nS 1ZT
(The following is a continuation
of the Fisheries Hearing held here
October 6. The first half appeared
in the Mirror last week.)
Mr. McKernan in a reply to a
question from Pete Deveau as to
wny otter trawling was eliminated
in Katchemak Bay and that traps
were allowed, stated that the FWS
could only eliminate gear when it
directly affected the species.
“Trap s,” he said, “do not
damage fish any more than do
gill nets or seines." Deveau inti
mated traps destroy codfish. Mc
Kernan replied to this that traps
had nothing to do with the decline
of codfish.
Willard Hall, a local fisherman,
said he did not agree with this. He
stated he knew the decline of cod
fish was mainly due to traps. Pete
Olson, also a local fisherman, ad
vocated the traps should have the
same length of lead as the seine
fisherman’s. He also thought that
the trap lead should be taken out
of the water during closed periods,
the same as the fisherman’s. In
answer to a question Ffcoy'fcifitfsfey
stated the legal lead on traps was
XK) feet in most cases; 20u fathoms
• seines, and 150 fathoms for a
. nu.
Mr. In.Xcman stated that elimi
nating traps was n . a conserva
tion measure but an economic,
social and political problem.
M. ■ ■
Pat Cannon, head of the Kodiak
Pish Producers Association, con
tended area licensing did not save
fish here. “Fishermen would have
moved on," he said. He then
brought up the subject of traps
again. “You are going to eliminate
some twenty to twenty-five gill
aetters. To which Mr. McKernan
replied that the intent was to
move these set netters to where
the fish were traveling and not
congregating.
Fishing in Aliia*, Moser and
Olga Bays was discussed at some
length. An alternate to moving
set netters from these areas, Yie
Kernan stated, was to establish a
season from July 1 to Juty 23. This
would close the whole inner area
to Alitak. he said. Pat Cannon de
clared that this would eliminate
more-set netters. Lindsley replied
to this that they could fish some
other type of gear somewhere else.
As a means of conserving fish, Mc
Kernan said the Department hoped
to find alternate sites of all set
netters, and to cut the number of
traps in half there.
Tiny Cichoski then spoke on the
subject of area licensing. Stating
that he had no argument against
a unit of gear being licensed to
fish in one area, but “that no one
could tell him he could personally
fish in only one area. That stinks—
makes it sound as though we had
Joe Stalin instead of Eisenhower,"
he said.
McKernan Stated in reply to
Cichoski that area licensing was de
signed to protect individual fisher
men. “Without area licensing every
body' would have tried to go to
Prince William Sound or Kodiak
It is fallacious to assume that,
without it, you would have been
better off," he said.
Oscar Dyson, local fisherman,
raised the question of freererships.
He contended area licensing did
not curtail their fishing; they
juggled men and boats. Mr. Lind
isiey then stated the freererships
did not work near the amount of
gear in the Kodiak area. “They
bad to hold certain boats for the
Kodiak area only, and had to haul
qualified fishermen in from the
States to fish from these boats,”
he said.
McKernan stated the freerership
is the same as any other buyer:
and is not classed as a fishing boat.
“It is not consistently profitable
for them to have a big flfeet of
boats. Area licensing reduces their
fishing effort to a considerable ex
tent,” he contended.
Lindsley labeled as “propagan
da” Cannon’s contention that fish
ermen aboard freezerships stated
the ships boats had fished Bristol
Bay and this area as well. “They
do not like area licensing,” he said
Pat Cannon stated that Kodiak
did not like area licensing, and
that the fishermen thought it was
a “bad regulation.” McKernan re
plied, “If it is a bad regulation, we
will drop it.”
Predators were given as a fac
tor in keeping the volume of fish.
McKernan jokingly stated that all
problems of fisheries was not due
to fishermen alone. Some of the
fishermen wanted to eliminate
bears entirely, but McKernan stat
— — 'IWIII illi | JiL|
NOTICE
Dr. E.E. Bach, Optometrist, will be in
Kodiak on November 11 to 15. For ap
pointment for an eye examination call
the Kodiak Hotel, phone 4414.
CAPTAIN FLAME ___
J that was a wonderful
SERMON REV'REND
CHANCE.
THANK YOU, MRS.
FRIS8Y. 'REMEMBER,
THERE'S A PRAYER
MEETING- WEDNESDAY
EVENING-.
OFF MAIN STREET
"what V" VOU HIT the ball \
SHOULD r J AS NEAR AS POSSIBLE
DO? A TO THAT FLAG
O'JER THERE/
By JOE DENNETT
DEEMS
%
BY. TOM OKA
I
ed it was better to control them.
Considerable discussion followed
on the harvesting of King Crab.
Mr. Lowell Wakefield had submit
ted a brief earlier, which was not
read. Mr. W. A. Ritter of the Alas
ka Fresh Company, a crab cannery
at Homer, asked that the brief be
read at the hearing. In his brief,
Mr. Wakefield reviewed the King
Crab spring and fall seasons. He
stated: “Crab meat recovery was as
low as 18 to 20 percent during
August and September in the Ko
iok District, as against a normal
23 to 25 percent.” In the Cook In
let district, he contended,” Thous
ands of “lightweight” crabs were
caught, delivered and processed.
Thousands more were killed by
penning in inadequate live boxes
for excessive periods.” He criti
cizd the Service for tailura to use
either field closure or wanton
waste prosecution in the Cook In
let area.
In the brief submitted, Wake
Field contended the closure in the
2ook Inlet from January 1 to May
31, is a bad regulation, as most of
Ihe finest crab are caught during
:hat period. The brief recommend
ed paragraph 109.24a be dropped.
It further deplored the “dead loss”
of over 20 percent of the catch,
which it contended was being prac
ticed. It urged prosecution of those
whose methods brought ou "wan
ton waste,” particularly fishermen
who took crab in those periods
when the recovery of meat to live
weight is less than 15 percent.
Wakefield then reviewed the
fishing operations of his Company,
and challenged the legal, moral,
political or economic soundness of
“local” vs. “outside” interests as a
basis for conservation regulations.
A discussion arose as to the
number of crab pots that should
be allowed each boat. Dyson stated
he'd like to see the regulations
changed to 15 pots per man, in the
linnmnn an..
Cook inlet area, so that the craos
could be harvested.
Mr. McKernan then dosed thw
meeting with the remark that the
Service would consider the views
expressed in drawing up future
regulations.
Hallowe’en Dance
To Be Held Oct. 27
A Hallowe'en Dance has been an
nounced for October 27, and will
be sponsored by the Emblem Club.
The dance will be held at the Elks
Club.
Live music and entertainment is
promised. The dance is for Elks
and guests and Emblem Ciub mem
bers and guests.
Do You Go To Sunday School ?
No?
There’s a class for
you at
Kodiak Christian Center
For transportation Call 3984
See you at 10:00 A.IVi.