﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  625 
  

  

  No 
  market 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  for 
  them 
  and 
  tlie 
  ocean 
  fishery 
  was 
  soon 
  

   abandoned. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  harbor 
  of 
  Port 
  Orford 
  and 
  within 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  same, 
  

   numerous 
  rocky 
  cliffs 
  crop 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  200 
  

   or 
  more 
  feet 
  high. 
  These 
  cliffs 
  are 
  bare 
  of 
  vegetation, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  

   animal 
  life 
  is 
  the 
  thousands 
  of 
  waterfowl 
  that 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  late 
  date 
  have, 
  

   unmolested, 
  made 
  their 
  rookeries 
  on 
  these 
  rocky 
  island 
  peaks. 
  Within 
  

   the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  quite 
  a 
  little 
  business 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  of 
  gathering 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  from 
  these 
  rookeries, 
  a 
  market 
  for 
  them 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  

   San 
  Francisco. 
  The 
  cliffs 
  were 
  scaled 
  and 
  the 
  bare 
  rocks 
  found 
  strewn 
  

   with 
  eggs 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  deposited 
  by 
  murres, 
  gulls, 
  and 
  other 
  sea 
  

   fowls 
  that 
  make 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  attempt 
  at 
  nest-building. 
  On 
  first 
  starting 
  

   in 
  to 
  gather 
  the 
  eggs 
  all 
  found 
  were 
  cast 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  

   a 
  fresh 
  supply 
  from 
  those 
  gathered 
  later. 
  The 
  egg-gatherers 
  camped 
  

   at 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  cliffs, 
  which 
  they 
  daily 
  climbed 
  and 
  there 
  gathered 
  and 
  

   packed 
  the 
  eggs 
  desired, 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  murre 
  being 
  preferred, 
  as 
  they 
  

   have 
  a 
  thicker 
  shell 
  and 
  better 
  stand 
  transportation. 
  After 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  gathered 
  and 
  i)acked, 
  the 
  cases 
  are 
  lowered 
  over 
  the 
  cliffs 
  to 
  the 
  

   base 
  and 
  are 
  taken 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  steamer 
  for 
  San 
  Francisco. 
  During 
  

   1895 
  14,000 
  dozen 
  eggs 
  were 
  shipped, 
  bringing 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  15 
  cents 
  

   a 
  dozen, 
  or 
  $2,100 
  to 
  the 
  few 
  cliff- 
  climbers 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  business. 
  

  

  Sea-otters 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  slight 
  extent 
  hunted 
  off 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Curry 
  County, 
  

   but 
  are 
  very 
  scarce, 
  the 
  few 
  hunters 
  from 
  Port 
  Orford 
  taking 
  only 
  8 
  

   during 
  1895. 
  The 
  writer 
  saw 
  two 
  otters 
  quite 
  near 
  the 
  shore 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  north 
  of 
  Eogue 
  Eiver 
  when 
  passing 
  by 
  on 
  September 
  12, 
  1895. 
  

  

  Sea-lions 
  are 
  numerous 
  at 
  many 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Oregon, 
  Washington, 
  and 
  California. 
  Off 
  Curry 
  County, 
  Oreg., 
  the 
  

   favorite 
  rookeries 
  or 
  breeding-grounds 
  are 
  the 
  reefs 
  C 
  miles 
  north 
  

   of 
  Eogue 
  Eiver, 
  and 
  off 
  Cape 
  Blanco 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Port 
  Orford. 
  

   During 
  1895, 
  803 
  sea 
  lions 
  were 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  reefs, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   hunters 
  realized 
  $1,212. 
  Mr. 
  William 
  S. 
  Winsor, 
  a 
  prominent 
  citizen 
  

   of 
  Port 
  Orford, 
  has 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  been 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   the 
  sea-lions 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  He 
  reports 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June 
  tlio 
  sea-lions 
  come 
  aaliore 
  and 
  colonize 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  

   from 
  five 
  to 
  six 
  femnlea 
  and 
  one 
  male 
  each. 
  In 
  past 
  years 
  severe 
  fights 
  occnrrcd 
  

   among 
  the 
  males 
  before 
  finally 
  settling 
  for 
  their 
  few 
  weeks 
  stop 
  on 
  the 
  reefs. 
  The 
  

   younger 
  male 
  lions 
  were 
  driven 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  stronger 
  lions 
  and 
  settled 
  

   by 
  themselves. 
  So 
  many 
  were 
  disabled 
  in 
  these 
  fights 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  "hospital 
  

   island" 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  reefs 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  vanquished 
  retreated. 
  During 
  

   the 
  short 
  time 
  the 
  lions 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  reefs 
  off 
  Curry 
  County 
  they 
  are 
  hiinted 
  for 
  their 
  

   skins, 
  oil, 
  and 
  trinmiings. 
  Both 
  sexes 
  are 
  killed, 
  but 
  much 
  more 
  attention 
  is 
  given 
  

   to 
  the 
  males, 
  as 
  they 
  bring 
  the 
  hunter 
  the 
  more 
  money. 
  This 
  has 
  so 
  decreased 
  the 
  

   males 
  that 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  females 
  is 
  now 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  formerly, 
  and 
  fights 
  

   are 
  fjirless 
  numerous. 
  When 
  first 
  taking 
  to 
  the 
  reefs 
  the 
  lions 
  are 
  fat 
  and 
  of 
  some 
  

   value 
  for 
  their 
  oil 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  hides, 
  but, 
  seldom 
  leaving 
  the 
  reefs 
  during 
  their 
  short 
  

   stay 
  — 
  for 
  maternal 
  and 
  propagation 
  calls 
  — 
  they 
  rapidly 
  grow 
  poor, 
  and 
  no 
  attentiou 
  

   is 
  given 
  to 
  saving 
  any 
  oil 
  except 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  shot. 
  A 
  lion 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  

   will 
  produce 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  8 
  gallons 
  of 
  oil, 
  l)ut 
  so 
  little 
  attentiou 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  saving 
  it 
  

   that 
  the 
  amount 
  produced 
  iu 
  1895 
  only 
  averaged 
  about 
  1 
  gallon 
  for 
  each 
  lion 
  killed. 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  90 
  40 
  

  

  