292 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



PIERCE COUNTY. 



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This county occupit'S the heiid of Puget Sound and has as its fishing 

 center Tacoma, where most of the fishermen of the county reside and 

 nearly all of the catch is marketed. With the recent growth of the 

 city, the construction of a large cold-storage warehouse, and the invest- 

 ment of more capital in the industry, the outlook for tlie fisheries is 

 very encouraging to the fishermen, and the results of the business 

 present a considerable increase since the last report. 



The principal fisheries are for salmon, carried on with pound nets; 

 for cultus-cod, halibut, and rockfish, with lines; for flounders, herring, 

 salmon, smelt, etc., with seines; and for oysters and clams, with tongs. 

 The most important single products are oysters and silver salmon. 



During 1892 a firm largely interested in tlie fisheries placed the 

 steamer Francis Cutting in the business. This steamer was chiefly 

 used as a transporter, making frequent trips from Tacoma to the several 

 fishing banks of the sound and strait. The fishing season extended 

 from May 1 to November 2, during which time about 500,000 ])Ounds of 

 halibut, 50,000 pounds of black-cod, and 75,000 pounds of cultus-cod 

 were bought from the fishermen on the fishing-grounds, in addition to 

 which the crew of the steamer caught about 20,000 pounds of halibut. 

 On securing a fare the steamer returned to Tacoma, where the catch 

 •was placed in cold storage until needed. Fishing for halibut and the 

 other fish is done by a small fleet of sailing vessels using hand lines. 



Besides the halibut, black-cod, and cultus-cod brought in by the 

 steamer, this firm handled considerable quantities of salmon, smelt, and 

 sturgeon. After supplying the local demand, tlie surplus catch was 

 packed in refrigerator cars and shipped to points east of the Eocky 

 Mountains. The sturgeon handled came by rail from Grays Harbor 

 the other fish were caught locally. This was i)robably the first year in 

 which smelt were sent from the Pacific Coast to the East. The business 

 of freezing and shipping fresh fish to eastern points promises a large 

 increase in the near future. In 1891 one car, with 20,000 pounds of 

 fresh fish, was sent east. In 1892, up to the middle of December, eleven 

 cars, containing 297,369 pounds of fresh frozen fish, had been sent, 

 while half a dozen car loads still remained in storage, to be forwarded 

 later. 



KING COUNTY. 



The most important fishing center of this county is Seattle. The 

 rapid growth in the population of Seattle, the buihling of a cold-storage 

 warehouse, and the establishment of new fishing firms have led to a 

 threefold increase in the fisheries of this county as compared with 1888. 



The salmon canning business of Seattle and vicinity has fluctuated 

 considerably in recent years. In 1889 three canneries were operated. 

 During that season one was destroyed by fire, and the following year 

 another shared the same fate, and the third was closed. The cannery 

 destroyed in 1890 was burned during the packing season, but the 

 business was continued in a hastily provided temporary building, the 



