The Alaska daily empire., 1913-03-25
DEFENSE FOR THE
 SALMON TRAPS

c. J. Alexander, of the Hoonah Pack ing Company, is stout defender of the fish trap in the salmon canning industry. He believes it's abolition would mean the termination of the salmon canning industry of Southeast ern Alaska. Furthermore, he says the traps make it easier to put up a first class article of salmon
 Mir Alexander has expressed his views on the subject in the following letter to The Empire;
 ITO the Editor: Having received a great many inquiries regarding my opinion as to what effect the passage of the bill abolishing fish traps would have upon my company, will endeav- or to set forth celarly my views in the matter and will also endeavor to refute some of the existing sentiments regarding the fish trap industry through the columns of your paper.
 "The sentiment against trap fishing seems to be of varied and widely diff ferent nature, and with absolutely no foundation in fact. Some people advance the theory that the fish trap is a contrivance which completely blocks the open roadsteads to the in- press of salmon from the Pacific ocean to their spawning grounds, and that few or no fish escape them. Others put up the cry that the traps catch great surplus of fish in excess of the capacity of the canneries, the surplus either being killed upon entering the trap or are allowed to remain in the trap until they suffocate or have de- posted their spawn. Others will say that they believe in killing the lion for the sake of the lamb by taking the industry from the hands of the monop- oly and giving the laboring class or independent fishermen the benefit.
 "As a matter of fact the monopoly they refer to or the controlling fac tors in the salmon canning industry are sitting back praying that this bill will become a law, that the pack of Southeastern Alaska may be reduced to minimum or to practically noth- ing. Then they will reap the benefit of increased prices, owing to a de- mand caused by this shortage in South eastern Alaska, on the product of their many far northern interests, where conditions are not adapted to this method of fishing. For this reason l claim that it will be the individual op- orators who will suffer and not the controlling powers, and as far as the actual laboring class being benefited by such an act, it is only matter of compiling a few figures and facts to show that the salmon canneries sup piled by fish traps show better con ditions for the laboring class than those taking fish by other methods.
 "Referring to the depletion of the salmon by the fish trap it must be acknowledged that the traps are con fined to the open roadsteads leading from the ocean, and it must also be admitted that the small area covered by the traps along the shores is scarce ly a factor in consideration of the broad expanse of these waters which all abound in fish in their ingress to the different spawning streams. It will also be admitted by persons con versant with the business, that only a very small percentage of the fish that come in contact with these traps are actually caught the remainder lead ing away into deep water, which is the natural escape for salmon when disturbed by any unnatural element.
 'Tn regard to the destruction of the fish caught in the traps in excess of the number consumed by the can neries I may say that have taken very active part in trap fishing in Alaska for the past seven years being employed as superintendent of fisher ies for some of the largest companies before entering the business for my self three years ago, and I invite the supporters of this measure to cite one instance where salmon has been wasted or destroyed which had been caught in the traps under my manage ment during this period. I have every reason to believe that every packer in this district will make a similar statement.
 "one of the chief merits claim for the fish trap business, however, is the