Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-10-11
Chinook Salmon.

Chinook Salmon.
Mr.. EDIToR:-There seems tc
be some talk among the fisher
men regarding the fish laws and
the future prospect for salmon or
the Yaquina and Alsea Bays.
It is fact that salmon are very
scarce and the question is, Why
and what will prevent? We now
have laws that will prevent it tc
quite an extent, if put into force,
They are good enough unless we
can get local laws to apply to each
stream. Laws that apply to the
Yaquina, Alsea and Siletz will not
apply to the Umpqua and Rogue
rivers. 1t is almost impossible to
get local laws for each stream, al
though it should be done. If we
extend the time of the open season
until the 18th of November, then
we must stop all fishing above the
mouth of Mill Creek, as one-tenth
of the Chinook that come in at this
bay spawn between the mouth of
Mill creek and the head of tide wa
ter. More or less fishing is done
on that water, and in so doing they
destroy hundreds of Chinook that
are ready to spawn. Twenty-Five
per cent Of the salmon caught in
that water are no gcod for the mar
ket and must be destroyed. Every
female so destroyed destroys 5000
eggs, and in some as high as &c, 900
eggs, 5000 to 1000 being the aver
age number. And after they leave
tidewater what becomes of them?
They go up the small creeks along
those rivers. Most of the creeks
pass ranchel S house and, thought
less of what they are doing, the
boys amuse themselves throwing
the salmon out of the creek with a
pitchfork. And I have seen men
get very much excited helping the
younger ores destroy salmon in
that manner, that were of no use
except to spawn.
The law saw says no set-net or
trap must extend more than one
third across any stream, slough or
channel. But it is no uncommon
thing for all that to find them as of
old, from bank to bank. Six years
ago it was easy to find from eight
to twenty-five set-nets between the
mouth OF mill creek and Elk City,
some of them one hundred fathoms
long and forty-fve meshes deep,
stretched three or four times across
the liver, making it almost impos.
sible for a salmon to get to the
spawning ground. 1t has now be-
come custom for people to come
in from the Valley and camp on the
streams to destroy salmon. Only
think Of all this and can you,
brother fishermen, for minute
wonder why salmon are so scarce.
The salmon industry is no small
item to the people of Lincoln county,
and we must protect them. One
man says, l do not fish or care for
them to eat. He must not forget
that ii his neighbor makes a few
dollars at fishing that he will get a
benefit from that amount, while he
may not divide the dollars directly
with him. He will make a market
for more of his produce. Now if
we want the fishing to continue we
must protect them. Not next
year but now. How must it be
done? l would suggest that every
man appoint himself a committee
of one to complain to the court of
the first and every man he finds
taking salmon contrary to- law.
Don't excuse him because he is a
brother fisherman and working
against his own interest, but teach
him the way to economy at once.
Let us make application to the
state for hatcheries on the Alsea
and Yaquina. A man who has been
employed at the state hatcheries
tells me there is a frst-class location
for hatchery on d. B. Ramsdell' $
place on Elk river.
FISHERMAN.
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AS will be noted in the county