﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  595 
  

  

  Skagit 
  River 
  is 
  tlie 
  most 
  important 
  river 
  of 
  northwestern 
  Wasliingtou, 
  

   It 
  rises 
  iu 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  flows 
  south, 
  southwest, 
  and 
  west 
  across 
  

   Whatcom 
  County 
  and 
  through 
  Skagit 
  County, 
  receiving 
  the 
  drainage 
  

   from 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Cascade 
  Range 
  and 
  (via 
  Sauk 
  River) 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  melting 
  snow 
  of 
  Mount 
  Baker, 
  the 
  river 
  entering 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  

   by 
  two 
  forks 
  in 
  the 
  southwest 
  corner 
  of 
  Skagit 
  County. 
  For 
  several 
  

   months 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  navigable 
  by 
  steamers 
  of 
  some 
  size 
  for 
  

   40 
  miles, 
  and 
  for 
  linlf 
  that 
  distance 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  The 
  river 
  is 
  of 
  good 
  

   depth, 
  its 
  waters 
  cloudy, 
  of 
  a 
  slatish 
  color. 
  The 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  are 
  

   valuable, 
  yet 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  only 
  attention 
  given 
  to 
  them 
  

   was 
  the 
  limited 
  catch 
  of 
  ranchers 
  living 
  near 
  the 
  streain, 
  who 
  occasion- 
  

   ally 
  fished 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  use. 
  The 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  sahnon 
  and 
  seasons 
  

   when 
  found 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  Tyee 
  or 
  chinook, 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  

   August; 
  silver 
  salmon, 
  from 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  August 
  up 
  to 
  November, 
  some 
  

   seasons 
  later; 
  humpback, 
  August 
  and 
  September; 
  dog 
  salmon, 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  to 
  January; 
  sockeye 
  or 
  blueback, 
  June 
  to 
  August; 
  steelhead, 
  

   from 
  iSTovember 
  15 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  spring; 
  but 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  

   appeared 
  during 
  1895. 
  The 
  sockeye 
  or 
  blueback 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  

   for 
  canning, 
  and 
  steelheads 
  for 
  shipping 
  fresh. 
  

  

  The 
  mesh 
  of 
  nets 
  used 
  in 
  1805 
  was 
  too 
  large 
  for 
  catching 
  bluebacks, 
  

   the 
  set 
  nets 
  taking 
  only 
  5,112 
  pounds 
  in 
  1895, 
  while 
  with 
  smaller 
  mesh 
  

   in 
  1896 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  over 
  40,000 
  pounds. 
  These 
  fisheries 
  have 
  been 
  

   worked 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  time 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  yet 
  unknown 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  or 
  with 
  

   what 
  regularity 
  the 
  bluebacks 
  ascend 
  the 
  stream. 
  

  

  Three 
  sets 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  several 
  species, 
  all 
  of 
  

   uniform 
  length 
  and 
  depth; 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  set 
  nets, 
  15 
  fathoms, 
  

   9-inch 
  mesh 
  for 
  chinook, 
  O^inch 
  mesh 
  for 
  steelhead, 
  and 
  6-inch 
  mesh 
  for 
  

   silver 
  and 
  blueback. 
  Drift 
  nets 
  used 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  are 
  from 
  150 
  to 
  175 
  fathoms 
  long. 
  

  

  The 
  village 
  of 
  La 
  Conner, 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  is 
  the 
  

   headquarters 
  for 
  the 
  drift-net 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  river. 
  Here 
  are 
  

   located 
  agents 
  for 
  the 
  salmon 
  canneries 
  and 
  the 
  wholesale 
  fish-dealers 
  

   of 
  Seattle. 
  

  

  During 
  1895 
  the 
  prices 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  very 
  low 
  — 
  

   chinook 
  and 
  blueback, 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  cents 
  a 
  pound 
  ; 
  silver 
  salmon, 
  7 
  cents 
  each, 
  

   an 
  average 
  of 
  1 
  cent 
  i)er 
  pound; 
  dog 
  salmon, 
  1 
  to 
  3 
  cents 
  each; 
  huiii])- 
  

   back, 
  1 
  cent 
  each. 
  The 
  dog 
  and 
  liumi)ba('k 
  salnum 
  were 
  often 
  returned 
  

   to 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  the 
  set-net 
  fishermen, 
  it 
  not 
  paying 
  to 
  shi^) 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  waters 
  of 
  Puget 
  Sound, 
  off 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Skagit 
  County 
  and 
  its 
  

   numerous 
  islands, 
  abound 
  in 
  rockfish, 
  flounders, 
  herring, 
  cultus-cod, 
  

   and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  good 
  food-fish, 
  to 
  which 
  no 
  special 
  attention 
  is 
  

   given, 
  the 
  few 
  caught 
  being 
  used 
  locally. 
  

  

  The 
  cod 
  fishery 
  is 
  represented 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  at 
  Auacortes, 
  by 
  

   one 
  vessel 
  of 
  142 
  tons, 
  which 
  in 
  1895 
  sailed 
  from 
  Auacortes 
  April 
  IS 
  

   and 
  returned 
  August 
  9, 
  securing 
  her 
  catch 
  in 
  Bering 
  Sea. 
  At 
  the 
  

   home 
  port 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  prepared 
  and 
  sold 
  as 
  boneless 
  codfish, 
  finding 
  a 
  

   ready 
  market, 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States, 
  a 
  less 
  

  

  