Portland Shellfish Ltd history

1848 - Oregon became a territory.

The lush grasses along the banks of coastal rivers made a good environment for raising cattle, and the first cows were brought into Coos County in about 1853.

1855 – Treaty is signed by United States and Columbia River Tribes reserving right for tribes to hunt and fish “in usual and accustomed places” in common with United States citizens.

1859 – Congress admits Oregon as the 33rd state on February 14.

A commercial oyster fishery developed in Newport in 1863 supplied the San Francisco market.

1872 - First game laws close deer hunting from Feb.

1877- First fish hatchery built by United States Fish Commission on Clackamas River and operated by Livingston Stone.

1878 - First state Fish Commission.

By 1881, salmon canning was a major industry in the Pacific Northwest, with Astoria, by now the largest town on the Oregon Coast, as its center.

1882 - First successful introduction of Chinese pheasants in North America near Peterson Butte in Linn County.

1885 – Construction begins on first Willamette Falls fishway, made of roughhewn rock.

1887 - Three men State Board of Fish Commissioners set up by Legislature with $1,000 budget to enforce fish and game laws and operate hatchery for two years.

1893 - First combined fish and game administration in the state's history when the Legislature appointed Hollister McGuire as the State Game and Fish Protector.

The Fishermen’s Union in Astoria, for example, was strong enough to call a strike in 1896 to protest the low price that canneries were paying for fish.

The 1898 special session passes a salmon law that:

1899 - Legislature created Game Board with position of Game and Forestry Warden; L.B.W. Quimby appointed.

1901 - First bag limit for trout of 125 per day and first duck limit with 50 allowed per day.

1903 - First record of concern over water quality when Deputy Warden Webster filed a complaint against Rainier Mill and Lumber Company for allowing sawdust to enter the Columbia River.

1905 - State Game Fund established.

1907 -First fishway completed over Willamette Falls at a cost of $2,600.

1909 - Central Hatchery (Bonneville) completed, including hatchery house, several nursery ponds, one rearing pond, and superintendent's residence.

1912 -Elk from Wyoming shipped by train and released at Billy Meadows in Wallowa County.

1913 – Daily deer bag limit reduced from five to three.

1920 - In a report, Hatchery Superintendent Clanton credited the increased Columbia River salmon run to Oregon hatchery methods.

1927 – First regulated hunting season for black bear in southwest Oregon.

1932 - Oregon Legislature authorizes the Game Commission to set trapping regulations.

1937 - Federal government passes Pittman-Robertson Act, which provides for an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition to be funneled to state fish and wildlife programs.

1941 - Legislature delegated authority to the Game Commission to set sessions and bag limits and to install screens in ditches under 8 feet wide.

1944 - Summer Lake becomes first state wildlife area.

1946 - Game Commission Bulletin (now Oregon Wildlife) began publication.

1951 - Phil Schneider became State Game Director.

1966 - Russian trawl fleet appeared off Oregon coast

1975 - Merger of Fish and Wildlife (formerly Game) Commissions effective July 1.

1977 - A five-year fishery management plan for the Columbia River was signed, following months of negotiations between the State of Oregon, Washington, and the four treaty Indian nations.

1980 - Limited entry began for Oregon's commercial offshore fisheries.

1983 -The first annual Oregon "Plague of Plastics" beach cleanup was sponsored by Oregon Fish and Wildlife.

1985 - An angling license was required for all species, not just game fish.

1987 - Extreme forest fire danger in western Oregon caused the state forester to close ten million acres of public and private lands to recreational access for two weeks in October.

1989 - The department sponsored its first statewide Free Fishing day on June 9 as part of National Fishing Week.

1990 - November 1990 voter approval of a tax limitation measure forced heavy general fund budget cuts.

1994 – First statewide cougar and black bear management plans adopted.

1997 – Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds is implemented.

2005 –Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management Plan is adopted after an extensive public process.

Study finds fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing enthusiasts spent $2.5 billion on these outdoor activities in 2008.