PACIFIC! COAST: CALIFORNIA. 



601 



The abalone flshing at Sauta Barbara is important. This is discussed in the chapter on the 

 Chinese fishermen. A few men at Santa. Barbara hunt the sea-otter. It is not an extensive 

 business. The hair-seal and sea-lion are very abundant on Anacapa and other adjacent islands. 

 They are hunted only for their oil. Two or three species of eatable clams occur at Santa Barbara. 

 The Californiaus, when hard pushed, eat these. No scallops or oysters are taken. 



There are no factories of salt or fishing apparatus in this county. 



Nearly all the crawfish sold in San Francisco come from Santa Barbara, About 90 tons are 

 taken annually. A cannery for the purpose of canning crawfish was started at Santa Barbara in 

 1877. It failed because the managers did not understand their business thoroughly. 



Fifty-one miles west of the town of Santa Barbara is Cajo Viejo, where is established the 

 only whaling company in the county. One at Goleta in former years is now abandoned. The 

 company at Cajo Viejo consists of twenty men in winter and eighteen in summer. Captain 

 Anderson is the commander. From October, 1879, to February, 1880, this company captured 

 twenty whales, yielding oil to the value of nearly $8,000. More details concerning this company 

 will be found under the head of the whale fisheries. The fisheries of this county are of recent 

 origin, probably not having been started earlier than 1872. 



SAN Luis OBISPO COUNTY. The long rocky coast of this county, without islands and unbroken 

 by bays, is not favorable for extensive fisheries. The distance from San Francisco, too. renders the 

 shipment of fresh, fish impracticable, and the local market is very limited. 



At Port Harford, which is the port for San Luis Obispo, the principal town of the county, 

 there is a fisherman who owns two skiffs and has a seine of 1-inch mesh, 300 feet long and 1C feet 

 wide. His fish are sold in San Luis Obispo for about 6 cents a pound. The neighboring farmers 

 are glad to exchange produce for fish for their own consumption. His summer catch exceeds his 

 winter catch by 100 pounds. Still fishing and trolling is carried on in the summer by three of the 

 whale fishermen in the San Luis Bay. Ou Pecho Eancho, 2 miles north of Port Harford, an abalone 

 fishery is carried on by two men, and five miles farther north is another one of the same sort and 

 size. At Port Harford also are eight persons engaged in catching and drying fish. The chief 

 species taken by them is holeontus. 



At Moro is a shallow bay with a very narrow entrance. Into this bay mullet, flounders, smelt, 

 and surf-fishes run in considerable numbers during the spring and summer. The seine and hook 

 and line are then vigorously plied. There is a carp pond at Moro which has been very successful. 



At Cayucos there is a little hook-and-line fishing. The same may be said of San Simeon. 



The gathering of abalone shells is quite an important industry in this county. It is carried on 

 chiefly at Port Harford, San Simeon, and Cayucos. The amount gathered meat and shells is 

 seen in the following statement : 



There are two companies of whalers in San Luis Obispo County. One of these is at San 

 Simeon, and is commanded by Captain Clark; the other is at Whaler's Point, about half a mile 

 north of the landing at Port Harford, and is commanded by Captain Marshall. 



The first mentioned consists of twenty men, most of whom are from the Azore Islands. They 

 are hired by Captain Clark, who owns the entire outfit. This camp has been in existence since 



