The Alaska daily empire., 1913-04-09
Protection Is Keynote
 to Fishing Problem
(Continued from Page 1,)

ation, but that the rights of the can nery owners must be recognized. The purse seines were referred to being in effect movable traps. In conclus- ion the letter stated that there was little prospect of the traps being abol' ished.
 According to Mir. Bower, from data now at hand, there were caught dur ing the season of 1912 something like 6O,OOOO,OOO salmon; 19,921,OOO in traps. the balance 41,OSOOOO by other methods
 No credence is now given to the theory that fish return to the parent stream. All salmon on the Pacific coast die after spawning once. The bureau is now experimenting on Wood river, but it will take years to determine definitely how many fish should be allowed to escape and as- cend to the spawning grounds to in- sure a constant supply, Hatcheries no doubt do great good when con- ducted in those sections Alaska has 2 expected of them. The Columbia riy- CT and Puget sound salmon supply was kept up by the hatcheries con- ducted in these sections. Alaska has two government hatcheries conducted in those sections. Alaska has two government hatcheries and five pri- vate hatcheries. The granting of re- bates on license taxes for fry liber- ated should be discontinued and the government should operate more hatcheries. Mir. Bower quoted from Dr. Everman comparing coal and fish as great resources the distinction was drawn that once a unit of coal had been taken and used the loss was per manent; 1t was beyond the power of man to replace the coal that was used. On the other hand the fish supply could be used not only with out losing the constant supply by re- placement, but the supply could be increased until the maximum was reached-if wise provision was made to conserve this resource.
 lnterrosatories.
 Representative Svindseth-- "Mr. Bower, do you concur in the state ment that traps are easier to regulate than seines?" "Yes, 1 most certain ly do."
 Mir. Svindseth "A trap could be seen for some distance and the ap' preaching boat with the inspector on board could also be seen for some dis, tance. Now, a good faithful watch man could open the trap if it was il' legally fishing and allow the fish to escape in about five minutes. A seine under the same conditions would re- Quire about an hour and half to be emptied and the fishermen if illegally fishing would be caught"
 Senator Tanner-"Don't you think Mir. Bower, that the trap with lead mile long should be cut down some?"
 MT. Bower thought there should be limit on the length of leads. The Nushagak and Wood river are now closed to commercial fishing MT. Bow, CT said. But not before the red salmon were exterminated, were they?" said Representative Ingram. Mir. Bower said that those streams had been depleted some time before they were closed.
 Representative Boyle.-"Do one. third of the salmon headed for the spawning grounds get up stream? NO, not one-third." said Mir. Bower.
 Mir. Bower consulted some reports and gave out that or the Nushagak only Il per cent escaped the fisher. men and were allowed to reach the spawning grounds.
 Senator Miniard.-"What is the closed season for Copper river and Cook Inlet?"
 Mir Bower replied that there was no closed season there; that natural conditions made it unnecessary.
 Representative Svindseth - Any traps there?" No"
 Mir. Lewis "Who furnished the records by which the government determined how many fish were ta- ken in traps and how many by other methodist"
 Mr. Bower stated that the data was furnished by the cannery men of course. He continued that the commissioners paid their attention to the traps rather than to the canner- ies.
 Senator Sutherland.-"The bureau assumes that the seine men are yio- lating the law but how is it that all the convictions that have so far been secured are against trap operators? It was impossible to cover the field with the present inadequate force and traps were easier found is the reason assigned by MT, Bower
 Senator Sutherland-"In all the hearings in the framing of this law, was there ever a fisherman present and heard on the proposed measure?
 MT. Bower stated that he had never seen a fisherman at any of the hear ings; he did not believe that fish