Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-01
THE FISH INDUSTRY.
Won THE PACIFIC COAST.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

then leap upward out of the water to
an incredible height
In the southern range the salmon
strikes at Monterey bay in sufficient
numbers to Justify commercial fishing
by the middle of April, when it is
found feeding upon schools of herring
and sardines, continuing until August
There are two runs about Sacramento.
the first beginning in April and continu-
ing throughout May and June. and the
second lasting from August to October.
These two sometimes merge into eaSn
other and there is sometimes a third run
In December. In Columbia river there
are three runs. the first entering during
January. February and March. In south
east Alaska they are found at all times
OF the year. In Cook inlet the run occurs
during May and June and is composed
entirely of red-meated fish. In the Yukon
river the fish may be seen in the upper
courses as late as July. the lateness be-
ing due to the immense distance the
fish have to cover
:: ::
The sockeye or blue-back salmon. which
forms the greatest part of the canned
salmon of the
Blue.BaCk salmon world. is small
Used for Canning. r er the max.
DeluS dDOut Twelve pounds ana tne length
three feet, while the average weight is
not more than five pounds. In Alaska
the sockeye is generally known as the
red salmon because it has considerable
crimson in it's coloring. 1t extends as
far south as the Sacramento river but Is
most frequent in the Fraser river, and
all of the costal streams of British CO.
lumbia, while Alaska furnishes the great
est American supply.
The Columbia, which is the largest
river of the Pacific slope. and forms the
dividing line between Washington and
Oregon. has produced more salmon than
any other river in the world Many years
before the advent of the white man the
Indians visited It's banks and caught and
preserved their annual supply of winter
fish food. In 1888 a small trading sloop
under command of Capt. Lamont came
into the Columbia and dropped anchor
near what is now known as St Helens.
VI lie waiting for return cargo, the
captain sailed down a number of barrels
of Chinook salmon. using empty Jamaica
rum kegs for the purpose This is the
first record of the export of this fish
The first fishing operation by white men
was begun soon after the settlement of
what is now Seattle, in 1852. The fish
was sold either fresh or sailed. The first
canning factory on Puget Sound was
erected in 1877 The first salmon canning
factory in the United States was erected
by George Hume, on the Sacramento
river, in 1864. At first no one would ac-
cept the new product and Mr.. Hume used
to fill basket with cans of salmon and
start and distribute 1t gratuitously among
his neghbors who in this way became
acquainted with its good qualities
According to the detailed reports of the
Pacific salmon industry $25. 1888 is in
vested in it's apparatus and buildings.
More than half of this sum Is invested
In Alaska. Nearly 10000 men, women
and children are employed. About two
thirds of these are white and the balance
are Chinese. Japanese and Indians. The
total products for the year 1869 were 1885,
1885, 49, pounds which yielded to the fish
ermen the gOOdly sum of So i.024 These
figures refer only to Alaska and the three
states Of Oregon, California and Wash