FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1938 197 
occasional shipments of California shrimp to Seattle, and an attempt 
is aoe under way to market frozen headless shrimp from Texas in 
eattle. 
Over 90 percent of the Seattle wholesale fish business is conducted 
by 12 establishments. Of these, six firms handle over 75 percent of 
the fishery products coming into Seattle. There are two fish ex- 
changes, one for halibut-fleet landings and the other for selling troll- 
caught salmon of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Association. The 
halibut exchange is operated by 10 wholesale firms and is called the 
Seattle Fish Exchange. Bidding is open only to member dealers, and 
the minimum bid change permitted is one-eighth cent per pound. 
The hailing fare of a halibut vessel must be posted on the board by 
9 a. m., if it is to sell that day. A dealer must bid on the entire fare. 
There are no split trips sold over the exchange. 
The salmon exchange, operated by the Fishermen’s Cooperative 
Association, is similar to the halibut exchange. Bidding is graduated 
in eighths of a cent, and is open only to members of the Seattle Fish 
Exchange. ‘Truck deliveries of salmon from the Washington coast, as 
well as deliveries by fishing craft and transporters from Neah Bay, 
are sold over this exchange. Receipts of other fishery products at 
Seattle are by direct purchases. In this case a price is usually set 
at the beginning of the season and is generally constant throughout 
its duration. Most of these prices are for delivery in Seattle, which 
leaves the trucking charges to the fishermen. As a rule the dealers 
send their fishermen a check once a week when several deliveries are 
made during the week. 
There are five fish freezers and cold-storage plants in Seattle, in 
addition to one cold-storage plant for mild-cured salmon and salted 
herring. Two of the fish freezers are owned by wholesale fishery 
firms, two are privately owned freezers, and the other two are 
operated by the Port of Seattle. 
Fishery products arrive at Seattle almost entirely by vessel or 
truck. An occasional “less than carload”’ rail shipment from Van- 
couver, B. C., or Astoria, Oreg., is received. In the past there have 
been carloads of fish and shellfish to Seattle from the Atlantic Sea- 
board, but these are now rare. At times Seattle receives large 
quantities of fresh and frozen halibut and salmon from Alaska and 
British Columbia. Arrivals of over 250,000 pounds of fish from 
Alaska in 1 day are not unusual. Receipts of white king salmon for 
kippering and large red kings for mild cure from British Columbia 
have exceeded 3,000,000 pounds annually at Seattle. 
Unlike most cities, Seattle’s wholesale fishery dealers are not con- 
centrated in one location. There is no ‘“‘fish pier” or wholesale fish- 
trade section. Most of the dealers are located on piers at which 
fishing craft may discharge their fares. Although the dealers are 
situated at widespread intervals along the water front the arrangement 
is not necessarily inefficient, since most vessels sell their entire catch 
to one firm. All companies on the water front are adequately served 
with spur tracks and facilities for transportation by truck over short 
or long hauls. The Fishery Market News Service office is located 
near the fish exchanges and the greatest concentration of dealers. 
