The Ketchikan miner., 1909-05-01
Something of Alaska Fish


 received at this office from which we take some interesting extracts.
 The number of persons engaged in the fisheries of Alaska in 1890 was 13, 337 of whom 4,976 were engaged directly in fishing; 7,740 in the can neries, salteries and other shore work and 62l employed on the transporting vessels. This total is a gain of 595 over the number employed in 1907.
 The total investment In the fisheries was $1O, 3l9, 7S4. an increase of sl, 103, 756 over 1907.
 The total quantity of products was PIT, S13, 4l5 pounds valued at S11, ,S74, 443, gain of 30, 455. 114 pounds and Sl, 6S7, 260 over 1907.
 In southeast Alaska the run of red salmon was small, but in certain sec tions this was more than made up by a large run of humpbacks. This year the cannery men in the vicinity of Ketchikan, in order to prevent an ex- pensive fight for red salmon, the species most sought after, met and agreed to so divide up these fish that each plant would get a quantity pro- portioned to its total outfit. By agree ment of the fishermen operating in Boca de Quadra. this year no fishing was allowed inside of line drawn from the old saltery. just outside of the mouth of Quadra stream, across tu the opposite headland. This was done to protect the stream run of red salmon, the old hatchery at the head of Quadra lake having been reopened.
 At the hatcheries the results were disappointing. The Fortman hatchery has a capacity of over 100, 900, 900 eggs and not one- fourth of this number was secured. This was the more uneX- pected since there was good showing of fish in the Naha during the summer and no difficulty was anticipated in obtaining a full quota of eggs. At spawning time the ripe fish did not frequent in numbers their usual beds in the vicinity of the hatchery at the heads of Hickman lake and in the stream connecting the two. Obstruc- tions made this region bad collect ing ground, and before it could be sufficiently cleared the season had ended with small take.
 At Fortman hatchery an attempt to propagate plankton as food for salmon fry has been started. It is hoped that the small organisms sought will multiply in trenches filled with fertl- izer and connected with the lake.
 The construction of several new can neries is under consideration at pre- sent, one to be located on the Italio river. one of the small streams de- touching directly into the ocean be- tween Yakutat and Dry bays; and three on the Alsek river and one on Hawk inlet.
 R. A. Leonard of Haines last year put up a salmon product which he called Flaxsamo. The fish were light ly smoked and then shaved into strips like chiped beef, and packed in her. medically sealed cans, little oil be- ing used for preservation.
 The salmon salteres met with fair success this season, but the prices realized for the prepared product was not so good as in 1907.
 It has been supposed that salmon when on the spawning beds would not take bated hook. Observations in Ketchikan creek indicate however, that the humpback salmon at least is an exception. One of the agents saw several caught in September on a hook baited with salmon eggs, which they eagerly pursued, and he was assured by several sportsmen who had fshed in the principal salmon pool in the creek, for steelhead trout, that the humpback were very annoying because of their persistency in taking the bait, one man catching seven in about an hours time. At this time the humpbacks were in an advanced spawning condition, so much so that they were not considered fit for food.
 About the middle of September the sportsmen of Ketchikan discovered the game qualities of the coho. In fishing they used rod and reel, and