FISHERIES OP WASHINGTON AND BRITISH COLUMBIA. 315 



Between Village Point and Bluff Point, on the outer side of Lummi 

 Island, there is also an excellent ground, with capacity for about 6 or 7 

 reef nets, which is resorted to by the Indians from the neighboring 

 reservation. Salmon have been abundant here and large catches have 

 been made, but, as at Cannery Point, trap nets have recently been so 

 placed as to divert a large proportion of the fish from the reef and 

 reduce its value for the purposes of the Indians. 



There is a small but productive reef inside of Iceberg Point, at the 

 southern end of Loj^ez Island, on which a few nets are used, and 

 where daily catches of 3,000 to 4,000 salmon are sometimes made. 

 Both sockeye and silver salmon are taken at this place, the former at 

 least being now mostly sold to the cannery at Friday Harbor, and in 

 good seasons the reef is an important source of supply. The nets are 

 sometimes set in an extreme depth of 18 fathoms. We were told by 

 some of the Indians fishing here that although they have tried for 

 quinnat they have never been successful with that species, probably 

 because it does not appear in defined schools. Humpbacks and dog 

 salmon occur abundantly, but are not fished for, as they have no sale. 

 There seem to be no other reef-net grounds about Lopez Island, but 

 several small ones are fished off the west side of San Juan Island and 

 off both the east and west sides of Stuart Island. Others probably 

 exist, of which we obtained no definite information. 



HOOK-AND-LINE FISHING. 



The quinnat and silver salmon are the only species which will take 

 bait and can be fished for with a hook. The fishery by this means, 

 trolling with bait or spoon, is insiguificant compared with the net fish- 

 ery, but it affords the opportunity for securing especially the quinnat 

 in the winter and spring when nets can not be used profitably if at all. 

 The catch so made is disposed of to the fresh markets or utilized for 

 domestic purposes by the fishermen. Both Indians and whites engage 

 in it, the former most extensively. Some of the more prominent local- 

 ities for this fishery are off Victoria and Port Townsend, about the San 

 Juan Islands, off Isanaimo, and oft' Point Roberts, and in some places 

 it is indulged in for sport as well as for securing food. 



Sport fishing for salmon with fly and spoon is carried on to a limited 

 extent in some of the smaller clear rivers, especially in British Colum- 

 bia. The quinnat is said to be the only species which can be so taken, 

 and the fishing-places are the pools in which they rest during their 

 journey upstream. Trout are also very abundant in such localities 

 and are obtained by the same means. The Indians about Keah Bay 

 do a great deal of trolling for salmon to supply their own wants, the 

 fishes of this group following next after the halibut in importance as 

 an article of food among them. The fishing season there is chiefly the 

 months of June, July, and August. Details regarding the hook-and- 

 line fishery have already been given under the headings of the quinnat 

 and silver salmon. 



