286 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



other canneries on this river use flat-bottomed boats, measuring 24 feet 

 over all, and 7 feet beam, with an .S-inch wa^shrail. This style of boat 

 costs less than the other, and is equally efficient, especially as sand- 

 bars and mudflats are scattered along the river. 



The fishermen receive 10 cents each for catching king salmon and 3 

 cents each for red and silver salmon, besides $75 for assistance in 

 handling the vessel on the passage to and from San Francisco. Pre- 

 vious to the present season the fishermen have been paid monthly 

 wages, but the change is thought to be for the better, and all the can- 

 neries have agreed to the same terms. 



Forty-five cents per case is paid for ])utting U4) salmon. This in. 

 eludes all the labor from the time the fish are taken from the fishermen 

 until the cans are labeled and boxed for shipment. Each cannery 

 employs one reliable Chinaman to attend to the mechanical part of the 

 business, and he hires the remaining men of his class, who look to him 

 for their paj^ He is held rigidly to his agreement by the company. 



The facilities for handling and putting up salmon are about the same 

 at all the canneries on the IS ushagak River. Twelve hundred is the 

 largest number of cases that could be prepared in a day by each cannery, 

 providing every eftbrt was i)ut forth, but the fish are not sufficiently 

 abundant to attain that figure, and half the amount mentioned would 

 be regarded as a fair day's work. 



Salmon first make their appearance the first of June, and remain 

 from 55 to GO days. As the season is short all the needed preparations 

 are made beforehand and from the middle of May until the first of June 

 every man about the cannery is actively engaged in this work. 



Formerly the machinery for manufacturing cans was sent out from 

 San Francisco, but it has since been found more economical to ship 

 them ready-made from the latter place. Another advantage is that the 

 voyage is delayed until more setlled weather generally prevails. 



The first salmon were taken the iiast season on the morning of June 

 3 by boats belonging to the Bristol Bay Canning ( 'ompany. The total 

 catch on that date amounted to 6C0 fish, producing 250 cases. This 

 small catch acted as ;in incentive and everybody rushed to the s]iot 

 where they had been obtained, but several days elapsed before any 

 more were takeii. 



The first species which enters the river is the king salmon. They 

 remain about a fortnight, after Avhich come the red salmon, followed 

 closely by the silver salmon. The king salmon are first sought in the 

 vicinity of Coflee I'oint, a high jnomojitory situated on the west side 

 of the river, where the fishermen are in the habit of coming together to 

 drink their coflfee after a hard night's fishing. 



It is said that the ice has considerable effect upon the api)earance of 

 the salmon. It is sometimes unusually late in breaking up in the river, 

 in which (^ase tin' salmon remain outside until it has disa])peared and 

 the temperature of the water has somewhat increased. When the 

 salmon are late in entering the river they immediately proceed up 



