548 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
Curry County.—This county is bounded on the west by the Pacific 
Ocean and on the south by California. At points along the coast good 
fishing-grounds have been located and were used for a brief time, but 
there are no favorable shipping facilities. Numerous streams are the 
spawning grounds of salmon. Rogue River is the largest and most 
important stream, and has a spring and fall run of salmon. A cannery 
at Wedderburn near the mouth of the river utilizes the principal part 
of the salmon taken. Between 1880 and 1890 the annual. pack was 
between 15,000 and 20,000 cases of salmon; in 1889, 21,196; L890, 
19,106; 1891, 19,960. A few miles above Wedderburn is a private fish 
hatchery, and higher up the stream is the hatchery of the U. 5. Fish 
CALIFORNIA SMELT (Atherinopsis culifornicnsis. ) 
Commission. During 1899 the lower station hatched and planted in 
the river 1,500,000 salmon, the eggs having been furnished by the 
Government station. In 1898 the private hatchery was destroyed by 
fire, and soon after a marked decrease was noticed in the salmon run. 
The catch continued to decrease up to 189%, when the pack amounted 
to only 7,226 cases, less than half that of former years. With the 
rebuilding of the private hatchery, and with one owned by the Govern- 
ment, it is hoped that Rogue River will again have its abundance of 
salmon and that other streams of the State will also be benefited. 
The capital invested in the fisheries of Curry County in 1899 amounted 
to $59,845, and 56 fishermen and 59 cannery hands were employed. 
The products were 472,090 pounds of salmon, packing 7,226 cases, 
valued at $37,125. 
