The Ketchikan miner., 1915-01-28


 nlaining portion of each fish is left untouched. One can readily realize that large, healthy bear would re- quire great many salmon cheeks to satisfy his ravenous appetite. The stench along the stream was most unpleasant, and besides the fish in varying stages of decomposition there were many bones that gave indi- cation of the large number of salmon destroyed by the bears.
 I found similar condition on Prince of Wales Island below Silver Salmon Falls. where thousands of fish unable to ascend thes naturad barrier, had fallen back tired and worn out, only to be cast ashore by bears. If the bear would take out of the water only what he actually eats this con dition would not be nearly so bad; but the destruction of so many fish from pure maliciousness, or play fulness, makes it serious matter.
 Tho foregoing examples of Union Bay and Prince of Wales Island arc merely typical of many other places where black bears are very plenti- fgul and the destruction is correspond ingly heavy. On Admiralty and Bar anof Islands. where the 7 own and grizzly bears are more common, these conditions are just as bad as on other streams in Southeastern Alaska which empty into arms of the sea.
 And not alone in this section of the country are the salmon interests effect ed by thedepredations of bears, for in many localities in the central and western regions the same effects at certain seasons of the year are ob- served. On Kodiak Island, where the largest bears the world are found they frequent the streams and spawn ing grounds of the sockeye and the humpback salmons A native told me that one of these animals can eat in single day. third of it's own weight. This may be somewhat exag- gerated, but when one realizes that an adult specimen of this bear weight about three-forths of ton he can ap- preciate tho number of salmon need ed for its subsistence. AS in other parts of the Territory, this bear also throws considerable numbers of fish out of the water, many of which it may never care to touch for food.
 Wolves.-Wolvcs play a part sim liar to the bears in the destruction salmon. but to a less extent, owing to the fact that they perfer to hunt game. especially deer.
 Eagles-In southeast Alaska, par ticularly, the eagle is a contributing cause in the destruction of salmon during the spawning season. I notei. on one cluster of rocks on Admiralty Island, between 40 and 50 of these birds that had been satisfying their appetites on salmon in a stream close by. Below Silver Salmon Falls. and on Hofstad Creek, and again on Black Bear Creek, I observed hun dreds fthem early in the morning and in the evening. ravenously eating salmon that had been making an eff fort to reach their goal. British Col umbia has bounty on these destruc- tive birds. and I think that it would be the means of saving many salmon and their spawn if the United States Government placed similar bounty on them in Alaska.
 There is an other feature worthy of consideration, showing the depreda tions of the eagle. It hardly comes nnder the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Fisheries, still it is line wth conservation and protection. I not only observed. but have heard from various reliable sources, that eagles kill many fawns. I saw where a mum Ter of cages had destroyed two lawns and I have no doubt that many hun .lreds are killed every season.
 Guls and terns.-Of the birds probably the most destructive of fish life are the gulls and terms It is diff. ficut to state adequately the amount of damage they do and tho menace they are to the future supply of sal mon. To make this clear. I will cite one experience I had in western Al