ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES 143 
CLAMS 
The canning of clams in Alaska in 1938 was centered, as before, in 
Cordova and vicinity. Notwithstanding the fact that the clam 
fishery regulations had been modified to permit the taking of an 
additional 160,000 pounds of razor clams, or a total of 1,200,000 
pounds including shells, in the Prince William Sound, Copper River, 
and Bering River areas during the first 6 months of the year, this limit 
was reached earlier than in 1937 and the spring season closed on April 
23. No change was made in the fall quota of 280,000 pounds, but 
only limited operations were conducted after activities were resumed 
on August 16, and the quota was not reached. The total output 
from this district, therefore, was somewhat less than that of the 
previous year. 
analysis of the catch in the above-mentioned district indicated 
that at least 98 percent of the clams were mature, the majority 
running from 7-9 years of age, with 8-year-olds predominating. The 
Bureau’s conservation policy has played an important part in restoring 
the clam beds to a good condition, and it now appears that the area 
can provide a larger annual pack if digging is extended to outlying 
grounds. Modified regulations for the ensuing year, therefore, will 
place a limitation on the output of certain well-known beds and will 
increase the limitation on the pack for the district as a whole. 
Eleven operators, as follows, engaged in the canning of clams in 
Cordova and vicinity, this activity in some cases being incidental to 
the canning of salmon or of crab meat: Arctic Sanitary Packing Co. 
Blue Sea Packing Co., Buck Canning Co., W. R. Gilbert Co., Inc., 
Gulf Packing Co., E. A. Haltness, Hawkins Island Packing Co., 
Pioneer Canneries, Inc., Scotty’s Packing Co., Sheep Bay Packing 
Co., and S. E. Smith Packing Co. Other operators in central Alaska 
were the Enterprise Sea Food Co., at Ninilchik, and the Sandvik Hand 
Cannery, at Uganik. The Sheep Bay Packing Co. and the Sandvik 
Hand Cannery packed butter clams; all other production reported for 
central Alaska consisted of razor clams 
In southeast Alaska the plant of the Nickey Packing Co., in Ton- 
gass Narrows, prepared a limited pack of butter clams, and the Pacific 
American Fisheries, Inc., diverted its salmon cannery at Kasaan to 
clam-packing operations, the raw product for this purpose being ‘m- 
ported from the razor clam beds at Massett, B. C. 
A small production of razor clams was prepared also at Izembeck 
Bay, on the north shore of the Alaska Peninsula, by the Pacific Fish- 
eries & Trading Co., in conjunction with its crab-canning activities. 
There were 584 persons employed, of whom 477 were whites, 95 
natives, 11 Filipinos, and 1 Japanese. The total production amounted 
to 40,870 cases containing 1,029,588 pounds (1,015,332 pounds of 
razor clams and 14,256 pounds of butter clams), valued at $252,774. 
This is an increase of 26 percent in quantity and 5 percent in value 
over the output for 1937, when clam products amounted to 816,942 
pounds valued at $240,392. 
