The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-05-13
OF
SHRIMP INDUSTRY
NO REGULATION YET NEEnEn
FOR IT'S PROTECTION
Total Catch ON sound Not More Than
500 Pounds q Day-Believed to Be
Large Beds in the Straits-s -shrfmps
Migratory and Elusive.


Large Beds in the straits-shrimps
Migratory and Elusive.
A good deal lately has been writ
ten about Protecting the Shrimp of
Puget Sound" At the present time
there is really no shrimp industry on
the Sound. The amount caught is SO
small and the supply so limited that
no standard business can be built up.
The possible catch the year round
will not exceed 800 pounds day, at
price ranging about the same per
pound as pound of salmon. What
kind of salmon industry would it be
averaging 800 pounds day the year
round?
The writer sold the first shrimps
caught in Puget Sound that were
used in Seattle and has continued in
the business ever since. The Haines
Oyster Company built a small steam
er for the express purpose of fishing
shrimps and found and caught the
first shrimps shipped from Hoods
canal. People had lived thirty years
on the canal and none of them had
any idea that shrimps existed there
Since that day the same company has
prospected and found every bed of
shrimps yet discovered.
From actual experience it would
seem that there are very large beds
of shrimps in existence either in the
straits or adjoining ocean and that
the shrimps caught in various bays
on the Sound migrate to and from
the main beds. During three months
of the summer the shrimps almost en-
tirely disappear and it is impossible
to catch enough to pay expenses. A
steamer will fish in some good local
ity with a drag net only twelve feet
LII WIutu duO Will CdoCu 1OI SCVCI al
days 200 to 800 pounds at haul
sometimes much more. In order to
do that the net must pass through
very large bodies of shrimps; then
suddenly every shrimp will disappear
from that locality and may not be
found there again for year. The
shrimps have not been caught out
but have simply migrated.
At present there are only four
small steamers employed in this bust
ness and one of these is at present
idle. The Zebeitka, of ten tons, the
Viola, Mia, and Rover, of four tors
each. The class of steamers employ
ed has not up to the present time
been large or powerful enough to
venture among the swift tides and
currents outside in the straits, their
fishing being confined to wind-locked
and still locations. The consequence
is that no very extended prospecting
has been done and it is now the in
tention of the Haines Oyster Com
pany to fit out boats strong enough
to follow this business. 1t does not
seem good policy to throw too many
obstacles in the way of a development
of this business into an industry, but
rather. to encourage and protect
those engaged in its experimental
stage. Before it can reach the dig
nifty Of an industry" it is necessary
that large enough catch can be
made and nearly regular supply en-
sured SO that firms employed can fill
outside orders and have suffciency
left to can, dry, etc. At present the
entire catch IS consumed locally and
within radius of q few hundred
miles of Seattle fits simply aluxury,
not an industry.
II has been the custom heretofore,
when good bed Of shrimps has been
found. for several outside boats to
r,,sh in and there being nothing 70
snnnlv but q small local market, that
Was soon flooded and prices were cut
Ia nothing, until the shrlmpS were
| driven from the place, which would
not be long. The supply Would tnen
cease until new beds we're found.
There IS not much fear OF this, how
ever. now, as it costs something 10