The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-28


which fishing and packing companies
have made on the supply Of salmon in
the Alaskan rivers has given great con-
Germ to the government for several years
past, since it became evident that the
l;sh were destined TO the same fate Of ex-
termination which has overtaken the buf-
falo, and is being visited on the fur bearing
seals of the northern waters. All the at
temptS to secure effective restraining leg
1slauon from Congress have proven prac-
tIcaIly without result, but a new phase OF
the canning syndicate'S operations is now
engaging the attention of the land ONCE
Wnlch may result IL measures that will
have the effect Of restraining the enter
PRISE OF some of the companies engaged
IN the business.
Acquiring Land.
It has recently been brought to the at
tentlOn OF Commissioner LamOreauX OF
the general land ONCE, that the salmon
companies are acquiring much land at
the mouths OF the rivers where they are
engaged, and prompting strStegical
points of future commerce. CONSISTENTLY
the commissioner has detailed Mr.. J. p.
Swineford, an ex-governor of Alaska. who
partment, TO make an inveStgati ton of the
matter and keep the department posted,
that II may know that all the require
mentS OF the law are complied with. Hssle
cannery companies asked that surveys @be
made by the government of lands ~
which they have settled with a view to
from Seattle for Alaska on the 18th.
Protection Is Needed.
The present governor of Alaska, in his
last report to the secretary of the inter
Tor, called attention to the inrOadS being
made on the salmon and the same subject
was treated in a. report to the Fifty-third
Congress by Fish Commissioner Nc
Donald.
Mr.. Mcdonald then recommended that
some or all Of the FISH measures be
adopted for the protection Of the 1sh, a
weekly close season from Saturday even
Ing to Monday morning. yearly close
the establishment of salmon reservations,
absolute prohibition of salmon fishing
within 100 yards Of the mouth OF a river.
absolute prohibition OF more than one
seine in the same seine berth, and leaSinGr-
OF privileges and limitations of the catch.
No authority is given the fish commits
ures, this power belonging entirely TO the
treasury department There is particu-
larry no law to De enforced, however, for
the only legislation ever adopted was ali
act of 1883. prohibiting the erection OK
dams or distractions TO prevent the as
cent of salmon into their spawning
grounds, and it is rather difficult to carry
this into effect, since all inspection has
TO be done by one agent of the treasury
department. DR.. Hugh Smith, one of the
experts of the fish commission, believes
that the extinction of the Alaska Iish is
inevitable if the present methods continue
unchecked.
Every fish that sw1ms, he says. csA be
caught at the mouths Of the river - as
a matter of fact, few salmon Qoss leach
Alaska.
More than half of the salmon pack or
the United States and nearly hal1 of the
worlds supply now comes from Alaska.
1t will be shown in a. paper 70 be pre-
Wilcox, of the fish commission, that the
capital invested in these fisheries amounts
10 more than $3,000,OOO, and the value OF
the seasons eaten, not including ufe
manufactured products therefrom, comes
to about s., 00O, 900 Last year there were
twenty-five cannertes in eperat ton which
packed $4,000 cases "a case holding forty
eight pound packages), and twenty-four
sailing establishments put on the market
21.0 900 barrels of salt salmon. The largest
pack which has been in the Alaskan Wa
tiers, was that of 1891, when 100000 cases,
the equivalent of 56,000OOO pounds of sal
mon as they are taken from the water,
were shipped to the markets on the Paei-
fic coast for distribution The proportions
which the business had then reached.
alarmed the companies engaged in ~ and
TO prevent injurious competition an as<ESs-
ment was made to limit the outputA
little more than One-half Of the capacity
of the works. In 1891, the number Of men
employed was 4,I41, and in 1872. II was TO
duced to 1854.
Supply Decreasing.
Even with this combination in effect the
fish have been killed off from year to year
so that the supply is surely decreasing at
q great rate.
The greater part of the catch is made
at the mouth of the Karluk river. Ex-
pertS Of the fish commission assert that
the kinds of seineS used, operate TO bar
the way so effectually, one being placed
behind another, that practically all of the
fish are caught at the mouths OF the rlv-
ers. Thus they are prevented from reach
ing their spawning grounds, and their
is prevented.
1t was only after the salmon hSherleS
of the Columbia and other Pacific rivers
had been greatly oYerworked, that resort
was had to the products of Alaskan
rivers The government was awakened
at a late day to its negligence in failing
to restrict fishermen of oregon and Wash
ingtOn. Now weekly closed season 1S'in
effect on the waters of these states. sSSod
and herring are already being caHz4. IN
small quantities, and there is muchs Op-
poTtunity for enterprise in the develop
ment of new fisheries.
The fish commission has collected much
concerning the food fish of
Alaska. which shows that there are many
fisheries furnishing great
commercial possibilities for the future.
Food prepared by aid of Prices
Cream Baking Powder is Natures anti
dote for the much advertised tired