LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
(This is the second half of a ,
letter written by Leroy H*
Duncan, Homer fisherman, con
cerning the salmon problem,)
When the Russians came to
Alaska in tj<ii there were
too,ooo natives liv i/ip -in the
Aleutian Islands* And at
least that many uore living
in the Bristol Fav and Forth
Bering Sea water shed of Alas
ka (th*sc figures are based
on Russian estimates). These
natives mere 'natures balance"
in the protection of the sal
yion at that t iue.
In the past two years I
have corresponded with many
officials of the Fish and
Wildlife Service, / have pre
sented these facts, and I have
yet to receive an intelligent
answer, They still insist on
a policy that has been in
force over forty years, and
has shown a consistent de
crease in our salmon each cy
cle, regardless xof the fact
that they get an escapement
of salmon necessary to normal
reproduction,
When Ur, John L, Farley
took over the Fish andL< Wild
life Service in Alaska he
made the statement, and I
quote; "I have ■ no intention
of changing either the per
sonnel or policy of the Fish
and Wildlife Service”, un
quote, He made this state
ment regardless of the fact
that our salmon pack has de
creased from 6, 500, 000 cases
in tgs8 to 3,000,000 cases
this year, and our fur seals
Have increased from i, 500, 000
in tQ38 to 3,500,000 {esti
mated) in 1953.
Unless this policy is
changed and predator control
established at once, there
shall be no salmon in Alaska
in less than ten years, as the
predators have increased in
such number that the salmon
can no longer reproduce in
such quantity to feed the pre
datorsf therefore the preda
tors are eating- the parent
stocku I wish to point out
at this time the reason the
Bristol Bay salmon pack has
dec* eased to its present low
is the fact that the pribilof
Islands breeding ground of the
fur seal hero. Icy in the en
trance to.Bering Sea and Bris
tol Bay, and feed over 80 per
cent of the distance between
the A lapkan Peninsula and Si
be^'ia Cbast* They, arrive
with :the salmon in June, and
leave after the last . run of
salmon in late summer,
1953 and '54 are the first
two years of the last cycle
of the red salmon in Bristol
Bay, This is one of the most
contemptible and unnecessary
destructions of a natural re
source ever to take place
-within the history of this
country,
At this time I urge Con
gress be *advised, that th*
treaty protecting the fur seal
should be abrogated* And the
partial destruction of this
herd be carried out at once«
It is by rightsthe duty of
our delegate to Congress to
advise Congress of such nec
essity*
The next legislature of
the Territory of Alaska should
take prompt measures to des
troy all hair seals and sea
lions, Increased salmon
packs would There than repay
cost involved by increased
revenues,. c,s proven by the
.increase of the salmon Pack
at Cordyva since they started
killing the hair seals in the
Copper River Flats three
years aga*
The Beluga whale should be
exploited in every way possi
ble.
The legal limit on trout
in all streams and lakes where
salmon spawn should be abol
ished, and encouragement
should be given fishermen in
these areas,
A bounty should be placed
on all bears, as they destroy
each ye ar . more ■ saImon than
their value will ever be. to
Alaska,
You may think these meas
ures drastic, and perhaps
they are, but you must not
forget, we are hot only sav
ing the salmon, but also the
economy of thousands of Alas
kans who diepend on the salmon
industry,
Fifteen yearts- ago the'sal
mon industry was .the economy
of thirty thousand Alaskans,
today only fifteen thousand.
In ten years,,,??
If we have 75 percent pre
dator control, within ten
years our salmon pack each
year should be not less than
50,000,000 cases. And with a
Pack that size we can fish /orN
half the trice we are now,get
ting, The canneries would be
able to spread their overhead,
the result would be, millions
of Americans would be able to
afford salmon, It would no
longer be a luxury,
At $6*oo per cast to Alas
kans for ohr salmon and la
bor, this1 would amount to
#300,000,000, e van Congress
can appreciate a sum '* th is
'size.
I trust this letter to the
people of Alaska .shall prove
informative, also that it
shall get some action.
Time is not on the sicUi of
the salmon.
Leroy H. Duncan
Homer, Alaska
MAPS AVAILABLE
As a result of the demand
for maps of the Homer, Anchor
Point, Starisky areas, show
ing land owner ship, etc,, tne
Bureau of Land Management has
produced a map covering the
area at a scale of 3I4"-1 mile.
This map may be purchased at
the Bureau of Land Manage
ment *s Homer Ranger Station
at the cost of $t. 00 per copy.
-GRANDDAUGHTER HERE
Matt Thome brought his lit
tle granddaughter, Linda Kir
kendally home with him from
Anchorage, when he returned
to Homer recently after a
month-long selling tour around
the Territory, Linda is the
daughter of Mr, and Mrs. Wm,
J, Kirkendall.
HOLIDAY TRIP ’ .
'Bert and - Helen Bachman
spent the Thanksgiving week
end at Anchorage visiting
Bert rs brother, and taking
care of business.
A-N!? KEEP ALASKAN DOLLARS IN ALASKA
ANl HELP HOME'k (ROW
< I i
r
MOReDcLLARC SPENT IN HOMER TODAY MEANS
A LARGER STOCK IN THE STORES TOM R. H •
? ‘ ’
■ THIS WEEK'S GUEbT MERCHANT
THE BAY.CU'THIERS
, " ' ' - »£ i ^ "
clothes for the entire family
■ •' - ' /' ...
CRESSES SWEATERS JACKETS SHOES SHOE FACS
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$LlRRERS ~ RAIN WEAR ■ PAJAMA'S YARN
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COSTuME JEWELRY
"4
everything for the baby
HEADQbATERS FOR "KNIT. KINO"'
SHOP EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS