On the other hand, there are certain requirements involved 

 in packing canned food items for United States Am^ pvirchase which 

 lessen the attractiveness of this possible marketo For example, 

 the product would have to be put up in cans of special size to 

 fi^ into the ration cartons j special packing requirements must be 

 met; and certain labor requirements would be specified which may 

 not be in keeping with the present policy of many plants. The 

 uncertainty of continued sale of the product to the Army must also 

 be consideredo 



SHOULD CANNERIES HOVE TO OTHER LOCATIONS? 



Until very recently all the tuna canned commercialJy in this 

 country was put up in the three western States, California, Oregon, 

 and Washington; by far the largest portion being canned in California. 

 Certain factors encouraged the industry to center in this area. At 

 the start of the tuna industry most of the fish were caught off the 

 coast of California or Lower California which resulted in establish- 

 ment of the industry in southern Californiac As the demand for tuna 

 increased, it became necessary to look farther and farther to the 

 south for adeqviate supplies of fish. Today a substantial part of 

 the catch is taken in Pacific waters off South America which are 

 closer, via the Panama Canal, to certain ports on the Gulf of Mexico 

 and Caribbean Sea than they are to Californiao 



There are certain advantages to the continued processing of 

 this species in California. One such important reason is the 

 location in southern California of several other fisheries which 

 yield a canned product o Both canned pilchard and canned mackerel 

 are produced in considerable volume in southern Californiao These 

 fisheries tend to complement the production of tuna inasmuch as 

 the canning takes place in the same factories as that of tuna and 

 at times when tuna are not available. The same plant and some of 

 the equipment may be used for canning of mackerel, sardines, or 

 anchovies o Furthermore, it is much easier to have a ready supply 

 of labor available at a moment's notice if that labor can be used 

 throughout the year in the various fisheries. The same people 

 tend to remain over a period of years where there is prospect of 

 fairly steady employment and such labor becomes more skilled than 

 when there is a more rapid turnover. Availability of numerous 

 machine companies and can manufacturers is helpful in the develop- 

 ment and upkeep of the canneries o 



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