GENERAL REVIEW 



CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS, 1975 



The 1975 pack of canned fishery products in the United States, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico was 

 the smallest since 1971. The total pack for human consumption and for bait and animal food was 49.0 million 

 standard cases (1,382.4 million pounds) with a value reported by the canning companies of $1,067.1 million, 

 down 15 percent in quantity and 18 percent in value compared with 1974. The largest declines were in tuna, 

 salmon, clams, and shrimp for human consumption. 



Salmon. The 1975 pack of salmon was the smallest since 1906. The pack was 1.6 million standard cases 

 valued at $110.7 million, a decline of 273,588 standard cases and $26.5 million compared with 1974. The pack 

 in Washington and Oregon registered declines in 1975, while the pack in Alaska increased by 40,646 standard 

 cases. Pink salmon registered the only increase in the 1975 pack of salmon, from 527,237 standard cases in 

 1974 to 616,942 standard cases in 1975. Chum salmon showed the sharpest decline, 55 percent from 409,446 

 standard cases in 1974 to 225,659 standard cases in 1975. A better than expected run of reds in Bristol Bay 

 moderated the drop in the pack of red salmon to a 2-percent decline. 



Despite the small 1975 pack, exports of canned salmon increased from 8.3 million pounds in 1974 to 

 22.5 million pounds in 1975. 



Sardines. The pack of Maine sardines (sea herring) was 1.1 million standard cases valued at $24.9 million, up 3 

 percent in quantity and 15 percent in value compared with 1974. 



Tuna. In 1975 the domestic pack of tuna was 26.8 million standard casses (529.4 million pounds) valued at 

 $652.6 million— the fourth highest pack on record and the third in value. The pack was down 20 percent in 

 quantity and 21 percent in value compared with the record year, 1974. 



The pack of white meat (albacore) comprised 19 percent of the pack in 1975, down 39 percent from 

 1974. The pack of lightmeat tuna (skipjack, yellowfin, bluefin, and bigeye) comprised 81 percent (21.8 million 

 standard cases) in 1975, down 3.4 million cases compared with 1974. The canning plants in Washington, 

 Oregon, California, and Maryland packed 49 percent of the total; the rest was packed by plants in American 

 Samoa, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. 



Canned tuna packed from landings by U.S. fishermen was a record 269.1 million pounds, up 9 percent 

 from 1974. The pack of tuna from imported raw tuna was 260.3 million pounds down 37 percent from 1974. 

 The year 1975 was the first since 1961 that the pack from domestic landings was greater than from imports. 

 The explanation of this was that in order to reduce their inventories of canned tuna, tuna canning companies 

 cut back on their use of imported raw tuna. Inventories toward the end of 1974 had reached record levels, in 

 part because of record U.S. production of canned tuna in that year. Following the cutback on the use of 

 imported raw tuna, prices paid to U.S. fishermen were reduced, beginning in about April 1975; by July 

 inventories has been reduced, and prices of raw tuna had been stabilized at levels appreciably below 1974. In 

 July 1975 the exvessel price of albacore was $675 per ton, down 18 percent from December 1975; bluefin, 

 $480 per ton, down 14 percent; skipjack, $450 per ton, down 17 percent; and yellowfin, $500 per ton, down 13 

 percent. At these prices U.S. tuna fishermen succeeded in landing a record amount of tuna and this 

 prevented any substantial increase in the use of raw tuna imports during the rest of 1975. 



Clams. The 1975 pack of clams and clam products was 3.0 million cases valued at $41.8 million, 12 percent 

 less in quantity and 3 percent less in value than in 1974. This decline was due to a drop in the pack of canned 

 chowder and juice, which more than offset a small gain in the pack of whole and minced clams. 



Shrimp. The 1975 natural pack of shrimp was 1.8 million standard cases valued at $27.7 million, down 44 

 percent in volume and 38 percent in value compared with 1974. This large decline was due to a number of 

 factors, among which were heavy inventories carried over from 1974 and rising costs of operation. In Alaska, 

 which accounts for almost half the U.S. pack, more shrimp was diverted to the frozen product than in the 

 previous year. 



Animal (pet) food. In 1975 the pack of pet food (10 pounds of fish per standard case of 48 1-pound cans) 

 was 12.1 million standard cases valued at $147.8 million. This was 147,765 standard cases and $26.8 million 

 less than in 1974. Tuna trimmings are used in producing a substantial part of the U.S. pack of canned animal 

 (pet) food, and with the production of canned tuna down, the pet food pack was lower also. 



