244 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
favored region for prosecuting the sea fisheries of the Pacific. Indeed, 
Puget Sound, Washington Sound, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are 
valuable fishing grounds, which will be referred to at greater length 
elsewhere. 
The channels and harbors of Puget Sound are generally deep and 
unobstructed; but in some sections at the head of the sound, notably 
at Olympia, Commencement Bay, Nisqually Beach, and a few other 
places, the water is generally shallow, and in some cases navigation is 
impracticable near the shore except by small boats or flat light draft 
vessels. It is not uncommon for large areas of shallow flats to uncover 
at low tide. The land is much diversified in appearance. As a rule, it 
is high and broken, with ranges of mountains and several high peaks a 
short distance from the coast. Along the shores, however, are broad 
stretches of gently rising plateaus. The islands are generally rather 
low, but in many places the coast is fringed with low hills, varied by 
small valleys and frequently with steep headlands next the water. 
Fishing centers . — The fishing centers of this region, mentioned in the 
order of their importance as such, are Seattle, Port Townsend, Tacoma, 
Neah Bay, Dungeness, and Olympia. 
Seattle is a city of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is largely interested 
in maritime commerce, especially in the coal and lumber trade, and is 
the most important fishing center on Puget Sound. In 1888 it had a 
fishing fleet of six vessels (all schooners), with an aggregate tonnage of 
426.36, engaged in pelagic 'sealing. Two schooners from Gloucester, 
Massachusetts (the Mollie Adams and the Fdivard F. Webster ), which, in 
addition to pelagic sealing, were engaged a portion of each season in 
halibut fishing, made their headquarters here in 1888 and 1889. In the 
latter year a San Francisco vessel was chartered by Seattle parties and 
employed in the halibut fishery. In addition to sea fisheries, Seattle 
has important interests in the salmon industry. Besides the canning 
of salmon, it is the principal shipping point of the region for frozen 
salmon that are sent East by rail. The market fishery of Seattle is of 
much less consequence than might be expected, taking into considera- 
tion the advantages for catching fish, the growth of the city, and the 
facilities for shipments. 
Port Townsend is a thriving town, with an estimated population of 
5,000 or 6,000. It is situated near the junction of the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca with Puget Sound, and for this reason has been termed the “Key 
City.” So far as the proximity of the sea-fishing grounds is concerned, 
it is somewhat more favorably situated than Seattle, but it lacks the 
railroad facilities of the latter, and is to that extent at a disadvantage 
as a fishing port. It has an excellent harbor, and doubtless will soon 
have railroad communication with the interior. 
The fisheries of Port Townsend are yet confined to a limited amount 
of pelagic fur-sealing and some boat and shore fishing to supply the 
local market. In addition to this, one New England schooner (the 
