SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF SWIFTSURE BANK 
785 
mainly of this species. However, from the time that the fishing season of the north- 
ern traps was increased to include the fall runs up to the last decade, traps took the 
major part of the cohos caught in Puget Sound waters. In late years purse seines 
have become the chief source of this species. 
The major part of gill-net catches in the estuaries of such rivers as the Skagit and 
the Snohomish have been coho salmon. Although considerable catches of coho salmon 
have been made on the Fraser River, especially in years when sockeye were not 
abundant, fall fishing has never been prosecuted as strenuously in that district as in 
the Puget Sound region. 
Except for recent years data are not available for catches other than in a portion 
of the region, hence it is not possible to present complete figures for coho salmon 
production prioi to 1926. During this latter period the catch has been considerably 
smaller than in previous years. The total catch of coho salmon for Swiftsure Bank, 
Puget Sound, and the Fraser River, by various types of gear from 1926-34, is pre- 
sented in table 36. 
LOCALITY OF TRAP CATCHES 
Because of the mobile nature of the purse-seine fleet, the determination of the 
particular district of the region in which their catches were made is not possible from 
past records. The best indication of the coho production of specific localities may be 
had from a consideration of the catches of the traps located therein. The total catches 
of traps in restricted areas are presented for the period from 1896-1934 in table 37. 
Most of the areas in this table may be readily located from figures 2 and 3. “Lower 
sound” includes the water south of Useless Bay on Whidbey Island. “Miscellaneous” 
includes such inner bays as Bellingham, Padilla, and Samish, as well as Possession 
Sound and Hood Canal, but four-fifths of these fish were from the waters south of 
Point Wilson. 
Table 36. — Catch of coho salmon, 1926-84 
Year 
Fraser 
River 
catch 1 
Puget 
Sound 
traps 
Purse seines 
Trollers 
Puget 
Sound 
gill nets 
Minor 
Puget 
Sound 
gear 
Total, all 
gear 
Puget 
Sound 
High seas 
Puget 
Sound 
High seas 
1926.. 
120, 663 
384, 600 
232, 721 
375, 000 
22, 269 
325. 000 
57, 436 
6, 266 
1, 523, 955 
1927 
226, 710 
536, 937 
354, 976 
188, 750 
23, 491 
400, 000 
108, 360 
5, 051 
1, 844, 275 
1928 
203, 580 
436, 819 
236, 085 
195, 844 
18, 538 
339, 311 
65, 092 
4, 163 
1,499, 432 
1929. 
334, 467 
397, 381 
319, 847 
432, 095 
19, 331 
329, 026 
61, 757 
8, 655 
1, 902, 559 
1930 
71,280 
285, 310 
204, 692 
407, 405 
15, 589 
355, 040 
65, 228 
4, 125 
1,408, 669 
1931. 
79, 2.54 
241, 873 
449, 081 
225, 798 
6, 655 
267, 916 
40, 527 
1,099 
1,312,203 
1932.. 
160, 452 
102, 727 
331, 565 
315, 290 
3. 457 
281. 686 
22, 240 
1,262 
1, 218, 679 
1933 
125,883 
244, 755 
248, 686 
174, 728 
4,922 
176, 529 
35, 421 
2, 194 
1,013,118 
1934 
113, 382 
164, 504 
233, 418 
365, 380 
12, 709 
261, 804 
40, 038 
507 
1, 191,742 
Total... 
1, 435, 671 
2, 794, 906 
2, 611,071 
2, 680, 290 
126, 961 
2, 736, 312 
496, 099 
33, 322 
12, 914, 632 
■ Converted from cases at 9 fish per case, does not include cohos caught elsewhere in the Gulf of Georgia and canned on the Fraser 
River, or Fraser River cohos used for purposes other than canning. 
