256 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
From an hour and a half to two hours are required for setting, pursing up, and stow- 
ing the seine ready for another trial. On two occasions, when the operations were 
timed.“they consumed on an average 1 hour and 45 minutes. 
After tlie slack of the net is hauled in, so that the fish are “ dried 
up,” the salmon are taken out with gaffs and thrown into the well of the 
scow. Sometimes very large hauls are made with these seines on Puget 
Sound. For instance, in 1888, on October 28 and 29, two seines belong- 
ing to Mr. George T. Myers, of Seattle, fishing off Hat Island, took 
28,000 salmon that weighed 210,000 pounds, or an average of 7J pounds 
to each fish. At the first haul of one of the seines, at 4.30 a. in., Octo- 
ber 28, 6,690 salmon were caught, and it was 11 o’clock a. m. before 
they were all removed with the gaffs. The other seine, set at the same 
time, had, by estimate, 10,000 fish ; but, owing to the parting of the 
cork-line, only 3,500 were secured. These hauls were exceptionally 
large. Some idea can be formed of what is considered an average haul 
by a perusal of the following figures, kindly furnished by Mr. Myers 
from his books, each figure representing a single cast : 
Number of salmon caught at single casts on the dates named . 
Sept. 23, 1888, 
Sept. 26, 1888, 
Sept. 30, 1888, 
7 seines. 
6 seines. 
6 seines. 
45 
83 
401 
126 
998 
42 
1,495 
553 
129 
1,193 
505 
1,545 
452 
124 
1.068 
403 
163 
128 
56 
3, 877 
2, 391 
3, 239 
Seven pound nets and trap nets were used in the vicinity of Seattle 
in 1888. They are coming more into popular favor each year, and the 
number will doubtless be materially increased within a short while. 
Captain Tanner makes the following reference to these: 
There are seven fish traps in Puget Sound, all of which were put down during the 
spring of 1888. Four are owned by Parker & Felters, proprietors of the Columbia 
River Cannery at Seattle, who were the first to introduce traps in this locality. Mr. 
Felters is of the opinion that these appliances will take the place of seines, as there is 
less expense attendant upon their management. One or two men are sufficient to tend 
them and keep them in repair. The fishermen about Seattle are strongly opposed to 
the building of traps, as threatening the future prosperity of the salmon fishery if 
they are used to any great extent. With the general introduction of traps, requiring 
much fewer men to carry on the work, the majority of the present fishermen would 
be forced to seek other employment during the salmon season ; and, furthermore, 
the fishery would soon be broken up, at least to such an extent as to make it un- 
profitable to more than a very limited number of fishermen. x 
Up to September, 1888, the traps had taken a large proportion of the salmon 
brought to the Columbia River Cannery at Seattle. In addition to the traps, this 
cannery has also two drag and two purse seines fishing for it. 
