﻿594 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  endless 
  chain 
  that 
  is 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  45"^. 
  This 
  carries 
  them 
  ni) 
  G 
  or 
  8 
  

   feet, 
  where 
  they 
  meet 
  with 
  a 
  shaft 
  Avith 
  circular 
  knives 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  

   lengths 
  apart 
  for 
  the 
  cut 
  tish 
  to 
  lit 
  into 
  the 
  cans. 
  The 
  lish 
  being 
  cut, 
  

   the 
  endless 
  chain 
  elevator 
  turns, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  dumped 
  off 
  upon 
  a 
  slid- 
  

   ing 
  board 
  to 
  the 
  packing 
  table, 
  where 
  they 
  go 
  into 
  filling 
  machines 
  and 
  

   thence 
  into 
  the 
  cans. 
  The 
  cutting 
  and 
  filling 
  are 
  done 
  by 
  steam 
  power. 
  

  

  Whatcom 
  County 
  has 
  other 
  valuable 
  fishing-grounds. 
  Chuckauut 
  

   Bay, 
  Bellingham 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  west 
  coastline 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  are 
  

   well 
  supplied 
  with 
  salmon, 
  smelt, 
  herring, 
  cultuscod, 
  rocktish. 
  and 
  many 
  

   other 
  species 
  of 
  food-fish, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  1,131,949 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  

   taken 
  and 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  market. 
  The 
  waters 
  of 
  Xooksack 
  River, 
  which 
  

   have 
  their 
  rise 
  aud 
  outlet 
  in 
  the 
  county, 
  added 
  1,997,180 
  pounds 
  addi- 
  

   tional. 
  Commercial 
  fishing 
  on 
  this 
  stream 
  is 
  of 
  late 
  origin 
  and 
  worthy 
  

   of 
  notice. 
  Prior 
  to 
  1893 
  what 
  little 
  fishing 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  Nook- 
  

   sack 
  was 
  by 
  ranchers 
  and 
  Indians 
  for 
  home 
  consumption, 
  but 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  yearly 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  fished 
  for 
  salmon, 
  that 
  

   are 
  disposed 
  of 
  to 
  the 
  canneries 
  of 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  and 
  the 
  wholesale 
  

   fish-dealers 
  of 
  Seattle, 
  New 
  Whatcom, 
  or 
  Fairhaven. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  salmon, 
  silver 
  salmon 
  being 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  for 
  3J 
  miles 
  upstream 
  and 
  steelheads 
  for 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  18 
  to 
  20 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  all 
  by 
  drift 
  and 
  

   set 
  gill 
  nets. 
  Set 
  nets 
  are 
  60 
  to 
  90 
  feet 
  long; 
  drift 
  nets 
  100 
  feet 
  long 
  

   when 
  used 
  up 
  tlie 
  river, 
  and 
  600 
  feet 
  long 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   river. 
  Steelheads 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  white 
  men 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  winter, 
  the 
  

   Indians 
  fishing 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  silver 
  salmon. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  

   of 
  steelhead 
  and 
  half 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  chinook 
  are 
  sold 
  to 
  the 
  fresh-fish 
  trade 
  ; 
  

   all 
  of 
  the 
  silver 
  salmon 
  and 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  chinook 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  canneries. 
  

  

  SKAGIT 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  building 
  and 
  operating 
  of 
  several 
  new 
  salmon 
  canneries 
  on 
  

   Puget 
  Sound 
  during 
  1894-95, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  demand 
  from 
  

   the 
  wholesale 
  fish-dealers 
  of 
  Seattle, 
  brought 
  into 
  use 
  the 
  heretofore 
  

   neglected 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  section. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  product 
  taken 
  from 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Skagit 
  River 
  or 
  near 
  its 
  mouth, 
  all 
  within 
  Skagit 
  

   County, 
  by 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  same, 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  124 
  men 
  used 
  

   drift 
  gill 
  nets 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  their 
  catch 
  amounting 
  

   to 
  1,414,440 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmon; 
  120 
  men 
  fished 
  with 
  set 
  nets 
  between 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  Avon, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  17 
  miles, 
  their 
  catcli 
  

   being 
  909,152 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmon. 
  One 
  pound 
  net 
  on 
  the 
  Indian 
  reser- 
  

   vation 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  produced 
  111,375 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmo:i. 
  

   The 
  aggregate 
  catch 
  in 
  Skagit 
  County 
  was 
  2,434,967 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmon 
  

   from 
  waters 
  that 
  in 
  past 
  years 
  have 
  been 
  unknown 
  as 
  producers 
  to 
  the 
  

   commercial 
  fisheries. 
  This 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  fish 
  has 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  

   residents 
  of 
  many 
  sparsely 
  settled 
  sections 
  ready 
  cash 
  when 
  it 
  could 
  

   not 
  have 
  been 
  otherwise 
  procured, 
  besides 
  providing 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   good 
  food 
  for 
  their 
  families. 
  

  

  