Evening star., 1895-05-28
THE SALMON SUPPLY
1t is Being Rapidly Decreased in the
Alaskan Rivers.
AN INVESTIGATION TO Be MADE
Remedial Recommendations Made
to Congress.
COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES

The rapid inroads which fishing and pack
ing companies have made upon the supply
of salmon in the Alaskan rivers have given
great concern TO the government for sew
eral years past, since it became evident
that the fish were destined to the same fate
of determination which has overtaken the
buffalo. and is being visited upon the fur
bearing seals of the northern waters Ali
the attempts to secure effective restraining
legislation from Congress have proven
practically without result, but a new phase
of the canning syndicate's operations is
now engaging the attention of the LAND
of1ce, which may result i'll measures that
will have the effect of restricting the en-
terprise of some CT the companies engaged
in the business.
Matter to BE Investigated.
1t has recently been brought to the at.
tention of Commissioner Lamoreaux of the
general land office that the salmon COM
pan!es are acquiring much land at the
mouths of the rivers where they are en-
gagged, and pre-empting strategical points
of future commerce. Consequently, the
commissioner has detailed Mr.. j. p. Swine
ford, an ex-governor of Alaska, who is now
an inspector of the Interior Departme Mt,
to make an investigation of the matter
and keep the department posted, that IT
may know that all the requirements of the
law are complied with. The cannery COM
panies have asked thai surveys be made by
the government of lands on which they
have settled, with view to their acquisi-
tion. Mr. Swineford will sail from Seattle
for Alaska on the Goth.
The present governor of Alaska in his
last report to the Secretary of the Interior
called attention 10 the inroads being made
upon the salmon, and the same subject
was treated in report made to the Fifty
second Congress by Fish Commissioner Nc
han x1..1
that some. or all. of the following measures
be adopted for the protection oe the fish:
A weekly close season from Sa turday even
ing to Monday morning, a yearly close sea-
son during September and October the
establishment of salmon reservations, alb
solute prohibition of salmon iishing within
100 yards of the mouth of a river, prohibi-
tion of the use of more than one seine in
the same seine berth. and leasing of priv
iieges and limitation of the catch.
No LAW to BE Enforced.
No authority is given to the fish COM
missioner to enforce any restrictive meas
Ires, this power belonging entirely to the
Treasury Department. There is particular
ly no law to be enforced, however. for the
only legislation ever adopted was an act
of 1889 prohibiting the erection of dams or
distractions to prevent the ascent of SAL
mon to their spawning grounds. and 1t is
rather difficult to carry this into effect
since all inspection has to be done by one
agent of the Treasury Department.
Dr. Hugh NJ. Smith, one of the experts of
the fish commission, believes that the ex-
tinction of the Alaskan salmon is newt
able If the present methods of making the
catch continue unchecked. Every fish that
swims. he says. can be caught at the
mouths Of the rivers, and, as matter of
fact. few salmon now reach the old spawn
ing grounds in the rivers of Alaska.
Proportion of the Worlds supply.
More than half of the salmon pack of the
United States and nearly half of the
worlds supply now comes from Alaska. 1t
will be shown in paper being prepared
for publication by Mr.. William A Wilcox
of the fish commission that the capital in
vested in these fisheries amounts to more
than $3,O0O.UO0 and the value of the annual
catch not including the manufactured pro-
ducts therefrom, comes to about $1,000. 900.
Last year there were twenty-five canneries
in operation. which packed 646.OO0 cases "a
case holding forty-e.ght pound packages,
and twenty-four sailing establishments,
which put on the market 21.000 barrels of
salt salmon. The largest pack which has
been made in Alaskan waters was that of
1881, when 100000 cases. the equivalent of
o60OoWo pounds of salmon they are
taken from the waters, were shipped to the
markets OF the Pacific coast for distribu-
tion. The proportions which the business
had then reached alarmed the companies en-
gagged in 1t SO that to prevent injurious
competition an agreement was made to
limit the output to little more than one
half of the capacity of the works. In 1891
the number of men employed was 4.747 and
in 1892 it was reduced to 2.SS4.
supply Decreasing Yearly.
Even with this combination In effect the
fish have been killed off from year to year,
Sc that the supply is surely and rapidly
decreasing. The greater part of the catch
is made at the mouth of the Karluk river.
Experts 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
captured at the mouths of the rivers. Thus
they are prevented from reaching their
spawning grounds and their reproduction
is nearly prevented
1t was only after the salmon fisheries of
the Columbia and other Pacific rivers had
been greatly overworked that resort was
had to the products of the Alaskan rivers.
The government was awakened at O late
day to its negligence in failing to re-
strict the fishermen Of Oregon and Wash
ington. Now a weakly closed season is
in effect In the waters of these states.
Should the Alaskan salmon be extermi-
rated. there are other fisheries to be work
ed in the northern waters. Cod and her.
ring are already being caught in small
quantities. and there is much opportunity
for enterprise in the development of these
fisheries. The fish commission has col
lected much Information concerning the
food fish of Alaska. which shows that
there are many undeveloped fisheries fur
nlshing great commercial possibilities for
the future.