The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-08-20
LOSS BY TAKING FISH
THAT ARE IMMATURE,


Washington are sustaining by reason
Of the taking of immature salmon off
the Pacifice Coast of the State of
Washington, from the mouth of the
Columbia River to Neah Bay, and in
Puget Sound, is strikingly set forth
in the report made to State Fish
Commissioner L. II. Darwin by f..
Victor Smith of the Biological Dc
partment of the University of Wash
ington.
The report has been published by
Fish Commissioner Darwin in pamph
let form so as to be available for
general public reference. and partic-
ularly for those interested in finding
a solution Of the question.
The work of Prof. Smith covers a
period of two years. The report is
quite lengthy and contains valuable
tables of statistics. It particularly
deals with conditions at the mouth of
the Columbia River at Cape Flattery
where the greatest destruction of i'm
mature salmon is going on.
During the earlier period of Prof.
Smiths Investigations, Prof Trevor
Kincaid, head Of the Biological De-
partment of the University of Wash
ington, assisted him
Everyone recognizes that if the
great salmon fishery Of this State is
to be preserved or prevented from
being turned over to an Information
al Commission, the next legislature
must deal intelligently with the fish
cry question. Prof Smiths report
just now is therefore very timely
In summarizing his report Prof.
Smith says:
"Thc taking of immature salmon
in Puget Sound and on the banks
along the coast of Oregon, Washing
ton and Vancouver Island is respon-
sible for a great loss in one of the
important food products Of the re-
gion; not only is the loss great but
much Of the food is of inferior quail
ity.
During the 1919 season 26 troller5
fishing in the mouth Of the Columbia
River, on the banks caught 1921
chinook salmon weighing 1866
pounds, and averaging 3.3 pounds
which when compared with the
adults caught inside the mouth of the
river, represent a loss of 4S,9S4
pounds. If the entire fleet estimat-
ed at 500 boats, caught a proper
Tomato number Of these small sal
mon they would be responsible for a
loss Of 2595,576 pounds Besides
these, the 26 trollers caught 1882
chinook salmon Of larger size. weigh
ing 123,326 pounds, and averaging
15.49,which when compared with
those caught inside the rivers mouth
represent a loss of 42,409 pounds
and an estimated loss for the fleet of
2,4l7.000 pounds This totals for the
% trollers a loss of 1898 pounds on
the chinook salmon they caught and
an estimated loss of 5,O42,576 pounds
for the fleet.
added to this, these trollera
caught $500 silver salmon previous
to August 81 which weighed 24,6S7
pounds and averaged 7.05; these
when compared to those caught after
September /, show a loss of 1861
pounds of silver salmon.
Some loss has been shown as a
result of taking immature chinook
salmon by the drag seines on the
south shore Of Sand Island. This is
without doubt due to the flooding Of
the mouth of the river with large
volumes of sea water at high tide
when numbers Of salmon are swept in
from the ocean.
Al Neah Bay 10 trollers took dur
ing the season 46,455 chinook salmon
weighing 735.313 pounds and ayerag-
ing 1888 pounds. When compared
with the chinook salmon taken by 6
traps during the season they repro
sent an estimated loss of 970,395
pounds for tshe fleet of 500 boats
During the first eight weeks the no
trollcrs took 36,453 silver salmon
weighing 256,776 pounds and averag-
ing 7.04. When compared with the
average weight of silver salmon tax
en- after September T., the catch be-
fore August - represents a loss Of
130,455 pounds and an estimated loss
Of 5o2,987 pounds for the fleet.
at was difficult to determine the
extent Of loss due to the purse sem
crs as isolated records for short PEI
iods were all that We're available
However the indications are that they
caused proportionately greater
waste than did the trollers.
"The most inexcusable waste IS
caused by the spring fishing in the
Puget Sound near the south end Of
WILDLY Island Here many tons Of
young silver and spring salmon are
taken whose weight average not
more than one and one-half to two
pounds. The silver salmon would
mature in the fall of the same year
and produce ) to T tons of fish for
every ton taken in the spring. The
pbiDooir ealp,op if lot ,,,4;I ,,,,4..,.:4 "a,