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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2016)
CLOSE TO HOME Th ey eat seals, don’t they? James Swan: Otter and seal hunting on Willapa Bay J James Gilcrest Swan, one of Willapa Bay’s earliest pioneers, chroniclers, and anthropolo- gists, describes seal and otter hunting in his early UHFROOHFWLRQVDQG¿QHPHPRLUFDOOHG³7KH1RUWK ZHVW&RDVWRU7KUHH<HDUV¶5HVLGHQFHLQ:DVK LQJWRQ7HUULWRU\´ A treasure trove of information, to say the OHDVWWKLVERRNLVFHUWDLQO\WKH¿UVWDQGPRVWDX WKHQWLFGHVFULSWLRQRISLRQHHUDQG1DWLYHFXOWXUH ever written about this time and place we are OXFN\HQRXJKWRFDOOKRPH 6ZDQOLYHGRQWKHED\IURPXQWLO In the coming months, we will investigate more RI WKLV PDMRU ZULWHU )RU QRZ OHW¶V H[SORUH WKH OLYHVRIRXUSDGGOHIRRWHGPDPPDOIULHQGV 7KHRWKHUGD\P\IULHQG'HQQLV%DWWOHVDU ULYHG ZLWK DQ HPSW\ FRIIHH FXS KLV ¿QH OLWWOH camera and with two of man’s best friends, in this FDVH5HJJLHDQG0LOR 7KH FDPHUD FRQWDLQHG VKRWV RI ULYHU RWWHUV SO\LQJ,OZDFR¶V%ODFN/DNHIRUWURXWDQGEDVV7R be percise, momma otter and papa otter and their WZRGDUOLQJRIIVSULQJ)UROLFPLJKWKDYHEHHQD better word, for these furry creatures appear to be the most playful and curious mammals in all the DQLPDONLQJGRP <HDUVDJR,PHWWZRRIWKHLUEUHWKUHQHDUO\ RQHPRUQLQJWURXW¿VKLQJRQ%HDU5LYHUWKHWXP bling and winding Willapa Hills tributary on the QRUWKHUQHQGRI:LOODSD%D\ I arrived early, and could tell from the lack of IRRWSULQWVWKDW,ZDVWKH¿UVWKXPDQRQWKHVWUHDP DIWHUDKDUGPLGQLJKWUDLQ7KHFRQGLWLRQVZHUH SHUIHFW DQG DQWLFLSDWLRQ UDQ KLJK , LPDJLQHG D IHZ IDW KDUYHVW WURXW VDXWpLQJ VORZO\ LQ D SDQ 7URXW$OPDQGLQHWREHH[DFW )RXU ¿VKLQJ KROHV DQG D PLOH ODWHU , ZDV VWXPSHG1RQHRIWKLVPDGHVHQVH7KHFRQGL WLRQVZHUHSHUIHFW,NQHZWKHZDWHU 2QWKH¿IWKKROH,ZDVVWDUWOHGE\WZRORXG VSODVKHV 5LVLQJ QRW IHHW IURP PH DQG MXVW downstream from a well-worn slide, two mature otters greeted me like an old friend, their mouths FOLFNLQJDQGFXULRVLW\DERXQGLQJ 1RZ,XQGHUVWRRG2WWHUVDUHIDUEHWWHU¿VK HUPHQWKDQDPDQZLWKD¿VKLQJSROHDQGDFDQ RIZRUPV,ZDVODWH$OUHDG\WKH\KDG¿QLVKHG EUHDNIDVWP\WURXW Coastal Life Story by DAVID CAMPICHE 4 | March 31, 2016 | coastweekend.com Photo by Dwight Caswell A river otter ³*RRG PRUQLQJ IULHQGV´ , VDLG RIIHULQJ D QHLJKERUO\VDOXWDWLRQ,WZDVLPSRVVLEOHWREHDQ JU\7KH\VXEPHUJHGDQGURVHQRZHYHQFORVHU 7KHVHORYHO\FUHDWXUHVUHPDLQHGDPLFDEOHFXUL RXVDQGXQZDU\7KHZRUGVFXGGO\DQGFKDUP LQJFRPHWRPLQG Which brings us back to Black Lake and later, WR-DPHV*LOFUHVW6ZDQ%ODFN/DNHLVHVVHQWLDOO\ ODQGORFNHG1RUWKDQGHDVWRIWKHODNHDVPDOO VORXJKFURVVHVWKURXJK¿HOGVDQGFUDQEHUU\ERJV 0RUHGLWFKWKDQZDWHUZD\WKHRWWHUPXVWKDYH traversed several miles of inconsistent shallow ZDWHURQO\WRDUULYHDWWKHORYHO\ODNH7KHVPDOO VWUHDPLVFDOOHG7DUOHW6ORXJKDQGZDVRQFHD portage for the Chinook between the Columbia 5LYHUDQG:LOODSD%D\$QGKHUHLQOD\VWKHDQ FLHQWOLQN Swan describes hunting for otters in Willapa Bay, hunting off a prominent rock appendage FDOOHG6WRQ\3RLQWDERXWPLOHVVRXWKRI6RXWK Bend, the town that claims itself to be the oys- WHUFDSLWDORIWKHZRUOG,WPD\ZHOOEH3LOHVRI HPSW\VKHOOVGRPLQDWHWKHVN\OLQH:LOODSD%D\ SURGXFHV EHWWHU WKDQ SHUFHQW RI WKH QDWLRQ¶V R\VWHUV Like gourmands who devour succulent oys- ters from our Shoalwater Bay — the older nom de guerre — otters adore mol- OXVNV 7KHUHDUHWZRYDULHWLHVRIRWWHUVHD otter, Enhydra lutris, and river otter, Lon- WUDFDQDGHQVLV7KHODWWHUKDXQWRXUULYHUV DQGIUHVKZDWHUSDVVDJHV 7KHVHDRWWHULVQRZH[WLQFWRIIRXU FRDVW7KDQN*RGFRORQLHVVWLOOH[LVWLQ$ODVND DQG1RUWKHUQ&DOLIRUQLD )RUJLYHWKHWUDSSHUVZKRJDWKHUHGDQGVROG WKH GHQVH IXUV ZLWK LPSXQLW\$QG IRUJLYH WKH Chinese who coveted the plew (mountain man MDUJRQIRUDEDOHRISHOWVRUIXUV 7LPHVZHUHGLIIHUHQW$QGWKHQ WKLV,VZHDUWR*RGWKDW,VDZD large sea otter swimming off the 1RUWK -HWW\ ODVW ZLQWHU $ ORQJ VKRW , VXSSRVH :RXOGQ¶W LW EH wonderful to welcome them back? Seals were hunted and eaten E\WKH&KLQRRNDQG4XLQDXOW)LUVW 3HRSOHV E\ DOO RI WKH 1RUWKZHVW FRDVWDOWULEHV On Willapa Bay in the 19th century, they were also eaten by some of the ZKLWHV6ZDQFHUWDLQO\GLG At the same time, the otters were soon gone IURPRXUZDWHUV+RSHGDQJOHVDQGGDQFHV:H pray and work for a better world for our children, IRUWKHLUVIRUDOHJDF\WKDWLVEULJKWDQGHQGXULQJ *XHVVZKDWWKHVHFXWHFULWWHUVDUHWKHFRPHEDFN NLGV swim underwater to the front of the island, all the ZKLOHNHHSLQJDOOEXWKLVKHDGVXEPHUJHG 5LVLQJ IURP WKH ZDWHU OLNH D 1DY\ 6($/ (no pun intended), he would corner the prey and VSHDUWKHPDPPDOZLWKDIRRWODQFHDWWDFKHG WRDURSHRIFHGDUWZLQHGZHDYLQJ7KHZRXQGLQ the dead seal was plugged by thick grasses or a ZRRGHQVWRSSHUWRVHDOLQWKHULFKVFDUOHWEORRG 3UHSDUDWLRQ WKH GHDG FUHDWXUH ZDV UROOHG EDFN DQG IRUWK RYHU WZRLQFKGLDPHWHU ORJV until the fur on its sleek body was singed off by D ORZEXUQLQJ ¿UH 7KH VNLQ ZDV GLVFDUGHG RU XVHGODWHUDVDÀRDWIRU¿VKLQJDQGVRPHWLPHV DVDFRQWDLQHUWRVWRUHWKHVHDOJUHDVH$PLOGRLO when fresh (says Swan), the seal fat was rendered IRUFRRNLQJ7KHUHGPHDWZDVERLOHGLQLWVRZQ EORRGRUURDVWHGVORZO\RYHUWKHRSHQ¿UH6ZDQ claimed that the liver of a young seal was a par- WLFXODUGHOLFDF\/HW¶VFDOOWKLVWKHIRLHJUDVRIWKH &ROXPELD3DFL¿F Otters, apparently, were hunted simply for WKHLU OX[XULRXV IXU 7KH\ JURZ XS WR PLOOLRQ hairs per square inch, the densest fur of all mam- PDOV5REHUW*UD\KHDGHGVWUDLJKWIRU&KLQDDI ter swapping trading goods for the thick furs with WKH&KLQRRNMXVWRII)RUW&ROXPELDRQWKH%LJ 5LYHU7KH5LYHURIWKH:HVWZDVQDPHGLQ after his sailing ship, the Columbia 5HGLYLYD Gray obviously fared better WKDQ WKH 1DWLYHV 5XPRU PLJKW suggest that Gray’s crew infected WKHQREOHWULEHZLWKVPDOOSR[ &DSW :LOOLDP &ODUN YHUL¿HV WKDW,QKHVDZPDQ\VLJQV RI SR[ RQ WKH 1DWLYHV ZKR VXU YLYHG WKH HSLGHPLF +H GLGQ¶W VHHP RYHUO\ FRQFHUQHG )HZ RI WKH (XURSHDQ VHWWOHUV GLG 7KH\ coveted all the land, timber and salmon that had EHORQJHGWRWKHVHSHRSOHIRUHRQV6ZDQZDVDQ H[FHSWLRQ While I write, river otters frolic happily, their keen dark eyes and whiskered cute faces darting and quivering like munchkins on a holiday eating VSUHH/\LQJRQWKHLUEDFNVWKH\SDGGOHDERXW QLEEOH RQ FODPV FUDEV DQG VQDLOV 7KH\ DUH D GDLQW\EXQFK 7KHLUSDZVDUHGH[WHURXV7KH\DUHWKHRQO\ sea mammal to use tools, small rocks in this case, WRRSHQPROOXVNV,QGRLQJVRWKH\SURWHFWWKH IUDJLOHNHOSEHGV.HOSLQWXUQJREEOHXSJUHHQ KRXVHJDVHV 7KH\WKULYHFORVHWRKRPHZDWHUQHLJKERUV 7RVHHLVWREHOLHYH7KHVHSOD\IXOFUHDWXUHVHQ ULFKRXUOLYHV:HPXVWJXDUDQWHHWKHLUV These playful creatures enrich our lives. On the hunt 7RNH3RLQWRII7RNHODQGDWWKHQRUWKHQGRI WKHED\ZDVQDPHGDIWHUWKHFKLHI2OG7RNH+LV SURZHVVIRUKXQWLQJVHDOVZDVOHJHQGDU\ Swan describes how the elder would pass downwind from one of the numerous sand spits that dominate the month of the Willapa, anchor his cedar canoe out of sight, disrobe, and then
