A Salmon Glut Hits the Seattle Waterfront
Fishermen brought 22,000 salmon to the cannery in a single day, but the processor has run out of tins.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Salmon are running phenomenally thick now. About 22,000 were brought to the cannery yesterday. This is the largest amount ever brought to the cannery here on one day with one exception. George T. Myers, the manager, said that he received 25,000 one day some seasons ago when the cannery was at the foot of Pike street. He had to refuse to take any more from the fishermen yesterday, as he is running short-handed and did not have tins enough. There are 2,000 cases of tins coming around from Astoria and a lot more from San Francisco, and when these arrive the cannery will be able to handle all the fish that may come. At present about 400 cases a day are being packed. Most of the fish are being caught in the harbor, and the bulk of the catch is silver salmon. Of the 22,000 received yesterday, 2,000 came over from Tacoma, all taken in one haul. Mr. Myers leaves for Portland to endeavor to secure more help.
“Salmon are running phenomenally thick now.”
This 1892 report highlights the immense natural wealth of the Puget Sound that defined the region's early industrial identity. Today, the struggle is reversed: instead of managing a surplus of salmon, Seattle is grappling with the collapse of salmon runs and the urgent need to restore the habitats that once supported such abundance.
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