SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF SWIFTSURE BANK 707 
Table 3. — Annual catches of sockeyes by white, Indian, and J apanese fishermen at a Steveslon cannery, 
1905-16, inclusive 
Year 
1905.. 
1906. . 
1907.. 
1908 «. 
1909.. 
1910.. 
1911.. 
1912.. 
1913 
1914.. 
1915.. 
1916.. 
Total... 
Unweighted average. 
Japanese 
Whites 
Indians 
Cannery license > 
Number 
114 
46 
132 
132 
122 
94 
69 
62 
/ 85 
l 21 
138 
141 
168 
Average 
4, 064 
1,537 
425 
788 
2,393 
1,270 
824 
1,283 
3, 588 
3, 546 
1,053 
435 
178 
Number 
72 
77 
46 
42 
34 
28 
58 
56 
62 
14 
92 
106 
30 
Average 
2,872 
860 
234 
645 
1, 437 
852 
328 
611 
1,832 
2, 365 
517 
164 
63 
Number 
29 
60 
19 
27 
31 
10 
11 
15 
13 
10 
29 
27 
20 
Average 
2,414 
550 
183 
370 
1, 102 
527 
412 
660 
1,204 
1,142 
476 
122 
53 
Number 
9 
8 
9 
Average 
3,154 
717 
249 
1, 324 
21, 384 
717 
12, 680 
291 
9,215 
110.3 
1,782 
59.3 
1,057 
24. 25 
768 
i From 1904-7, inclusive, out of 40 company licencees, 38 were white, 2 Japanese during the summer fishery, and a few Indians 
were employed for fall fishing. 
* Includes a very few cohos and some kings. 
5 Two canneries. 
From the averages shown in table 3, and the variations in the number of each 
type of fishermen, it is obvious that in order to obtain a true picture of the intensity 
of fishing the total number of licenses must be broken into component groups and each 
group weighted according to an estimate of its efficiency. This has been done by as- 
signing to Indian licenses and “between bridges” licenses a weight of 1.00, to white 
and company licenses a weight of 1.375, and to Japanese licenses a weight of 2.32. 
From 1900-1907, inclusive, we have estimated that 150 of the fishermen not falling 
into other classifications, grouped as whites in table 2, were up-river resident fisher- 
men of the same type that later used the special between bridges license. These are 
given the same efficiency weighting as the Indian licenses. The total units of effort 
for each year, estimated on the above basis, have been used in the sockeye section 
of this report to determine the average annual catch per unit of fishing effort on the 
Fraser River (see fig. 5 and table 33). 
Changes in Gill-net Boats 
In addition to differences in the efficiency of each license holder, according to his 
nationality, there have been changes in the form of the unit of gear itself. The first 
of these to be considered is the change in type of boat used. 
According to Greenwood (1917) the fishermen still used a two-oared skiff in 1896, 
20 years after salmon canning began. Rathbun (1899, p. 307) says: 
The boats are mostly small skiffs, about 20 feet long, generally manned by two, occasionally 
by three persons. In recent years the Columbia River boat has been introduced and is now used 
to a considerable extent in the lower part of the river and outside. Its breadth and centerboard 
make it much safer for the more exposed places. 
Greenwood also says the round-bottomed 30-foot sail boats were introduced 
“a score of years ago”, when 20 were built for the Alliance cannery. This would place 
their introduction about 1897. However, Rathbun establishes their introduction 
in the early 1890’s. 
71941—38 2 
