Table 1. — United States supply of canned 

 tuna (191*8-58) showing quanti- 

 ties received from domestic 

 landings and imports (Round 

 weight in millions of pounds) 



Year 



[Domestic] 

 landings] 



Imports 



: Loins and: 

 Frozen: discs : Canned: 



Total 



NOTE: Factors used to convert to round 

 weight 



Grilled and gutted 

 Dressed, headed and 



tailess 

 Cooked loins and discs 

 Canned (cases and factor 

 equals round weight) 

 Solid 

 Chunk 

 Flakes and grated 



xl.12 



xl.25 

 x2.25 



x 1*2 

 x 39 

 x 36 



generally graded for quality and is more 

 uniform in size, elimination of the need 

 for costly investment in vessels to insure 

 supply (the latter is especially true for 

 the smaller canner), and a stable year- 

 round supply without costly inventories. 



Between 191*8 and 1953, well over half 

 of all imported tuna was albacore, which 

 is packed as white meat tuna. Since that 

 time, despite the increasing quantities 

 of albacore being imported, the other tuna 

 species, which are canned as light meat, 

 have made up over half of the total amount 

 imported annually. Table 2 illustrates 

 the relative importance of albacore im- 

 ports and those of other tuna species 

 between 19U8 and 1958. 



Japan has always been the primary 

 source of tuna imported into the United 

 States except during the years of World 

 War II. Figure 2 and table 3 show the 

 relative importance of Japan as a sup- 

 plier between 19l*8 and 1958. Only in 

 19l*9 and 1951 did Japan's contribution 

 fall below 80 percent of the total amount 

 imported. Peru has maintained its posi- 

 tion as the second most important source 

 of imports. A good part of the tuna 

 shipped from there is caught by American 

 flag vessels. 



Table 1* shows where the United States 

 tuna supply ( canned in California) came 

 from during the first quarter of 1959 as 

 compared with the same period in the years 

 since 1955. 



Table 2.— Total imports of tuna into the United States, 191*8-58 (Round weight 

 in millions of pounds) 



74 



