﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  599 
  

  

  clams 
  are 
  found. 
  Mussels 
  are 
  of 
  slow^ 
  sale, 
  tlie 
  demand 
  being 
  filled 
  by 
  

   tlie 
  amount 
  gathered 
  by 
  4 
  Indians, 
  40 
  others 
  being 
  employed 
  in 
  taking 
  

   clams 
  from 
  the 
  waters 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  Port 
  Madison, 
  Sidney, 
  and 
  Port 
  

   Blakely. 
  The 
  entire 
  products 
  are 
  marketed 
  at 
  Seattle, 
  and 
  amounted 
  

   to 
  22,530 
  bushels 
  of 
  clams 
  and 
  473 
  bushels 
  of 
  mussels 
  during 
  1S05, 
  the 
  

   value 
  to 
  producers 
  being 
  $8,008, 
  the 
  aggregate 
  gross 
  weight 
  rei)resent- 
  

   iug 
  1,323,650 
  pounds. 
  The 
  Indian 
  clam-diggers 
  bring 
  their 
  clams 
  to 
  

   market 
  in 
  sacks 
  holding 
  125 
  pounds, 
  or 
  about 
  2^ 
  bushels 
  each, 
  for 
  which 
  

   they 
  receive 
  75 
  cents 
  a 
  sack, 
  10,400 
  sacks 
  being 
  marketed 
  during 
  1895. 
  

  

  PIERCE 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  

   center 
  at 
  Tacoma, 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  reside. 
  The 
  

   business 
  has 
  seen 
  many 
  changes 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  and 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent 
  has 
  drifted 
  away 
  to 
  other 
  localities. 
  The 
  fishing 
  season 
  extends 
  

   from 
  about 
  August 
  15 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  May. 
  Durin'g 
  the 
  summer 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  fishing 
  except 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  dogfish 
  for 
  their 
  oil. 
  

   During 
  1895 
  the 
  shii)meuts 
  from 
  Tacoma 
  in 
  refrigerator 
  cars 
  to 
  points 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  amounted 
  to 
  759,203 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  — 
  

   31 
  carloads. 
  Of 
  this, 
  449,732 
  pounds 
  were 
  fresh 
  halibut 
  imported 
  from 
  

   Victoria, 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  and 
  309,471 
  pounds 
  of 
  halibut 
  and 
  salmon 
  

   caught 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  fishermen, 
  who 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   the 
  halibut 
  fishery 
  near 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Fuca. 
  

  

  Prawns, 
  locally 
  known 
  and 
  sold 
  as 
  shrimp, 
  are 
  abundant 
  near 
  Ander- 
  

   son 
  Island. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  dragging 
  a 
  bag 
  net 
  behind 
  a 
  small 
  

   steamer 
  or 
  rowboat 
  in 
  water 
  some 
  30 
  fathoms 
  deep. 
  This 
  net 
  is 
  20 
  feet 
  

   long, 
  12 
  by 
  3 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  mouth. 
  Fishing 
  for 
  prawns 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  

   winter 
  season, 
  very 
  few 
  being 
  caught 
  during 
  summer 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   their 
  rapid 
  deterioration. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  custom-house 
  at 
  Tacoma 
  449,732 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  halibut 
  were 
  

   entered 
  during 
  1895 
  from 
  Victoria, 
  Pritisli 
  Columbia. 
  An 
  import 
  duty 
  

   of 
  i 
  cent 
  a 
  pound 
  was 
  paid, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  shipped 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  

   and 
  other 
  eastern 
  cities. 
  In 
  addition, 
  899,853 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  halibut 
  

   were 
  shipped 
  from 
  Vancouver, 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  to 
  Boston, 
  Mass. 
  

  

  MASON 
  AND 
  THURSTON 
  COUNTIES. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  counties 
  by 
  local 
  fishermen 
  are 
  

   limited 
  to 
  the 
  native 
  oyster 
  business. 
  Hoods 
  Canal, 
  an 
  arm 
  of 
  Puget 
  

   Sound, 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  value 
  for 
  its 
  salmon 
  supply, 
  the 
  catch 
  going 
  

   to 
  the 
  canneries 
  of 
  Seattle 
  and 
  Port 
  Angeles 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Seattle 
  fresh- 
  

   fish 
  market, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  being 
  non-residents 
  of 
  the 
  locality. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  industry 
  has 
  continued 
  to 
  decrease 
  in 
  value 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  products. 
  The 
  decline 
  is 
  probably 
  attributable 
  to 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  

   care 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-beds. 
  During 
  1895 
  laws 
  were 
  passed 
  giving 
  a 
  deed 
  

   to 
  such 
  oyster 
  lands 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  purchased 
  from 
  the 
  State, 
  the 
  price 
  to 
  

   be 
  fixed 
  by 
  appraisement 
  and 
  survey 
  by 
  State 
  ofiicers. 
  Since 
  the 
  

   passage 
  of 
  tlicse 
  laws 
  the 
  oyster-grounds 
  have 
  largely 
  i)assed 
  into 
  a 
  few 
  

   hands, 
  and 
  they 
  may 
  now 
  be 
  improved 
  and 
  taken 
  care 
  of. 
  

  

  