FISHING IN THE PRIAMUR DISTRICT OF SIBERTA. 27 
districts; the foresters regard it as a secondary matter and give it 
scant attention. On the other hand, fish on the Amur are to a large 
extent replacing cereals for the local inhabitants, not only for natives 
but also for Russians, and for this reason as many free fishing stations 
are given to the inhabitants as are deemed necessary to insure their 
food supply. Owing to alleged abuse of this privilege and to the 
inadequate and lax control by the foresters, the several rules and 
regulations providing for close seasons for the most valuable fish and 
prohibiting the use of certain methods of capture can not, it appears, 
be enforced among the river fishermen. 
The Amur River region is quite different from the northern waters. 
Here chum and humpback salmon are the principal fish, and two or 
three runs of each of these varieties occur annually. The Amur River 
fishing has a very far-reaching effect on the whole life of the Maritime 
and Amur Provinces. The principal fishing is concentrated in the 
northern part of the river and in its estuaries. The width of the 
river, the frequent storms during the runs, and the regulations gov- 
erning the construction and size of the fishing gear all assist in allow- 
ing the fish to pass the innumerable fishing stations at the mouth of 
the river and its estuary and to reach the upper parts of the stream. 
The runs of fish up the river replace, in the Maritime Province, the 
' harvest time in other sections of Russia. By far the greater part of 
the inhabitants along the river catch fish; they are eaten fresh and 
are salted, dried, and prepared in other ways for future consumption. 
In the diet of the peasants and natives of the Amur River system fish 
replaces grain. The natives prepare the fundamental food for their 
dogs from the fish heads and bones. In the Maritime Province the 
salmon ascend the Amur as far as the Ussuri River and its tributaries; 
in the Amur Province they often ascend as far as Blagovyestchensk. 
Beyond Nikolaievsk only the surplus salmon are sold, the bulk of 
the catch being prepared for home consumption. 
The lower part of the Amur River and its estuary is occupied by 
the largest, oldest, and best fishing stations, some of which are 
already fully equipped with proper quays, sheds, ice cellars, and even 
refrigerators, electric lights, and yard railroads. The longer a station 
exists the better it is studied and the greater its value becomes. In 
March, 1916, public tenders were held for some of the best stations, 
and the increase in their value can be seen from the following figures: 
In 1908 one of these stations was leased for $1,500; in 1912 the same 
lessee paid $3,000 for it, and last March (1916) it was leased by an 
outsider for $21,000.. Another station, regarded as one of the best, 
was leased by the same man for 12 years at $2,500 per annum; this 
year the old lessee offered $48,000 for it, but was outbid by a new 
man, who offered $58,000 per annum. 
