﻿G14 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  COLUMBIA 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  continue 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  large 
  

   importance 
  and 
  value. 
  The 
  late, 
  or 
  fall, 
  run 
  of 
  fish 
  has 
  within 
  the 
  

   past 
  few 
  years 
  received 
  much 
  more 
  attention 
  from 
  canners 
  audfresh-lish 
  

   dealers 
  than 
  formerly 
  and 
  has 
  added 
  considerably 
  to 
  the 
  products 
  from 
  

   the 
  river. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  constantly 
  increasing 
  demand 
  from 
  the 
  fresh-fish 
  

   trade. 
  The 
  salmon 
  so 
  disposed 
  of 
  in 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  5,402,344 
  

   pounds. 
  The 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  canneries, 
  634,696 
  cases, 
  was 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  

   128,709 
  cases 
  over 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  largest 
  pack 
  ever 
  

   made 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  next 
  largest 
  pack 
  in 
  past 
  years 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  

   629,400 
  cases 
  in 
  1883. 
  The 
  pack 
  of 
  1895 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  25 
  canneries, 
  of 
  

   which 
  9 
  were 
  in 
  Washington 
  and 
  16 
  in 
  Oregon. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  present 
  no 
  new 
  features 
  in 
  manner 
  of 
  

   capture 
  or 
  handling 
  of 
  the 
  products. 
  The 
  catch 
  continues 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  

   principally 
  with 
  gill 
  nets, 
  pound 
  nets, 
  haul 
  seines, 
  and 
  fish-wheels. 
  

  

  The 
  increase 
  in 
  1895 
  over 
  1892 
  is 
  shown 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Itema. 
  

  

  Pound 
  nets 
  . 
  

  

  Gill 
  nets 
  

  

  Fisb-wheels 
  

   Haul 
  seines. 
  

   Traps 
  

  

  378 
  

  

  1,314 
  

  

  57 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  3 
  

  

  Gain. 
  

  

  378 
  

  

  1,707 
  

  

  57 
  

  

  84 
  

  

  Items. 
  

  

  Boats 
  

  

  Fishermen. 
  .. 
  

  

  Shoresmen 
  

  

  Cases 
  packed 
  

  

  1,536 
  

  

  3,741 
  

  

  1,804 
  

  

  487, 
  338 
  

  

  2,207 
  

  

  4, 
  772 
  

  

  2,075 
  

  

  634, 
  690 
  

  

  671 
  

  

  1,031 
  

  

  273 
  

  

  147, 
  358 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  1894 
  was 
  disastrous 
  to 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  fish-wheels, 
  28 
  

   stationary 
  and 
  3 
  scow 
  wheels 
  having 
  been 
  carried 
  away, 
  and 
  in 
  most 
  

   cases 
  entirely 
  destroyed, 
  by 
  the 
  very 
  high 
  water. 
  The 
  pecuniary 
  loss 
  

   of 
  fish- 
  wheels 
  and 
  their 
  attachments 
  amounted 
  to 
  over 
  $100,000. 
  The 
  

   owners 
  promptly 
  replaced 
  this 
  damage 
  in 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  1895. 
  

  

  The 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  is 
  small 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  salmon, 
  though 
  

   second 
  in 
  importance 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia 
  River. 
  With 
  care 
  and 
  protection 
  

   it 
  could 
  be 
  made 
  much 
  more 
  valuable 
  than 
  at 
  present. 
  The 
  output 
  in 
  

   1892 
  amounted 
  to 
  3,006,757 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  $41,743; 
  in 
  1895,2,587,458 
  

   pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $65,992, 
  were 
  obtained. 
  A 
  decrease 
  of 
  419,299 
  

   l)Ounds 
  was 
  therefore 
  met 
  with 
  so 
  large 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  that 
  

   the 
  reduced 
  catch 
  brought 
  the 
  fishermen 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  $24,249. 
  The 
  

   catch 
  of 
  1895 
  was 
  only 
  made 
  by 
  a 
  persistent 
  search 
  for 
  new 
  fishing- 
  

   grounds 
  covering 
  several 
  hundred 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  sturgeon 
  

   grounds 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  previous 
  years 
  had 
  

   been 
  made 
  were 
  largely 
  given 
  up, 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  scarce 
  and 
  of 
  small 
  

   size. 
  In 
  searching 
  for 
  new 
  grounds 
  sturgeon 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  quite 
  

   plentiful 
  and 
  of 
  large 
  size 
  in 
  places 
  of 
  very 
  limited 
  area, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  

   time 
  all 
  would 
  be 
  caught 
  and 
  the 
  fishermen 
  would 
  again 
  move 
  on 
  in 
  

   search 
  of 
  new 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Shad 
  are 
  increasing 
  in 
  the 
  Columbia 
  and 
  may 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  prove 
  of 
  

   very 
  great 
  value, 
  but 
  at 
  present 
  little 
  attention 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  them, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  a 
  market, 
  the 
  local 
  tra<le 
  taking 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  amount 
  

   so 
  long 
  as 
  salmon 
  are 
  plentiful 
  and 
  cheap. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  incidental 
  to 
  

  

  