BULLETIN (3F THE UNITED STATES FISIT COMMISSION. 233 



a success by the encomiums passed upon the excellence of thai lish as 

 tested by the experts of the Boston Fish Bureau, who are undoubtedly 

 some of the best critics and judges Of fish in the United States, I wish 

 to call attention to the economy of my method for I he poor settlers on 

 our northwest coasts of Washington Territory and Alaska. All that is 

 required tor outlay is the cost of the salt for curing the fish, and the 

 nails for making boxes, which can be made from the white spruce which 

 abounds on the coast, from the Columbia River to Western Alaska. This 

 wood splits as easily as cedar, is perfectly sweet and free from resin, as 

 all the gum is contained in the thin ring of sap-wood and bark. The 

 inside is free from resin. This will make the cheapest and best of 

 boxes and save the expense of coopers and barrels, and the fish being 

 of full size is better adapted for smoking than the same fish cut and 

 barreled. 



The fishery for the black cod. — A very important question to 

 be answered is, will the black cod be taken in sufficient quantities to 

 supply the demand which is likely to spring up wherever their rare ex- 

 cellence is known ? I think that at present the supply will be limited, 

 as there are no fishermen on the North Pacific coast who have the appli- 

 ances or the experience in deep sea fishing as practiced at present on the 

 Atlantic coast. Our coast fisheries are exclusively confined to salmon, 

 which are taken in the rivers with nets and seines. The very few cod 

 and halibut brought to our markets are taken with hand lines and old- 

 fashioned trawls, but it is rare to fiud any fishermen working in more 

 than 30 fathoms of water. Our waters teem with, fish, but as yet, with* 

 the exception of salmon, no organized plan has been tried for taking 

 quantities of fish. What we want are Eastern fishermen with Eastern 

 capital and Eastern methods of taking fish. If such men would come 

 out here they can find plenty of black cod, but they will be found in deep 

 swift water, where at times it is pretty rough. But to a " Grand Banker" 

 or a ' : George's Banker" our most turbulent waters would be but a 

 plaything. 



In order to develop the fisheries of Puget Sound and the Alaskan 

 waters there should be some regular wholesale fish dealers established. 

 who would take everything the fishermen would briug, and find markets 

 themselves. Our fishermen are too poor to send their fish to a distaut 

 market; but let a wholesale dealer with capital establish himself, and 

 he would find fish would be brought from all quarters, white men and 

 Indians working with a will to catch fish which would bring them ready 

 money. 



There seems to be considerable interest evinced in British Columbia 

 about the black cod, and several vessels will be fitted to go north in 

 the spring; but on Paget Sound no one as yet seems to show any in- 

 terest. Those who have means are not willing to embark in the busi- 

 ness, and those who would like to develop it have no capital to work 

 with. I think, however, that the prospect of an Eastern market may 



