In 1948,, there was a large increase in the number of east coast tuna 

 canneries with two plants operating in MainCj three in Massachusetts, one 

 in New York, and two in Maryland. In 1950, the canning of tuna was begun 

 in South Carolina. A tuna cannery is under construction at Moss Point , 

 Mississippi. However, no tuna had been canned by the end of 1952, The 

 tuna packed by east coast plants has been obtained principally from six 

 sources. These are the bluefin found off the New England and Middle At- 

 Ifintic States J the little tuna, which occurs along the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coasts; deliveries of Pacific coast tuna to eastern packers by United 

 States fishing craft; and imports of tuna from Canada, Japan, and PerUo 



To date, neither the bluefin nor the little tuna has been taken in 

 sufficient volume along the Atlantic or Gulf coasts to indicate that an 

 iiaportant industry can be developed fromi these species. During 1951 and 

 1952^ the Fish and V/ildlife Service conducted exploratory fishing opera- 

 tions with purse seines, gill nets, and long lines, for bluefin off New 

 England, and^ while several good individual catches were made, total land- 

 ings were net impressive. In 1951, the Service, in cooperation with an 

 eastern canr.er, attempted to locate schools of little tuna off the South 

 Atlantic States, and in 1952, the Service's exploratory vessel Oregon 

 fished for little tuna in the Gulf of Mexico for a short period. Little 

 t'jna were taken in both areas, but landings were not large. In the future, 

 considerjble quan'. itie .s of little tuna may be found, but to date, the 

 catch is not believed to have exceeded one million pounds in any one year. 



Shipments of fresh tuna from Canada, and of frozen tuna from Japan 

 and Peru, have been received by a number of eastern cannerSj and in 1952, 

 two Pacific coast tuna clippers passed through the Panama Canal | and del- 

 ivered their catch<is directly to eastern canners. • 



Tuna Camning in the Hawaiian Islands 



Within a few years after the canning of tuna vjas begun in Califor- 

 nia canneries were constructed in the Hawaiian Islands,, and by 1917 at 

 least two were in operation. Little information is available on the vol- 

 ume of pack. However, it is known that by 1933 somevjhat over 100,000 cases 

 of tuna, consisting principally of skipjack, were packed in Hawaii, Available 

 infomation indicates that current production in the two canneries now op- 

 erating in the Territory is about twice that amount. Albacore, big-eyed, 

 skipjack and yellowfin tuna and bonito are taken in the vicinity of the Is- 

 lands, The major portion of the catch consists of skipjack. Smaller catches 

 of big-ftved and yellowfin are taken and a snail quantity of albacore and 



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