PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 



Ill 



this, they persisted in catching them and many thousands were killed 

 and thrown away during the years when the run appeared in the 

 sound. This ruthless and senseless slaughter finally had its natural 

 result, and ahout four years ago a heavy decline was ohserved in 

 the catch of that year, and this decline has steadily increased since, 

 with the result that to-day there are grave douhts as to whether the 

 run can be preserved even in its impaired condition. The only hope 

 is that the prohibition of all salmon fishing during the months of 

 July and August may be adopted, which would prevent fishing for 

 either sockeyes or humpbacks, notli of which run during these months. 



PACKS BY CANADIAN AND AMERICAN CANNERS. 



Afany people on both sides of the boundary line have been under the 

 impression that the American fishermen on Puget Sound have been 

 by far the greatest offenders in so far as the quantity of sockeye 

 salmon taken has been concerned, but a table '^ prepared by Mr. 

 J. P. Babcock, assistant to the Commissioner of Fisheries of British 

 Columbia, does not bear this out. Previous to 1S91 most of the fish- 

 ing was done by British Columbia fishermen. The table follows: 



Year. 



1891. 

 1892. 

 1893. 

 1894. 

 1805. 

 1896. 

 1897. 

 1898. 

 1S99. 

 1900. 

 1901. 

 1902. 

 1903. 

 1901. 

 1905. 

 1906. 



Total. 



Cases. 

 182,492 

 82,669 

 5a'i,649 

 4a-),7i>8 

 461,127 

 42<.t,'Jt53 



1,172,507 

 608,101 

 980,131 

 45**,. 504 



2,03:5,765 

 633,033 

 372,020 

 196,107 



1,68-*, 611 

 365,248 



Year. 



1907. 

 1908. 

 l'.)09. 

 1910. 

 1911. 

 1912. 

 1913. 

 1914. 

 IS'lo. 



1917. 

 1918. 

 1919. 



Canadian 

 waters. 



Cases. 

 62,617 

 74,574 

 585,435 

 150,432 

 62,817 

 123,879 

 736,661 

 198, 183 

 91,130 

 27,394 

 148,164 

 19,697 

 34,063 



AmeriCiin 

 waters. 



Cases. 

 96,974 



1.5.5,218 

 1,005,120 



231,437 



126,950 



183,896 

 1,664,827 



336,251 

 64,584 

 78,476 



411,538 

 50,723 

 64.346 



Total.. 8,493,431 



8,766,640 



Total. 



Cases. 

 159,591 

 229.792 



1,. 590, 655 

 384,869 

 189,767 

 307,775 



2,401,488 

 534,434 

 155,714 

 105,870 

 659,702 

 70,420 

 98,409 



17,260,071 



METHODS OF PREPARING SALMON. 



CANNING. 



EARLY DAYS OF THE INDUSTRY. 



In the salmon industry caiming is and has been almost from the 

 time of the (hscovery of a feasible method of so preserving the fish, 

 the principal branch. The first canning of salmon on the Pacific 

 coast was on the Sacramento Kiver in 1S64, when (i. W. and William 

 Hume and Andrew S. llapgood, operating under the firm name of 

 Ilapgood, Hume & Co., started the work on a scow at Washington, 

 Yolo County, Calif. The Hume brothers, who came from Maine 

 originally, had been fishing for salmon in the Sacramento River for 

 some years before the idea of canning the fish had entered their 

 minds, while Mr. Hapgood had previously been engaged in canning 

 lobsters in Maine, and was induced by the Humes to participate in 



" Kr.i.s(^r iCiver .-^nlmon Situation: .\ Ueclumation Project. By John I'case Uabcock. Appe)i(lix V, 

 Report, Hriti.sh Odiimbia Commissioner of Fisheries for the year ending Dec. 31, 1919, p. 3. X'ictorla, 

 British Columbia, 1920. 



