10 FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST STATES IN 1904. 



Washington. — The salmon pack of Washington in 1904 amounted to 

 518,990 cases, valued at $2,378,801, compared with 1,041,883 cases in 

 1899, valued at $1,275,329. There were 27 canneries, which paid wages 

 amounting to $354,146. The pack of mild-cured salmon amounted to 

 2,099,851 pounds, valued at $217,585, and the amount of fresh frozen 

 salmon handled was 3,158,970 pounds, valued at $178,300. The refuse 

 from the salmon canneries at Anacortes was utilized at oil and ferti- 

 lizer works, producing 270 tons of fish scrap or fertilizer, valued at 

 $7,560, and 25,000 gallons of fish oil, valued at $7,000. 



The mechanical part of salmon canning has from almost the begin- 

 ning been performed by Chinese, who, being quiet, industrious, and 

 cleanly, give satisfaction. Before the season opens the canners con- 

 tract with Chinese agencies to pack a given number of cases at a fixed 

 price per case. This implies taking the fish as put on the dock and 

 doing all the work until they are labeled, packed, and ready for ship- 

 ment. In recent years prices have been increased by the contractors, 

 and in 1904 reached 35 to 50 cents per case of forty- eight 1-pound cans 

 each. The canneries furnish the living quarters for their employees, 

 and the men their bedding and provisions. Of late years Chinese labor 

 has been growing scarce, and is partly replaced by Japanese, furnished 

 by the contractor or employed by the canner. A foreman with a few 

 white assistants oversees the work. The Chinese and Japanese work 

 side by side quietly, having no trouble, and carrying on little conver- 

 sation not connected with their work. Outside of working hours they 

 do not associate. 



Oregon. — The salmon catch shows little variation, in 1904 yielding 

 320,435 cases after canning, a decrease of 20,862 cases compared with 

 the 341,297 in 1899. There were 21 canneries in 1904, a falling off of 

 7 since 1899, of which 10, including 6 at Astoria, were operated on the 

 Columbia River and the remainder on smaller rivers of the state. 

 The total Columbia River pack of salmon in Oregon was 221,561 cases; 

 that of the other rivers 98,874 cases. 



The decrease in canned salmon, however, has been more than made 

 up in this state by the large increase in the pack of mild-cured salmon 

 from 1,546,756 pounds in 1899 to 5,219,193 pounds in 1904. The 

 shipments of fresh frozen salmon show a decrease of 67,220 pounds 

 from 2,448,608 pounds in 1899 to 2,381,388 pounds in 1904. In the 

 latter year, however, 51,000 pounds were smoked and 273,950 pounds 

 pickled, which makes a total gain of 3,930,167 pounds of salmon other 

 than from the canneries. The wages paid by canneries amounted to 

 $215,892, by cold-storage and mild-curing plants $62,124, by wholesale 

 dealers $38,430, or a total of $316,446. 



California. — The salmon fisheries of California present an interest- 

 ing difference from those of Washington and Oregon in the fact that 

 through restrictive legislation and artificial propagation the supply has 



