The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-11-10
salmon Catching on the Columbus.

The fishermen explore the river
with a net, 800 fathoms, or l 500
feet long with mesh eight and
three-quarter inches wide The top
of the net is supported by corks, the
bottom weighted with lead. When
no obstructions are encountered the
net drifts along evenly with the tide,
and the moment the fish strike It
and ensnare themselves it IS hauled
in. The fishermen can tell by the
corks where the captives are strug-
Cling. and he hauls in that portion
only. Sometimes, however, a great
school of freshly-run salmon, mad
TO reach the headwaters, dash against
the whole length OF the net, and
then comes the tug of war. In dull
times, when salmon are scarce, the
fishermen has his patience soreiy
tried bv the seals, who will watch
the net as carefully as he does him
self and rob it before his eyes. The
seal has a weakness for the jowl Of
the salmon. and will offer his cpl
curean palate only that portion
Having taken one bite of the fish he
tosses it eontemptuously aside, and
in this manner Will destroy twenty
salmon before the indignant fisher
man can intercept him. The pom
derous and stupid sturgeon is an
other pest of the patient fisher
Stephen Ellis, considered the best
authority on such matters, says that
the late salmon season on the Col
umbia was most disastrous one to
all interested in it. The run of fish
commenced several weeks later than
usual, and. in consequence, the cam
neries discharged the majority of
their hands. Late in July the fish
came up from the sea IN such NUM-
befs that in the hyperbole, of Ellis
you could walk across the river on
EN-: the Yather was stiff Hld EN-.
4 strike of the fishermen had seri=
ously complicated matters, SO that
he canneries were totally unprepar-
ed to dispose 0fthe great quantities
of salmon taken. There were only
a few weeks of the season left, and
the hands could not he collected in
time. The result was that thousands
of fish were left to rot on the WhaTYes
until the over-worked cansery men
found time to throw them back into
the stream. The fishermen could
only dispose Of a limited supply, 40
tks, in the height Of the season,
which ihey had hoped to prove
harvest, they were i6rGod 70 remain
idle. An hours work, somet'mos
fifteen minutes, supplied them with
all the iish they could sell. One
cast Of the net actually Drought up
7G0 salmon, ranging from - to 60
pounds, aiid sufficient TO load sever
al boats. 1t was nothing unusual
to throw back 2 number of fish into
the stream and let them pursue
their headlong way to tho spawning
grounds.
The great abundance of salmon in
the river Of ALASKA is thus referred
to in a. letter published in q late
San Francisco paper: As for the
salmon, as seen this morning urging
their way up the swift, brawling
cuFfe4.-tans of thousands of them
side by side, silh their backs out
of water at shallow plaees-pQthing
that we could write may possibly
give anything ike fair conception
of the extravaganza of their numbers.
There Is more salmon apparently,
b4lk for bulk, than water. In ford
iag The st4eana the Writhing multi
tndes, crowding against each other,
could not get out OF ones way. One
Of our men waded out in the midst
of them and amused himself by
sei9ing them above the tail and
swinging thsm above his head.
Thousands Gf lhem eaald thus be
taken by hand while they were max
ing their way over the shadows
among the stones. Whatever may
be said Of other resources of that
Territory, it is hardly possible to
exaggesate the Importance of her
fisheries. Not 20 Iaeatsqn cod, her
ring, halibut, &c, there are pFGba-
bly not less than a thousand sal
mon streams in Southeastern Alas
ke as large or larger than this one
(abont forty teat vide crowded with
fine salmon every year,