The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-07-31
A FEW FISH STORIES
HOW "FISH PIRATES /" TRY 70 JUSTI-
Fly ROBBERY OF TRAPS
Weight and Cost of Socksyes and NuI1bsr
Required for Each Case--An Impor-
tant Invention Expected to supplant
Chinese Labor in Canneries.

The "flsh pirates," so called, who
were arrested at Whatcon, last week
for stealing fish from traps of the p. P.
& N. Co., have engaged counsel and
propose making strong fight against
the trap owners on grounds which
seem generally preposterods and which
if sustained would nullify the traplaw
and put an end to trap fishing. Ac-
cording to Whatcom dispatch to the
Seattle Times the "pirates" contend,
"that the fish are not in the possession
of the trap men until they are taken
from the sea and loaded into scows;
that so long as they remain In the trap
the game law that is as old as man ap-
plies; that the fish are not taken in
any sense of the word when they enter
the trap, as the place where they enter
remains open, and they Gan 60 out
whenever they choose. Furthermore,
the fishermen claim that the presence
of the traps in the depth of water is in
violation Of the federal statutes, and
that in fishing there they cannot pos
sibly be violating law. In this con-
nection they claim that'the state law
permitting of the driving OF traps is III
reality no license whatever for their
presence in the water, as the law is in
conflict with the federal statutes. And
they go even further than this and say
that even If the state law is good the
most valuable traps OH lower Puget
Sound are driven in deeper water than
permitted by law. namely, sixty-five
feet at low tide.n The attorneys of the
fishermen are HI. A. Fairchild, who
was chairman of the fisheries commit
tee in the last legislature and the chief
advocate, if not the originator, of the
proposition to legalize traps in eighty
five feet of water; s. M. Bruce, his
partner, lately acquitted, OH technical
grounds, of criminal completely in the
1 looting of the dinavian-American
bank, of Whatcom; and Whatcom's
present demigogical mayor, E. E. Har-
din.
A Fairhaven dispatch to the Seattle
Times says that "the trap men are
greatly pleased at the size of the fish
this year. Last year the sockeyes ran
from five to six pounds in weight
apiece, and it took from six to seven
fish to the case. This year the fish are
running about seven pounds apiece,
and it only takes about five to the
case.n Well! we'll! well! Now it might
be interesting to those of the Times
readers who are not so familiar with
the fish business as the correspondent
from the chief salmon town on the
coast may be presumed to be, to have
him explain to them how five 1-pound
salmon, after losing about one-fourth
of their weight in dressing, are made
to fill a case, consisting of forty-eight
1-pound cans. The fact of the matter
is that while it is true that the salmon
are larger this year than usual their
average weight is doubtless nearer six
pounds than seven and Gamers count
ON ten to twelve fish to case, instead
of five. With sockeyes prices ranging
as high as they now are--1S cents
packers who have to depend upon the
open market for their supply are likely
to have to do business this year on a
pretty narrow margin Of profit. A very
large portion of last years immense
pack is still in the hands of the pack
ers and the best brands are selling at
about So. SO case. Unless a small pack
this wear occasions all advance In prices
cannerymen who do not obtain their
supply of .'raw materialP' from their
own traps can hardly hope for very
rich harvest from the briny deep this
season.
Another item Of real interest In con-
nectior with the salmon fishing indus
try appears in Fairhaven dispatch to
the Times a. follows: mo invention
up to date promises to do so much in
the way OF revolutionizing the canning
industry as doess that Of Mr.. A. ].
Farmer, OF San Francisco, who has in-
! vented . fish cleaning machine