FISHERIES OF OREGON. 



NOTES AND GENERAL STATISTICS. 



Although near the Oregon shores there are banks well known to afford 

 profitable fishing, and these, too, are convenient to railroads, the fish- 

 eries of this state continue to be confined to a few months' salmon 

 fishing in the Columbia River and some in smaller streams. There 

 appears, however, an increase since the last canvass, the total invest- 

 ment in 1904 being $3,756,692, against $3,497,643 in 1899. The 

 products in 1904 amounted to 27,535,232 pounds, valued at $1,185,092, 

 compared with 22,818,411 pounds, valued at $855,750, in 1899, a gain 

 of 4,716,821 pounds and $329,342. There was a decrease in the num- 

 ber of persons employed, however, from 5,643 in 1899 to 5,299 in 

 1904. 



Astoria, with fewer canneries than in past years, continues to be the 

 leading center of the Columbia River fisheries. In addition to 174,008 

 cases of salmon packed by its six canneries, the following shipments 

 /including that of a cold-storage firm at Goble and small shipments 

 from Coos and Tillamook counties) were made by the canneries and 

 two cold-storage firms: Mild-cured chinook, 5,103,193 pounds, valued 

 at $649,101; silver salmon, 116,000 pounds, valued at $9,280; fresh 

 frozen steelhead, 1,496,281 pounds, valued at $113,755; fresh frozen 

 silver salmon, 1,386,875 pounds, valued at $67,260; chinook, 12,025 

 pounds, valued at $601; chum or dog salmon, 7,500 pounds, valued at 

 $75; sturgeon, 19,494 pounds, valued at $2,729; shad, 21,150 pounds, 

 valued at $846; smelt, 20,184 pounds, valued at $807. The total salmon 

 packed and shipped as mild cured and fresh frozen was 8,121,874 

 pounds. With the exception of 46,000 pounds the 5,103,193 pounds 

 of chinook were all taken from the Columbia River by Oregon fisher- 

 men. The small experimental shipments of fresh shad and smelts to 

 New York proved successful. Nearly all mild cured and fresh frozen 

 fish were shipped to eastern cities in refrigerator cars. 



The principal apparatus used by the Oregon fishermen is gill nets, 

 the catch with these being 22,800,274 pounds out of the total 27,535,- 

 232 pounds by all apparatus. The gill nets are of several sizes, with from 

 7 to 9^ inch mesh. Of the 2,631 nets owned by the fishermen only 

 about one-third were in use at the same time. Haul seines are used 

 chiefly from the sand bars of the lower Columbia River, horses being 

 used in hauling them. Fifty seines were used in taking 2,579,182 

 pounds of salmon and 10,983 pounds of shad in 1904. Fish wheels 

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