I’m just sitting here at my computer trying to figure out what to do today? This thing of the Russians coming down the west coast around 1812 keeps popping into my realm of thinking? Humm.
I sit around a lot on the Russian River observing and thinking in my kayak, about all kinds of things, such is the mind. One of the things that the Russians accomplished, is that they killed off a great deal of man’s competition for fish. Namely, they killed off most of the fur bearing animals and a lot of the birds that ate fish too. Remember, this happened around 1812. As far as I understand it, they about wiped out most of the fur bearing animals. Now, take away most of the fish eating animals on the west coast and the fish would have had a likely increase in population. Now, the Russians stayed only until we came on the picture and left and were replaced with us, which did pretty much the same thing. Competition animals and birds were shot, just because they were in direct competition, up until recently. This was considered, just the way things were, so to speak.
So, in 1812, the Russians started a great time of fish population increases, that went on until we finally learned how to fish too well. We also had some interesting times on the west coast, mainly wars and a great depression, which put a great deal of pressure on the wildlife for food, which didn’t let up until the 1950’s and 1960’s, only because the game and fish had decreased so much and most of those hunter, gathers had died off.
So, what I guess I’m saying is, we came along to a fishermen’s paradise, originally created by the Russians killing our fish competitors.
Now, the fur bearers and birds are coming back, putting pressure on an already depleted fish population. Just the way it is. What, you say, seals don’t eat big fish, such as salmon and Steelhead? I’ve had biologists say that to me, which indicates they just need to be on the river when the fish run and watch. It does take a lot of time. I’ll do another post with some pics of what my buddies the seals can do with big fish. I call them my buddies, because I paddle around with them a lot. I’m sure they know me better than I know them. It’s not whether I like or dislike seals, I’m only stating the facts as I observe them. Otters like them too. Time to get the the river for some yakking. Monte Rio down to Cassini’s today, or maybe up river a ways? I hear the salmon are starting to run, from reliable sources, have been for over a week.
More information added on Sept. 27th 2012
It looks like the fur trade started even before the Russians, which this report says started with Captain James Cook in 1778.