WEST SHORE. CATCHISQ SALMON WITH FISH WHEELS. It 1b just now an Interesting question whether the fish wheels that ope rate In the vicinity of the cascades and dalles of the Columbia shall be per mitted to catch imall fish, and a committee of inquiry from the leg islature is investigating the question for the pur pose of framing legisla tion on the subject. Heretofore the law has regulated the site of the meshes of all nets and seines ased in fishing for salmon on the Columbia, with the intent that only large fish should be caught. In addition to this the catching of small fish has been discouraged by the cannerymen, who have refused to accept small ones from the fishermen. The fundamental reason for this is the belief that small salmon should not be taken from the river, but should be permitted to remain un til they have reached the usual canning site of twenty pounds or more. At first glance tills Seems a reasonable and proper action, and so it would be were the habits of the salmon the same as freshwater fish, and did they live and grow in the river. Such, however, is not the case, and when science inves tigated the question it threw much light upon it and revealed a condition of affairs quite at variance with those generally supposed to prevail. A great deal of conflicting testimony has been gathered upon the sub ject of the salmon and his habits, especially the Quinnat, or Chinook, salm- in A FISH ! x '- ' dick or a trow rim wiim.. on, the royal member of the family and the one the most widely distribut ed along the coast. Under different names this fish is known in the Sacra mento, Columbia and Fraser rivers, in the streams of Fuget sound and in those of far Alaska. Many other varieties of salmon are found in these IV ' I I 1 ff ' - 1 WIIKKL ON Till COLUMBIA same streams, no leu than ball a down running In the Columbia alone, but none of them are so large and so rich of flesh as the royal Chinook of the Columbia, oli'ai the king salmon of Puget sound. As It Is this valuable fish the biate is interested in preserving, and as it would be an advantage rather than a detriment to the fishing Interests of the state if no other kind were found In the stream, the question of catching small fish hinges, then, upon the effect such a ' T- ' ." ' 1 ' mi i i i T-v , 'i v RIVKR. practice would have on this particular variety. No objection bo been raised to the catching of small bluebacka and steelheads, for the dou ble reason that these varieties never attain a large sise and are not valuable for canning purposes. The ques tion to be considered is simply, should the fish wheels, or other appli ances, be permitted to catch small Chinook salmon T It is claimed by plicl culturlsta, and general ly admitted by fisher men, that the home "f the salmon is in the deep waters of the sea; that after being batch ed In the warm head waters of the streams he makes his way to the ocean and there re mains for four years, returning at that time by natural Instinct to the same stream from whence he came, for the sole purpose of ei-