No some 1,000 or 1,200 pounds of sturgeon roe are shipped; this is for- The Fraser River sturgeon is very different from the sturgeon caught on the shores and in the rivers of New England. The fish here are without the heavy scales which are the chief characteristic of sturgeon in the East. The meat is very firm, fine, palatable, and not too highly flavored. It is stated that the sturgeon fishery on the Frazer River was begun only six years ago. Before that time, I am informed that 1,000,000 pounds were taken out of Pitt Lake, of which the outlet is the Fraser River, in a single year. With some method of utilizing the portions of the fish now wasted, I believe these sturgeon fisheries would become an exceedingly profitable industry. The fish are, under the laws of Canada, caught in nets, and not with hooks. The mesh of the net is required to be large enough to allow the escape of the smaller and younger fish. I am informed that these fish yield a very large amount of oil, for which a profitable market might be found. Undoubtedly, the heads, tails, fins, etc., would yield an excellent quality of glue. The skin of this fish is very thick and strong, and could be tanned, and would make an excellent quality of leather for use in harness and for other purposes where great strength and pliability are required. At the present time, a large amount of food for dogs, used as beasts of burden in Alaska and in the British Northwest Territory, is required, and I believe that the portions of the sturgeon now wasted could be utilized for dog biscuit and would find a ready sale. I find that my own dog prefers sturgeon steak to beefsteak. It appears to me that here is an opportunity for some citizen or citizens of the United States to establish a profitable industry. Intelligence would be needed, but not very large capital. I understand that valuable portions of the enormous catch of salmon are wasted in the same way as are those of the sturgeon. The sturgeon fishery is carried on from the first of November to the last of May; the salmon fishery begins in April or May and continues until the last of September, so that a concern using this waste material might be operated during the whole year. THE FISH HATCHERY. Upon the invitation of J. M. McNabb, superintendent of the fish hatcheries for this Province, I went last week to visit the fish hatchery near Bon Accord, on the Frazer River. Here we found 6,000,000 salmon, from 1 to 11⁄2 inches in length. These little fish are to be taken very soon to the head waters of the stream in which they would naturally have been hatched, 40 miles distant, and will then be turned loose in the small streams of pure fresh water. They thence find their way to the Pacific Ocean, where they remain until they reach maturity, when they return to the Frazer River and its tributaries to deposit their spawn, and are caught with hooks, hand nets, and seines; and sometimes they come in such numbers that they may be captured with pitchforks. It is stated that for many years there was one year in every five in which very few salmon came to this river. The plausible reason given is that at some time, in some unknown way, the young salmon were destroyed, and consequently there were none to come in the year in which they should have reached their maturity. This hatchery was established nine years ago. The year 1896 was expected to be the barren year. Few salmon were expected, but the run of the fish proved to be one of the largest ever known. Everybody here attributes this fact to the work of the hatchery. The season of salmon fishing was about over when I arrived here, late in August of last year, so that I can not speak of it from personal knowledge or observation. It is said that so great was the number of fish and so easily were they caught that the fishermen. were obliged to accept far less recompense for their work than in any previous year. The following statistics have been furnished me by the inspector of fisheries for this Province: Output of canned salmon from Fraser River canneries for eight years and of young salmon from the Fraser River hatchery during the same period. The value of the fishery product of the Province of British Columbia in 1897 was $5,834,764.90. No. 212-6. HALIBUT FISHERY. At present, the New England Fish Company is the principal organization engaged in the halibut fishery in this Province. The fish are caught upon the coast from 100 to 200 miles north of here. This year, the company has found it difficult to secure steamers for this service, as all the steam vessels on this coast secure exceptional freight rates to carry wheat and flour to Europe, Australia, China, Japan, and India. Vessels not adapted to such trade secure very valuable profits in conveying miners and their outfits to Alaska. The New England Fish Company has had a steamer built for their service at Bath, Me. This steamer is now on her way from Boston to this port, coming around Cape Horn. Halibut are so plentiful on the fishing grounds upon this coast. that they are caught in comparatively shallow waters, so that only the young fish, weighing 50 pounds or less, are taken. These fish in the East are called "chicken halibut," and are regarded as very choice. The halibut are caught by men who leave their vessel in dories. Each steamer takes about thirty men with about six dories. In a recent voyage two men were lost, being out in a dory when a storm arose. The halibut caught on the coast is of very excellent quality. It is dressed upon an island near the fishing grounds, packed in ice, brought to this port, and sent to Boston, arriving, I am informed, in excellent condition. Without doubt this industry will be very largely increased as soon as steamers for this service can be secured. The New England Fish Company is an association of the wholesale fish dealers of Boston and New York, working in conjunction with the Atlantic Halibut Company, of Gloucester, Mass., a corporation of vessel owners and outfitters. The companies are organized for the purpose of securing sufficient trade to cover the cost of production, which is greater than is incurred in catching other varieties of fish. The following is an extract from a letter received by me in reply to my request to the general manager of the former company for information relative to this industry: The halibut fishery on the Pacific coast is carried on at various points, but principally at or near Dixon Entrance, between Queen Charlotte's Island and Prince of Wales and Ravizegado islands, during the winter months, from September to March, inclusive. The fishing grounds at this point are somewhat sheltered from the severe gales common to that locality. The fishing is conducted in much the same manner as on the Atlantic coast, and the fish are taken mostly on a sand bank, some 10 to 20 miles from the north end of Queen Charlotte's Island. Some fish have also been taken in the north end of Hecate Strait, from 3 to 20 miles from the banks and Goshen Islands. No doubt the halibut are nearly as abundant in other more exposed localities, but up to the present time no attempt has been made to look for them elsewhere. The banks off the Alaskan coast are reported to be swarming with them in winter, but distance and the exposure to strong southeast gales have prevented anything being done as yet. The market for halibut in the fresh state, the only way in which it can be marketed extensively, is mostly in the United States, there being not enough demand in the Canadian markets to pay for operating an outfit for them alone. From three to four carloads a week (each car containing about 20,000 pounds) is an ample supply for all markets within reach of the product. THE CRAB FISHERY. Very recently a company has been formed in this city, now employing between forty and fifty men, for catching crabs, which are cooked and canned. These crabs are more than double the size of the crabs on the Atlantic coast, and are of an excellent flavor. They are of the hard-shell species and are well adapted to be deviled. OTHER FISHERIES. In the lakes and streams near here, there are brook trout, white fish, and other excellent food fish. In the salt water here are also smelts, and several other varieties of excellent food fish. There are, along the coast, three or four varieties of the codfish, but they do not seem to be as good as those upon the Atlantic coast. Undoubtedly, the fishing industry upon this coast is rapidly increasing. The facilities for sending fresh fish to the East are also being continually improved. VANCOUVER, March 16, 1898. L. EDWIN DUDLEY, Consul. CANADIAN FISHERIES REPORT. Under date of March 4, 1898, Consul Beutelspacher, of Moncton, sends a newspaper clipping giving the report of Canada's fisheries for the past year: The fisheries report for the past year has been issued. The administration of the fisheries service cost $443,568. This sum included $154,389 paid as fishing bounties. The revenue received from fishery licenses, fines, etc., is given at $106,469. The fishing bounty of $154,389 was paid to the deep-sea fishermen of the maritime Provinces during the year 1896. Of this amount, $57,014 were divided among 862 vessels, manned by 5,665 men, and $97,385 among 23,821 fishermen using 14,106 boats. The total number of claims paid on bounty was 14,975. The value of the sea and inland fisheries in 1857 was estimated at under $1,000,000, and in 1859 they were valued at about $1,500,000; but in 1867 they had reached $4,000,000; in 1877, $12,000,000; in 1887, $18,386,000; and in 1897, $20,400,000. While the Provinces of New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario gave an aggregate increase of $575,310, the other Provinces show a decrease of $367,224, making a net surplus of $208,086 over the total value of last year. Of the various kinds of fish caught, salmon amounted to $4,001,679; cod, $3,619,385; herring, $2,909,744; lobsters, $2,205,762. The balance is made up of fifteen other kinds of fish, ranging in value from $773,345 to $132,942. The quantity of fish used as bait is valued at $384,219, and that of fish oil at $224,633. The seal skins are valued at $520,250. Canada's fisheries yielded last year $20,400,000. This was the product of 75,000 men, 30,000 of whom were deep-sea toilers. The capital invested is placed at $9,750,000, and 36,600 craft of all kinds were employed. MANGANESE MINING IN NEW BRUNSWICK. In the beds of "wad," or bog manganese, which are known to exist in large quantity in two places and may no doubt be found in others, New Brunswick has a mineral product not existing elsewhere to any extent. The hard manganese ore that is found in pockets in the rock formation is, of course, quite familiar; but to find the material in a bed varying from 5 to 30 feet in thickness, immediately under the turf or first layer of soil, and so soft that it can simply be shoveled up without the aid of a pick, is novel in manganese mining. If this fine, flour-like deposit of the mineral could be treated as simply as the hard ore from the mines, it would, of course, be of great value. But that is not possible, and up to the present time there appears to be only one process of treating it with any success at all. To be available for commercial purposes, this pyrolusite, or manganese dioxide, must be converted into what is technically termed ferro-manganese. This must be done through the agency of a blast furnace. Hard manganese ore can be treated simply enough, but this bog ore, or "wad," after the 50 per cent or thereabouts of water has been dried out of it, becomes a fine, dry powder. Put it into a blast furnace and it would simply blow away. The great aim of all experiments has been, therefore, to discover some suitable substance to mix with the powder to bind it together |