FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1927 499 

 FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST STATES 



The latest statistical canvass of the fisheries and fishery industries 

 of the Pacific Coast States (Washington, Oregon, and Cahfornia) 

 was for the calendar year 1926. The complete statistics are pub- 

 lished here^\dth. In addition to these, statistics also are collected 

 monthly of the landings of fishery products at Seattle, Wash., and of 

 the halibut landings at the principal Pacific ports. A summary of 

 these for 1927 is pubHshed herein. 



GENERAL STATISTICS 



The bureau's program of utilizing statistics collected by State 

 agencies on the Pacific coast, in compiling the statistics in that 

 region, has been continued.^ In the statistics for 1926, for the first 

 time under the present system of collecting statistics, the catch 

 by each kind of fishing apparatus has been itemized separately in all 

 of the State tables. This feature, continued in the future, should 

 make possible a more accurate appraisal of trends in fishing effort 

 and the resultant yield than has been possible heretofore. For pur- 

 poses of comparison, the statistics for all available previous years 

 are given in summarized form. 



There were 18,597 fishermen engaged in the fisheries in 1926. 

 These operated 703 vessels, 6,326 motor boats, and 803 other boats. 

 This is a marked increase of fishermen, vessels, and boats over previ- 

 ous years. Virtually all of the vessels are motor driven, and it is 

 this class that shows the greatest increase. 



The tot.^l catch in 1926 was more than 521,000,000 pounds, with a 

 value in first hands of nearly $19,000,000. The species used in the 

 preparation of fishery products dominated in the Pacific coast fish- 

 eries. Their total weight was nearly 428,000,000 pounds, and they 

 had a value of more than $11,000,000. This is 82 per cent of the 

 total yield and 60 per cent of the total value. The species included 

 in this category fall in five groups: The salmons, tuna and tunalike 

 fishes, pilchard or sardine, Alaska cod, and whales. Of these, the 

 salmons had the greatest value, being worth $7,000,000. Pilchards 

 were most important from the standpoint of quantity, the catch 

 amounting to nearly 287,000,000 pounds. The tuna group, which 

 embraces albacore, bluefin and yellowfin tuna, skipjack, and bonito, 

 provided raw material aggregating nearly 46,000,000 pounds and 

 valued at more than $2,000,000, which placed the group third in 

 quantity and second in value among the cannery fishes. The salt- 

 cod fishery and the whaling industries accounted for the remainder, 

 each having products valued at less than half a million dollars. 

 Among the species used in the fresh and frozen fish trade, halibut 

 dominated in Washington and Oregon, while sablefish, lingcod, shad, 

 smelt, and minor species constituted the remainder. In California, 

 the flounder group is important, as are also the rockfishes, barracuda, 

 yellowtail, and white sea bass. Other fish are of minor importance, 

 though their aggregate quantity is considerable. 



5 The method of collecting statistics in the various States and the items covered vary considerably. 

 In compiling the data, it has been necessary for the bureau's Pacific coast agent, C. B. Tendick, to supple- 

 ment those provided by the State by canvassing the industries for items omitted in State returns. In 

 most cases the value of the catch was derived from dealers' records and estimates of prices. In Washington 

 and Oregon the offshore fisheries were canvassed separately for units of operation, catch, and value of the 

 catch. In almost all other respects the statistics are as collected by the States. 



