The Cordova daily times., 1922-11-22
ALASKA RIVERS LOOKED TO FOR
 SALMON STOCK

a tion presented to the provincial legis- lature of British Columbia recently, providing for the rehabilitation of the salmon industry in the Fraser river, provided the State of Washington takes similar measures to restrict fishing in Puget Sound waters, recalls the fact that the salmon streams of Washington and British Columbia have been almost completely fished out. It was in an attempt to restock the Washington streams with hump back salmon that the operations of the Washington State Fish Commission were instituted in Alaska this past summer, whereby large number of salmon eggs were taken from Alaskan waters, apparently without due per mission having been given.
 Today, in speaking of the work un- dertaken by the Washington State Fish Commission this summer in Eli dalgo Bay, Prince William Sound, Mr. s. A. Baker, agent of the Bureau of Fisheries in Central Alaska, stated that the commission made two ship ments of humpback eggs, one on Oc- tober 2, and the other on October 22, which shipments totaled approximate ly 14,700,000 eggs.
 MT. Baker said, Tt is my under standing that the officials of the Washington State Fish Commission took up the matter of collecting hump back salmon eggs in Alaska, for the purpose of restocking Puget Sound waters in off years, and were told by the bureau that, if they could locate an Alaskan salmon stream in virgin condition, after investigation by the bureau, the proposition would be given due consideration. No action was taken, however, at that time, the mat ter being apparently dropped.
 Permission to take 15,000,000 hump back eggs was not granted by the bu- reau to the Washington State Fish Commission until after representa- tives of the Commission had already entered the field and begun egg-collec- tion operations, which work was com menced without the knowledge or con sent of the bureau. This permission probably would not have been granted, even after the Washington State Fish Commission had begun work, had 1t not been for the fact that there was an unusually large run of humpback sal mon in Prince William Sound this past season. It is my understanding that it was the original plan of the Wash ington commission to take total of 50,000,0O0 eggs from Southeastern and Central Alaska
 'It is the policy of the Bureau to safeguard, by careful scientific super vision, any stream from which eggs are removed, in order that such stream may maintain it's normal run. The bureau feels that every district in Alaska has been very intensively fished, and does not consider advis- able at this time the removing of eggs in large numbers from Alaska waters, for the purpose of re-establishing de- pleted runs in streams on Puget Sound or elsewhere on the Pacific Coast.
 'The bureau regretted to be forced to oppose the work of the State of Washington, but such action as was taken, it was felt, was for the best in terests of the Alaskan fisheries, and was taken with the intention of safe guarding the future runs not only of the humpback salmon but of all other species"
 It is probable, if care is taken in choosing the streams from which they are secured, that all the salmon eggs needed by the State of Washington for restocking it's depleted streams can be had. in Alaska without injury to our own salmon runs, provided of course, that the legal requirements are compiled with fully That is to say, if for every million eggs taken from Alaskan streams for transplant ing in WaShinrtOn inc rnnuirad npr. centage of fry or eyed eggs are turned back into the streams from which the eggs are taken or other streams within the Territory it is reasonable to be- lieve that there will be no interfer- ence from either Federal or Terri torial officials. But if the Washing ton State Fish Commission, in 1924, seeks to invade Alaskan salmon spawning steams without regard htthar for 1aw or rooSop O h1a raopaot