220 Sport and Life. 



who had invested their dollars, to the extent of many hundred 

 thousands, in canneries and in traps on the American side of 

 the line, where a far more unrestricted exploitation of fish-wealth 

 was possible. From this it can be seen what multifarious interests 

 are at stake, and how careful one has to be in the examination 

 of evidence bearing upon all questions when important interests 

 are at stake. * 



Every few years the run of salmon is so great and so 

 concentrated as to cause a glut in the market and at the canneries. 

 Thus the year 1897 was such a great season, and some perfectly 

 authentic instances of enormous catches by the most primitive 

 means were recorded. In the open Puget Sound waters immense 

 shoals of salmon approach the passages between the numerous 

 islands, and here the Indians make big hauls. Provided with a 

 large wide-meshed net they go out in their large war canoes, and 

 placing the net blanket-like upon the water sink it in that position, 

 a big canoe being anchored at each corner, where the net is held 

 by a strong rope. By keeping a sharp look-out, and the use of a 

 white cord running at an angle up from the depth attained by 

 the net, the catchers perceive when a shoal is passing over the 

 net. Then as quickly as possible the net is drawn up at the 

 four corners, the fish accumulating in the sag of the net. Last 

 year, according to the Victorian Times, six big war canoes 

 fishing in this manner caught 10,000 salmon in a little over 

 three hours off the coast of Vancouver Island (Beecher's Bay). 

 Four thousand were taken to Victoria, the rest were smoked by 

 the Indians for their own use. As there are no canneries in the 

 neighbourhood of Beecher's Bay or Victoria, the fish had to be 

 disposed of among the inhabitants, who thus obtained three or 



* The British Columbia pack during the last three years, concerning which 

 statistical details have just reached me, was as follows: In 1897, 1,105,477 

 cases ; in 1898, 496,529 ; and in 1899, 679,600 cases. In 1897 the Fraser 

 river pack was 860,459 cases; Skeena river, 65,905; Rivers Inlet, 40,207;, 

 Naas river, 20,847 ; Lowe Inlet, 10,666 ; Namu Harbour, 4357 ; Alert Bay, 

 8602; West Coast, V.I., 4434. Each case contains forty-eight lib. tins of 

 salmon. 



