Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1862-08-09
The Fish Of Puget Sound.
NEAH BAY, w. T.,
June 20. 1862.

view of the geological report OF Messrs.
Suckley, Cooper and Gibbs, which is
contained in Stevens final report on
the North Pacific Rail road, and is of
the series Of those reports in vol. xii.
and part 2. Page 3O7 commences re-
port No. 5, on the fishes, and that por-
ton now propose to examine.
FISHES TAKEN BY THE INDIANS AT NEAH
BAY, AND THE ENTRANCE TO FUCA
STRAITS.
The most important fish taken in
this Territory, both as regards the guam
tity and and extensive use made of it
by the natives for food, is the Salmon,
Of which there are sixteen distinct va.
rietics, including the trout, which be-
long to the family of Saimonitiae. DIR.
Sucklcy, with an orr ginality which is
highly commerdable in him, has adop.
ted Indian names for new varieties of
fish, instead of referring to Greek and
Latin, as is the custom with men OF
science who coin new words, part Latin
and part Greek, unpronounceable in
themselves, and whose meaning is so
obscure that the parties who coined
them would be puzzled to tell their
true meaning, or the application they
bear to the object to be named. DR..
Sucklcy ignores the dead languages,
and adopts the Indian. I am glad of
this precedent, as it will afford me an
excuse for adopting the same method,
and giving the Indian names to such
fish us may describe. DR.. Sucklcy
being mostly at Steilacoom, and Dir.
Cooper at Shoalwatcr Bay, neither of
them, it appears, ever examined or re.
ported on the fish ut Cape Flattery. |
Shall, therefore, after briefly noticing
the Salmon, pass on to description Of
fish taken here, which have never been
described ii: any Of the official reports.
The finest Salmon taken on the Pa
ciiic coast, both in size and flavor, sthe
spring Silver Salmon, (.Sulmo qu'lndt,)
or Chenook Salmon. Fish of this va
riety enter the Columbia river in large
numbers in May and June, and gcner.
ally are most abundant when the Sal
mon berry (.rbus spcctabbs) is ripe, say
about the 10th of June. The most
celebrated fishery is at Chcnook Point.
Il few miles above Cape Disappoint-
mcnt. Chcnook Salmon are celebrated
not only in the Territory but in Cali
fornia, as the best Salmon caught on
the coast. The reason for its superb
ority, says DR.. Cooper, when. caught at
Chemook Point, Grrobably, that this
being the first ppint where they can be
taken after entering the river, they are
still in fine condition, while, after as.
ccnding the river, they become thin and
loose their finest flavor. "The spring
Salmon of the Columbia" says Mr.,
Gibbs, "reach great size, forty pounds
being not an unusual weight for them
to attain, some even reaching to sew
emty pounds. They are excessively
fat when they Arst enter the river, and
make much better eating than when
caught further up" l fully concur
with the above gentlemen in their re.
marks, and can add my testimony to
their correctness.
Tho next best Salmon taken in this
Territory, and ono which has not been
described, is the Qneniult Salmon, ta-
ken in the Qucniult river, few miles
north of Point Grenville. Messrs. Gibbs
and Cooper mention this Salmon, but
neither of them saw them fresh. Mr..
Gibbs specimens were seen by him in
the camp on tho Chehalis, at the time
Gov. Stevens was attempting to make
a treaty with five tribes and did not
succeed. Some Qucniult Indians, who
came to attend the treaty making,
brought some of these Salmon with
them for food. These were fresh but
had been split and slightly dried. This
was about the Goth Of February, 1856.
Cooper's specimens were dried ones
he saw at Sh'alwater Bay. But both
gentlemen unite in praise of this va
riety of Salmon, as being "small but
very fine." They are all entirely dis
timct variety Of Salmon from any that
run into either the Columbia or the
Straits of Fuca. They rarely attain 10
pounds weight, hut they are excessively
fat and of the most delicate flavor i'm
aginable. have eaten them fresh out
OF the water, and never tasted fish 80
fine. They are known by MI the coast
Indians as "queniult Salmon, in dis
tinction from every other variety. l
never have either seen them at any
other place, nor have I ever heard Of
their being taken elsewhere than at
Queniult.
The Salmon taken on Puget Sound,
even in their best condition, are but
second rate fish compared with those
taken ut Chenook and Queniult.