The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-21
An Astoria Man Describes the
Seasons Work.
FAIR AVERAGE RUNS
How the Fish are Protected and the
Industry FOstered by the Cana
dian Government.

Mr.. Gust. Holmes who has Lately re-
turned from the Skeena River, 3. c.,
where he has been managing the Anglo
British Columbia Packing Co.'S cannery,
was visited yesterday by representative
of the Astorian He talks in an interest
ing way about operations in the North
He said:
ION the Skeena River we have ex-
perienced three short seasons. Nothing
of the kind has ever been known before
and l believe that 1t is a sign of the dl-
mintion in the runs of the fish. The
salmon we catch on the Skeena is ex-
act.y the same as the Fraser river sock
eye. 1t Is the best salmon in British
Columbia and commands the highest
price. We have small fish as we'll
that runs earlier in the season. 1t has
no generic name, but we call it spring
salmon. There has been a large guam
tity of this species caught during the
present season. 1t is both white and
red in color, and the latter is most eX-
cellent eating, the only drawback to its
success in the market being that 1t
beaches after cooking. Although it is
very rich in oil this particular change
kills 1t as far as prices are concerned.
For several years buyers would not take
the fish at all, but this season a good de-
mand has sprung up again, and we have
been packing them in flats and ovals.
Most of the Skeena product is mar
keted in England, Australia, and Canada,
but very little mas been sold in the latter
country this year. We get the best
prices from England, though cheap Al
aska fish forms a big competitor The
offal from the canneries on the Skeena
Is thrown into the river. There was
great fright about this last yelr, but as
there was government election coming
on and the party in power wanted all the
votes they could get the matter was al
lowed to rest. We commence to fish on
the 18th of June for sockeyes, and are
allowed to continue until the first of Sep
tember, but we really finish operations
by the first of August. The weekly close
season begins at o'clock Saturday morn
ing and finishes at 6 o'clock Sunday
night. There are two fishery guardians
who see that this law is strictly enforced.
No traps, seines, or similar appliances
are allowed except in salt water inlets
where seines may be used. The length of
gill nets is limited to 200 fathoms for
sockeyes. There are nine canneries on
the Skeena river.
'The extra run on the Fraser river
this year is thought by some people to
be caused by the effects of the hatchery.
This supposition is a natural one, as the
hatchery has been in existence for sew
eral years and is doing good work all
the time. 1t is conducted by the govern
ment and run at a very small expense.
The Skeena river cannerymen are petit
tiUning the government for hatchery
on that stream and it Is probable that
they win get it.
"The old question of whether the salm- !
on ever returns to sea after spawning !
is being threshed out considerably in |
British Columbia. L am firm believer in |
the theory that they do and have con-
siderable evidence to prove it. Last year
we caught several spring fish Weighing |
20 pounds, and right alongside of them |
fish of the same variety Weighing only |
about pounds. Both contained spawn |
and there was no doubt at all that the
larger fish have teen in ana out of the |
river several times, while it was the |
first trip of the small ones. The Indi-
ans all agree that this is the case and. |
as they have been fishing for salmon for !
many generations and have watched their
habits great deal more carefully than !
the white man, they ought to know some
thing about it."