Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-07
BIG SALMON SEASON
The Fish Are Swarming Up the Co.
lumbia and Fraser Rivers.
4 fOUR--MILLI0N- DOLLAR CATCH
How Fish damned in a Creek
Formed Natural Bridge.
SEEMING FROM THE SHORE

Written for The Evening Star.
Advices from the Fraser and Columbia
rivers, as well as from Alaska, indicate
that this will be the biggest salmon year
within a quarter century.
The fish are running upstream literally
in swarms; SO close do they run, In fact,
that a canoe paddledsouer the surface be-
comes an instrument of death, killing hun
dreds of salmon in its passage. In the
upper tributaries of tibet Fraser the crush
is tremendous, and the certain result will
be the practical damming up Of these mar
row mountain torrents with solid masses
of dead fish. But, while. the waste is ex-
pected to be very large.a the canning out
put will lalso greatly exceed that of pre-
vious years.
DR.. Tarleton H. Bean, director of the
New York aquarium, who has won both
fame and wide experience as a member
of the United States fish commission, is au-
thority for the following statement:
1T may confidently be asserted that
British Columbia and Alaska will, this
year, beat the record with their fish out
put. The conditions for salmon have rare
ly been SO good, and reports of a mammoth
rush upstream come pouring in from the
northwest. 1t Is stated that SO tremendous
is the influx of fish, that hundreds are ac-
tually forced out Of the water and into the
boats.
Four Million DOllars'- Worth of Fish.
1.-THE salmon pack, Or. canning Output in
1S91-a good year--for the. Fraser river
fisheries was 400, AGA, valued at $2.::51 ,tIS3
With these figures as basis, it would
hardly be an exaggeratfon to say that
these seine fisheries, with their greatly in
creased facilities and larger number of
hands, ought in 1897 to turn out canned
fish to the value of about $4,0O0,000. Sta
tistics are less exactly taken in our Alas
kan fisheries, but they also ought to show
a marked increase. In addition to all this,
1t must be remembered that the Indians do
a very great deal of privateer fishing. In
fact, the aborgines largely subsist on dried
fish, the bucks netting them and the
squaws cleaning and drying.
Salmon years do not rum as is generally
supposed, in cycles of four. The fact is
that none can exactly predict the approach
Of banner year i'll the fisheries; but,
when 1t comes, at either long or short in
tervals, the market usually becomes glut-
ted. 1 fear that, this season, canned sal
mon will remain for some time drug in
the market.
Increase of Population.
1.-THE salmon industry is doing wonders
for British Columbia. New Westminster,
the capital of the fisheries, had in 1881
population of 5000 souls. Today the popu-
lation has quadrupled, exceeding 1000,
and this exclusive of Indians and transient
laborers. In the fisheries and canning fac
tories over 5000 people are now employed.
according to the official reports These are
almost altogether Chinese and Indians.
The fishermen-who are paid per fish
caught, regardless of weight, about cents
number in their ranks English, Scotch
crofters, Irish, French. Canadians, Scandi-
navians, Italians, japanese and Indians.
In spite of the small pay, it is possible in
a. year like the present to make big money.
1.-The incorporated fisheries possess miles
of docks, fleets of boats and canoes, and
vast sheds for the canning. In process of
time have no doubt but that enterprising
Americans will make the Alaskan rivers
rival those of British Columbia"
DR.. Bean declined to discuss the preva-
lent rumor that big English syndicate
Is about to purchase the entire canning
and packing plant of the Fraser river fish
cries.
John A. Fraser R. c. A., the well-known
landscape painter spent many years on
his namesake river, while preparing a Sc
ries of views ut the instance of the Cana
dian government. Asked concerning the
fisheries, he said: III
ITO begin with, boat fishing does not ex-
list for more than feWl miles above the
delta of the Fraser. Beynnd that point all
fishing is done froms. the shore by men,
and sometimes, in exceptional years, with
How the FislBAne Caught. 500
1.-The net used dif1srs slargely from the
seines used in Alaskax can compare 1t to
nothing better than ashuge hammock slung
by both ends to a pole. might is the time
for fishing operations. The men arrange
among themselves fols certain stretches of
river. Below the delta line they cast their
nets from boats with thigh. platformed
sterns Further up, tie river being unnayi-
gable on account of ITS tAerce current and
sunken rocks. they cast from the hank.
A good man can catch hundreds daily. Two
hundred fish at cents a fish means $12
day; and that il no unusual wage In the
season. Below the delta have heard of
500 being earned by two men In q single
day-or. to be exact, IN q single night
THAT 1897 Is to be q banner year have
heard from various friends at New West
minister. Strange as 1t may SEEM the cam
ming people are not always elated by BAN
ner years. So much salmon drugs the mar
ket and even hurts the canning Industry.
Bridge Composed of Dead Fish,
Nobody who has not been In the north.
west can have any notion OF the awful
thrush OF salmon during a very big year,
Ike the present. A single illustration from
my personal knowledge may suffice. On one
occasion crossed tributary Of the Fraser
river literally over bridge made of SAL
mon. The f1sh were quite dead, and had