The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-27
PUGsr SOUND FISHING.


1mportaneo of Senator Cloypoo1's Bill
for Protoction Of the lnAustry.
OLxxrIA. Feb. M.-lSpscial Senator Clay
pool introduced two bills in the Senate
this morning that will b o. great intsrest
to the fishing industsy Of the ststs. and -
ststs into two distxcts, Puget sound and III tRib
utaries to b known - one. and the Columbia
and Chehalis rivers and their tributaries the
other. It creates fish ccmmission, composed Of
two ccmmissioners, giving one 70 each district;
The bill introduced BY Megler, which passed
tect only the Columbia river. and not Puget
sound.
Mt D. H. Hume Of Tacoma. who has life
i've yesrs. IN the fishing Industry. both on the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts, IL here in the inter-
est Of the bill. He is earnest In his advocacy Of
10r the Of s f0
conversation with . PosT-INTELLIGENcER re-
porter this afternoon Mr. Hume said
II consider the bill for the protection Of our
pool, the most important measure to come be-
fore the legislature this session. IL has bsen pre-
pared after careful consideration and discussion
Of the state. BY men who. Ike myself. have de-
voted years to this moot important industry.
1.-THE bill introduced by Mr.. Megler, and which
has passed. is good as far II goes. IL good
for the Columbus and ChehaliS rivers, but II
does not protect sound nor it, tributarics The
reason IL this: The salmon OF Columbia river
do not run in the same season of the year, the
Columbia river salmon spawning in the spring
and summer and ours in the late summer and
fall This 10 accounted for by the fact that
salmon only come 10 rivers for spawning when
tho streams are rising. The Columbia river
takes its rise In summer from melting snow,
aud Puget sound streams take their rise from
fall rains. Necessarily then the beasons do not
come at the same time. Mr.. Megler's bin pro
Columbia river rises. which 10 the wrong time
for us. His bill also protects during March,
April ana May In salt water, which applies 70
Puget sound proper, ct . time when such pro-
lection 10 not necessary, g we have no salmon
"Yom viii readily see" continued MI. Hume,
shat We get the worst OF 1t all around, and It Il
absolutely necessary that we enact some sort OF
law to apply to each locality. This bill of ours
protects all food fishes on Puget sound and its
tributaries In the right seasons. The industry
yean 4 win be equal to that Of Maine or Massa.
chusetts. Our waters abound with IN unlimited
quantity Of cod and halibut, in addition TO all
the food fishes they have in the East, excepting
mackerel, shad and few other fishes that will
guarantee will do well here If they are properly
point the proper fish commissioners, Il will not
be long until we have them here.
another matter OF great importance ID the In
terest with which prominent Eastern fishing
companies are looking toward Puget sound. /
know myself of several firms that are going to
investigate the fishing industry during the COM
ing spring and summer. This is occasioned for
one thing by the failure of the fisheries in the
East. There Is no reason why we cannot be-
come known for deep sea AZ well AZ inland fish
ing Salt and fresh water fishing are directly diff
ferent in character. We have both here, while
the Columbia river has only fresh water fish
Ing"