414 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



condition of this fishery. The increase can be explained by the greater 

 intensity of fishing and the extension of fishing to the westward. The 

 pack of sardines in CaHfornia in 1927 was 22 per cent larger than in 

 the previous year and 6 times as large as in 1921, when the industry 

 was at a low level due to the postwar depression. The tuna pack 

 also was much larger, due mainly to the greater output of the striped 

 and yellowfin varieties. 



The 1926 statistics of the Great Lakes fisheries show that there 

 has been only slight recovery from the sharp decline suft'ered in 1925, 

 when a 14 per cent decrease in total catch was registered and some of 

 the choicer species showed far greater decreases. The catch of 

 ciscoes, on Lake Erie in particular, declined 92 per cent in that year 

 and was still lower in 1926. A noticeable gain in total catch has 

 occurred on Lake Superior. 



CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS AND BY-PRODUCTS 



The output of canned fishery products in the LTnited States and 

 Alaska in 1927 was valued at $81,384,133 and the fishery by-products 

 at $12,793,256, making the total value of the output $94,177,389. 

 This is 4 per cent less than a year ago and 1 per cent less than in 1925, 

 while it exceeds the output for 1921 by 71 per cent. The decrease 

 under a year ago is due mostly to the smaller pack of canned salmon 

 m Alaska. 



Fishery products were canned at 471 estabhshments in the Ignited 

 States and Alaska in 1927. The combined output of these canneries 

 equaled 12,281,658 standard cases,^ or a net weight, in the can, of 

 475,655,039 pounds. 



Canned fishery products and by-products were prepared in 23 

 States and Alaska during 1927. Alaska ranks first in value of 

 products and by-products prepared and produced 34 per cent of the 

 total. California ranks second with 22 per cent of the value, while 

 Washington is third with 12 per cent. Considering the output by 

 geographical sections, the Pacific Coast States and Alaska accounted 

 for 74 per cent of the total value of canned products and by-products 

 and 85 per cent of the total weight of canned products. 



3 Fishery products are sealed hermetically in tin and glass containers of many sizes. For the sake of 

 uniformity these various sizes of containers have been converted to standard cases, which represent a net 

 weight of 48 pounds to the case for salmon, sardines canned in California, alewives and alevvife roe, shad 

 and shad roe, crabs, and miscellaneous fish and shellfish; 25 pounds to the case for sardine;? canned in 

 Maine and Massachusetts; 24 pounds to the case for tuna and tunalike fishes; 15 pounds to a case for 

 whole and minced clams and 30 pounds to the case for other clam products; and 15 pounds to the case 

 for shrimp and oysters. 



