Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-17
DEATH RUN OF THE SALMON
Fisherman's Busy Time on the Pa
cific Coast.
INDUSTRY ExTERMNATEs THEM
Some Thirty-FOur Million Fish
Canned This Season and Many
More Marketed in Various
other ways.

SEATTLE, Wash, oct. 12.-The salmon
season Of 1909 is rapidly approaching its
end. The run has been fairly profitable
Although fishing is carried on from the
Nushagak river in Boring sea to Mon
terey, Cal, the headquarters of the vari-
Gus operating companies are found al
most exclusively in San Francisco. Port
land and Astoria, Ore; Vancouver, British
Columbia, and this city. Few persons
outside OF those directly interested in the
industry realize its immense economic
Importance.
During the season now closing at least
5000 persons were employed directly
In II in some capacity. either on shore or
aflost, and they received over $4,000 900 in
wages. Materials Cin plate, solder, boxes.
etc.) to the value Of Sc, 600, 900 were used in
making the pack. Several million dollars
worth of fishery apparatus was used in
making the catch. while a fleet OF 1000 or
5000 vessels, steamers, launches and fish
ing boats were used in handling the catch,
Extent of the Catch. =
The catch is prepared in various ways,
the most important being fresh, frozen,
sailed. smoked, mild cured and canned.
The last is by far the leading method.
This year the pack of canned salmon wss
as follows: Alaska, $500, 600 cases of forty
eight one pound cans: Puget Sound, 100000
cases; Columbia river, $50, 600 cases; other
rivers on the coasts OF Washington and
Oregon, 10000 cases; Fraser river, British
Columbia, 1900 cases. and other rivers OF
British Columbia, 25.00 cases; a grand
total OF 4.225,0OO cases, or 202, zoo, 600 single
pound cans.
If these were placed end to end in single
file they would extend 1886 miles, more
than half the circumference Of the globe.
To fill these cans over $500, 900 salmon
were required. while nearly as many more
were prepared and maketed in other ways.
This product has become on of the staples
and can be found in all quarters of the
globe and among all classes.
salmon Are Disappearing.
The tremendous demand has had its nat
ural effect, and in places where twenty
years ago salmon ran in countless num-
bers few are seen today. This is especially
true of the Sacramento river in California
and the Columbia river, while in the waters
of Washington and southern British Col
umbia, especially the Fraser river, a good
run is had only every fourth year. This is
one Of the remarkable features OF the sal
mon run of this coast, and is probably due
to the fact that years ago a big epidemic
occurred among the salmon and lasted
three seasons and caused the death Of the
greater part of the runs OF those years be-
fore they had an opportunity to spawn.
II a complete history Of the industry
could be written 1t would record adven-
lures, successes, failures and viclssitudes
seldom equaled in commercial enterprises.
Fortunes nave been made and lost in a
single season. At present peace prevails
among the salmon fishers along the
greater part OF the coast, but such has
not always been the case. many havfng
been the. affrays between rival crews
over the possession OF choice fishing
grounds. some OF which terminated fatally.
The salmon season Is short. and in
order to complete the pack the Gamers
and fishermen practically work night
and day. This is especially true in Boring
Sea, where the season rarely lasts longer
than six weeks. During this time over
100000 cases are packed, and many
OF the canneries at the height of the run
work at least twenty hours a day.
Fish That Are Canned
Five species of salmon enter the rivers
along this coast each year for the purpose
VI oR1W ~ hAAo ePA AA6 Vi 4Qlllld
salmon; the sockeye, red or blueback,
which is the principal species canned;
the coho or silver; the humpback or pink,
and the dog or chum. Some steelhead
trout, which are larger than many of the
salmon, are also canned. The first three
species frequent rivers which have their
rise In lakes, while the last two are COM
monty found in small creeks and streams,
ascending these only a comparatively short
distance.
The king salmon enter the stream for
the purpose OF spawning in May and June;
the reds in June, July and August; the
plnks in July and August; the cohos In
August and September, and the dogs in
July, August and September.
To one who has never witnessed the
sight it is impossible to convey an ade-
quate idea Of the conditions which prevail
when the annual run Of salmon is on and
the fish are striving to get up to the head
waters of the various rivers and creeks.
Streams which can almost be jumped
across by an active person will be an
almost solid mass Of struggling salmon,
this though the water may be SO shallow
that their backs show above the surface.
harvest For Bears and Dogs.
All are so intent upon their mad rush
up the stream that they pay slight atten-
ton 10 things on the bank, and II Is at
this time that the bears and dogs reap
their harvest. The former are exceed
ingly expert at reaching down from the
bank and Tipping fish out with their paws,
while a native dog viii rush in, and grasp
ing a fish in It's mouth give 1t a shake and
then deposit its dead prize on the bank,
only to return for more.
After reaching brackish water the sal
mon cease to eat, depending upon their
accumulated tissue to carry them through
20 the end. They struggle gamely on
vp the stream, the male salmon fighting
fieroely one with another. their terrible
hooked jaws .inflicting severe wounds.
while many are cut and torn by being
knocked against rocks in ascending
rapids and falls. Those which run up
the large ~rlver-salmon rave been known
70 ascend the Yukon for over twenty-five
hundred miles-are in bad shape at the
end, their SHOUTS. fins and tails in many
instances being entirely worn off, while
all are covered with the peculiar white
blotches which seem to be incident 10 the
spawning fish.
On arriving at the spawning beds the
male salmon battle more fiercely than
ever. After the law Of the survival OF