The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-06-03
SHRIMP
Work of the Chinese Fisherman Along The
Pacific Coast.

Work OF the Chinese Fisherman Along the
Pacific Coast.
The sight of the awkward Chinese
Junk has become so common in the ba~
rs TO hardly attract the attention of
! those who are in the habit OF using the
ferry-boats constantly. Occasionally
some jOcular, contemptuous remark is
made on the build or rig of one of the
crafts, coupled with plying allusion
to the poyerty-stricken-looking crew.
The owners of the crafts can afford to
let the laugh 90 round, and none of
them is at all DESTROYS of correcting the
mistaken impression as to their poverty
and the small amount realized by their
trade. 1t will astonish many of those
who have ridiculed the clumsy, high
sterned boxes, with their Slated square
sails, to learn that the freight carried
by these boats amounts in value to
about S3, 0O0,OO0 year. All of them
are engaged in the fishing trade on the
bay and the lagoons or tidal creeks
which run up into the low marshy
lands lying along the shores. They
are here TO make as much money IN as
short time as possible, and then go
back to China. From Vallejo to the
extreme southern end of the bay they
are busy all the year round, dragging
the waters of the bay with nets having
meshes so small that nothing that
swims can escape them; salmon fry,
minnows. young herring, shrimps and
large fish are all scoOped in. The
larger fish are sold ut ten to fifteen
cents per pound in Chinatown, while
the smaller ones. together with the
shrimpS, are sent abroad. When
haul is made the wiggling mass is
sorted out on the beach, the larger
fish being at once sent to mar
ket. The small fish are again
sorted, the larger ones being dried and
packed separately. The shrimps, after
being dried, are shaken up in sleeves or
riddles. The shells and small portions
of the shrimps fall through the sleeves
and are carefully gathered up in sacks.
The meaty parts are carefully packed
and also sent abroad us table delicacy;
the shells and refuse, together with the
refuse fish, are all packed together and
sent away to be used as food for fowls
or for manure. Every steamer leaving
this port takes away in the neighbOr-
hood of 400 tons of dried shrimps and
fish in the proportions of $50 tons of
shrimps, POO tons of sardines, salmon,
etc., and fifty tons of shrimp shells and
fish manure. The shrimpS are the most
valuable, bringing in China an average
of $500 per ton. The sardines and
salmon are worth 5000 per ton and the
refuse $40 per ton, or total of SS7, 900
for the 400 tons of product. For years
the shipment averaged three month
or thirty-siX shipments year, being an
export of 50, 132, 900 worth of stuffs
gathered in by the Chinese junks and
their lazy, shiftless-loOking crews. Be-
yond the slight amount necessary to
buy the lumber for their boats and
little cordage and cloth for sails and
rigging, hardly dollar of this large
sum is spent in this country. Even the
nets and the Irvine of which they are
made are brought from abroad. A
gentleman who was engaged for years
in searching Chinese steamers states
that he has often seen Cinnamon land
at the mail dock with nothing in the
world in the shape of capital except
one of these nets. In about a month
the same Chinaman would appear us a
shipper of from three to ten tons of fish
He had in the meantime associated HIM
self with four or five others; they had
secured a secondhand boat and gone
to work dragging the bay. In few
months he was not only shipper but
an importer, receiving large lots of
rice, sugar. dried fowls, and other ar
ticles of Chinese food, as well us cloth
ing.-SdH Francisco Post.