﻿.618 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  fishermen 
  of 
  tlie 
  couuty. 
  The 
  112 
  fishermen 
  set 
  Chinese 
  trawls 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  with 
  baitless 
  needle-jiointed 
  hooks, 
  of 
  which 
  150,000 
  were 
  used. 
  

  

  Overfishing 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  young 
  sturgeon, 
  with 
  no 
  protec- 
  

   tive 
  laws, 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  of 
  the 
  Columbia 
  shortlived. 
  

   With 
  the 
  great 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  many 
  fishermen 
  have 
  given 
  up 
  

   fishing 
  for 
  sturgeon, 
  while 
  others 
  have 
  sought 
  new 
  fishing-grounds. 
  

   During 
  the 
  year 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver, 
  between 
  The 
  Dalles 
  and 
  Willa- 
  

   mette 
  River, 
  was 
  first 
  fished 
  for 
  sturgeon. 
  A 
  small 
  catch 
  had 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  salmon 
  fishing. 
  In 
  these 
  new 
  fishing-grounds 
  

   sturgeon 
  were 
  often 
  found 
  very 
  plentiful 
  and 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  but 
  only 
  in 
  

   short 
  reaches 
  of 
  deep 
  water. 
  For 
  a 
  time 
  large 
  catches 
  were 
  made, 
  but 
  

   soon 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  exterminated 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  enteri^rising 
  fishermen, 
  

   with 
  five 
  boats 
  and 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  hooks, 
  lines, 
  and 
  provisions, 
  pushed 
  

   on 
  up 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver, 
  occasionally 
  stopping 
  and 
  prospecting 
  for 
  

   sturgeon, 
  until 
  several 
  hundred 
  miles 
  had 
  been 
  covered. 
  If 
  fish 
  were 
  

   found, 
  a 
  catch 
  was 
  made 
  and 
  shipped 
  back 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  by 
  the 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  that 
  bordered 
  or 
  often 
  touched 
  the 
  river. 
  Shipments 
  were 
  made 
  

   from 
  Arlington, 
  Stokes, 
  Cayote, 
  and 
  Castle 
  Eock, 
  Oregon. 
  The 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  the 
  Snake 
  Eiver 
  was 
  reached, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  were 
  more 
  

   plentiful 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  point 
  previously 
  touched. 
  Fishing 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Snake 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  Wieser, 
  Idaho. 
  This 
  being 
  a 
  place 
  touched 
  by 
  the 
  railroad, 
  fish 
  were 
  

   dressed 
  and 
  shipped, 
  35,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  dressed 
  fish 
  representing 
  the 
  

   catch 
  from 
  Snake 
  Eiver. 
  This 
  amount 
  was 
  not 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  induce 
  

   the 
  continuance 
  of 
  fishing 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  home, 
  and 
  this 
  venture 
  probably 
  

   will 
  not 
  be 
  repeated 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  

  

  Sturgeon 
  from 
  the 
  Snake 
  Eiver 
  were 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  size, 
  ranging 
  from 
  100 
  

   to 
  500 
  pounds, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  150 
  pounds 
  gross 
  weight. 
  The 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  weight 
  of 
  fish 
  now 
  taken 
  and 
  saved 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  Columbia 
  is 
  only 
  

   50 
  to 
  60 
  pounds, 
  large 
  fish 
  being 
  now 
  seldom 
  found 
  in 
  that 
  region. 
  

   Salmon 
  fishermen 
  take 
  many 
  sturgeon 
  weighing 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  pounds 
  

   each. 
  These 
  meet 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  demand 
  and 
  only 
  3 
  cent 
  a 
  pound 
  

   is 
  received 
  for 
  tliem 
  ; 
  often 
  they 
  are 
  refused 
  at 
  any 
  price 
  and 
  are 
  thrown 
  

   away. 
  

  

  MULTNOMAH 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  business 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  is 
  chiefly 
  represented 
  by 
  three 
  

   salmon 
  canneries, 
  1 
  at 
  Portland 
  and 
  2 
  on 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  near 
  tlie 
  

   Cascades, 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  that 
  is 
  received 
  at 
  and 
  

   distributed 
  from 
  Portland. 
  During 
  1895 
  the 
  3 
  canneries 
  packed 
  48,530 
  

   cases 
  of 
  salmon, 
  of 
  $203,109 
  value. 
  The 
  salmon 
  used 
  by 
  these 
  can- 
  

   neries 
  was 
  chiefly 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  fish-wheels 
  located 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  

   Cascades, 
  15 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  in 
  Multnomah. 
  County. 
  

  

  The 
  fresh-fish 
  business 
  of 
  Portland 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance, 
  the 
  

   receipts 
  being 
  chiefly 
  from 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  and 
  the 
  coast 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  

   State. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  filling 
  a 
  large 
  local 
  demand, 
  fresh 
  fish 
  have 
  a 
  

   wide 
  range 
  of 
  distribution 
  througliout 
  the 
  interior 
  cities 
  and 
  towns 
  of 
  

  

  