Library Guides: Fish and Fishing: Primary Sources at Western On This Topic

Suggested Resources

Suggested Resources from Archives & Special Collections

Below are some suggested collections that are available through Archives & Special Collections. These lists are not exhaustive so please contact us for more information, to request a consultation and/or to schedule a research appointment.

CPNWS

Center for Pacific Northwest Studies

Contact cpnws@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7534 | Archives Building

Biery (Galen) Papers
Local historian Galen Biery was a long-term employee of the Pacific American Fisheries. His collection includes photographs, film and other research materials documenting the regional fishing industry.
Bornstein Seafoods Company Inc. Records
Bornstein Seafoods was founded in 1930 in Bellingham, Washington. The company took a leading role in developing markets for Pacific Northwest bottom fish such as perch, rockfish, and flounder. Records include photos of the plant, employees, equipment & fleet.
Buswell (Howard) Papers
Collection of a local historian and collector that includes photographs, research files and interviews, including about local/regional industry and substantial materials about the Lummi Nation.
Center for Pacific Northwest Studies Miscellaneous Scrapbook Collection
Collection includes albums documenting fishing and canning industries in Alaska and the Puget Sound.
Collection of Fisheries Reports
Reports, bulletins and yearbooks about North Pacific fish populations, including by the International Pacific Halibut Commission; International North Pacific Fisheries Commission; International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission; and the Washington State Department of Fisheries.
Droker (Howard) and Keith Murray Native American Fishing records
Copies of correspondence, published materials and reports relating to Washington State fishing laws and violations, fishing and the cannery industry, fishways and dams, fish hatcheries, and tribal fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest.
Fish Industry Publications
Publications on various fishery topics dating from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Fish Trap Location Maps
Show locations of fish traps located in Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan Counties, from approximately 1900-1920.
Hammes (Jean) Photograph Collection
Images of reef net fishing in Washington State from 1955 to 1981.
Hinckley (Ted C.) papers
Research and reference materials used by Ted C. Hinckley during his professional career as a historian covering various topics in Alaska history including the fishing industry.
Metcalf (Jack) Papers
Papers of a former Washington State Senator and Representative for Washington State’s 2nd Congressional District, which include extensive files relating to fishing and fisheries management.
National Science Foundation: 200-Mile Boundary Limit records
Collection of summaries and transcripts of presentations from a National Science Foundation conference about the United States' decision to implement the two hundred-mile limit on off-shore fishing. Participants included Donald K. Alper, Andrew Berkis,William T. Burke, James A. Crutchfield, James H. Hitchman, Robert Monahan, and Gerard F. Rutan.
Northwest Ethnohistory Collection
Extensive files relating to Northwest Tribes and Indigenous treaty and fishing rights, collected or generated by members of WWU's Anthropology Department.
Northwest Tribal Oral Histories
Includes first-hand accounts of members and elders of Native American tribes in Washington State and Idaho who provide information on long-standing traditions such as language, education, genealogy, politics, religion, as well as hunting and fishing practices.
Pacific American Fisheries Records
Business records of one of the largest salmon fishing and packing operations, formerly headquartered in Bellingham, Washington.
Radke (August) Papers
Includes research files and materials gathered for Radke's published history, "Pacific American Fisheries, Inc."
Shiels (Archie W.) Papers
Papers of a former president of the Pacific American Fisheries company, historian, and recorder of Alaskan history.
Skagit County Oral History Project Records
Microfilm copies of oral history transcripts for interviews conducted between 1962-1979 by the Skagit County Historical Society which cover numerous topics, including fishing.
Southwest Alaska Cannery Logbooks
Logbooks from the Squaw Harbor Cannery, Olga Bay Cannery, Petersburg Cannery.
Swift (Al) Congressional Papers
Includes files on fisheries management, dams, and fish habitat.
Wahl (Ralph) Fly-Fishing Papers and Photographs
Collection contents document Ralph E. Wahl’s activities and interests as a photographer and fisherman in the Pacific Northwest. The collection includes photographs in multiple formats as well as written materials relating to Wahl’s fishing activities and publications.
Women's Maritime Association Records
The Women’s Maritime Association formed in 1980 as a support network for seafaring women and worked to protect the rights and safety of women in maritime industries.
Women in the Commercial Fishing Industry Research Collection
Newspaper clippings, statistics, scholarly articles, and interviews documenting issues relating to women working in the Alaskan and Pacific Northwest commercial fishing industry.

Special Collections

Contact speccoll@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3193 | Wilson Library

Archival Collections:

Fly Fishing Oral Histories
Transcripts of interviews with fly fishers in the Pacific Northwest. Persons interviewed discuss fly-tying, favorite locations, and memorable experiences.
Fly Fishing Vertical Files and Realia, 1901-2019
Biographical information, articles, research notes, oral history transcripts, ephemera, and miscellaneous material related to the history of fly fishing, primarily in Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The collection also contains a small amount of realia.

Publications:

Daily Planet by Bellingham, Wash. : Western Rear Publications, 1967- 1968
Call Number: Available at Archives & Special Collections--Special Collections Campus History Collection PN4888.U5 D35

UARM

University Archives

The University Archives is the sole, official repository for the records of WWU (see university policy POL-U4910.01) and houses more than 3000 linear feet of archival material documenting the history of Western from 1895 to the present. This includes records in all formats (bound volumes, loose paper, photographic, audiovisual, digital) and from all major campus units including the Board of Trustees, President, Vice Presidents, Colleges, Academic Programs, Administrative/business units, and Associated Students—even Western Libraries.

Contact university.archives@wwu.edu or (360) 650-3124 | Archives Building

Searching Archival and Primary Resources at Western

Want to search for content on your own? The following online platforms are available for all researchers (note that not all content is available digitally -- contact us for more information about how to access collection materials in person).

Archives West

Archives West Database

MABEL

MABEL, which stands for Multimedia Archives Based Electronic Library, is a central repository for the discovery, sharing and preservation of Western's digital assets. Collections include select, digitized archives and special collections material, including historical images, oral histories, newspapers and more. A training video about how to search for and use content from MABEL is available from this link.

Some suggested digital resources from Archives & Special Collections that are available through MABEL include:

Biery (Galen) Photo Albums
Includes images of Pacific American Fisheries operations and equipment. (Digital collection, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies)
Fly Fishing Oral Histories
Transcripts of interviews with fly fishers in the Pacific Northwest. Persons interviewed discuss fly-tying, favorite locations, and memorable experiences.
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (1969-1986) was an alternative newspaper published bi-weekly in Bellingham, Washington (1969-1977), and then in Seattle.
Tikka (Rubin) film footage of commercial fishing.
Color film documenting commercial fishing operations in Clam Gulch, Alaska, from 1958.
Western Front Historical Collection
From the Normal Messenger to the Northwest Viking to the WWCollegian to the Western Front (and other title variants in between), the student paper has chronicled the social, athletic, academic, and creative life of the institution throughout its trajectory from teacher-training college to comprehensive regional university.

Fish and Fishing

Select Publications on Fish and Fishing

Researchers may also find the following publications useful:

The Great Pacific American Fisheries, 1899-1965 : recollections of Galen Biery : conversations August 12, 1993-July 20, 1994 by Biery, Galen.
Call Number: Western Library Wilson 4C - Northwest Collection (HD8039.F6752 U63 1994) and other locations
Handbook of Western Washington Indian treaties: with special attention to treaty fishing rights by Daniel Boxberger
Call Number: Western Library - Oversize Books E95.H35 1979
The H. W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest by Newell, Gordon (ed.)
Call Number: Archives & Special Collections--Archives Building CPNWS Reference Room
An illustrated review of the growth and development of the maritime industry from 1895.
Lummi Elders Speak by Nugent, (Ann V.) Kinley, Eva
Publication Date: 1999
Pacific Northwest Croatian by Margaret Sleasman
Call Number: CPNWS Reference Room F855.2.C76 C76
History, antecdotes, & stories by & about local Croatian fishing Families in Bellingham.
To Fish In Common: the Ethnohistory of Lummi Indian Fishing by Boxberger, Daniel L.
Uncommon Controversy: fishing rights of the Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and Nisqually Indians
Call Number: Wilson 4C - Northwest Collection E78 W3 U25 1975