The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-01-09
ALASKA SALMON FISHING.
Important Letter on the Subject BY
m. G. Munly.

The following letter concerning Tn
fishing and canning industry of Alask
is self-explanatory:
Washington, 4. g.. Novemb Der 81. 1852
To the Honorable, the Secretary q
the Treasury. Washington, D C.-Sir
Upon suggestion Of Mr.. Chance | here
with submit summary of one fea5ur
Of. the argument on salmon fisherie
question had before you on Wedpesda
last. The alleged depletion of tn
salmon streams Of southeast Alaska /
more apparent than real. The in
crease in the number Of canning an,
fishing concerns there has not in
creased the pack of red salmon abov
the average pack of former years
The increase in fishing plants is tn
result of the growth of the pinl
(humpback) salmon industry. This
| variety of salmon had no market a
all, and was not packed in the begin
ming of the salmon canning industry
in Alaska, which confined to the can
ming of red salmon solely. In the early
| nineties pink salmon were put upor
the market in small quantities thu
demand steadily increased for THU
nual pack put up wholly in southeast
Alaska. forms more than one-third of
the total pack of Alaska salmon. Ir
only one instance have the new pack
ing blishments entered into any
active competition with the older es.
adjustments in taking red salmon
fish. This is the case at the bead OF
Lynn canal, where three new can
neries nave been constructed near the
Chilcat and Chilcoot rivers. both red
fish streams but this fact did not
change results as to the total catch of
red fish. 1t simply divided the red
fish between ell 1.-The concerns and in
ceased the pack of pinks; formerly no
pibks were packed there at all.
With this and one other exception,
the new establishments of 1900 and
1901 occupied wholly new ground,
widely separated from the old can
neries and from each other. This in
crease in packing establishments is
largely confined to districts either not
fshed at all or fished in a superficial
way by. small salteries and the native
tribes. For instance, the Taku
river now fshed by two canneries,
was never fished before. except for a
few Thousand cases of King salmon.
At Dundas Bay and within a radius
of thirty miles thereof there are over
twenty-five red fish streams. the pro-
duct of which had not been canned un-
til til g construction and operation of the
canning plant there in 1900 The pack
of red salmon at Dundas Bay in 1900
was about a, 900 cases In 1901 it
was 6, 900 cases and in 1902, the pack
of red fish exceeded II, 600 cases. and
yet some of the red fish streams in
that district are untouched not to
speak of pink salmon streams, the pro-
duct of which was packed for the first
time by that cannery. The new can
nrey at Sitkoh Bay takes the product
of three or four red fish streams never
fished before by any canning establish
ment SO do the new canneries at.Pillar
Bay. Kell Bay and Snettisham the
the aggregate since 1899, forty or
fifty red fish streams in southeastern
Alaska have been prospected, surveyed
and fished. and the product added to
the pack of southeastern Alaska.
To- be more specific. in 1899, there
vas in southeastern Alaska but one
canning plant north of line running
westerly from Point HighGeld, near
Wrangell, embracing an area of about
%, 600 square miles and containing
hundreds of salmon streams, including
;wo of the largest in Alaska, Chilcat
and Taku. There are now in the
Iame area fourteen canneries. The
I'D original canning establishment
coated at Pyramid Harbor, but in
previous years an everage pack OF
about 30, 600 cases of red fish. In 1901
he pack for the same territory was
about 1853. 600 cases. with very slight
Increase in the number of red fish. In
he district about and south of Wran-
,ell, where prior ton 1899 there were
but seven canneries. there are now thir-
zen, an increase of six. one of which
It Gerard Point was closed down this
year. The Loring cannery has also
lo1bled it's capacity. These canning
plants take the product Of the terri
;ory of about 10, 900 square miles and
The increased output there represents
carcely the full product of that area.
The increase in 1901 in that territory
over former average output was about
80, 00U cases. In his report for 1901,
page 80, Special Agent Kutchin speak
ng of the increase in pack for that
year. said:
1.-THE total number of salmon taken,
# all varieties, was 81, $50, $50. separ
ted as follows: King, 300, OIL red,
9, 615. $40; silver, 523. 713; pink hum
packs and dog IL. sol. $50 1t will be
'een that the inferior varieties hump
packs and dog represent about 30 per
.ent of the number of the better kinds
If approximately one-third of the
.otal catch. All but 631, 553 of them
or 10, 67G. 1881 were taken in south
eastern Alaska. and go to make up by
very far the larger part of the salmon
pack of that region. To be precise,
If the 10. 575, 637 salmon taken in south
Alaksa. only /, 905 304 are king
,r red fish. or but fraction over Is
per cent of the total catch. It may be
laid in passing, that the humpbacks
ind dog salmon have never as yet
shown any evidence of defamation
# the supply from the long and stead.
ly increasing draft upon their num-
oers by the packing companies.
The red salmon streams fshed
rom the time of the earliest Russian
show no signs of decrease.
n fact paradoxical as it NAV seem,
he salmon output has steadily in
creased in some streams with system
tic and careful fishing. I call atten-
ion to the reports of the red fish
stream at Yes Bay, which in its early
history. for several years, did not
average more than 3 500 cases, shows
IN output of nearly 10 600 cases of red
aImon for 1901. The same curious
have been observed else
where. In Surge bay, on the western
coast of Yacobi island. near Cross
Iound, which for six or seven years
lad been fshed by sslterv, the out
put did not exceed 10, 600 to IA, 600 red
!almon annually, but ir has increased