A Program for Stabilizing the Fishery of Washington

Abstract

T' 'jHE fisheries of Washington, fourth in value among resource industries, contribute an important part to the economy of the state. The 1942 production, valued at $16,000,000, placed Washington third to California first, and Massachusetts second, in value of product landed. Since statehood in 1889, 2,503,816,000 pounds of fish valued at $126,750,000 have entered Washington ports from territorial waters. The primary value of fresh fish when finally canned, mild cured, smoked, kippered, quick-frozen, filleted, or otherwise packaged and prepared for market may be increased several fold. Consequently, the industry supports directly or indirectly, a far wider range of administrators and wage earners than is covered by the 9,543 employees listed in statistical summaries. In addition, Washington has almost a proprietary interest in the Alaskan catch, as 75 per cent of the 25,000 fishermen and cannery workers employed in the northern territory are residents of Washington. The monetary and employment value, plus food properties and recreational appeal, make the fisheries worth whatever effort is necessary to maintain a high productive level. Like other forms of natural wealth, the fisheries inheritance has been misused. Though fisheries of the United States are perhaps the most poorly managed of our natural resources, it is, however, not true of Washington for State, Federal, and International agencies have united to develop a program of conservation, second only to that of California. Despite it, serious depletion in several fisheries, e.g. crab, shrimp, tuna, sole and flounder, and salmon, have resulted due to, (1) the increased operating radius of fishing boats, (2) the use of more efficient gear, and (3) continual encroachments on the natural habitat of anadromous species through their successive stages of development. In its earlier development the fishing industry was largely centered on two species, salmon and halibut. The two are still of high significance, but the trend is toward diversification. The catch now includes 35 species, several of which can no longer be considered minor. Certainly oyster culture is not; neither is shark, crab, tuna, or the bottom fish. In the future, other varieties now virtually unknown and unvalued may enter the market, as tuna did nine years ago, and the soupfin shark even more recently. With diversification in production there has come even greater diversity in fishery problems, both scientific and economic. Each fishery obviously has its own methods and problems, many of which are already being solved, either within the industry itself or by investigational work by one of the conservational agencies; yet much remains to be done. It may well be, therefore, that there is place for a comprehensive overall program in the State of Washington which can serve as a future objective. Such a program, broad in its scope but practical enough for general application, with an ultimate goal of making the fisheries one of the state's permanent assets, follows.