The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1901-02-08
Salmon Must Be Given Protection.

Il
agent who last summer visited Puge
Sound and Alaska for the purpose o
looking into the salmon industry, tha
after a detailed examination he is con
WINGED that unless the government de
vises some speedy means of relief ths
whole salmon business of the Pacific
coast and Alaska will become extincl
In few years. This, he saws, vii
thus deprive the world of one of it,
most valuable food products.
The industry on Puget Sound, ht
says, at the present rate will not las
more than a few years. The Alasks
salmon fishing grounds he classifes al
the largest in the world, but in al
parts where this fish is TO be found, he
says, there is wholesale determination
going on. Unless the plans that are
now followed are changed, and at once
he adds, the output of all districts viii
begin to decrease very shortly, or with.
in year or two.
His recommendation is that the
government establish hatcherles in
Alaska capable of producing at least
q, 100000 salmon every year.
While on this tour of inspection oi
the methods employed at tae fishing
grounds on Puget Sound and Alasks
Mr.. Hutchin spent several weeks here
and about two months in Alaska. In
all the places be visited he made ex-
tensive inquiries among the fishermen
aDd while reticent regarding what his
report would be gave out the lntima.
ton that salmon fishing could not be
continued in the present ways for any
considerable length of time In ar
interview regarding the matter at the
time OF his return from Alaska he said
There is not enough. attention giver
TO the perpetuation of the salmon in
dustry in the Puget country. Tn,
! methods that are at the present tim,
employed will in time result in ashort
age OF fish The state hatcheries tha
are in operation here now are vel
and good, but they are not sufficient
There should be at least twice the pre-
sent number, and more than tha
would not be too many. There is n,
better industry in all this section o
the country than that of salmon fish
ing but you are exterminatins the fish
and in few years you will see that
am right.
"There is another thing that yol
have not given consideration here, ant
that is the fact that you do not Civ
the fish the proper opportunity to in
crease. That is, your closed season /
not long enough. On this accoun
every year / find there are millions @
eggs and young fish destryed. Th
ocean is not made of salmon. Their
is goodly number of them there, III
doubt, but like everything else there
an end, and the manner in which th
business is run on the Sound will brin
you to the end shortly.
"The Alaska waters are the creates
salmon fishing waters in the world
bnt they are being caught there in th'
| same ruthless manner. In fact, ther'
is greater waste in Alaska than ther
is in Washington.
I'm order that the indicated cond
ton may not be brought about it wi
be necessary to make some changes j
the present laws as they relate to th
] fishing industry 1t is matter for th
consideration of the department, an
in my report / shall make recommend
ations as in my opinion think vii
fit the needs.
"While on account of the greatly 10
creased pack each year it has not beel
noticed here, it is true nevertheless
that within the past five years ther
has been a growing shortage. Fiv
years ago there were twice as man
salmon in the Sound waters as ther
are at the present time. At that tim
there was not the same demand TO
the produce that there is now and a
were not needed. As the demand ha
increased, SO have the number of can
neries, and when there has been
poor year it is attributed to heing a
off year or to the fact that there Is to
much web in the water. Five year
ago all the canneries on Puget soun
could not have put up the fish ths
could have been caught with the sam
amount of web there is in the water
ct present.
sSome plans must be devised .
once whereby the increase Of the fisl
will be more rapid. They must b
taken care of and thereby the industr
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