The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-07-30
NOTED FISHERIES
EXPERTS HERE
David Starr Jordon and Edward [. Prince,
international Fish Commissioners, Talk
on Questions Affecting Industry

! Lno O0lCe0 STATES on Luo iSuoi loo
question. and Edward E. Prince, for
/ the past sixteen years fish cocmls
soner for the Dominion Of Canada,
were here last Saturday on the Cana
dian fish commission steamer Rest
less. They visited the salmon banks
for a short time, looked over the
plant of the Friday Harbor Packing
Company, and left early in the fore
noon for Prince Rupert. They will
return here about August 5. These
gentlemen constitute the internation
al fisheries commission appointed by
Elk President Roosevelt and King Ed
ward.
The comm ssion was created for
the purpose of Investigating and defin
ing the best means of preserving and
protecting the fisheries interests of
the United States and Canada. irres-
p sctive of present laws governing the
industry in both countries. They
have travelled from New Brunswick
to Puget Sound and have visited prac
tically all points of interest so far
as the fishing industry IS concerned.
The commissions report was fin
ished and copies submitted to each
government May l. 1909. This Sc
cond trip is being made in order to
see that no vital points have been
overlooked and as soon as its present
work is finished its supplementary
report will be filed. They would
make no statement as to what this
j report contained hut simply stated
that its contents would in all proba
bility be made public in time by the
president.
DR.. Jordan, when asked his opinion
as to what the sockeye run would be
this year said; "One can never safely
prophesy. Two facts prompt me to
believe that there will be a big run.
One. that four years ago large num-
Eers of salmon escaped the fishermen
and proceeded on their way to the
spawning grounds. The other reason
for my believing this is, that 1909
is the fourth year since the last big
run ard the four year cycle theory
has so far proven true. Sockeye sal
mon are gradually decreasing in
mum bers. and the run this year is not
likely to be as great as in former big
years.
The sockeye run of four years was
not as great as that of eight years ago !:
that of eight years ago was not as
great as that of twelve years ago that
OF twelve years ago was not as great
as sixteen years ago. These facts
indicate that the fish in the big years
are becoming fewer in number.
DR.. Jordan spoke of remedy for
the falling off of the salmon as fcl
lows: The hatcheries are doing good
work and will supply salmon if they
get enough eggs. but so far they have
not gotten all the eggs they can
handle More fish must escape sIauqh-
ter and reach the head waters of the
mountain streams before the hatcher
les will get sufficient supply of
spawn"
The Bellingham Reveille. in a re
cent issue, quotes Edward e. Prince.
fish commissl oner of the Dominion of
Canada, as saying :"America will some
day have to settle with Canada over
the question of sockeye fishing on
Puget Sound and may have to consent
to an international agreement where
by the cannerymen over the border
will get more of the harvest than they
are getting now.
cit is not part of the work of DR..
Jordan and myself to take up this
matter" said Mr.. Prince. "The Fra
ser River is the key to the situation
and it lies wholly within British Col
umbia. is not boundary water. and
therefore can not come under our inr-
isdiction. But Canada has rights in
regard to the sockeye which breed
IN the Fraser. are largely kept in ex
istence by our hatcheries and are
mostly trapped before they reach our
side of the border line.
| '"This is question which will have
to be settled. The day is coming
when the United States and our gov
ernment will have to get together and
in some way divide the salmon that
run in Puget Sound. We are spend
ing large quantities Of money to main
tain sockeye hatcheries. There IS
only one on this side of the line. But
| the americans reap the golden harvest