The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-06-14
Fisheries.

] is completed will open new source of trade
to the Sound, by attracting the whaling
fleet OF the North Pacific to this barbor.
| The cod fisheries are destined to employ a
large number of men on the northern coast.
Two trips year can be made from this har-
Dor, while bat one is usually made by east
ern fishermen. In 1869, nineteen vessels
sailed from San Francisco in March and
April OF that year, for the Okhotsk and
Choumagin Islands. The first of the fleet
returned on tire 2lst of July, with $4,000
fish; the other eighteen reached port at diff
ferent dates up to November 9th The
smallest catch was 1900, the. largest LA,
000-aggregating ,055, 800 fish an average
of $4,000 fish to each vessel.
Although salmon are abundant in the
Sound, yet they are not so easily taken. or
of so uniform good quality, as those taken
near the mouth Of the Columbia from April
till July of each year. Where the main
fisheries are located on the Columbia, the
river Is one and quarter miles in width
either one shore or the other running off
shoal. Gill nets about twelve hundred feet
long are foated down the river in some
places for miles. Two men with boat and
net will average l,2O0 pounds in one night
Salmon can only be taken in the night,
when the water is clear. Five establish
ments canned about two million pounds il
1871, besides four or five thousand barrels
by other parties. These in cans net about
l4c. per pound, in barrels at about DC. per
pound. The canned fish are shipped to
nearly all parts of the world.
The fish which ascend the Columbia DIFF
fer in quality from those which ascend at
a latter season, not the Columbia alone
but all the streams emptying into salt wa
ter. Some varieties of the late fish are en-
tirely worthless, while other kinds are COM
paratively good. In the first run are found
some fine specimens weighing seventy
pounds. and averaging some sixteen pounds
during the season. Of the variety caught
later, sixteen pounds is considered very
large, and the average not over five.
Shoalwater Bay furnishes large quantities
of oysters for the Pacific Coast trade.
About seventy to eighty thousand baskets
are shipped from there annually, at one dol
lar per basket; about one hundred and fifty
hands are engaged in the business, employ
ing several schooners. The oysters of the
Sound are small, and confined to isolated
districts. CLAIMS are found in great abun-
dance on the Sound.
The halibut is next to Importance to the
salmon these fish abound in the straits and
far up in the Sound, to the north, inside
the islands, and on the far-off banks of the
north west coast. Recently, parties have
undertaken to Introduce these fish in the
markets south, fresh, BY packing in pound
ed ice. Where so fine fish as the halibut
is so abundant as there are in our northern
waters, means will be easily afforded to in
troduce them into southern and interior
markets by the coming Northern Pacific
road. The time may also be when large
canning establishments similar to those now
putting up salmon will prepare halibut for
the markets of the world. and a new COM
mercial interest brought into life
When the Northern Pacific Railroad is
finished, Puget Sound will be the great GEN.
tire whence fishermen will draw their sup
plies, receive their pay, and whence the fish
will be distributed to the different CONNER
cial marts. Shlp-buildlng is coincident to
this trade, and will centre large industry
upon the Sound at the terminus of the
Northern Pacific Road-7he Vest.