COLUMBIA RIVER HAS RIG
SALMON RUN THIS YEAR
-x
Tons of silvery salmon deluged
the floors of Astoria canneri:s
the last week of fishing on tlis
Columbia River. The run is
said to be the greatest in many
years. Gillnetters who for sea
son after season, have contented
themselves with 100 and 200
pounds of fish for a night’s work,
brought in hauls that at some
canneries averaged a ton.
Seiners on the Lower Colum
bia river seining grounds work
ed feverishly as each haul of the
big seines scooped up many tons
of salmon.
Old-timers on the river deelar -
ed the run the biggest since 1903,
when the canners gave or threw
away fish they could not use.
>t Prices paid were 2 and 3 cents
per pound, the lowest paid for
raw fish in many seasons.
Alaskans account for the big
run on the Columbia as due to
the strike period, during which
time very little salmon was tak -
en but a heavy run reported on
the trolling banks in Southeast
Alaska. At present and since
the fishermen went back to work,
there has been very little fish
caught. At present most of the
fishermen are getting ready for
the late fall runs.
Rumors current are to the ef
fect that the buyers will not be
in the market for fresh fish this
fall.
X
DAVIS WINS TRAP CASE
-X
Decision in favor of Stuart
Davis, well-known Chinook, Wn.
fish trap owner, was handed
down in the federal court, Ta
coma recently enjoining the
Columbia River Packers’ Asso
ciation from driving a trap on a
site licensed by the State of
Oregon. Mr. Davis’ contention
was that the site in question is
in Washington, and the deci
sion sustained this position.
A number of trap sites were
involved in this case, which
hinged upon the old and troub -
lesome question of the boundary
between the two states in the
vicinity of Sand Island at the
mouth of the Columbia River.—
Pacific Fisherman.
-x
BOOTH FISHERIES' SHOWS A
SLIGHT LOSS
-x
Altho showing a net operating
loss of $404,487 for the fiscal
year ended May 2 this year, the
annual report of Booth Fisher
ies Company shows the deficit
to be less than a third as great
as that for 1921, the only other
year in which a loss has been
reported during the past twenty
years.. The loss for the fiscal
year of 1921 was reported at $'!,
214,352.
The average earnings of the
company during the tweny-year
period have been slightly less
than $1,000,000.
The report gives the assets of
the company at the end of the
fiscal year at $21,007-513.13 with
cash on hand and in the banks
$1,057,352. The funded debt of
company is listed at $6,051,700,
and the current liabilities, $4,
445,097.70.
During- the past year the en
gineering department of the
company has developed a new
process, covered by patents, to
be used in connection with the
quick freezing of fish and other
products. This new process is
expected to be more efficient
and more economical than any
other method known.
Maw and Paw had an awful
time gettin’ married. Ma would
n’t marry Paw when he was
drunk and Paw wouldn’t marry
Maw when he was sober.
OREGON SUPREME-COURl\
MAKES IMPORTANT RULING
-x— -
A supreme court decision, in
terpreting in a most liberal way
the Oregon rights of commercial
fishermen on the Columbia from
encroachment on'their fishing
grounds by fish traps, other
types of stationary gear, ■ or
structures involving the use. of
piling in the navigable Waters
of the Columbia, was handed
down in the Supreme Court,
Monday. The decision was Writ
ten by Justice Kelly, and slightly
modified the decree handed
down by Judge Howard K. 'Zim
merman in the case of T. L. Dris
coll and other fishermen agaihst
tbe stote fish commission £'£ui
Otto Berg. *
Justice Kelly holds that *all
citizens of Oregon have a com
mon right to fish in the waters
of the Lower Columbia River, and
that to deprive any one citizen
of that right is to violate the
state Constitution. , . ’
The highlight of the,decision
is that portion which<enjqjns
the defendant Berg and ^all
other persons .from operating
poimdnet fish traps or Jjny
other stationary fishing, device
in the waters of the lower Co
lumbia Stiver, or from driving
any piling in the navigable
wafers of the channel' of that
stream which (might) inter
fere with the operations of
drift" net or other fishermen.
The decision, according to As
toria attorneys represents a most
liberal interpretation of the stat
ute in favor of floating* gear fish
ermen and will effect other cdses
now oh appeal, such as the
Strandholm case which’involves
both a dock and fish traps; ;
Its effect, it is believed will be
to put a halt to "any further sta
tionary gear construction on ihe
Oregon .side of thetlower Colum
bia.—Astorian Budget. ;