The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-27
WASHINGTON FISHERIES IN 1859.
statistics Obtained From . Recent Bull
Ietfn of the Census Bureau,

II 1868 there were engaged in the fishing
industry in Washington $3.50 persons, or
27.6o per cent. of the aggregate plumber of
employees in the Pacific fisheries The
amount of investment was s1,5f7 1897, or
25.3o per cent. The value of the catch was
$s90.s or 1895 per cent. Washington
had u salmon canneries. The Washing
ton fisheries gave employment to $3.50
persons, of whom 2s3 were vessel fisher
men, 2,57l shore fishermen, and 976 shores
men, factory hands, etc. The Wash
lngton capital invested was 1,517, 1897;
$1. 600 in vessels of net tonnage of 752 70,
the outfit being worth s31 $40; $145, coo in
boats; $402. III in apparatus. and 1886, go
in shore property and working capital.
The value of the product was $500, 500;
fish, $763, 10s; mollusks and crustaceans,
$90.S44; whale and seal products, $50, 9OS;
other products. $4,000 The value of the
salmon for canning, 1897 ,920 pounds, was
S647. III; the value of the canned salmon,
226,393 cases, 81. 33I $3.50; number of en-
ployes, 976
The natural conditions of the Pacific
states are unusually favorable to the de-
yelopment OF commercial fisheries of
great Importance. Compared with the
hshing communities of the Atlantic coast,
the fisheries interests of the West coast
states are of recent origin, and may be
considered as only in their infancy al
though their growth has been remarkable
and has kept pace with the rapid settle
ment OF the region. 1t 10 true that the SAL
mon fishery, which has existed for quarter
OF century, has declined, and will prob
ably never reach its former importance
unless radical measures for the increase
and protection of the fish are taken but
the general shore and ocean fisheries nave
been carried only far enough to demon
strate the wonderful prolificness of the
waters and have never fully tested the re-
sources of the region.
Especially capable of great development
are the offshore vessel fisheries for miscel-
laneous food fish. The characteristic ves-
Sci fisheries at the present time are those
for whales, cod, fur seals and sea offers. all
OF which are of great economic value, while
the market fisheries are generally unim-
portant. The use of vessels in the whale
fishery is restricted to the port of San
Francisco, which has become the great
whaling rendezvous of the world. The
ocean vessel fishery tor dried cod is also
carried on only from San Francisco,
although in Puget sound there is a
small fresh and salt cod fishery
prosecuted adjacent to the land. Fur
seals and sea offers are taken by
vessels sailing from both California and
Washington ports. From Puget sound
there has recentlv been developed mar
ket fishery for halibut, salmon and other
pc cies, which is chiefly engaged in by
vessels formerly belonging in New En-
gland. The most extensive market
fisheries at present are prosecuted
with small vessels in Southern Cali
fornia. Oregon has no vessels actually
employed in fishing, although it has been
deemed proper to credit to this state, as
we'll as to California and Washington,
those vessels connected with the fisheries
In the capacity of carriers OF fish when
their operations have been restricted to
this commodity. Such vessels are prin-
pally engaged on the rivers in collecting
salmon for the canneries.
The shore fisheries are practically limited
to the California coast and Puget sound.
In the former section they are mostly in
the hands of Chinese, who take large
quantities of mollusks and crustaceans in
addition to food fish.
The river fishery for salmon on this
Coast is the most extensive in the world,
and the business of canning salmon, which
is dependent on the fishery, is of great
magnitude.
In the tables herein presented the entire
ocean, shore, and river fisheries of each
state are shown. The shore line repre-
scented has a length of about 4, 425 miles. of
which California is credited with 1, $40,
Oregon L. ITO and Washington ,345.
On the Columbia in Washington, three
fisning vessels were owned tonnage, GA. 05;
value, $4,000; value of outfit, 5000. On
Puget sound fourteen vessels were owned:
tonnage, 6SS.6s; value, $4,000; value of
outfit. S29, 500. Considering the two states
of Oregon and Washington together, thirty
vessels engaged in fisheries have an aver
age net tonnage of 39.17 and an average
value of 1855. while the average val
ne of outfit amounts to I,43l
OF the seventeen Washington vessels,
three pursued halibut two also taking
sea otter and fur seal; eleven caught fur
seal, sea otter and walrus, and three were
miscellaneous. In Washington l,130 gill
nets, with an average value of
$780, were operated. and l59 weirs
and pound nets, valued at $122. 400.
These weir and pound nets are Distributed
thus: Chehalis river and Gray's harbor,
81, worth SIS, 800; Columbia river. 6S,
worth sci, 100; Puget sound. II. worth
s.. 500: Willapa harbor, AZ, worth 500, 600
The most ingenious and effective form
of apparatus employed in the fisheries of
the west coast states is the fish wheel, of
which two types are recognized. the sta
tionary and the floating The wheel has
been aptiy called the apotheosis
of the dip net. Wheels are found
only in the Columbia river, and
about two-third are on the Oregon side of
the stream. The value of wheels is greater
than that of any other apparatus used in
these fisheries. The average cost is 81, 1872
The stationary wheels have an average
value of $3,672, while those arranged on
scows are worth only 81 400. Washington
in 1889 had eight stationary wheels, valued
at S35, TO. and floating wheels. valued at
So. 567 The number of seines used in
Washington was SO, worth S44, 200. The
Columbia river had % seines, worth S24,