156 THE FISHKItlES. 



1888 .-)73,984 



1889 075,38 1 



1890 r.55,031 



1891 779,438 



1892 865,784 



Total ill eight .wars ..S'4,997,]Ui 

 SALMON riSHKKY. 



Tile ox])i)it of pfe8er\'eil salmon iVoiii XcwrouiuUaiiil does not. 

 constitute a large or important item, seldom reaching in \'aliu' 

 ^^100,000 per annum. It is either jiiekled or put in hermeti- 

 •cally sealed tins. The (piality of the salmon is excellent. Ic is 

 taken for the mo-t pai4 in nets in tlie co\i-s, liays and at ihe 

 mouths of the rivers. Tlie season fi>r taking it is lu'ief, not ex- 

 ceeding six or si'Vi'ii weeks, c(_immencing g(Mi(_'ral]y in the end of 

 May. It is often s(j plentiful in St. John's during this hrief sea- 

 son, that it scdls for five or six cents jier ])oun(l, wliile at the same 

 time it is selling in Loudon and New York for one shilling and 

 sixpence and two shilling steiding ]ier pound. 



SALMON RIVKKS ItriXKD. 



There are naturally no finer salmon rivers than those of Xew- 

 founclland. Hnw comes it then that thi- Minrre of \vealtli is so 

 imperfectly turned to account ? Why are ihe eountless luooks 

 and streams around two thousand miles of coast of so little 

 value as salmon rivers ? The answer is, that the proper ])reser- 

 vation of the salmon streams has heeii, for generations, neglected, 

 and human ignorance and the greed of immediate gain have 

 ■wasted and partially destroyed what at this niiniient might he 

 one of the valuahle resources of tlie country. "Barring" the 

 rivers and brooks with nets at the time when tlie fish are ascend- 

 ing to spawn ; constructing weirs, livips and dams ; sweejiing the 

 pools in the rivers with .seine nets, and uight-spearing, have heeu 

 carried on f(jr long periods liy ignoiant and reckless jiersons, till 

 at jiresent, in many rivers, the salmnii are almost exterminated, 

 and in others only grilse of four or live pounds weight are fouml. 



