HOW THE SALMON IS VANISHING 267 



fishing industry of the Frazer River district is declining 

 at an alarming rate, and cannot long be maintained 

 under existing conditions." 



This statement applies only to the Frazer River and 

 its tributaries, of which the Bear River is one, but the 

 same conditions prevail in all the other great salmon 

 rivers, the Columbia River in Oregon, the Sacramento 

 in California, the Skeena and the Naas in Canada, and 

 the Yukon in Alaska, each and every one showing that 

 the reckless slaughter of the salmon at spawning time 

 is bringing about the inevitable result of a shorter and 

 shorter run with each succeeding year. Man is not 

 the only transgressor, although he is undoubtedly the 

 most serious one. 



The very moment that the salmon appear at the 

 mouths of these great rivers their arrival is heralded 

 by battalions of screaming gulls, yelping seals and 

 plunging sea-lions, all of which feast on the royal fish 

 as they pass up the fatal streams. 



After entering the rivers they reach the dreaded set 

 traps, the revolving fish-wheels, the seines, the purse 

 nets, and should these be passed in safety they are 

 beset by dogfish, sharks and ospreys. On the shores 

 thousands of Indian boys and girls, some as young as 

 six years of age, together with their parents, are at 

 work almost day and night spearing the fish. 



The Indian children take to the spearing of salmon 

 as naturally as they do to their mother's milk when 



