Destroy the Beluga,
Have Alaska Salmon,
t Says Frfeltk Joaquin
% * _ir_
Ihe following arti'cle, pertaining to
ihetponservation of t ke Alaska salmon
industry, recently printed in tbs An
chorage Alaskan, from tbe pen of
Frs Joaquin, will be found most in- (
terming and enlightening:
*‘,.n order to get at tfco /acts regard
ing the decrease of salmon in Alaskan
watjrs since the advent of the can
neries, we must first look at the situa
tion aB it was prior to that time.
"Bf.r a careful survey of conditions as
they tiust have existed up to the time
when nan first began to catch these
fish by tbe hundreds of thousands, we
come to (he conclusion that while they
were abundant in most of the rivers,
they must have always had a hard
fight for their lives, as their enemies
were many. They were preyed upon
by tl,e beluga and the seal as they
made their way from the sea into the
riven, and those that were fortunate
enoug i to pas3 this first barrier and
work their way to the spawning
grounds had the grayling, trout and
oth9? smaller fish to contend with.
Thes? smaller fish live to a great ex
tent upon the spawn of salmon (luring
the spawning season.
“Ttfn comes the fishermen with
many ong nets and traps with long
leads, catchiDg thousands and thou
sand^of fish before they can get to the
a pawning grounds. With this introduc
tion rf a new euemy, the decrease in
numlers began on an appalling scale.
-*■ HK: MbLUftblUU AS UUSbaitW WI1CU
one s.cps to consider that the greatest
of .Alaska’s Industries is being de
stroyed. As an emergency measure,
Mr. Poorer has set aside a great part
of ou:' fishing waters as reservations.
By sc doing the Bureau of Fisheries
can, to some extent, limit the catch of
aahflj'n. Permits granted within the
.fesei rations limit the catch to a speci
fied number of cases and prohibit fish
ing Wy those not holding a permit. At
best tlhis plan is only an expedient until
something better can be evolved. In
the rrfeautime the balance of power still
remains agaiot the salmon. In the
mind$ of Aiaskaaathis present system
is a lihng warv |from a solution of the
problem, and at the rapid rate at which
the fi»h are being exterminated it is to
be hosed a much more satisfactory and
afficieOt meansof conservation will soon
be fo^nd.
“Mir. Dau Sutherland, our Delegate
to Congress, is now working to secure
legislation that will save the salmon
Industry from destruction. According
to bisi plan, ^rans would he prohibited
entirely and-salmon hshing would not
he allowed within luOO feet of the mouth
of any river or within the waters of any
river. While this plan would check
the taking of iish in such large num’
bers, at the same time it would not re
lieve jlhe situation to the extent neces
sary, because the beluga and seal and
also the small fish enemies still remair*
“If Ashing by Iman were prohibited
Entirely, it would take years before
any increase would be noticeable—in
fact there is a question as to whether
without help there would ever bo an
increase to make up for the present
state of-depietion.
“The oue big help we can give the
salmon is to destroy the beluga and
protect that fish on the spawning
grounds from the small fish.
“in the Bering sea from early spring
till iate in the fall, from the Alaska pe
ninsula to the Yukon river, thousands
of beluga are feeding almost entirely
on salmon. Thev are a marine animal
of large size, living to 50 or 50 years of
age, and the consumption of salmon by
each one of them during their lifetime
must be enormous. The beluga prob
ably destroys more fish in Bering sea
‘ban the packers take.
.“On t.be spawning grounds the sitna
tion is, if possible, worse. The salmon
reaches .the grounds in an exhausted
condition to find thousands of those
other fish waiting to feed upon the
spawn. The result is that out of the
5,000 to 7,000 eggs of each fish only a
very small proportion ever become fer
tilised aucl ?„re allowed to hatch.
“I have a blueprint of my proposed
methods for protecting salmon during
spawning season. The first represents '
a boom, laid diagonally across a small
river. To this boom is fastened a wire
netting of small mesh with heavy
chains attached along the lower edge
to hold the netting to the bottom of
the stream. In this way a fence is
made that will prevent all fish from
passing up the river.
“Near one bank, and below the
fence, is placed an apparatus to serve
the purpose of sorting the salmon from
the other smaller fish. This contriv
ance operates, having principle of a l
water wheel, having itwo paddles and
two scoops, or aprons. The running
water strikiug against the paddle
• •auses the wheel to turn. The two
scoops placed opposite to the paddles
are made of netting of a mesh that will
allow the small fish to pass through but
will pick up the salmon and slide them
over the barrier, where they will at
last be free of their enemies and al
lowed to spawn unmolested, as we know
that the grayling and other small fish
leave these streams in the fall and do
not return again until in the spring.
“It is, therefore, the purpose of this
method to have the apparatus in place
early enough in the spring to prevent
their return to the spawuing grounds.
"The second method is a fence of
small mesh netting across a stream
mtinVi tlicx uamo aq in ETitr 1 Holnw
this first fence is another one of large
mesh netting across the • stream' diag
onal]?, at aa angle to inctead ol par
allel with the first fence. The grayling
and other small fish will pass through »
the first fence, but the [salmon, being ,
too large, will be led to the right and
enter the trap shown on the sketch. A
gate is here provided in the up-stream
fence of tine mesh for the passage of
the salmon to the waters above, where -
they will be free of the small fish. At
the left of the sketch is shown a trap
formed by two leads of fine mesh net
ting, into which the small fish will be
led. A wheel can be used here instead
of a trap to deatroy the small fish, j
•'In both plans the boom logs will
serve as n foot bridge for convenience
of caretakers to cross the stream.
“I suggest that one of these two svs
terns be placed in one of the favorable
spawning tributaries of each of the
large rivers. I would also suggest that
a trap be placed in Goodnews bay for
the destruction of beluga. This bay is
centrally situated between Nushagak
and the Yukon river. i—^
hiicu itic tine uut, tue
part of the area of this bay is mud flats.
There are two small channels through
these flats that lead to the rivers, and
these channels are navigable to small
boats. In making the rounds of the
rivers od this coast a large number of
beluga enter Gooanews bay—probably
most of them get in here at one time
or another. They enter after the tide
is well flooded and keep on ;the flats
where they ean And the best Ashing.
As they near the head of the bay the
fresh water becomes tha best fishing
ground, and they are thus led iuto the
rivers, which they follow for some dis
tance.
“After the tide nas ebbed for a time
they return to the sea. They are evi
dently not taking any chance of becom
ing stranded on the fiats, as they in
variably follow these small channels on
their return to deep water and appear
io be in a hurry to get away from the
Sangor zone. As they are forced to
follow these channels because of the
fallen tide, a trap placed here would
prevent th®ir casting out again and
I,
hey would bo, done away with before
toother tide came in.
“The traps for the beluga would coe
list of cable netting held up by booms}
tod down to the bottom by heavy;
chains and anchored with concrete an -j
cbors. Ail but the anchors would baj
removed its the fall and, replaced aftnr >
the ice bad gone out of the rivers the i
following spring, using tbo aams an
chors each season.
“In summing up the situatsoa as it
now stands, we find the balance of
power against the salmon and their ul
timate extinction in these waters un
der the present conditions.
“With the introduction of my pro-!§
posed method, of protection against the!
destruction of beluga on the fish and of
tine small fish upon the spa *n, the bat
ance of power swings in favor of th#|
salmon, and a natural and enduring in
crease would be the result.”
—nr-s-STurr-— -
il
THE
BYSGOLLY
Tokotna
Candies
Cigars
Soft Drinks
Lunches
John Heino
Proprietor
1 *»
BLACKBURN & ELDRID6E
McUrath, Alaska
New Stock Has Arrived
And the Prices Are Right
"I
A Dredging or Hydraulicing
Proposition, Yankee Greek
I am the principal owner o 1 a block ©f 'ground
on Yankee creek,“about sevenra ne* Ions:.-extend
ing from No. 1 BelowJDiscovery down to the mouth
of the creek*
Pay has been located all atoog for a distanco’of
about three miles from the upper end, and pretty
well prospected and cross-cut.
The average depth of the ground !is from seven
to twentyjfeet. The top is ail black muck, that can
be movedjfreely. No rook bigger than one’s fist.
The width of the pay, fori * distance of about
three miles, is from 100 to 200 feat. Crosscuting
work indicates that the ground will go from- 16
cents to $1 per square foot of bedrock. My belief
i9 thatjthe payjwill average 60 cents per foot.
I have a ditch onlthe ground.. three miles 'long,
together with water rights. The ground is pretty
well cleared. There is also a drain, three miles
long, with the water right. 1 also have a water
right on Ready Bullion creek, froai which water
can bo brought to Yankee creak with a ditch less
than a mile long (4,900 feet), which will give four
sluicehaads of water,lwith a pressure or fall of 120
feet, being 1800 feet to the work from the ditch.•
After doing awajiwith the muck, there will be
irons (our to nix lest of airt to fc*nc4*e. tis* ymy
runs mostly in tho bedrock of porphyry nod tint*,
The ground is virgin, only about, $11,00® having
been taken out by windlass In prospecting.
Prospecting work during- the present winter has
resulted in finding .values that. vun op to tl per
j square foot of bedrock.
The Floate Dredge Company has a dredge above
this ground, which has been in operation for the
last three seasons.
The Government road crosses Yankee creek, l
also have a road down the creek that connects with
theXSoverntsent road,
1 am also the agent for owners of ground other
than that held by myself.
The ground car be worked either with dredge, *
drag-lire scraper, or by hydrauliciar.
I will cither sell the ground cr give a lease ox
it. * If tho prospect is satisfactory to the buyer, a
cash paymset will be expected. A ecod bargain
will be given to the right party.
For further information, terms, etc., nail
.ground, or writ® or talsgraph me.
XD NOLLETTK, 1
Tokctna, Alaska. i
f
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