The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05

Largo Development Of Our Fishing Inter-
ests There-The Candlehsh.

Largo Development Of Our Fishing Inter-
ests There-The Candlehsh.
Tho value OF the fisheries u the United States
has become far greater than that OF any other
nation and no feature OF our fisheries has had u
more rapid growth than salmon canning tho
Pacific Coast Salmon canning is by far tho
largest branch OF the Pacific Coast fisheries, and
the market value OF the canned salmon put up on
the Pacific Coast every year is about twice that
OF the entire annual product Of the lake fisheries
We have hardly realized yet how much the waters
of the Alaskan coast are contributing To our
wealth In twenty years nearly 700 600 900
pounds Of fresh salmon have been take n in Alaska
and the value Of the Canned and sailed product
has been nearly S33. 900. 600. over d third Of all
the salmon canned and packed on the Pacific Coast
now comes from Alaska and the industry Is grow
Ing every year II Is spread along the coast from
the neiGhborhood OF S'tka<n southeast Alaska
10 Kadiak Island near ~ Alaskan peninsula,
and then further north into the waters Of Behrinr
Sea- and that region now contributes about II
fifth Of the entire catch. kndiak and Chignik
contribute about three seventies Of IL, southeast
ern Alaska quarter and Cook Inlet Prince Will
lam Sound and the Copper River make up tho
balance Along these hundreds Of miles Of coasts
there are thirty canncries and more than half Of
them are owned by one packing association.
describing his Alaskan explorations Of last year
In print tells Of tie little cannery at Orca. not
far from the mouth Of the Copper River which
was 80 little known until recently that il could
not be accurately placed on the maps. This
cannery has a capacity Of 30 900 cases per an.
mum and employs from 1875 10 100 men, OF whom
sixty are Chinese The Chinese do all the work
in the cann-ry making, packing and labelling
tho cans and boxing them for shipment Tho
remainder OF the force are fishermen and boat.
men. and most OF the fish are caught at the mouth
Of the Copper River. One day last year a vessel
Of the company came into Orca having on board
23OOO fish, representing single days catch
AT the mouth Of the Copper RIVER This was
by no means an ordinary catch, but larger
catches had been made, and il was enough
uously Tor three days Here, tic captain
says, he ate "from can that had Just been packed
some Of the famous king salmon, which is indeed
the king Of salmon, not only on account Of It's size
and beauty, but also from its very delicate flavor"
which in tie sumner months pmts in s an oppnS1
anCc in immense numbers. Capt Glenn says
their schools are so lhck thHt wi every outgoing
10 get hack into the water II Is eASyto gather up
a huchclfu OF them in five minutes, selecting only
those ltiat are nliyc. The squaws catch great
water They arc much like The ordinary smelt in
texture and mayor, though much oilicr and two or
three tines as large, II Is said NE fsh is called
candlc'ish because when is dried IL will light and
burn like an ordinary candle.
In Lieut. Learnard's report, also Just printed
he says mat along the coast in Prince William
Sound, and also in Cook Inlet there are p,nty
of fish, the principal varieties being cod. haIihu,
cases of salmon are packed and shipped away,
while many thousands Of salmon are simply
thrown away bccHufc ,h@X gre nol o. Me choicest
species are being rapidly destroyed Every fresh
water stream contains plenty Of salmon after they
start IL run as the fish cndeayOr 10 get to the head
Of tie stream before spawning.