FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 107 
FISHERIES OF OREGON. 
While not the least of the three States on the Pacific coast in point 
of area, Oregon presents the shortest water front and ranks third in 
the extent of its fisheries. 
The number of persons employed in the fisheries and fishery 
industries of Oregon during the year 1915 was 5,900; of these 23 were 
engaged on fishing vessels of 5 tons net or more; 60 on vessels engaged 
in transporting fish and fishery products; 4,472 in the shore, or boat, 
fisheries; and 1,345 on shore, in canneries, fish houses, etc. 
The investment in the fishery industries during the year was 
$4,064,151, of which $25,935 was credited to 5 fishing vessels ; $96,034, 
to 30 transporting vessels; $582,485 to 1,382 gasoline boats; $69,805 
to 1,264 other small boats of various descriptions; $757,170, to all 
apparatus used in the fisheries of the State; $2,083,913, to shore and 
accessory property; and $448,809, to working cash capital. 
The products of the fisheries of the State in 1915 amounted to 
34,692,863 pounds, valued at $1,479,021. The various regions con- 
tributing to this total are, in the order of their importance, as follows: 
Columbia River district, 27,879,438 pounds, valued at $1,271,357; 
Rogue River, 1,133,331 pounds, valued at $66,298; Pacific Ocean, 
596,059 pounds, valued at $30,415; Tillamook Bay, 1,191,488 pounds, 
valued at $24,516; Nehalem River, 893,630 pounds, valued at 
$17,493; Umpqua River, 669,663 pounds, valued at $12,425; Coquille 
River, 549,804 pounds, valued at $10,914; Siletz River, 310,454 
pounds, valued at $9,994; Coos Bay, 348,881 pounds, valued at 
$8,411; Nestucca River, 353,059 pounds, valued at $8,207; Alsea Bay, 
391,562 pounds, valued at $7,346; Yaquina Bay, 169,560 pounds, 
valued at $6,071; Siuslaw River, 117,526 pounds, valued at $2,530; 
Chetco River, 43,130, pounds, valued at $2,149; and Necanicum River, 
45,278 pounds, valued at $895. 
The Columbia River catch is so far in excess of all the other regions 
combined as to render it worthy of special mention. The catch in 
that river in 1915 amounted to 27,879,438 pounds, valued at 
$1,271,357. Of this quantity 27,036,808 pounds, valued at $1,239,001, 
over 96 per cent of the total, were salmon, and the greater part of 
these, or 20,454,002 pounds, valued at $1,091,156, were chinook 
salmon. Theremainder of thesalmon catch was blueback, chum, sil- 
ver, and steelhead. Humpback salmon are rarely seen this far south. 
Columbia River has what is known as a “spring” run and a “fall” 
run of salmon, though the interval between the two seasons is very 
limited, the closed period extending only from August 25 to Septem- 
ber10. Thespring run of chinook was better in 1915 than for several 
years, and the fall run was very good for the first week or two after 
the opening of the season, but after that it seemed to diminish. The 
bluebacks, which accompany the spring run of chinooks, were so few 
in 1915 as to be almost a failure; they seem to have been veryscarce 
for two years. The chum salmon, which run from about the middle 
of August until late in November, show a fairly good catch for the 
year under consideration. The silver salmon usually appear about 
midsummer and continue until some time in November; the catch 
of silvers was not so good as in past years. The run of steelhead was 
about normal. 
