PACIFIC COAST FISHERIES. 251 



The sturgeon fishery begins immediately at the close of the salmon 

 fishery J that is, about the middle of August or the first of September, 

 and is followed to the opening of the salmon season in the following 

 April. Sturgeon are found in the river throughout the year, but are 

 most abundant during the run of sardines, in July and August, and 

 the run of smelt in January and February, the sturgeon feeding to a 

 considerable extent on these fish. The spawning season appears to be 

 in November and later, thus contrasting strongly with the sturgeon of 

 the Atlantic Coast. Mature roe, suitable for the preparation of caviar, 

 is not found in quantities before November. With the exception of 

 the sturgeon taken incidentally in the salmon nets, which are sold for 

 local use, the fish is neglected during the summer months. 



The average gross weight of the sturgeon caught is 150 pounds, the 

 market fish ranging from 40 to 500 i>ounds. Some fish of relatively 

 small size are caught, and occasionally very large ones are taken. In 

 1891 a sturgeon taken near Kalama weighed 848 pounds, and one taken 

 off" Oak Point in 1892 weighed 800 pounds. 



Fishing is prosecuted from the mouth of the river as far up as the 

 Cascades, a few fish being taken above the latter point; but the bulk 

 of the catch is obtained between Astoria and Kalama, a distance of 

 60 miles. During the early part of the season fishing is done nearer the 

 mouth of the river. The fishermen meet the fish as they come iuto the 

 stream and move along with them. 



With the exception of a few gill nets employed in the lower river 

 the fishing is carried on exclusively with set lines. Each line is pro- 

 vided with 200 to 400 hooks, the hooks being 1 foot apart, and 5 to 8 

 lines constituting the comi^lement of each fishing boat. When the 

 fishing was first inaugurated lampreys were used for bait, but in the 

 following year the Chinese method of using baitless hooks was found 

 successful and has since been universally practiced. The hooks differ 

 from those used by the Chinese, however, in being barbed, but resem- 

 ble them in being ground to a needle-like point. The lines, as a rule, 

 are anchored across the bed of the river, in some cases diagonally, 

 and also in the bays formed by the exx^ausion of the river. At inter- 

 vals of 7 feet a junk bottle or block of wood is fastened to the line to 

 buoy it up and maintain it in position about'4 inches from the bottom. 

 The fishermen closely study the movements and habits of the sturgeon 

 a,nd set their lines on the grounds most frequented. The fish swim- 

 ming along the bottom of the stream in search of food, as is their 

 habit, must necessarily cross the set lines, and are almost certain to be 

 snagged by one or more of the sharp-pointed hooks. In attempting to 

 free themselves more hooks are apt to be caught in their body and they 

 are held fast. Occasionally fish are taken showing healed-up scars, 

 evidence of previous capture and escape. The lines are tended on the 

 slack tide and are usually visited only once in twenty- four hours. 



In 1892 the business of buying, packing, and shipping sturgeon 

 was carried on by two firms located at Portland, Oreg., one at Kal- 



