536 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
Table of products. 








yl l 
Species. Lbs. Value. | Species. | Lbs. Value. 
| 
Caitetighet: ssee0 as. doom 54, 360 $15 087n || MPerchien Use. Sear see 6, 360 $95 
Mounderse- es sSase eee ee One, ES BHI fited 01: \ Lee eat peta ee ence 32, 000 320 
Halibut .. 17, 000 12360, |: Smelt te see seels ea: Sau 28, 000 340 
Herring 25 ose sees 19, 120 347 | Oysters (985 bushels)..... 59, 100 1, 625 
Salmon: | Clams (15,066 bushels) ---| 979, 290 9, 434 
iBlweback.cccs eo eceeees 579, 183 21293) M CLAS aaa sae mee eee 110, 604 2,615 
Chinook, freshs= =. --=- | 13, 744, 810 65952138 iP Crawhshieter- cee. eee see 116, 400 7,760 
Chinook, salted........- 2, 400 75 || Sea-lion pelts ............ 18, 000 720 
I DYey eee ete oh ee re .| 789, 615 3.9485 (Sea-lionloillass sees eee eee 750 35 
Silwertsteuencscaera sce 5, 154, 375 97, 281 || Sea-lion trimmings ..-.--|.--..-----=- 135 
Steelhead! 238 23522 -22 1, 103, 522 48, 014 |} Mota eee oer 22,818,411 | 855, 750 

COLUMBIA RIVER FISHERIES. 
The fisheries of the Columbia River are here exhibited in tables 
which show the total number of cases of salmon canned from 1866 to 
1899 and the quantity of salmon frozen at the cold-storage plants dur- 
ing 1899. The Columbia being bordered by Washington and Oregon, 
the fishery tables are here given for the river, the amount credited 
to each State being included in the tables showing the products by 
counties and States. 
The commercial fisheries of the Columbia may be dated from 1866, 
in which year the first salmon cannery on the river opened the business 
with a pack of 4,000 cases. In the thirty-four years since that date, 
or from 1866 to and including 1899, the total amount of salmon canned 
on this stream amounted to 13,111,110 cases of 48 pounds each, or 
629,333,280 pounds of canned salmon, of $73,346,465 value. The table 
showing the pack of each year is interesting for reference. The small 
amount packed the first two years sold at an average of $16 a case, the 
highest prices ever received. During the next three years the price 
fell to $12 per case, and between 1871 and 1875 a constantly increased 
atch ranged from $10.50 down to $6. The next five years prices 
ranged from $5.50 to $5. The lowest prices ever known were $4.50 
in 1881, the prices remaining between $4.50 and $5 from 1881 to 1886. 
During the past thirteen years prices have ranged between %5, the 
lowest, and $6.25 in 1888, the highest. The values given are for the 
chinook salmon, which is of world-wide reputation and was for many 
years the only species packed. Of late years the fall run of silver 
salmon has received more attention. . 
~ The largest pack in any year was in 1895, when 634,696 cases were 
packed; the smallest since 1889 was that of 328,174 cases in 1899, a 
decrease of nearly 50 per cent from the extra large pack of 1895. A 
comparison between these two years is as follows: 






Items. 1895. 1899, 
Lbs. Lbs. 
Salmonusediaticanneries). 22.27.22 sae ee ins ees CER e ee eEaeee 41, 706, 001 21, 503, 326 
Salmonvsoldiireshvand frozen... sos seer eee cee ee shee eee emery eee 4, 699, 657 2,448, 608 
Retzy bvaYo) ale onc) cl (cro Fee Regen ee eee Seed Sea See eas Se SB ee Sams naadspaoceen on 1, 546, 756 
i Bo) #8 eee Rick en Oe A a SS ra ce aioe, <i BE tte ae eee Le 46, 405, 658 25, 498, 690 



