﻿602 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  PACIFIC 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fislieries 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  present 
  no 
  changes 
  of 
  importance, 
  and 
  

   are 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  salmon 
  and 
  oysters. 
  The 
  salmon 
  catch 
  is 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  utilized 
  by 
  the 
  canneries 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  

   and 
  two 
  canneries 
  located 
  on 
  Willapa 
  Bay. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  of 
  

   salmon 
  i^acked 
  and 
  amount 
  of 
  fish 
  utilized 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Columbia 
  Kiver 
  

   Willapa 
  Bay 
  — 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  Cases 
  packed. 
  

   No. 
  Value. 
  

  

  52, 
  827 
  

   22, 
  600 
  

  

  75, 
  427 
  

  

  $262, 
  335 
  

   71, 
  269 
  

  

  333, 
  604 
  

  

  Gro,<!s 
  

   ■weight 
  of 
  

  

  salinou 
  

   utilized 
  

   (pounds). 
  

  

  3, 
  438, 
  907 
  

   1, 
  593, 
  670 
  

  

  5, 
  032, 
  577 
  

  

  First 
  

  

  value 
  to 
  

  

  li.slier- 
  

  

  luen. 
  

  

  $1.54, 
  621 
  

   16, 
  783 
  

  

  A 
  cold-storage 
  jilant 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  South 
  Bend, 
  on 
  the 
  Willapa 
  River, 
  

   in 
  1893, 
  but 
  remained 
  idle 
  up 
  to 
  1895, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  changed 
  into 
  and 
  

   used 
  as 
  a 
  salmon 
  cannery. 
  

  

  Steelheads 
  for 
  the 
  fresh-fish 
  trade 
  bring 
  3 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  gross 
  weight. 
  

  

  White 
  sturgeon 
  are 
  occasionally 
  caught. 
  Green 
  sturgeon 
  are 
  quite 
  

   plentiful, 
  but 
  no 
  use 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  them 
  up 
  to 
  1896, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  sought 
  

   to 
  introduce 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  trade 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  salmon 
  sturgeon. 
  

  

  Oysters. 
  — 
  The 
  small 
  native 
  oysters 
  of 
  Washington 
  are 
  still 
  popular 
  

   with 
  many, 
  but 
  are 
  equally 
  disliked 
  by 
  those 
  not 
  familiar 
  with 
  their 
  

   peculiar 
  flavor. 
  It 
  is 
  difiQcult 
  for 
  the 
  supply 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  demand. 
  

   The 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  continually 
  worked 
  over 
  and 
  over, 
  not 
  giving 
  the 
  

   oysters 
  much 
  opportunity 
  to 
  increase. 
  The 
  products 
  show 
  quite 
  a 
  

   decrease 
  between 
  1892 
  and 
  1895. 
  In 
  the 
  former 
  year 
  78,825 
  sacks 
  were 
  

   shipped, 
  valued 
  at 
  $101,179; 
  in 
  1895 
  61,400 
  sacks 
  brought 
  $92,100. 
  

  

  The 
  decrease 
  in 
  products 
  has 
  been 
  partly 
  made 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  producers 
  

   by 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  price 
  from 
  $1.50 
  a 
  sack 
  in 
  1892 
  to 
  $2 
  in 
  1895. 
  All 
  

   oysters 
  are 
  sold 
  by 
  the 
  sack 
  of 
  95 
  pounds, 
  or 
  about 
  1^ 
  bushels. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster-grounds 
  have 
  largely 
  been 
  bought 
  up 
  since 
  the 
  late 
  pas- 
  

   sage 
  of 
  State 
  laws 
  giving 
  oystermen 
  title 
  and 
  protection, 
  and 
  they 
  will 
  

   hereafter 
  probably 
  be 
  worked 
  with 
  more 
  care 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  future 
  

   supply. 
  

  

  WAHKIAKUM 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  business 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  is 
  quite 
  extensive, 
  though 
  the 
  

   catch 
  is 
  limited 
  to 
  salmon 
  that 
  pass 
  by 
  the 
  doors 
  of 
  the 
  seven 
  canneries 
  

   of 
  the 
  county, 
  which 
  are 
  all 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  within 
  

   50 
  miles 
  of 
  its 
  mouth. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  pack 
  of 
  1895 
  shows 
  quite 
  an 
  

   increase 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  last 
  investigation 
  of 
  1892 
  : 
  

  

  