Skin Divers Invade Streams
For Recovery of Salmon Tags
The recovery of tagged salmon
by skin divers in Alaskan rivers
and streams when the fish come
in from the sea to spawn, is the
latest biological research tool be
ing used by the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game.
Scuba gear is especially effective
in larger streams or those with
deep holes where the tagged sal
mon cannot be reached effectively
with a spear from shore.
Guy Powell and Dave Warner,
Departmental research biologists,
are spending their spare time in
Kodiak streams flippering after the
brightly colored tags being borne
upstream by salmon enroute to
their spawning grounds. The divers
take the salmon with steel-tipped
spears, which when released by a
trigger, are powerfully propelled
into the fish by elastic rubber
bands.
With large foreign fishing fleets
converging on Alaskan shores to
exploit the fishery resources,
knowledge of the sea migrations of
the five species of Pacific salmon
has become a matter of para
mount importance. Deep sea tag
ging of salmon and the recovery of
these tags by fishermen and bio
logists is of major concern.
Powell was the first Alaskan bi
ologist to use scuba gear in the
biological studies of the king crab.
Dr. Howard Tait, Director of Bio
logical Research for the Depart
ment, states that direct underwater
observation is becoming an essen
tial part of fishery research in
Alaska and he intends to promote
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the training of biologists in the
use of this tool.
With the State of Alaska, United
States Fish and Wildlife Service,
the Fisheries Research Institute
along with the Japanese, Russians
and Canadians tagging salmon on
the high seas, the recovery of the
tags in North Pacific streams is
now an intensive effort.
The two skin diving biologists
have recovered 70 tags so far dur
ing 1961. By spotting and taking
the tags immediately when the sal
mon enter fresh water, the biolo
gist can determine approximately
how long the salmon have been en
route from the tagging site to their
home streams.
Powell says that not only does
the skin diver have the advantage
of taking the salmon in deep water
out of range to the shore spearman,
but he can approach them more
readily with less possibility of
frightening them. There is a State
law against creating a disturbance
in a stream where salmon are
spawning.
The diver wears standard neo
preme wet suit, boots, flippers and
a mask covering eyes and nose. As
the diving is done in relatively
shallow water, a compressed air
tank for breathing is not necessary.
For safety, the diving operation
requires two men; one to stand
guard on the bank armed with a
heavy caliber rifle to protect the
diver from brown bears that may
be fishing for salmon. Also to alert
any bounty hunter who may be
hunting for. seals and mistakenly
shoot the diver for one.
» * • • • ■ • • ^
On The Screen
• a.j. .> .i. .t. ■>,.«■ .» t
Tonight—It’s the last time “For
the 1st Time.”
Saturday—“The Naked Jungle”
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order bride and a plantation owner
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Filmed in India, in palaces and
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Person Sought
Anyone knowing the probable
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the postmaster, Kodiak.
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