FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
163 
numbers above Sacramento, mostly in fyke nets. The same species 
occur in the upper part of the Son Joaquin, butthere is no regular fishery 
for them there. Perch, piko, and sturgeon are found in both rivers; 
the latter average 35 pounds in weight. Striped bass are occasionally 
caught. One taken about April 17, 1889, near Benicia, weighed 24 
pounds ; it sold at retail for $1 per pound. 
Terrapin occur in the marshes near the mouths of these rivers, and 
are taken in limited numbers for the San Francisco market. 
Fishing grounds . — The fishing grounds for salmon are generally Sui- 
sun Bay, the lower part of San Joaquin Fiver, and the Sacramento 
Fiver as high as the vicinity of Sacramento City. Next to the Columbia 
Fiver, .the Sacramento is the most important salmon stream of the 
Pacific coast States. The fishermen of each district generally go no 
farther than 5 miles above or below the cannery or steamboat landing 
where the catch is landed. Salmon do not run into the San Joaquin in 
large numbers. In the fall, when the fishery is at its best, fishermen 
go a few miles up the Mokolumne, a small stream that empties into 
the San Joaquin, about 20 miles or so above Black Diamond. Three- 
Mile Slough, some 5 miles nearer the town mentioned, is also fished to 
some extent. 
Fishermen and shoresmen .— The fishermen on the rivers are almost 
wholly of European birth, though about 30 per cent, of them have 
become naturalized citize ns of the United States. Of the 1,102 fisher- 
men working in the region under discussion, only 60 were born in this 
country, 477 were natives of Italy, 425 came from Portugal, 150 from 
Sweden, and 90 from Germany. The Swedes have shown the greatest 
desire to become citizens, 70 per cent, of them having been naturalized. 
Many of the fishermen are unmarried, and these find it most satis- 
factory to live upon scows, which, as the salmon migrate and the 
centers of abundance change, are towed from one part of the river or 
bay to another to suit the convenience of the occupants. Some of the 
married men have large scows, upon which are 2 or 3 rooms, and these 
generally take their families along with them and follow the fleet of 
boats and scows up and down the river. Generally, however, those 
who have families live on shore with them. During the close season 
for salmon, or when the catch is light and the canneries closed, the 
scow towns break up, and many of the fishermen go to the places they 
consider home. But when the season begins and the canneries are 
running they take to the bay and rivers, where their unique habitations 
may be found along the shores near the best fishing grounds. 
Of the 295 men in the canneries 40 are natives of this country, and 
the remainder are Chinese. The Americans are the bosses, clerks, etc., 
while the Chinese constitute the u help.” 
Fegarding the employes in the canneries, it is proper to state that it 
is somewhat difficult to arrive at the figures with exactness. Some of 
the packing establishments also do an extensive business in canning 
