The Wrangell sentinel., 1939-09-15
SEWERS CONDEMN TRAPS; ASK
LOCAL BOARD ON FISHERIES
Continued From Page One)


from Wisconsin.
Gentlemen, we ask for voice in
the management of our fisheries
We ask for the simple American
right to have a hand in the direction
of our destinies. We must have 1t IL
We are to survive"
In charging on his statement
that It was wrong in principle to.
have the control of the Alaskan
fisheries vested in one man and
lacking in common sense to expect
that one man could wisely admins
ter the many and diverse factors in
the vast coastal and interior CONF
mercial waters of the Territory, in
addition to the whole Of the United
States, Case said It was his idea
to have an Alaskan board of controls
the board to act not only in an adj
visory capacity but to have auth
ority to act in an emergency. The
men should be on the grounds and
instead of fishing dates being arbi-I
trarily set by the calendar, they
should be guided by the runs.
Salary For Board Members
He advocated the paying OF a.
salary to the members of the board.
In response to questioning he stated
that many details in connection
with the board would have to be
worked out, but maintained that
basically his views were those of the
majority of all concerned in the ad-
ministration of the fisheries and
should have consideration.
Case then spoke on the trap ques-
tion contending the unfairness OF.
the present policy of the Bureau in
allowing one citizen to have trap
location and denying it to another.
He reminded the committee that
under Commissioner O'Malley a
policy of fish trap eurtailment was
formulated and followed, but with
the advent of Commissioner Bell old
trap sites were renewed in favor of
large corporations and new ones
granted until now the situation is
as bad or worse than it was before.
Case named as specific instances
trap sites in Snow Pass, Point Bar
RE and Port Protection. He stated
that fishermen had asked for an ex-
PLANTATION of their renewal but had
never received a satisfactory an
swer.
Sleepy Little Town
He dubbed traps as special prlVl-
lege devices that were vicious kill
ers of small fry, operating "a
hours a day and in many cases sew
en- days a week.
Upon entering Wrangell harbor, )"
said Case, probably your first
thought was What a pretty, sleepy
little town The reason it was sleepy
Gentlemen, was not the early hour,
but a failure in the past season as
far as our fishermen were concerned
THAT failure was unnecessary! l
have been returned from the fish
ing grounds only little more than
a week. When | left the bays and
inlets were glutted with fish that
had only just come in from the
ocean. These could have been taken
with ample allowance for escape
ment. Our local representative of the
Bureau of Fisheries, who knows To-
cal conditions. recommended that
an extension of the season be grant
ed. An extension of three days would
have meant security for the winter
for many of our fishermen. The re-
commentator was denied
Case pointed out that the policy
of great corporations has always
been one of exploitation. In Alaska
they maintain in defense of their
10 Tnh IuH
now as before.
Plants In Ruins
"They know and | know that is
not true. They built huge plants at
the mouths of streams which were
supposed to and did supply that
plant with its entire pack AS proof
that they no longer do SO l ask you
to go to any of a hundred stream:
and see the ruins of these great
plants and the scarcity of the sal.
mon there"
In concluding his statement Case
said, "Our aim is to receive the
greatest benefit from a salmon ruI
without endangering those of The
future. We aim for a permanent
prosperous Alaskan population"
In connection with the claim thai
traps fish illegally congressman
asked if he would suggest airplant
patrol. 81 don't believe planes coult
do the job" Case replied and point
ed out the difficulty of determining
except at close range whether a traI
was open.
If there could be established an!
formula, any equalization of trap ant
seine fish would that help solve tn,
problem, was another question. Cas-
answered, Yes; but we contend
traps are unfair"
If seiners had a cooperative inter
est in a trapsite 80 that their fish
ing income could be supplemented
would that help, was asked. 1--WE arr
irretrievably committed to trap abol
ishment," said Case. To the ques
ton, could canneries operate with
out traps, he replied with an EN-