2G6 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
was similai' to 1S!)4 in that tliex’e was a veiy lieavy freshet, which for a time imperiled 
the fishery. The run was enormous. With tlie gear now employed and the factories 
nowoiierated Mr. Kinney estimatesthatthe'Ontput of the Columbia River in 187G would 
have been 1,500,000 cases ; there were emmgh fish in the river to ]xack that quantity. 
The pack, as elsewhere given, amounted to 450,000 cases of Chinooks, equivalent to 
over 1,200,000 fish, a larger pack and catch than had been made in any previous year, 
while in only nine of the subseipieiit eighteeu years were the canning operations more 
extensive and in only eight were more Chinooks packed, notwithstanding the advent 
of pound nets and wheels and the increase of 50 to 75 per cent in the number of gill 
nets employed. The boats fishing regularly for Mr. Kinney took an average of 4,300 
Chinook salmon each during the season. One boat lauded 9,194 fish at the cannery, 
the catch being apportioned as follows among the dilierent months: April, 1,020; 
May, 1,054; June, 2,031; July, 3,504; August, 328. 
The daily catch of the foregoing boat and of ten other boats fishing for Mr. Iviuney 
is shown in the following table. These boats, while representing more than the aver- 
age production for the lower river, are not selected for this reason, but because of the 
fact that their operations covered the greater part, if not all, of the fishing season. 
The aggregate catch of these eleven Imats was 55,832 chinook salmon. A similar 
average catch at the present time would mean an annual pack of over 2,000,000 cases 
of Chinook salmon. These figures are intere.sting as showing the daily tluctuations in 
the abundance of fish as well as affording a basis for comparison with other years. 
Table showing the daih/ catch of chhiooh salmon bij eleven gill-net fishermen landing fish at the cannery of 
Mr. M. J. Kinney, at Astoria, Greg., in 1876. 
Date. 
Xo, 1. 
No. 2. 
No. 3. 
No. 4. 
No. 5. 
No. 6. 
No. 7. 
No, 8. 
No. 9. 
No. 10. 
‘No. 11. 
Total. 
\pr 15 26 
*1,000 
1, 000 
24 
27 
15 
9 
28 
20 
20 
40 
25 
29 
25 
yo 
1,020 
60 
9 
1,089 
. 
82 
30 
21 
31 
20 
184 
28 
29 
18 
38 
13 
17 
24 
222 
3 
61 
42 
28 
32 
61 
13 
55 
26 
18 
336 
4 
30 
47 
34 
48 
212 
5 
5!) 
30 
75 
46 
21 
25 
58 
30 
29 
427 
C 
25 
56 
53 
16 
56 
48 
26 
. 40 
320 
45 
60 
51 
156 
8 
106 
36 
51 
71 
19 
68 
95 
42 
54 
61 
• 62 
584 
9 
45 
52 
41 
51 
37 
31 
99 
34 
52 
395 
10 
51 
26 
39 
58 
300 
11 
no 
44 
61 
60 
27 
67 
369 
12 . 
13 
22 
23 
67 
52 
31 
263 
IB. . . 
81 
26 
43 
51 
42 
42 
36 
23 
47 
389 
14 
18 

24 
48 
132 
15 
135 
51 
65 
46 
27 
38 
43 
66 
25 
496 
16 
94 
63 
289 
17 
• 33 
31 
49 
68 
19 
93 
92 
61 
34 
530 
18 
127 
58 
78 
» 60 
40 
65 
47 
57 
64 
71 
732 
19. . 
56 
52 
24 
101 
57 
49 
73 
49 
42 
507 
20... . 
146 
91 
58 
16 
no 
113 
60 
36 
64 
767 
21 
60 
47 
128 
99 
58 
59 
352 
'»• 
107 
17 
43 
76 
64 
lOl 
108 
79 
34 
651 
23 
25 
48 
29 
68 
29 
46 
47 
64 
34 
343 
24 
74 
54 
20 
12 
36 
72 
77 
47 
23 
• 65 
455 
25 
99 
60 
35 
59 
66 
87 
78 
29 
615 
26 
29 
27 
10 
51 
50 
80 
27 
354 
27 
34 
27 
45 
31 
109 
56 
34 
47 
383 
28 
20 
62 
50 
84 
85 
303 
29 
86 
54 
62 
26 
60- 
41 
63 
74 
49 
• 34 
649 
30 
47 
100 
76 
27 
250 
31 
223 
37 
58 
66 
8>^ 
101 
38 
32 
643 
Total 
1,631 
1,039 
971 
759 
1. 350 
1,212 
1,281 
1,311 
903 
941 
1 , no 
12, 508 
‘No accurate record was kept for the first 12 days’ fishing of this fisherman. He made some very large lifts 
hofore most of the other fishermen began operations, and hi.s catcli was e.stimated by Mr. Kinney at the number shown. 
