FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST IN 1899. 545 
Columbia County.—The fisheries of this county are confined almost 
exclusively to the salmon catch from the Columbia, of which 551,653 
pounds were taken in 1899, against 923,268 pounds in 1895. The 
fisheries of the county were also reduced by the prohibition of sturgeon 
fishing, the catch of which in 1895 amounted to 762,027 pounds. The 
total value of the products in 1895 amounted to $50,150, and in 1899 to 
$27,497, all of which went to canneries and fresh-fish dealers. 
Multnomah County.—The fisheries of this county center at Portland, 
where there is a large amount of capital invested in salmon canneries 
located in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. There were only two 
‘anneries in operation in Multnomah County in 1899. The fisheries 
of the county in 1899 amounted to 1,674,881 pounds, of $68,778 value, 
with $243,961 capital invested and 355 fishermen and shore employees 
‘engaged. The two canneries packed 44,757 cases of salmon, valued at 
$228,237. The products of the fisheries of the county are almost 
exclusively salmon from the Columbia River. 
The wholesale fresh-fish business of Portland yearly increases, the 
receipts being from Oregon and Washington, with a limited amount 
from California. The distributions have a wide range, covering a 
large home and surrounding country demand, with quite large ship- 
ments of frozen and pickled salmon to the Atlantic and European 
markets. This branch of the fisheries represents $182,500 capital, 
with 50 employees. The sales for 1899 amounted to 3,332,141 pounds, 
of $254,976 value, as follows: 
Species. | Lbs. | Value. | Species. | Lbs. | Value. 
Black cod, fresh.......... 29,172 $1,605 || Halibut, smoked .....- 3 2,926 | 234 
Black bass, fresh .......-.. 1,575 157 || Herring, smoked ......-. 8, 305 1, 496 
Cat-hish pireshi 25 o062.5-chcl 77, 678 | 4,929 || Herring, salted .........- 19, 000 755 
Carprireshie ses. .cees se see 30, 000 450 || Salmon, smoked......... 24,014 1, 921 
Flounders, fresh 25, 784 | 1, 284 || Salmon, salted........... §22, 311 48, 231 
Halibut, fresh ...... 378, 001 18,900 || Crawfish Bie 117, 696 19, 556 
Herring, fresh .....- E 31, 860 | 1 DTG Crebstecasccaccn ces =e 14,596 | 606 
Percheetresiiee ta..5-'2 te oa0c 49, 279 | 2 Al des ESD YUM DP yaaia.0-cia)s,-/110 Se: = y= | 2,000 250 
Rock-fish, fresh........... 2, 000 | 80 || Spiny lobsters ........... 2,000 _ 250 
Salmon, fresh.........---. 1,578; 096 91,569 || Native oysters ..........-|------------ | 30,826 
Shademiresit. 2222225 ance 86, 497 LE SO" | |) HASLEENMOYVStCIS)-.c.accs- cot|<cccsacceuee BRUR YS 
Smelt, fresh ....<i.<css2cs 310,171 O30 bal |i Clam Sees ccc an. occe cree lee wee sn Seo 12, 600 
Sturgeon, fresh........... 10, 085 | 759 —— os 
Striped bass, fresh.....-.. 933 93 Totalhs.-Se. Scene 3, 332,141 254, 976 
Momecod, fresh ...2=......:- 8, 162 408 || 
The crawfish business has largely increased of late years, and forms 
quite an item in receipts at Portland, amounting to 39,232 dozen, or 
117,696 pounds. The catch is made in the sloughs of the Columbia 
and its tributary streams between March and September. A large 
part of the catch is used at Portland, with a considerable demand from 
Seattle, Tacoma, San Francisco, and as far east as Salt Lake City 
and St. Louis. The average weight is 3 pounds to the dozen. As 
prepared for shipment the crawfish is placed alive in a preparation 
of white wine and spices and boiled for about ten minutes. The 
crawfish and the liquor in which it has been boiled are next packed 
in tin buckets holding from 2 to 3 dozen each. 
F.C. 1901—35 
