622 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



HUMBOLDT COUNT V. Tbe fisheries of Huinboldt County are chiefly carried on iii Humboldt 

 Bay, about Eureka, and in Eel River. Three kinds of fish are principally taken, flounders, salmon, 

 and sharks. Each of these industries may be taken up separately ; that of the salmon, having 

 place elsewhere, will not be described here. 



Humboldt Bay is a laud-locked harbor, with a narrow entrance, obstructed by a dangerous 

 bar. Its foundation somewhat resembles that of San Diego Bay, being shut off from the open 

 ocean by narrow sand-spits. At the beginning of the rainy season the small streams that empty 

 into the bay pour out such quantities of fresh water as to render the entire bay brackish. Some 

 fishermen think that this kills the fish, but there is no tangible evidence of its doing so. 



The bay is evidently gradually filling up with deposits. It has now a series of mud flats, 

 some entirely bare, others partly so, at low water, with deep channels between them. The bottom 

 is composed of sediment, there being no rocks excepting some ballast heaps, and on these rocks 

 the fish are caught. The mud-flats and channels serve as spawning grounds for great numbers of 

 flounders. This bay can be easily and rapidly exhausted of its fish, and had it a more ready market 

 it soon would be. The history of the flounder fishing, dependent entirely on hook and line, suffi- 

 ciently shows this. As it is, although the bay produces at certain seasons of the year great quan- 

 tities of fish, it is lacking in variety. It is claimed that the fish are of poor quality (except the 

 salmon), owing to the nature of the bottom. 



Fishing in Humboldt Bay is good during only the fall and a portion of the winter, and iu con- 

 sequence there are but few resident professional fishermen. Two Americans working with a seine to 

 supply the local market of Eureka, and during the flush season shipping to the San Francisco 

 market, come under this head. About six or eight others living in the vicinity of Eureka fish during 

 the salmon season and do little or nothing the remainder of the year. Probably an equal number 

 have families and are semi-professionals, fishing during two months of the year. Quite a number of 

 the inhabitants of Eureka fished at one time, and hold themselves iu readiness to do so again 

 should other business fail. There are but three Italian fishermen on the bay, the majority being 

 Americans (including a few English, Irish, and Scotch). Often some of the Columbia River fisher- 

 men come here during the salmon season. Since 1857 and before, there has been a colony of 

 Chinese fishing in the bay with nets. Last year their net was destroyed. Fishermen claim that 

 they fished all the "sole" (Parophrys vetulus) out of the bay. Most of their fish were dried in th 

 usual way and sent to San Francisco. 



Flounder-fishing begins about October. Humboldt Bay used to be the spawning grounds 

 for immense numbers of the large flounder (Pleuronectes stettatus). The fish were so abundant as 

 to completely line the bottoms of the deep channels between the mud-flats, and would bite at a 

 hook with extreme voracity. 



In 1874 the first experiment was made by a young American, who caught and shipped to San 

 Francisco from Eureka a few flounders. The "paraiizella" had not then appeared. These few 

 flounders brought a high price, retailing from 30 cents to 35 cents a pound. Finding it highly 

 remunerative he increased his operations, keeping the fish in live-boxes until the day on which the 

 steamer sailed for San Francisco. As many as 2 and 3 tons were sent at a time. Before long not 

 less than one hundred people were at this work, fishing day and night, their business causing 

 quite an excitement in Eureka. Flounders soon became a drug on the market and their retail 

 price diminished so much as to leave for the fishermen a profit of only 2 cents a pound, instead of 

 12 and even more, the profit per pound before so many entered into the fishery. Another cause 

 of small profits to the many engaged in the work was that the steamer was often unable to cross 



