Alaska’s Fishing Fiasco: Dealmaking Dynasties Hooked on Corruption

In the frozen wilderness of southwestern Alaska, a battle is brewing between the mighty fishing interests of Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago and the Congressional representative of the region, Delegate Dan Sutherland. On January 20, 1923, Sutherland fired off a scathing letter to Assistant Secretary of Commerce Huston, accusing the big packers of making a wholesale grab of fishing rights under the guise of conservation. The regulations of the Bureau of Fisheries, established by an executive order, are being used to silence the smaller operators and hand the fish-rich waters to the giants of the industry.