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4 PACIFIC COAST FISHERIES. 289 
oa 
 Neah Bay.—The most important of the fishing communities of this 
county is Neah Bay, located on a reservation of the Makah Indians. 
Its nearness to the fishing-grounds makes it important as a harbor of 
refuge for fishermen of this entire region. In 1892 the Indians of Neah 
Bay numbered 442. They are industrious, self-supporting, quiet, and 
peaceable. The only work performed by them is connected with the 
fisheries, with the exception that during the hop-picking season men, 
women, and children are engaged in the hopyards of the white settlers 
of distant counties on or near Puget Sound. As reported in 1889, these 
Indians continue to procure the larger part of their food supply from 
the fishing-grounds of the Strait of Fuca and the adjacent ocean. No 
records are kept of their catch, and the amounts credited in the tables 
are based on careful estimates made at the agency. 
Halibut are the favorite food-fish of the Indians. It is estimated 
at the agency that 280,000 pounds of this fish are used annually as food, 
in addition to the quantities sold. During 1892 a fishing firm located 
at Tacoma had a steamer employed in visiting the grounds near Cape 
Flattery and buying the catch from the Indians and the small sailing 
vessels of whitemen. It is the practice of the Indians to go into camp 
near Cape Flattery, where the fish are dressed and disposed of, those 
not sold fresh being taken home and smoked for future use. The home 
market thus created induced a largely increased catch. 
The average daily catch of a halibut canoe is about 40 fish, having 
an average weight of 30 pounds, many of the fish taken being much 
heavier. The fishing season is from the middle of May to the middle 
of August, after which time three-fourths of the Indians leave for the 
hop vineyards. The halibut continue to be taken by the Indians with 
large, cumbersome wooden hooks made by them, which they prefer to 
the regular trade hooks used by white men. Halibut have been found 
in their usual abundance on the several fishing-grounds inside and 
outside the Strait of Fuca, although the larger catch is taken in the 
ocean. Inrough and stormy weather fishing can be successfully carried 
on inside the mouth of the strait. 
In 1892 new grounds were resorted to with excellent results. These 
were located from 25 to 40 miles southwest from Cape Flattery, and 
fishing was done ina depthof 75fathoms. The Indians of this county 
pay but little attention to salmon. Their catch is only made by troll- 
ing a bone or spoon hook in the American waters of the Strait of 
Fuca. The principal portion of the salmon run, which occurs in the fall, 
is said to be on the British side of the strait, on reaching the inner 
extremity of which the fish turn into their customary routes, one body 
going into Puget Sound and one going northward into the Strait of 
Georgia destined for the Fraser River. 
The pursuit of the fur seal is an important branch of the fisheries 
carried on by the Indians of Neah Bay. Small sailing vessels making 
their headquarters at that point are employed, several of which are 
owned by the Indians. In addition to the five sailing vessels used, in 
F. R. 93 19 “ 
