The Wrangell sentinel. (Wrangell, Alaska) 1909-current, 1928-04-26

j of 100000 square miles. The album
dance of natural resources is re-
markable. There are furs. fishes,
and untold wealth IN minerals. The
Kamchatka fish belongs TO the salm-
on species and IS caught in enormous
quantities. The fishing industry,
which began in Kamchatka twenty
years ago, soon flourished and has
possibilities of great development in
the future. This important branch
of Russian industry is controlled
mostly by japanese and partly by
j the Russian Government.
Kamehatka is a very isolated ter
ritory. not only as TO Russia, but in
Siberia also. SO the Russian Govern
ment was never interested in it until
recently.
Kamehatka has no communication
with the balance of the continent ex-
eept by water The Russian com
mercial fleet was never large in ST.
berian waters and was almost wholly
destroyed after the World War.
Kamchatka, in spite of its large
territory, possesses a very sparse
population. about $4,000, mostly
quite primitive tribes. They are
lazy and very poor fishermen.
Kamchatka has sufferd very much
from lack of capital. The Russian
capitalists did not wish to invest
their money IN local enterprises.
They found profitable investments
in Siberia and did not wish to go
elsewhere. At the same time the
Russian Government did nothing to
attract capital to Kamehatka and
even hindered work there. They es-
tablished a hundred mile zone along
the coast of the province prohibiting
gold mining.
On the contrary, no difficulties of
this kind confronted Japan. It is
situated near Kamehatka it possess
es a large fishing fleet, which makes
communication with Kamchatka
very easy; it is rich in population,
experienced in fishing, and last, but
not least, it is the only country in
the Far East with ample capita to
properly finance the fishing indus
try on a proper scale.
After the Russo-Japanese war of
1905, the right of fishing in the Ok
hotsk. Kamchatka. and Boring seas
was granted to the japanese. This
right was confirmed by the fishing
convention of 1907 between these
two powers. According to the con-
vention, only Russian and Japanese
were admitted to the exploitation OF
fisheries on the Russian Far Eastern
coasts. The agreement expired in
1917 but it has continued in force by
common consent, to the present time.
The Kamchatka waters abound in
in fish. There are not very many va
rieties. but salmon are very plenti-
full. The Kamchatka salmon, which
are zoologically known as "Oncor-
pynhus," are like those of Alaska.
All species of salmon are found here,
from the big king salmon, to the lit
tie dog salmon. The main catch con-
sists of the silver and red salmon,
the king fish being comparatively
hTnF h5a M nf
salmon is enormous The fishermen
did not pay attention to the latter
fish some years ago, but now, when
the fish resources of Kamchatka
have been partially exhausted, the
dog salmon has become a very yalu-
able part of the Kamchatka produc-
ton.
The qualities of the Kamchatka
salmon are perfect. They are hardly
surpassed by those of the Alaska
fish. I refer particularly to the king
salmon, a big fat fish with delicious
meat Its weight reaches 40 to so
pounds. The other fish are not so
big. The weight of the silver or red
salmon is about five pounds each.
The dog salmon is not heavier than
one to one and one-half pounds.
These fish are caught in KAN
chatka waters practically every
where, but the Eastern coast of the
peninsula is already exhausted. The
Okhotsk and Western coasts are the
most profitable now. Among numer-
Gus rivers flowing into these seas,
the following are remarkable: The
Ohota, Great River, Kamchatka,
where fish are caught by millions.
Besides these are a great many small
rivers, where the output is not less
than 200. 900 to 100000 fish each.