﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  601 
  

  

  CHEHALIS 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  Witli 
  abundauce 
  of 
  ocean 
  fish 
  off 
  its 
  shores 
  and 
  numerous 
  mountain 
  

   streams 
  that 
  abound 
  with 
  trout 
  and 
  salmon 
  in 
  season, 
  and 
  raihoad 
  

   facilities 
  on 
  Grays 
  Harbor, 
  directly 
  at 
  the 
  fishing-groundf^i, 
  this 
  county 
  

   has 
  many 
  advantages 
  for 
  quite 
  a 
  large 
  fish 
  business, 
  but 
  the 
  industry 
  is 
  

   limited 
  to 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  salmon 
  and 
  sturgeon 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  and 
  the 
  

   rivers. 
  

  

  The 
  shipi^ing 
  of 
  fish 
  is 
  now 
  receiving 
  considerable 
  attention. 
  In 
  1895 
  

   1,103,400 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  salmon, 
  12,000 
  jiounds 
  of 
  salted 
  salmon, 
  and 
  

   855,907 
  pounds 
  of 
  canned 
  salmon, 
  besides 
  75,880 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  stur- 
  

   geon, 
  were 
  shipped. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  43,610 
  pounds 
  of 
  salmon 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  Quinaielt 
  Kiver, 
  the 
  catcli 
  was 
  all 
  

   from 
  the 
  Chehalis 
  River 
  and 
  Grays 
  Harbor. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  fish 
  is 
  

   disposed 
  of 
  at 
  Aberdeen, 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Chehalis 
  River, 
  a 
  less 
  

   amount 
  being 
  shipped 
  from 
  South 
  Aberdeen, 
  Ocosta, 
  and 
  Cosmopolis. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  shipped 
  fresh 
  are 
  nearly 
  all 
  dressed, 
  with 
  heads 
  off 
  and 
  well 
  

   packed 
  in 
  ice, 
  the 
  latter 
  costing 
  $12 
  per 
  ton. 
  The 
  distribution 
  extends 
  

   through 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  States, 
  and 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  to 
  

   Chicago 
  and 
  other 
  eastern 
  cities. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  abundance 
  of 
  sturgeon 
  and 
  their 
  being 
  thrown 
  away 
  when 
  found 
  

   in 
  nets 
  and 
  pounds 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  salmon 
  flsliery 
  were 
  noticed 
  in 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  report 
  and 
  received 
  attention 
  from 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  handling 
  

   sturgeon. 
  Here, 
  as 
  elsewhere, 
  the 
  fact 
  has 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  

   without 
  protection 
  this 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  quickly 
  exterminated, 
  or 
  so 
  nearly 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  special 
  fishing 
  unprofitable. 
  In 
  1892 
  the 
  shipping 
  of 
  

   sturgeon 
  first 
  received 
  attention, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  two 
  years 
  was 
  (piite 
  

   an 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  business 
  was 
  almost 
  

   entirely 
  abandoned, 
  the 
  supply 
  having 
  been 
  exhausted. 
  

  

  The 
  salmon 
  run 
  is 
  between 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   November, 
  although 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  are 
  found 
  going 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  all 
  

   through 
  the 
  winter. 
  Chinook 
  salmon 
  are 
  caught 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   river, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  silver, 
  dog, 
  and 
  steelhead, 
  are 
  fished 
  for 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  miles 
  upstream. 
  During 
  1895 
  only 
  

   gill 
  nets 
  were 
  used; 
  in 
  past 
  years 
  many 
  pound 
  nets 
  were 
  set 
  near 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  of 
  1895 
  was 
  considerably 
  curtailed 
  by 
  a 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  during 
  September 
  and 
  October, 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  lishing 
  months, 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  chiuook 
  had 
  free 
  passage 
  upstream. 
  The 
  

   fishermen 
  asked 
  15 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  silver 
  salmon 
  and 
  10 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  

   the 
  Chinook. 
  A 
  compromise 
  with 
  buyers 
  settled 
  the 
  price 
  at 
  13 
  and 
  30 
  

   cents, 
  which 
  remained 
  the 
  price 
  in 
  189G. 
  As 
  an 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  strike 
  

   a 
  new 
  cannery 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  Aberdeen 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  be 
  operated 
  in 
  1890. 
  

  

  Quinaielt 
  River 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  mountain 
  stream, 
  noted 
  for 
  having 
  a 
  run 
  of 
  

   small 
  and 
  fine 
  salmon, 
  whiqh 
  are 
  classed 
  as 
  bluebacks. 
  At 
  its 
  mouth 
  

   the 
  river 
  flows 
  through 
  the 
  Indian 
  reservation. 
  Quite 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  

   of 
  salmon 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  Indians 
  for 
  their 
  winter 
  supply 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  a 
  

   small 
  amount, 
  43,610 
  pounds, 
  was 
  sold 
  to 
  buyers 
  from 
  Grays 
  IIarl)or. 
  

  

  