﻿604 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  men 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  for 
  3 
  to 
  8 
  miles 
  up 
  stream. 
  Ranchers 
  

   and 
  farmers 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  40 
  miles 
  take 
  them 
  for 
  home 
  use 
  as 
  food, 
  or 
  

   for 
  fertilizing 
  the 
  land. 
  On 
  Lewis 
  River 
  the 
  fish 
  x)ass 
  by 
  the 
  south 
  or 
  

   east 
  fork, 
  keeping 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  river, 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  north 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lewis 
  River, 
  for 
  some 
  40 
  miles. 
  Here, 
  also, 
  large 
  quantities, 
  of 
  which 
  

   no 
  reliable 
  estimate 
  can 
  be 
  given, 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  men 
  living 
  near 
  the 
  

   stream, 
  the 
  catch 
  being 
  used 
  locally 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  on 
  Lewis 
  River 
  is 
  taken 
  between 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  and 
  Etna, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  20 
  miles, 
  the 
  largest 
  amount 
  being 
  

   from 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  These 
  fish 
  are 
  caught 
  both 
  by 
  day 
  

   and 
  night, 
  dip 
  nets 
  being 
  used. 
  In 
  some 
  cases 
  a 
  fisherman 
  will 
  anchor 
  

   or 
  fasten 
  his 
  boat 
  to 
  the 
  bank 
  and 
  dip 
  the 
  fish 
  as 
  they 
  pass 
  by 
  in 
  solid 
  

   masses. 
  Oftener 
  two 
  men 
  go 
  in 
  a 
  boat, 
  one 
  rowing 
  while 
  his 
  partner 
  

   with 
  his 
  dip 
  net 
  soon 
  fills 
  the 
  boat. 
  At 
  night 
  no 
  torch 
  or 
  light 
  of 
  any 
  

   kind 
  is 
  used. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  soon 
  packed, 
  undressed, 
  in 
  boxes 
  or 
  sacks, 
  

   though 
  from 
  scarcity 
  of 
  boxes 
  and 
  sacks 
  tons 
  of 
  fish 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   shipped 
  in 
  bulk 
  on 
  small 
  steamers, 
  the 
  catch 
  being 
  landed 
  and 
  placed 
  

   on 
  the 
  market 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  after 
  being 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  During 
  1895 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  these 
  Columbia 
  River 
  smelt 
  from 
  this 
  

   section 
  marketed 
  at 
  Portland 
  was, 
  from 
  Cowlitz 
  River, 
  20,625 
  pounds; 
  

   from 
  Lewis 
  River, 
  230,500 
  pounds; 
  from 
  Columbia 
  River, 
  31,125 
  

   pounds. 
  The 
  total 
  amount 
  used 
  locally 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  fertilizing 
  and 
  sent 
  

   to 
  market 
  is 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  500,000 
  to 
  750,000 
  pounds 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1896, 
  it 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  arrangements 
  would 
  

   be 
  made 
  for 
  making 
  large 
  shipments 
  of 
  eulachon 
  the 
  following 
  season 
  

   to 
  the 
  eastern 
  markets. 
  

  

  Prices 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  have 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  catch 
  

   and 
  the 
  amount 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  only 
  market, 
  that 
  of 
  Portland, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   the 
  catch 
  bringing 
  5 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  and 
  later 
  as 
  low 
  as 
  ^ 
  cent 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  CLARKE 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  are 
  not 
  extensive. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  limited 
  

   to 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  salmon 
  and 
  sturgeon, 
  which 
  are 
  chiefly 
  disposed 
  of 
  to 
  

   the 
  local 
  markets 
  of 
  Portland. 
  

  

  SKAMANIA 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  have 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  been 
  increas- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  value 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  salmon, 
  which 
  amounted 
  to 
  

   1,4:91,723 
  i^ouuds 
  in 
  1895. 
  Of 
  this 
  (quantity, 
  1,018,993 
  pounds 
  were 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  20 
  fish-wheels 
  located 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  Cascades. 
  In 
  

   addition 
  to 
  salmon 
  caught 
  by 
  wheels, 
  84,000 
  ijounds 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  gill 
  

   nets 
  and 
  391,730 
  pounds 
  by 
  haul 
  seines. 
  Of 
  the 
  several 
  devices 
  for 
  the 
  

   capture 
  of 
  salmon, 
  the 
  salmon 
  wheel 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  and 
  novel, 
  

   and 
  also 
  the 
  most 
  variable 
  and 
  uncertain 
  in 
  its 
  results. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  

   more 
  affected 
  by 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  netters 
  or 
  pouud 
  

   fishermen; 
  often 
  extremely 
  low 
  water 
  leaves 
  many 
  wheels 
  high 
  and 
  

   dry 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  short 
  season 
  of 
  fishing, 
  and, 
  again, 
  extremely 
  

  

  