III. APPARATUS AND METHODS OF THE FISHERY. 



GILL NETS. 



The gill net is the oldest and most popular form of apparatus in 

 use in the salmon fisheries of the Pacific coast. There are two kinds, 

 drift and set, these names clearly expressing the difference between 

 them. Fine flax or linen twine is generally used in their manufac- 

 ture, although in some places cotton twine is employed, and it has 

 usually 12 threads and is laid slack. They are hung in the ordinary 

 manner — to a rope with cork floats to support the upper portion of the 

 gear, and to a line with lead sinkers attached, which keeps the net 

 vertical in the water and all its meshes properly distended. The 

 nets are tanned, usually several times each season. 



Drift nets vary greatly in length and depth, depending upon the 

 width of the fishing channels, the depth of water, etc. On the Sac- 

 ramento River they average about 300 fathoms in length, are 45 

 meshes deep, and have a stretch mesh of from 7| to 9J inches. On 

 the coastal rivers of Oregon these nets average about 125 fathoms in 

 length, and are about 36 meshes in depth, the mesh varying with 

 the species of salmon sought. On the Columbia River the nets aver- 

 age about 250 fathoms in length and have a stretch mesh for 

 chinooks of 9 to 9^ inches. On the Willamette River, the principal 

 tributary of the Columbia, they average about 75 fathoms in length, 

 with meshes of 8 and 9^ inches. On Willapa Harbor drift gill nets 

 run from 100 to 250 fathoms in length, are 30 meshes deep, with 

 stretch meshes of 7 and 8 -J- inches. On Grays Harbor they average 

 100 fathoms in length, the chinook nets run from 24 to 45 meshes in 

 depth, with a stretch mesh of 9 inches, while the silver or coho nets 

 are 35 meshes in depth, with a stretch mesh of 7 inches. In the 

 Puget Sound region the nets average 300 fathoms in length, with 

 meshes suitable for the particular species sought. In Alaskan waters 

 the nets vary greatly in length and depth, depending upon the places 

 where fished. 



Drift gill netting is prosecuted chiefly in the estuaries of the 

 rivers in and near the channels. If the water is clear the nets are 

 set only at night, but should the water be muddy or discolored with 

 glacial silt, fishing can be carried on either night or day. Night fish- 

 ing is most common in the States, while day fishing is most common 



23 



