FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 173 
these are smaller than salmon seines, and are worth $100 each. Hand- 
lines are occasionally used in this region, but the catch is small. 
Disposition of products . — Owing to the very large run of salmon in the 
fall of 1888, and the absence of the usual demand from the cannery, 
there was a large surplus of fish pickled and packed in barrels, this being 
the only available means of saving them. There was but little time 
to handle the large catch, and the haste with which the salmon were 
cured resulted in the preparation of a somewhat inferior article, for 
which little demand could be found in the market, and in consequence 
the packers did not receive the remuneration which might have been 
expected from, a season of abundance. 
A salmon cannery was established at Eel River in 1877, but this was 
not in operation in 1888. The employes of the cannery when in opera- 
tion were Chinese. There are fish enough in the river to maintain a 
cannery in active operation during the season. The fishermen have 
considerable difficulty in disposing of all their catch if, for any reason, 
the cannery fails to open. 
Markets and shipments . — About three-quarters of the fresh fish taken 
in Humboldt County are sent to San Francisco by steamer from Eureka 
aud Field’s Landing. The pickled fish, in barrels, also find a market 
in that city. The monthly shipments of fresh salmon and flounders aud 
the prices generally received are shown in the following table: 
Shipments. 
Prices. 
Months. 
Salmon. 
Floun- 
ders. 
Kinds. 
Per 
pound. 
January 
February 
Lbs. 
120, 900 
34, 600 
3, 700 
80, 900 
252, 100 
140, 000 
632, 200 
Lbs. 
4, 000 
Fresh salmon, locally 
Fresh salmon, shipped 
Gents. 
5 
2 
3 
5 
H 
3 
March 
Fresh flounders, shipped 
October 
November 
December . . 
Total 
4, 000 
10, 000 
2, 000 
20, 000 
Other fresh fish, locally 
Clams, locally 
Pickled salmon, shipped ($6 per bbl.) 
The condensed statistics of the fisheries of this country in 1888 are 
as follows : 
Persons employed. 
Country. 
United States 
United States .(Indians) 
Portugal 
Italy 
Sweden 
Russia 
Total 
Nativity. 
Nation- 
ality. 
76 
195 
26 
26 
108 
62 
95 
59 
52 
25 
31 
.21 
388 
388 
