The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-20

day through a school of fish from one 10
three miles wide. and so thick that it
blalketS the face of the ocean? / have
San Juan.
What would you think of rivers so
packed with salmon hat they fill the
streams from hank TO bank-so thickly
packed that were they not so slippery and
the water not so Geep-you could walk
over them from one bank TO the other.
have seen that.
What would You think continued the
Duke, as he looked into nv w~ide-bulging
sses' of great watts Of salmon sixty feet
long, forty feet wide and forty feet deep
watts so big that you could drop a four
story business block of forty feet front
down into tEem-and all solid salmon? We
nave scores Of such watts. We empty the
hsh. into scows and carry them 10 our
p~ackins-houses whence they are shipped
10 all parts OF the world"
tfose are big stories, Mr.. McMillin ~
| said /.
Yes, but il yor will come to San Juan
VIII show you all that and more. Our
salmon exports are now greater in value
than our lumber exports, and they are
growing veal by year"
asked.
Comparatively so with US. The big sal
mon fishing OF the West was for a long
time confined to the Columbia River,
where the Chinook salmon come from.
The Chinook vas the first to be put upon
the market; and it is best known. 1t is
one Of the finest OF the salmon and about
the largest L have seen Chinook fish
weighing forty pounds apiece. and some
are caught which weigh eighty.
When James G. Blaine was at the
height OF his popularity, his Oregon
friends sent hin an eighty-pound salmon
It arrived in Washington in good condl-
served whole at one OF his dinners. When
You remember that 1t takes a rood chunk
or a boy TO weigh eighty pounds you may
get nE sITs idea Sdf the size Of that fish
What Is the character of your Puget
Sound fish. Mr.: McMillln?'
There are different varieties OF salmon
you know. each OF which has its own ma
nome and spa hing round The fish are
al. born at the k~eadwaters of rivers.
They swim down to the ocean as min
nows and live there for four years. when
they come back TO the spot where they
we're born TO lay the eggs for another
generation. They ONE BY the millions
and tens OF miliions, in great hordes of
many. companies, each fish going back to
the place of its nativity 10 lay its eggs
and die.
Among the best and most numerous Of
and an especial fsvorite is the Tyes or
King salmon.
The sock-eys is smaller than the Chi
nook: 1t weishs from five to seven
pNeHAo~' o1IOiNtI4k u zig SSASOu- III sDrGo
Seasons We catch millions which average
five pounds apiece. and In others the
average Is seven pounds or more. The
CHINOOK makes directly for the rivers. and
1t Is cauEhI there only.
The Sock-eyeS sport about through
Puget Sound on their way to the streams:
and their course Is such that we can catch
them as thsy come in fresh from the
ocean.
Il do not know that YOU are aware that |
tne salmon does not feed at all after he
starts on his long VOYAGE from the salt
water sources Of the rivers. The journey |
takes weeks. and during this time he must !
1--we OFF his own fat.
The result IS that fish taken far up the |
rivers are lean Il they lack the flavor |
OF those caught fresh from the sea. This |
is the advantage We AVE in the Sock
eye. We catch it when it is fat and fresh. |
II Is. /! believe the most delicious of fish
linz" 1 asked.
are now using great fish traps.
They are not like those Of the Columbia
wheels turned by the stream. so that they |
catch the fish as they go up and. carry |
ing them sloft. empty them into the boat |
with which the wheels are connected.
our traps are n series OF great heart |
shaped Enclosures walled with nets. 80
that the fish go into them n roam about
from one to the ether trying TO get out
until thew finally come into q great vat |
III net which will hold 5000 or 1000 at |
one time. ! have seen such u trap with !
more than lO.oW big sslmon In It"
trap?' / asked.
we take advantage Of the habits and
customs OF the salmon. They AVE their
way of doing things and they will do
year after year. In coming to the fresh |
water to spawn they 20 in n body n will |
not allow anything to turn them from
their course n they possibly can.
ma know met u-hara tha NnItraa IL rrI 1
where it lies along the shore of the island, |
build out breakwaters With these heart
trans at the end The fish strike
the breakwaters and swim out INTO the
traps, going on and on until they land in
the great net"
ut must take a strong net to hold
at does. We drive down piles about a
hundred feet long and tasten the nets to
them. When tile final net Ia full. the fish
are crlpiied By pulling up one end Of the
Indeed. we haul fish much as you haul
dirt in Slows from the dredging boats.
steam. tugs drag the scows TO the can
neries In eraptving the nets we some
nets which ara worked bv a steam en-
gfre just as ? pic driver IS worked"
DEATH JOURNEY OF THE SALMON.
Do all salmon come from the salt water
Yes replied Mr.. Mchiiilin. And so
far as We know in about the same way
and at about the same age. Silver plates
the date have been fastened TO
baby salmon going down the river and
those salmon have been caught on their
return. In all cases the time is four wears.
so that we know four years to be the
age OF the salmon"
The salmon makes this last journey to
die The sawns song Is nothing to his
death pilgrimage. He fights his way
through salt water. and fresh, stenming I
the tide and seemingly going fastest where
he waters are strongest.
In the rivers he jumps the rapids and
makes his way over stones and rubbish |
often bruises himself. tea-ine his skin
until at last he reaches the spot where the
YOU'RE salmon are to be born. There he
stays to die"
Bat. MIR. McMillin. why do Won sneak
Of the salmon as 'he'7 It n the female
salmon who lays the eggs. is Ii not?-
Yes. but I use the crencUn as indicating