The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1901-08-22
THE RECORD BROKEN
The LEGAL Soekeys Rack Exceeds That
Of any ether Year
10000 cAsEswoRTH sls6,ooo
Some Figures Of Approximate Cost and
Proet 70 Cannsrymen This Year-How
sslmos are wasted BY .Ovsrsrewding
Traps aud opillsrs.

The total sockeye pack at the can
merry now is approximately 80, 1000 cases
or about 5000 cases more than wer
ever packed here before in any on
season. At present prices the value o
the local sockeye pack alone Is abou
$l35 900, or SIC, 900 more than the tota
sum received by Gould & Keen from
the Pacific-American Fisheries Com
pany for the cannery, steamer Michi
gan and all the trap locations and fish
ing paraphernalia Of the Island Pack
ing Company. And yet at tho time
the sale was made the idea seemed tt
pretty generally prevail that the PA
F. Co. was paying most extravagant
prices for the properties itacquired.
An idea Of the profit derived from
the operation of a cannery as favorably
located and well equipped as the one
here, when there Is big run of sock
eyes, may be easily obtained. In thu
first place it is estimated that the
actual cost of the fish, when taken from
traps equipped with ''spillers," does
not exceed 81 cents each. Counting q
dozen sOckeyes to a case of fOrty-eighl
cans, the cost of the 'raw material, u
per case, is only 80 cents. The can.
ming process costs about SO cents, and
80 cents more will cover cost of cans
cases and shipping, while 40 cents is
probably liberal estimate for taxes
insurance, repairs and incidentals. 81
it would seem that in an exceptional
year like the present the total cost OF
salmon per case, where the supply Is
taken from traps numbered among the
big producers, does not exceed 81, and
the wholesale selling price does moi
vary much from $3.50. The profit to
cannerymen who have no traps to de.
pend upon, but have to buy their fish
In the open market, Is Of course con.
siderably less, but even with fish cost.
ing Is cents each, the maximum price
this year, it will readily be seen that
the profit Ia still very large. Stock.
holders in the big combine" how.
ever, cannot reasonably expect to get
dividends on the basis OF such figures
as those above given for the reason that
the property acquired is capitalized fol
millions more than the original cost
and princely salaries are paid to the
chief officials and heads of depart
ments, the presidents salary being
equal to that of the president of the
United States.
A we'll known fisherman who has
been familiar with trap fishing OIL the
salmon banks for q number Of years
says it Is not true that salmon can be
kept in first-class condition for tive
weeks or more I'm the "spillers," which
have been used for the first time this
year, and furthermore that while 1t il
true that many thousands OF salmon
have been allowed to run out of the
traps and spillers after being kept in
them some time, they have not been
turned loose, in instances coming under
his observation, until great many OF
them have rubbed off their fins and
their noses against the web in trying
to escape and have become SO dazed
apparently, that they did not know
which way to 60 when let out, and
instead of resunling their interrupted
course toward the Fraser river have
drifted off into bays and coves where
salmon have seldom, Ii ever, been seen
before, and that few, il any of them
will ever reach the spawning grounds
It is his idea that the trap men should
be required by law to lift their traps
every day, unless prevented from 81
doing by rough weather, and that all
fish not taken from them at each lift
should be allowed to 90 free. 1t is re-
ported that the big AinswOrth Il Dunn
trap on the banks was not lifted fol
three weeks and that when an attempt
was made to lift it, it was found i'm
possible on account Of the weight Of
thousands of dead fish In the bottom
It would certainly seem that there
should not be any room for argument
on the proposition that such wanton
waste of a valuable food product ought
not to be permitted. The folly of kill
ing the goose that lays the golden egg
was demonstrated years ago.