SALMON" FISHERIES OF PACIFIC COAST. 21 



where, in addition to the canning of lobster, they also canned a few salmon. 

 I believe this was the first salmon canned on the American Continent, and I 

 jim informed that the business in a small way is still carried on in that section 

 of the country. In 1863 G. W. Hume went back to Maine, and while there 

 visited Mr. Hapgood at Fox Island, to which place he had been again sent by 

 Mi'. J. B. Hamblen to take charge of the works at that place. During the visit 

 of Mr. (J. W. Hume to his friend Hapgood a talk about salmon was had, and 

 it was agreed that if salmon on the Pacific coast were as plentiful as repre- 

 sented by Mr. Hume much money could be made in a salmon-cannery business. 

 The plan decided on was that Mr. G. W. Hume, on his return to California, 

 should try and induce his brother William to engage *.n the business with them, 

 and, if he succeeded in so doing, Mr. Hapgood should purchase the necessary 

 machinery and come out to California in time for the spring season of 1S64. 

 Mr. William Hume being agreeable to take part in the enterprise, Mr. Hapgood 

 set out on the journey and arrived at San Francisco on March 23, 18G4, and 

 a few days later at the location where the operations were afterwards 



conducted. 



******* 



For a considerable time after the salmon-canning business was inaugurated 

 the packers suspended operations in the early part of July of each year, as at 

 that time the market would take only goods which showed a rich oil and the 

 besl food values. 6 



The business languished after the firm, established its cannery on 

 the Columbia River, but in 1874 was renewed again by others and 

 continued with varying success until 1905, when it ceased, ow r ing to 

 the smaller quantity of fish available and the difficulty of competing 

 with the mild-cure packers and the fresh-fish dealers. 



Monterey Bay. — The first harbor south of San Francisco is Mon- 

 terey Bay, a large indentation cutting into Santa Cruz and Monterey 

 Counties. Only a portion of it is well sheltered, however. For a 

 number of years it had been known that salmon frequented the 

 waters of this bay for the purpose of feeding on the young fishes 

 which sw r armed there. Sportsmen frequently caught them w T ith rod 

 and reel, but it w T as not until the early eighties that the industry 

 was established on a commercial basis. It has since grown very 

 rapidly. The catch has either been mild cured at Monterey or 

 shipped fresh. 



ALASKA. 



Alaska is the most favored salmon-fishing region. Many rivers, 

 some of great length and draining enormous areas, intersect the dis- 

 trict in every direction, while the number of small creeks is countless. 

 Almost every one of these have runs of salmon of varying abundance. 

 The principal streams entering Bering Sea are the Yukon, Kus- 

 kokwim, Togiak, Nushagak, Kvichak, Naknek, Ugaguk, and Ugashik; 

 in central Alaska the Chignik, Karluk, Alitak, Sushitna, and Copper 



"The description of the machinery used and the methods of canning have been duoted 

 in full under "Canning" elsewhere in this report. 



"The first salmon cannery. By K. I). Hume. Pacific Fisherman, Seattle. Wash., vol. [I, 

 no. 1, January, 1904, p. 19-21. 



