Seward daily gateway., 1925-12-05

uCW laW Ou SuuC VI AS0f. uS loW of 1906 had long before that become obsolete and the authority of the Bureau of Fisheries under it was ut terly inadequate to enable the inn position of needed restrictions on fishery operations.
 The great salmon canning industry had reached it's peak in 1918, the last year of the World War, when a total of 6,605,S35 cases of salmon was packed in Alaska, and the seem- ingly inexhaustible runs of salmon had everywhere been depleted to a greater or less extent. The Depart ment of Commerce exercised all of the authority granted to it under the law of 1906 for restricting fishery op- erations, and after the season of 1921 commercial fishing for salmon was prohibited within all streams of AL 800 yards off their mouths, the only exceptions being at the mouths of the Karluk and Ugashik Rivers.
 Efforts to secure the passage of a revised law had been persistent, and as last resort in 1922 reservations were created by presidential author ity to provide more adequate control in districts where the salmon runs were most acutely in need of pro- lection. These reservations remain ed in existence until the approval of the new law on June 6, 1924. The chief feature of the new law is the power lodged in the Secretary ot Commerce to create areas in which fishing may be limited or entirely prohibited as the circumstances war rant and to say when, where, and how fishing may be conducted. Jur- Iisdiction of the Secretary is also made to include the full extent of territo- rial waters instead of 800 yards out side stream mouths. The new law also imposed the weekly closed peri. cd on fishing in the Bristol Bay re. zion, Cook Inlet, and the Copper Riv. CT Delta, which were formerly ex.
 cepted from this limitation.
 Regulations were promptly issued for the season of 1924 extending clos
 ed preiods, providing for closed areas
 and fixing seasonal limitations on op
 erations, as we'll aS imposing limita
 tions on the size and amount of fish
 ing gear that might be used. A the fishing season had already begur
 in many places, and the companie.
 had made preparations to operate or
 their usual scale, the regulations were
 less drastic than would otherwiS,
 have been the case. Nevertheless!
 they were of great benefit in insurin,
 a larger escapemnt of salmon. Ad
 ditional regulations were issued dur ing the progress of the season.
 The regulations issued in Decem Der, 1924, for the 192 season wer'
 more stringent in character. The,
 provided for 12 general fishing area
 which were so defined that the regu lations could be practically the sam throughout each area Restriction
 were chiefly in the form of limite'
 closed seasons, the total prohibition
 of certain forms of fishing gear, an
 limitations on the size and amount o
 the fishing gear permitted. In 2
 specific localities, fishing for salmo was entirely prohibited. In the Yuko area commercial fishing was entire ly prohibited. In the Bristol Ba area, in addition to other restrictions commercial fishing for salmon b means of traps, fbeach seines an purse seines was prohibited. Tn use of purse seines was prohibited i the Chignik area, as were both purs seines and floating traps in the Coo
 Inlet and Kodiak areas. In addition
 in Cook Inlet salmon traps were pro
 hibited within one mile of the mout
 of any salmon stream, the distanc being increased to two miles at tn Kasilof and Kenai Rivers.
 Justification for the stringency ( regulations imposed this season ] found in the results of examination of the spawning grounds in certai districts in the fall of 1925. When became evident that the Bristol Ba run was small this year the fsI .. ing season was shortened in spit ! of protests from some of the pack CTS. Visits to the spawning ground of the district showed an almost tots lack of spawners in some streams an a greatly reduced number at all place ] visited. The natives were greatl .. alarmed at their inability to secur . salmon for their winter needs an had already killed about half of the ! dogs.
 There was much complaint by fsl ermen and companies in regard 1lr- 4~,sa