The Ketchikan miner., 1915-01-28
There are other fish that suffe,

There are other fish that suffer equally as much from the gulls. On tho western coast. noar Sitka. and in other regions, earlier in the season their prey is principally the herring and their eggs. Many millions arc sacrificed in this way. It is be- you'd comprehension that this vast number of birds, So injurious to- Il great industry and so destructive to much valuable food, should be pro- tected by law. Their only reteeming feature, as far as 1 ca see. is that they act as scavengers for the can ncry people who are willing to dump refuse almost into their front yards 10 be eaten up by these ravenous lirds. However. think this is a roor argument in their favor, for the cannery men should improve con ditions by taking carc of this waste material rather than depend on the present means for disposing ot it.
 In some localities and especially on Forester Island the Indians have been collecting the gull eggs for food. Since Forester Island was made bird reservation, this has boen prohibited, but I think that SO far as the gull is concerned the prac- tice ought to be permitted. While do not at present approve of any bounty on gulls, I feel that no pro tective law should apply to them any where in Alaska. and that the use oi their eggs for food purposes should be permitted wherever desired
 The terms are also very destructive as their food in some localities con sists almost solely of salmon eggs and young salmon. In several in stances l observed them diving fol these eggs during the spawning season. and upon killing them their crops would be filled with eggs.
 American merganscr.-Another de structive agent to salmon is the Amer ican mcrganser. commonly known as
 the sawbill. Iobserved many instan ces where this salmon destroyer had dug up eggs under the water and haG also swallowed young salmon. In examining their crops, I found added assurance that their food at certain times of the year, at least. comprise salmon and trout and their eggs.
 Hair seal.-Another very destruc tive agent to all fish is the hair seal This animal has comparatively littl' value except as it is used by the natives for boats. wearing apparel and for making souveniers. Hair seals ere very plentiful in certain local tiles and do a great deal of damag, to fishing gear and to the fish caugh' therein. In one instance I saw tw hair seals in trap that had partl eaten or mutilated nearly ever salmon that had been caught: and thi is not of infrequent occurrence. As in gill-Ret operations they are yer, troublesome and destructive, as il ofter happens that before a fisher nan can haul in his net these hungr' seals will bite into large unmbe' of his catch of salmon, thereby spoil ing them.
 Trout.-Much has been said abou the trouts, the Dolly Warden, cut throat, steelhead. and rainbow, an, the damage they do in consuming s, many of the small salmon and eggs This is no doubt true in large meas are, but it is only one of severa principal contributing causes in tn, destruction of the salmon; and while 1 have seen, from personal examin otion, many trout whose stomachs contained small salmon and eggs, ] think that, considering the value trout for food purposes, they shoulf not be annihilated as has been ad vocated by many.
 Sculpins.-Attention is also directe to sculpins, which are very destruc tivo zpe confined chiefly to eating eggs an, young salmon on the spawnin