The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-06-28
THE SALMON INDUSTRY.

Following is The report Of the special
committee of the city council, to whom
was referred the message of Mayor
Kinney, on the preservation of the sal
mon industry:
To the Honorable Mayor and Members
of the Common Council of the City of
ASTORIA
Gentlemen: We. the committee to
whom was referred the message of the
mayor on the salmon industry, beg to
report as follows:
That we find the facts and conditions
plainly stated in said message, and that
we deem it Of the utmost Importance
that the matter be brought to the notice
Of our senators and representatives in
congress-the urgent need of immediat
action of the government in making an
appropriation for the establishment and
maintenance of ~hatcheries for the prop
a~gation of salmon, in sufficient quanti-
ties to keep up the supply. We advise
the necessity of communicating with
Senators Dolph and Mitchell and Repre-
sentatives Hermann and Ellis, of Ore
gon, and Senator Squire and Represen-
tatives Wilson and Doolittle, of WASH
ingtop, by telegraph, urging them to
use their best efforts to have a rider
put on the ''sundry appropriation bill
now before the United States senate, APP
propriating fifty thousand dollars
$3.50, 00W for'the establishment and main
tenance of hatcheries on the Columbia
river, for the propagation of salmon.
Also writing to above senator's and rep
re%sentatives of both states, and to the
United States fish commission, putting
the facts before them as they exist. The
salmon packers Of the Columbia river
annually pay to the United States gov
eminent, in customs, $780, 900 on tin
plate alone, besides a large amount on
salmon Irvine, etc, 60 that we think
they are entitled to some protection,
and aid, to perpetuate their business.
We nave had the pleasure of meeting
with DR.. Smith, of the United States
fish commission, since the receipt of the
message from the mayor, his visit at
this time being very opportune, and
he informs us that the commission is
eager and anxious to do something in
the way Of hatcheries; he also informed
us that they 0he United States COM
mission) saw no objection to the es-
adjustment of hatcheries in this imme-
date neighborhood, but rather favor it.
The government has successfully
operated hatcheries for the propagation
Of shad, and Matched hundreds of mil
lions of them, stocking many rivers,
making these fish plentiful, where be-
fore they were not known. They have
also Matched large quantities of cod,
lobster, etc.
Where so much has been lone for
these fish, which do not in any way
compare to our salmon, why not do
something for the king of all fishes,
our Incompatible salmon?
The pack of salmon on the Pacific
near one and a half million cases, per
year, taking near one hundred million
pounds Of fish. Much of this comes
from Alaska where the salmon supply
must in a short time, be very materially
decreased, as many of the streams
there are small. hence easily flshed out,
and it is impossible TO artifcially prop
agate there, owing to the early frosts
killing the eggs before they could be
Matched.
We are Of the firm conviction that
this noble river can, by sufficient help
in the way of artificial propagation, be
made to yield a pack OF one million
cases a year, virtually supplying the
world with these superior fish. We
think that the United States commits
sion have done something for US that
would have been better left undone,
viz. putting carp n catfish in our
river or its tributaries, and we protest
against n more such useless fish Icing
put into cur river - prey on the spawn
and salmon-fry. Those fish may be
good. where they have no better. but
are a nuisance here. to say the least
we are Of the opinion that the law