accustomed to
resort in the spring of every year. Led by a
wonderful instinct, they return always to the
river where they were originally spawned and
Matched. Ascending to the head waters they
breed, returning thereupon to the ocean. One
day along comes q canning company and sets
| up a factory near the mouth. 1t stretches nets
or traps clear across the river, allowing not one
saImon to go up, and destroying vast numbers
of them beside those which it puts up for
market. first-class establishment of this sort
will turn out 1900 cases a day Of forty-eight
one-pound cans each. At the end of half a
dozen years there are hardly any fish alive that
were spawned in that stream, and SO it ceases to
be salmon river.
IL THE KARLuK RIVER.
Nearly one half of the salmon pack Of Alaska
has been obtained for many years past from
the Karluk river, which is a little stream only
about thirty feet vide and SO shallow at times
as to be not more than knee deep in the
middle. The reason for the extraordinary
pleRtifalness OF the fish in that locality is that
they are only Obliged to travel a few hundred
yards from the sea in order to reach a series of
lakes, where they can deposit their spawn.
Thus they arrive at the breeding grounds in
great numbers ard without I'M jury, their Gil
spring, which eventually return to the same
river, being proportionately numerous. Hence
III This stream an itoni5hiag spectacle used to be
witnessed annually, the salmon crowtiing it in
snch numbers that there seemed to be more
fish than water. similar phenomenon can be
observed today in some other Ala kan rivers.
On the other hand the sainon which frequent
the Yukon foI spawning pm poses travel as far
AZ 500 miles in order TO Law and feriiliGe their
eggs, the result being that very few of tbs
breeding fish ever get back to the ocean alive.
IN ASCENDING THE STREAMS
the salmon must leap up waterfalls. run the
gauntlet OF rapids and chance other dangers.
They arc very apt to receive cuts or bruises
and the slightest injuries are usually al para
sites fastening npon the wounded parts and
literally eating out the vitas Of the fish. Con-
seduently. at the spawning season great num-
bers OF them may be seen dead and floating
down the rivers. Thousands lying along The
banks In rotting wiEdrows. But the notiou SO
widely held tina. 10 breeding salmon ever re-
turns to the alive after it has spawned is an
absurdity. Probably majority OF the fish get
back safely. TO come again anOthar year. out
they make no conspicuous fuss their jour
ney to the ocean, simply taking the middle of
the stream and shooting like arrows down the
current. Curinusly enough. nothing whatever
Is known as to he marine life OF tbs salmon.
Where thay find their feeding grounds in the
briny deep at other seasons and what their
EeiagIc habits are no man can tell.
THE SUPPLY GREATER THAN TEE DEMAND.
Up to the present time only few Of the
salmon streams Of Alaska have been worked by
the canning companies. Should these be used
up entirely many other available rivers would
remain. But ii there were sufficient demand
only very short time would be required for
fishing them all out and for DESTROYING all
prospect of future supply bv placing barriers
across the streams. Accordingly it Is realized
that measures must be taken without further
delay to protect this important industry-that
IL, to prevent it from killing ITSELF For il il a
curious fact that the highly civilized white
man mover hesitates to annihilate q natural re-
source for the sake of a temporary advantage.
1t is merely necessary to enforce the law en-
acted by Congress in March, 1889, which pro-
Yides for the punishment of any one who bars
salmon river by fine OF $3.50 for every day
during which the barrier is maintained.
THE Law
referred to further directs that the President
shall issue annually proclamation warning all
persons against such offenses, and that be shall
cause one or more vessels to cruise along the
coast and see that the regulation is complied
with. Every year the proclamation has been
made, but the Treasury Department has not
been able to assign any vessels to the work spec
ined, because no money was appropriated for
the purpose. Consequently the Gamers have
continued to do AZ they please, without fear of
punishment The bill reating to this matter
now before the Senate provides that no dams,
set nets or distractions Of any kind having o
permanent character shall be placed in the sal
mon streams. But even this provision is not
comprehensive enough, because favorite
method OF the dahermen is TO sweep the rivers
st their mouths with ssines drawn in such quick
succession a. to constitute . practically ssper-
manent obstruction" stopping al Of the ash
that try TO 20 up.
MILLIONS OF EIsH RAoN ONE STREAM.
The diminutiye creek known ~ the Kariuk
river may fairly be called the most wonderful
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