Salmon Fishing 175 



Economic Importance of Salmon 



The quantity of salmon taken annually from 

 the waters of the Pacific States, British Columbia, 

 and Alaska is almost past comprehension, and 

 the question may well be asked, How long will 

 the rivers continue to yield these enormous quan- 

 tities with inadequate protective measures ? The 

 yearly drain on the supply now exceeds two hun- 

 dred and fifty million pounds in the United States 

 and forty-five million pounds in British Columbia, 

 with a market value of more than $13,000,000. 

 The great centres of the salmon fishery are the 

 Columbia River, Puget Sound, Fraser River, and 

 Kadiak. As the fish come to the shores and 

 ascend the rivers, they are caught with all kinds 

 of appliances and are incessantly harassed by sea- 

 lions, white men, and Indians. Large quantities 

 are consumed fresh, but the principal part of the 

 catch is canned. Owing to the rich red color of 

 the flesh, which persists after cooking, the chinook 

 and the blue-back salmon are the most useful for 

 canning purposes. The blue-back is the most 

 valuable species, considered in the aggregate, and 

 is the leading salmon of Puget Sound, Fraser 

 River, and Alaska. The steelhead is taken in 



