(308 GEOGRAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



219. THE FISHERIES OF SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY. 



GENERAL STATEMENT. Most of the fish, other than salmon and sturgeon, sold iii the 

 markets of San Francisco and neighboring cities are obtained by fishermen resident in the city of 

 San Francisco. The salt, canned, or otherwise preserved fish used on the Pacific coast, except 

 that consumed by the local markets or shipped directly from Astoria, pass through the hands of 

 San Francisco firms. For fishing products generally, on the Pacific coast, the market of San 

 Francisco is the only one of importance. Four principal modes of fishing are carried on here. 

 (1) Ordinary fishing by means of seines, gill nets, and hook and line in San Francisco Bay 

 and along neighboring shores of Marin and San Mateo Counties, outside of the bay. The great 

 majority of the San Francisco fishermen arc engaged in this mode of fishing, but the profit is 

 very small, as the bay has been almost depleted of fish. (2) The fishing with trawl lines out- 

 side, chiefly in the neighborhood of the Farallones. This fishery is still profitable, although 

 the fishermen go every year into deeper water, which shows that the more shallow bottoms have 

 been overfished. The fish taken in this manner are chiefly the different species of red rockfish. 



(3) The "paranzella" fishing, at present the most productive of all, which is discussed below: and 



(4) the purse-net fishing for shrimp and small fish, pursued by the Chinese colonies. 



Before presenting a discussion of each of these four modes of fishing, a short account of the 

 boats engaged is given. Also will be added a general history of the San Francisco fishermen, each 

 nationality having been treated separately elsewhere. 



THE BOATS. There are at present about eighty-five fishing boats in San Francisco; fifty-five are 

 lateen-rigged boats of various sizes, but all are called large, as distinguished from small ones rigged 

 with sprit-sails, and used only for hook-and-line fishing. The large boats pay $6 per month for wharf 

 privileges ; the small ones $1 per month, with the understanding that boats pay nothing when not 

 working. There are about five or six large boats engaged in line fishing for rockfish. These 

 prosecute no other fishery. During the summer, and when not too rough in winter also, they go 

 to the Farallones. When they dare not venture so far, they fish along the coast or do nothing. 

 The small boats never venture out so far, but in summer they often run north along the coast as 

 far as Point Reyes, and on the south to Half Moon Bay. During the winter they rarely ven- 

 ture out of San Francisco Bay. Many of the boats suit their fishing to the time of the year. At 

 present there are from twenty-five to thirty-five seines in use on the bay, most of these hauling 

 on the Contra Costa and Alameda sides. The San Francisco fishermen constantly violate the 

 State law concerning the size of mesh in their seines. 



THE FISHERMEN. The fishermen of San Francisco all live near the end of Vallejo street, 

 about the Vallejo street wharf. The most of them are Italians, with some Slavonians, Greeks, 

 Portuguese, and Spaniards. Scarcely any are Americans or of Germanic races. Few of them 

 can read ; two-thirds or more are unmarried and live in mean lodgings about the wharf and eat in 

 the different chop-houses and other places of low grade in the neighborhood. This region has 

 been the fishermen's quarter since about 1850 ; the population changing greatly each year, some 

 shipping as seamen and others taking their places, and others leaving entirely the San Francisco 

 fisheries. The present great depression is driving many away. Every spring a considerable 

 number go to the Columbia River. 



There are about 200 men in San Francisco who depend entirely on fishing for support, 300 or 

 400 others who live chiefly by fishing, and nearly 1,000 more who occasionally fish in the intervals 

 of other jobs. About 200 fishermen own interest in the boats, the rest are hired by the trip, and 

 are at other times waiting for a job. About 1,500 women and children are dependent on fishermen. 

 The fishermen who have families rent rooms in the fishermen's quarter and cook for themselves. 



