Wakefield
(Continued from Page 3)
and the residents entertain them
selves with bridge, photography,
boating, gardening, and other lei
surely pursuits.
“We have another family com
ing in from Akutan soon, a man
who has been with us for years and
wants to move to the island now.
Yes, we have all the conveniences,
electricity all night long, and any
time we need to get out we can call
Bob Hall; he can be there in 30
minutes.”
We asked about labor and Mr.
Wakefield said that approximately
80% - 85% of Wakefield’s em
ployees are Alaskans who are not
union members, but are paid union
scale wages, including room and
board. Many of the workers have
been with the company for years.
Getting back to the subject of
foreign competition, more timely
HOWARD WAKEFIELD
King Crab
DANCE
ELKS CLUB
Floor Show By Tho Mlllikons
Friday, May 5,1961
Cerebral Palsy Fund Benefit
960 P.M.
Donation - $1.00
SUNDAY SPECIALS
i
Gooseberry Pie.600 Ea
Cinnamon Rolls.4O0Pkg
NAUGHTON’S BAKERY
Open Day & Mfite
Phone 486-2600
now that the han has been lifted
on Russian King crab imports, Mr.
Wakefield recalled for us his visit
to a Russian fishing fleet in the
Bering Sea last May. “We had in
formation that the Russians were
up there and we wanted to know
whether they were fishing for crab,
or halibut, or just what they were
doing. We went up on the Deep Sea
and took Herb Hilcher, the writer
from Anchorage, Steve McCutch
eon, the photographer, and Bob
Atwood from the Anchorage Daily
Times.
“We had a time going through
the ice; we went quite a way, de
cided we were looking in the wrong
place, and turned around. Then we
ran into a Russian trawler, and
our interpreter, Alex Shad
from Ilnichik, found out from them
where the fleet was. We followed
the trawler through the ice for 65
miles, and got there around 2
o’clock in the morning. It was a
sight; we counted, I think it was
82 ships. There were lights every
place you looked; it looked like the
middle of a city. They were bottom
fishing, cod, sole and flounder.
“Next morning we got alongside,
saw the Commander of the lead
vessel, and we went aboard. Why
did they let us aboard? I don’t
know; we were hoping we could,
but we were surprised. We asked
if they were interested in crab and
the Commander said “No.’ Oh, they
were very cordial;” Gifts are some
times proffered by Japanese fish
ing ships on the occasions of visits
made by Americans; did the Rus
sians give you anything? “They
gave us nothing. Matter of fact,
they came out with a bottle of
French cognac and there were
about 11 of us—Cognac and black
Russian bread, and some kind of
Russian candy. We drank a little
cognac and thought they would
bring another bottle, but when
they didn’t I had some Scotch and
VO brought over. They only sipped
the Scotch, but they went for the
VO like crazy. I invited them to our
vessel for dinner, and you ought
to see those fellows eat American
food.
“Beforehand, we started to toast;
they just love to drink a toast—
first a toast to President Eisen
hower, then to Krushchev, then to
the Russian fishermen, and the
American fishermen. They filled
up a glas§ and drank it down for
every toast and pretty soon we
had gone through half a case of
VO. They were feeling pretty good
and everything seemed to be
friendly.” But below, matters were
getting out of hand. Russian sea
men who also came aboard the
Deep Sea were as busy as pack
rats, some stealing, others trying
to make bad trades—their very
poor clothing for the Americans'.
One Deep Sea crewman found a
Russian in his stateroom in the
process of switching shirts, and the
protests reached the ears of the
Russian officers who hustled their
men off the boat.
After returning to Dutch Har
bor to put the newspapermen
aboard a plane, the Deep Sea went
westward again, discovered the
same Commander in the same ship
very much interested in King
crab, despite his earlier denial. He
was then 200 and some miles east
of his last position, near Unimak
Island where the Deep Sea had
planned to trawl. Here was another
Russian fleet with a large factory
ship, fishing and processing King
crab. “When we wanted to go
alongside and board her again, the
Commander said “Nyet, nyet.” So
apparently he got the dickens from
Krushchev for ever fraternizing
with us. We found some very good
fishing there, but the Russian fleet
came in and set tangle nets, and
practically ran us out.”
Mr. Wakefield feels strongly
that the salvation of the Kodiak
King crab industry will be larger,
deep sea going boats and tenders,
and a repeal of the present land
ing law, originally enacted to pro
tect the smaller boats. The law
prohibits King crab caught beyond
the 3 mile limit in the Kodiak area
from being processed in Alaskan
waters. Dragging for King crab,
and use of more than 30 pots per
vessel are also outlawed. "The
main problem here is to let us fish
the same as the Japanese and the
Russians. They’ve been prospect
ing out here for the last year or
so, and once in a while, if you have
a good radio, the Russians are on
the air and sound as if they are in
your back yard.’’
That means they are perhaps 30
miles away? “Oh yes, on the Senac
and Yakutat halibut banks, and off
the west coast of Kodiak Island.
The Kodiak industry will grow, I
believe, into quite a sizable indus
try, and a stable one if they will go
into larger boats and equipment,
to get offshore where you get lar
ger and better crab, and where you
can compete with the foreign com
petition. One thing that worries
me is that if the Russians get a size
able market or acceptance in this
country it will just induce their
government to exploit our fisher
ies on this coast a great deal more
than they would do otherwise. I’m
afraid the way they fish, the fish
eries would not stand the pressure.
They fish the same way the Jap
anese do, and that is very, very
effective.
"The competition is bound to
hurt us because the crab will be
caught here in our waters, and also
—--—
we have found that the Rssian fish
ermen get $180 for 4 months’ work.
If or men don’t get $750 to $1,000
a month, they figure it’s not worth
going out. Now there is no duty on
the frozen crab, only on the
canned, 22%%. Back in 1954 it cost
a Kodiak company $28 a case to
produce. At the same time, the
Tokymaru from Japan wa3 able to
produce for $4 a case.” Japanese
wages are on a par with the Rus
sian.
The problem is a sticky one, ser
ious to all concerned, the fisher
man, the processor, business con
cerns, and to the state of Alaska
which needs the taxes it collects
on the finished product.
Before we finished our mara
thon questioning we asked if the
Wakefields would be coming to
The King Crab Festival. Mr. How
ard Wakefield replied that they
would be unable to. “My very good
looking wife and I are going on a
vacation for about a month to see
our daughter in Seattle, and our
son in California, then to Mexico.
We have to be back in June.”
Old Alaskan
On Trip Here
Oliver Anderson, originally of
Douglas, Alaska, is making his an
nual sales tour through the 49th
state representing a varied line of
factories and distributors.
Anderson managed trading posts
in the Fairbanks and Yukon River
area as early at 1924. He will be
in Kodiak, June 15, making his
headquarters at the Kodiak Hotel.
ALASKA TRANSFER S STORAGE
AGENT FOR
Martin Van Lines
We handle Packing, Crating and Shipping
from Kodiak to all Alaskan points, United
States, Hawaii and Germany.
486-2333 Box 605
KNKDSEH’S OHTFITTEK
Big Shipment
of
Men’s Shirts!
Very
Popular
Prices
Get Your 49er SHIRT Here!
\
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AND CLOTHING NEEDS