The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-05-26
Columbia River SalU on.

De ltut; indN toSfe HOl ne reason 10
apprehend a gradual extinction oe
this lordly fish in our waters: The
canneries have multiplied during
the past few years In earlier
times there has been wanton waste
$50 mauy fish were caught that
the supply glutted the market.
To-day decent kit of salmon is
hard to find in the city of Port
land. We have tried all the first
class grocery stores in vain, for
"fresh salmon bellies" such as we
used TO get few years ago. The
whole of the fish is now made use
of; jaws are put up in kits, labeled
'tips" and are. exceedingly nice.
The heads and loins are pressed
for oil which finds ready market.
When the canning business was
new, thousands and thousands of
pounds were thrown away in the
cans, and at least one ship load of
canned salmon was emptied into
the Thames, condemned at that
foreign port as 'sswell heads;" not
having been put up properly, the
cans head bulged, so proving
worthless. Thus a great waste was
made till experience taught that
salmon canning was a science ofits
own, and that expert Gamers of
other meats could not preserve
salmon.
California wakened early to the
necessity of guarding the fishing
interests, while we Oregonians
have not only been wantonly de-
structive of the salmon, but heed
lessly forgetting to provide an arti-
fetal supply. Seth Green has
taught the world that fish may be
bred like any other animal food.
Fish commissioners in California
have conducted their operations in
sensible way by breeding and by
protective laws, SO that up to this
time there has been no perceptible
decrease in the supply, but rather
otherwise, for there have been
more successful runs during the
past two years.
There are some liberal, far-see,
ing men in the fishing interest, who
have tried to foster this industry
here in Oregon, and have been
willing to put money into it, but
others, too short-sighted and gree
dy, have been indifferent to the fu.
ture, and have succeeded in de.
stroying whatever interest haG
arisen. The Matching experiment
in the Clackamas river, near Or
egon City, demonstrated that FISH
could be propagated in our small
er streams and so supply the Co
lumbia, aud that too at "A nomina
expense. The business woalc
have to be taken in hand by the
state, for Sit would be difficult {,
come TO an equitable adjustment
Of expenditures where the benefit
would be SO widely difFused. 1
would be- difiicult to get concert
OF action among the owners O
canneries III consequence of di
version ofinterests. 1t has beer
said that the Clackamas hatchery
was a failure, but it is not so: i
most clearly demonstrated tha
with a little more experience a few
years time would find the Co.
lumbia good fishing grounds again
1t can scarcely be possible but
that this constant drain upon the
salmon will tell in mournful nun
bers of the loss TO Oregon of one o
her greatest exports. Let there
be early brought before the Leg
islature questions bearing on the
fishing interests, for better protec
ton Of the FISH at certain seasons
and for providing hatcheries on tn
various streams-and there canno
be too many of them either. /
this is not done soon, the Columbi
will show many empty canneries
with their useless nets swinging
from the rotting piles. ~
We are not disposed to tax
such a pessimistic view of tn
case as our contemporary, but it
evident that something should b
done to insure a steady supply
and aid nature in propagating th