FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST IN 1899. 545 
Columbia County.—The fisheries of this county are confined almost 
exclusively to the salmon catch from the Columbia, of which 551,653 
pounds were taken in 1899, against 923,268 pounds in 1895. The 
fisheries of the county were also reduced by the prohibition of sturgeon 
fishing, the catch of which in 1895 amounted to 762,027 pounds. The 
total value of the products in 1895 amounted to $50,150, and in 1899 to 
$27,497, all of which went to canneries and fresh-fish dealers. 
Multnomah County.—The fisheries of this county center at Portland, 
where there is a large amount of capital invested in salmon canneries 
located in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. There were only two 
canneries in operation in Multnomah County in 1899. The fisheries 
of the county in 1899 amounted to 1,674,881 pounds, of $68,778 value, 
with $243,961 capital invested and 355 fishermen and shore employees 
engaged. The two canneries packed 44,757 cases of salmon, valued at 
$228,237. The products of the fisheries of the county are almost 
exclusively salmon from the Columbia River. 
The wholesale fresh-fish business of Portland yearly increases, the 
receipts being from Oregon and Washington, with a limited amount 
from California. The distributions have a wide range, covering a 
large home and surrounding country demand, with quite large ship- 
ments of frozen and pickled salmon to the Atlantic and European 
markets. This branch of the fisheries represents $182,500 capital, 
with 50 employees. The sales for 1899 amounted to 3,332,141 pounds, 
of $254,976 value, as follows: 




Species. in bss Value. Species. | Lbs. | Value. 
==. i= — > | 
Black cod, fresh.........- 29,172 $1,605 | Halibut, smoked -...-- : 2,926 $234 
Black bass, fresh .......-.- 1, 575 | 157 || Herring, smoked ........ 8, 305 1, 496 
Cat-fish, fresh ............ 77, 678 4,929 || Herring, salted ...-.-...- 19, 000 755 
Ganp.-ireshl 22-75-0325 5.22% 30, 000 450 || Salmon, smoked......... 24,014 1, 921 
Flounders, fresh.........- | 25, 784 1, 284 || Salmon, salted.......-... | 522, 311 48, 231 
Halibut, fresh’----.......- 378, 001 TSHOOO! ||Ferawiiishie jf a teen 117, 696 19, 556 
Hernne. fresh)s 2.2 s20.2.- 31, 860 LS27G)4| Ora DStatas sisters a's osiere sete See 14, 596 606 
RELCHRATESH so. 22 sees coe 49, 279 2 ALA Shiny ses saseeenes cee. | 2, 000 250 
Roek-fish fresh’. == -2 2.25: 2,000 | 80 || Spiny lobsters ........-... 2, 000 250 
Salmon iresho 225. ses 5225. 1,578, 096 SUS569c | Native oystersi co 38) 26 ssl asceses cece 30, 826 
Shad ireshr S22 Sots sss 86, 497 | L780! || MAStermioOyStersics--- -so-\2 5 o2=- eee 3, 237 
Smelt; ireshe 22 2202 2522 310,171 | OFS05 Ke Clam smo keene eee er lene eee ae 12, 600 
Sturgeon, fresh..........- 10, 085 | 759 || Oo 
Striped bass, fresh......-- 933 | 93 ERO CGMS eee 3, 332, 141 254, 976 
TPomeod:fresh=2225. 5-222 8, 162 408 | 




The crawfish business has largely increased of late years, and forms 
quite an item in receipts at Portland, amounting to 39,232 dozen, or 
117,696 pounds. The catch is made in the sloughs of the Columbia 
and its tributary streams between March and September. A large 
part of the catch is used at Portland, with a considerable demand from 
Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, and as far east as Salt Lake City 
and St. Louis. The average weight is 3 pounds to the dozen. As 
prepared for shipment the crawfish is placed alive in a preparation 
of white wine and spices and boiled for about ten minutes. The 
crawfish and the liquor in which it has been boiled are next packed 
in tin buckets holding from 2 to 3 dozen each. 
F. C. 1901—35 
