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smelts for 1902 were :—Oolachans, fresh, 1,024,320 pounds, $51,216; 
salted, 4,070 barrels, $40,700; smoked, 45,200 pounds, $4,520; total 
value, $96,436. Smelts, 450,000 pounds, $22,500. These fisheries 
show no indication of increase as the figures for 1908 are, oolachans, 
$31,855, smelts, $19,195. 
WHALING. 
One cannot sail very far in any direction along the coast of 
British Columbia without seeing in the offing an occasional 
fountain of spray, followed by the flash of a mighty fluke, betraying 
the presence of a whale. Often in the Gulf of Georgia, or off the 
west coast of Vancouver Island, the traveller is treated to the 
sight of a school of whales, apparently enjoying a titanic game of 
tag, or he may share in the excitement of a whale hunt, if fortunate 
enough to secure a berth on one of the steamers of the Pacific 
Whaling Company. This company has been operating for about 
four years with great success, the average catch being over 600 
whales per season. The company has adopted modern methods, 
and instead of the old style of sailing ship and whale boats, employs 
fast steamers, which dash boldly alongside the whale and dispatch 
it with a well-directed shot from a machine gun. The carcase is 
then towed to the whaling station, where it is hauled on to a suitable 
stage by machinery and cut up so that every portion of the huge 
mammal is utilised. This method of whaling was established in 
Norway several years ago, and later in Newfoundland and Quebec. 
The profits of whaling by this system are large, averaging from 
I5 per cent. to 40 per cent. 
Several species of whale are found in the North Pacific and 
Behring Sea, of which may be mentioned the sulphur-bottom 
(Sibbaldius sulfurees), the bow-head (Baloeua mysticetus), the 
sharp-head finner (Baloeuoptera davidsoni), the right whale 
(Baloeua japonica), and the humpback (Megapera versabilis). The 
sulphur-bottom, which is the most common in British Columbia 
waters, grows to an enormous size, an average specimen weighing 
about 60 tons, and worth to its captors over $500. A whale of this 
size should yield, 6 tons of oil, worth $450; 3% tons of body bone, 
$175; 314 tons of guano, $105, and three hundredweight of whale- 
bone, worth $48, or a total of $778, which, after deducting expenses, 
estimated at $206, would give a net profit of $572. A humpback, 
which is a smaller whale, averaging about 27 tons, should give a 
profit of $140, while a finback, weighing 50 tons, is credited with a 
gain of $338. The right whale is much more rare than any of the 
others named, but offers a grand prize to the hunters, for he is 
worth $10,000. 
