 FISHING THE RIVERS AND THE SEAMany of the early settlers were drawn to the area by excellent fishing. Not surprisingly, they focused their efforts on plentiful salmon--mostly King, Blueback, Steelhead, Silver, and Chum. Many fished the harbor in small boats with nets, gaffs, and hook and line.
In the 1850s, the early white settlers, fishing alongside local Indians, set traps and nets at the mouth local rivers during the spring and summer salmon runs. By the turn of the century, the Grays Harbor County fishing industry employed roughly 300 gill-netters and managed an annual payroll of approximately $75,000.
EMERGING CANNING INDUSTRYIn addition to supplying a fresh catch, settlers used to salt and pack (or barrel) fish for later consumption. Out of this practice eventually emerged a fish processing and canning industry.
By the 1870s, several firms were engaged in this activity. And in the 1890s, processing and canning razor clams and cultivated oysters became equally important in the counties. Some crabs were harvested from deeper waters at the mouth of the Columbia River, Willapa Bay, and Grays Harbor. The industry continued to grow through the 19th century and into the 20th century.
THE CANNING INDUSTRY GROWS Encouraged by businessman Samuel Benn's early success in neighboring Aberdeen, these settlers developed fish canning into a major industry, especially along the Hoquiam and Wishkah Rivers. Salmon and steelhead were the mainstays from the rivers. From the nearby ocean came cod, halibut, and razor clams.
By 1900 the canneries were thriving and in most cases owned the boats that exported their products to points all along the West Coast. The razor clam digger on the right holds magnificent local specimens of this Northwest seafood delight.
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