The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-02-08
"A NEW INDUSTRY.
" AaPpereA" -Herrings Being Peaked 1t
Mitchell Bay-The Herring Industry In
England.

The ISLANDER acknowledges re-
ceipt of aud returns thanks to the Red
Cross Fishing Company, operating at
Mitchell bay, for box of "fresl smoked
'Kipper' herrings." Mr.. johnson,
manager Of the company, says: "These
are the first Of their kind put up Oh the
Pacific coast. In England they are
considered treat by rich aud poor and
seldom is breakfast table of the queen
without them. 1t is my opinion and
my aim to soonest possible start can-
merry for canning these fish. Every
can now sold in the States comes from
England or Scotland. This is shame
when they can be put up here. The
herring on this coast are equal II not
superior to the European fish. In Eng
land two million men and women are
engaged the year round curing these
nsh. The women split them and the
men do the rest of the work."
"Kippers'' mot skippers) are certain
ly quite delicious when prepared as d.
rected, that is fried few minutes in
butter or lard. Although the fisheries
industries of Great Britain and Ireland
are immense, we inclined to think that
Mr.. johnson must be mistaken i'm his
statement that the herring fiheries
alone employ "two million men and
women" In 1888 the number of men
employed in the British fisheries of all
kinds was 125, 764, Of whom $1,000 were
Scotch and Al 900 English. The total
number of boats employed was 80, 1S9
and the total value of fish landed on
the coasts of the United Kingdom In
1889 was about $50, 100000, including
shell fish but excluding salmon. Of
course it is not material if the increase
since then, though undoubtedly large,
has not been as great as Mr.. JOhnsen's
statement would indicate. Cert; my
the industry is very important. The
herring industry is far greater in Great
Britain than it is in the United States.
although the combined fisheries indus.
tries of this country are considerably
more extensive than those of the
United Kingdom, both as respects the
value of their product and the number
of people to whom they afford support.
The great herring port of England is
Yarmouth, OH the North sea, where
from seventy-five to one hundred mil
hon behring's are cured annually. Ac-
cording to u British authority on the
subject Yarmouth herring fishery has
been carried OH for nearly or quite 800
years. 'lhare Is no doubt" he says,
"that it was we'll established when
Henry l. granted charter to the town
in llOS," and as the largest catches of
which there is any record have been
made in recent years, there is evidently
little reason to believe that the fisheries
are becoming exhausted.
The principal herring fisheries of
North America are in Canadian waters
off the coast of Nova Scotia, in the
Gulf of st. Lawrence, Gulf of Cansp,
Bay of Chaleur and the numerous
coves and bays formed by the Mag
dalen islands. OF the different varrie-
ties by far the best are the celebrated
Labrador herrings." The great bulk
of the produc of the Canadian fish
cries is marketed i'm the United States
and the West Indies.
The term "Kipper," as used by Mr..
johnson. indicates the manner of eur
ing. AS defined by Webster it means
IA salmon split open, sailed and dried
or smoked" The word "kipper" orig.
inally denoted a salmon directly after
the spawning season; and as fish, in
this state, are not good for Use while
fresh, they are usually cured and hung
up. Hence the word, which properly
denoted a spawning salmon, came to be-
generally used for one that is sailed
and dried.