SALMON-FISHING AS AN INDUSTRY 



in Queen Charlotte Sound or Hecate Strait, setting or 

 hauling up nets, the only outward and visible sign of 

 which (while they are down) is a moored buoy. The full 

 nets, on being dragged to the surface, are towed ashore or 

 to larger craft, others being left in their place. 



When the fish have been taken to land, whether from 

 sea or river, sorting and cleaning begin. Doubtful or un- 

 sound fish are thrown aside with the waste ; indeed, so 

 plentiful are the salmon that only the pick of them need 

 be saved ; and, when it comes to the boiling, only the 

 prime parts cooked. Those for drying and smoking are 

 taken to a special warehouse for the process, which will 

 last some weeks ; the others are boiled, often on the river- 

 bank itself, and are then handed over to Chinamen, by 

 whom practically the whole of the canning is done. 



The Scandinavian fisheries, too, are profitable and 

 splendidly managed. An English fisherman once told me 

 that the Norwegian fishers were " the frightenest people " 

 he had ever seen, but the statement is libellous or, at 

 any rate, untrue ; for they are hardy fellows with older 

 sea traditions than our own and, whether working in the 

 sheltered fjords or in the open sea, accept the dangerous 

 side of their trade as part of the day's labour. Though as 

 business-men they are keen enough, there is a suggestion 

 of romance about work done amid some of the most ex- 

 quisite scenery in the world, that is somewhat lacking 

 where the ultra-practical salmon-slaughter for dollars of 

 North America is concerned. 



Here the river salmon-grounds are largely let to British 



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