THE SALMON INDUSTRY 



BY GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL 



HE fisheries of Alaska constitute one of its 

 greatest economic resources, but they have 

 been little exploited, except so far as the 

 salmon are concerned. There are half a 

 dozen species of salmon, not all of equal value. 

 Spending most of their time in the salt water, the salmon 

 in summer run up the fresh-water streams as far as they 

 can, and there deposit their eggs. Many of them die be- 

 fore they return to the salt water; many others are de- 

 stroyed by enemies of one sort and another, and it is com- 

 monly believed by the local fishermen that after a salmon 

 has deposited its 

 spawn the question 

 of its death is one of 

 a very short time 

 only. 



The world's out- 

 put of canned sal- 

 mon comes chiefly 

 from our Northwest 

 coast. In 1897 this 

 output is said to have been not far from 3,000,000 cases, 

 with forty eight one-pound cans to the case. Of this, 

 Alaska produced about 1,000,000 cases. 



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SALMON WHEEL, COLUMBIA RIVER. 



