500 U. S. BUEEAU OF FISHERIES 



The shellfish yield was of considerable importance, aggregating 

 15,000,000 pounds and a value exceeding $1,500,000. Crabs ac- 

 counted for nearly a third of this total. Clams and oysters also were 

 outstanding, the former having provided raw material for a consider- 

 able canning industry. The sea crawfish, or spin}^ lobster, and the 

 shrimp fisheries of California also made important contributions. 



WASHINGTON 



In 1926, the fisheries of Washington employed more than 7,700 

 fishermen, who manned nearly 2,500 boats and 333 fishing vessels. 

 Their catches aggregated nearly 90,000,000 pounds, valued at about 

 $8,000,000. Salmon made up over half this catch, while halibut 

 and cod were of importance. In the shellfish fisheries, oysters, 

 clams, and crabs were the most valuable products, in the order 

 named. 



The statistics for the last five years show a constantly increasing 

 number of fishermen, though there are not yet as many as were 

 reported in 1915. The increase is more regular and pronounced in 

 the shore or boat fisheries. The vessels are increasing in number, 

 though the total tonnage appears to be declining. The principal 

 losses to the vessel fleet in 1926 were three steamers in the whaling 

 fleet and one sailing vessel of the Alaska cod fleet. The motor 

 vessels increased. 



The total catch declined 31 per cent as compared with 1925. Most 

 of this loss was in humpback or pink salmon, 1926 being one of their 

 biennial "off" years. Severe decreases occurred in the chinook 

 and blueback, or sockeye, catches, also. The amount of carp, shad, 

 and flounders caught seems to be increasing. The sturgeon j^ield, 

 which had been increasing in recent years, though still far below the 

 large catches of early years, suffered a sharp decline in 1926. The 

 whaling station, which has operated with declining output for a 

 number of years, ceased operations at the end of the 1925 season, 

 hence whale products are absent from the 1926 report. Among 

 the shellfishes, native oysters and razor clams have shown decidedly 

 larger yields in recent years. The octopus fishery has grown in the 

 last five years to be an item of some importance. 



OREGON 



The fisheries of Oregon in 1926 employed over 4,900 fishermen, 

 nearly 2,700 boats, and 8 fishing vessels. The total catch was 

 about 33,000,000 pounds, valued at more than $3,000,000. The 

 salmons accounted for more than three-fourths of tliis total, chinooks 

 predominating. Of the remaining fishes, the shad and halibut 

 yields were of the greatest value; among the shellfishes, crabs, fresh- 

 water crawfish, and clams were most important. 



The number of fishermen was virtually the same as in 1925 and 

 considerably higher than in previous years. The number of motor 

 boats also increased steadily throughout the period covered by the 

 statistics. The catch in 1926 was' smaller than that of 1925 by more 

 than 17 per cent, due principally to the smaller amounts of chinook, 

 chum, and silver salmon taken. The catch of blueback, or sockeye, 

 more than doubled, and the shad catch was 60 per cent larger. In 

 fact, the latter has been growing for a number of years. 



