﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  IN 
  1895. 
  637 
  

  

  The 
  cultivation 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  

   seed 
  oysters 
  in 
  Saii 
  Francisco 
  Bay. 
  The 
  business 
  presents 
  no 
  new 
  or 
  

   special 
  features 
  since 
  the 
  last 
  report. 
  The 
  general 
  depression 
  in 
  all 
  

   lines 
  of 
  business 
  during 
  1895 
  was 
  felt 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  business, 
  resulting 
  

   in 
  a 
  decreased 
  demand 
  and 
  reduced 
  prices. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  

   supply, 
  seed 
  oysters 
  one 
  and 
  two 
  years 
  old 
  continue 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  out 
  

   from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast. 
  These 
  are 
  planted 
  and 
  carefully 
  watched 
  and 
  

   attended 
  to 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  three 
  to 
  four 
  years 
  old 
  before 
  being 
  placed 
  

   on 
  the 
  market. 
  The 
  constant 
  replenishing 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-beds 
  by 
  bring- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  seed 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  is 
  a 
  heavy 
  tax 
  on 
  the 
  business, 
  the 
  

   expense 
  for 
  seed 
  as 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  during 
  tlie 
  past 
  nine 
  years 
  

   aggregating 
  $350,000. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  seed 
  oysters 
  brought 
  west 
  

   in 
  the 
  nine 
  years 
  ending 
  in 
  1895 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  statement: 
  

  

  l!^ative 
  oysters 
  are 
  brought 
  from 
  Washington 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  

   of 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  and 
  be 
  

   near 
  at 
  hand 
  as 
  wanted 
  from 
  day 
  to 
  day. 
  Xo 
  native 
  seed 
  are 
  planted 
  

   and 
  none 
  produced 
  from 
  those 
  laid 
  down. 
  Eastern 
  seed 
  oysters 
  grow 
  

   fast 
  and 
  thrive, 
  but 
  the 
  addition 
  from 
  propagation 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  sufticient 
  

   to 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  supply, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  annual 
  imports 
  and 
  

   planting 
  of 
  seed. 
  

  

  SHRIMPS. 
  

  

  This 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  tisheries 
  continues 
  to 
  be 
  extensive 
  and 
  valuable. 
  

   The 
  business 
  of 
  gathering 
  shrimps 
  is 
  5;olely 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese, 
  

   who 
  take 
  their 
  catch 
  from 
  nets 
  set 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay. 
  The 
  amount 
  

   handled 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  5,425,000 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $1G2,749. 
  This 
  out- 
  

   put 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  forced 
  on 
  a 
  houu^, 
  market 
  at 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  rates, 
  the 
  

   foreign 
  exports 
  being 
  insignilicant. 
  In 
  past 
  years 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  was 
  exi)orted 
  to 
  China, 
  but 
  recently 
  this 
  trade 
  has 
  fallen 
  ofl". 
  

  

  SACRAMENTO 
  lUX'KR 
  SALMON. 
  

  

  The 
  Sacramento 
  River 
  salmon 
  catch 
  consists 
  entirely 
  of 
  the 
  chinook 
  

   or 
  ({uinnat 
  species. 
  A 
  few 
  fishermen 
  meet 
  the 
  early 
  light 
  run 
  soon 
  after 
  

   it 
  passes 
  through 
  the 
  Golden 
  Gate. 
  As 
  the 
  fish 
  arrive 
  in 
  more 
  abund- 
  

   ance 
  the 
  fishermen 
  also 
  increase 
  in 
  numbers, 
  taking 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  in 
  San 
  Pablo 
  and 
  Suisun 
  bays 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  en 
  route 
  for 
  the 
  

   Sacramento 
  River, 
  in 
  which 
  only 
  a 
  light 
  catcU 
  19 
  made, 
  1,224,060 
  

  

  