288 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



their fares in ports of the Pacific Coast States. Of these vessels, the 

 So-phie Ghristenson (570 tons) was operated by the Pacific Coast 

 Codfish Co.; the Waivona (413 tons) and the Azalea (365 tons) by 

 the Robinson Fisheries Co.; and the Louise (328 tons) and William 

 H. Smith (496 tons) by the Union Fish Co. This is the first time 

 since 1930 that the Azalea engaged in the Bering Sea cod fishery. 

 The Union Fish Co.'s vessel Beulah was not operated in Alaska this 

 year. Products of the offshore fishery were 4,860,069 pounds of dry- 

 salted cod, valued at $163,961, and 30,400 pounds of tongues, valued 

 at $2,640— a total of 4,890,469 pounds, valued at $166,601, as com- 

 pared with 3,645,655 pounds, valued at $127,458, in 1932. The off- 

 shore fishery emj)loyed 196 persons, or 61 more than in the previous 

 year. 



WHALES 



The Port Hobron plant of the American Pacific Wlialing Co. was 

 again the only whaling station operated in Alaska. Three steam 

 whalers were used, and employment was given to 89 whites, 15 na- 

 tives, and 1 Japanese. The number of whales taken was 182, con- 

 sisting of 61 finbacks, 114 humpbacks, 3 sperm, 1 sulphur-bottom, 

 1 right, and 2 California gray whales. 



The products of the whale fishery were 301,350 gallons of whale 

 oil, valued at $53,066; 11,200 gallons of sperm oil, valued at $2,150; 

 310 tons of fertilizer from meat, valued at $9,320; and 207 tons of 

 bone fertilizer valued at $4,453 — a total value of products of $68,989, 

 as compared with $91,133 in 1932. 



CLAMS 



An outstanding feature of the clam industry in Alaska in 1933 was 

 the increased importance of the Cook Inlet area as a producing 

 center, the pack from that district representing approximately 42 

 percent of the total output. About 55 percent of the clam products 

 came from the Prince William Sound district, and the remaining 3 

 percent from the Kodiak area and southeast Alaska. 



The sharp decline in the total output as compared with that for 

 the previous 3^ear may be attributed partly to the 3-weeks strike of 

 the clam diggers in the Cordova region in May, and partly to the 

 fact that two of the larger plants — that at Kukak Bay, operated in 

 1932 by the Pioneer Packing Co., and the plant of the Strand- Jensen 

 Fisheries Co. at Cordova — were closed in 1933. 



Employment was given to 687 persons, of whom 611 were whites, 

 69 natives, 6 Filipinos, and 1 Japanese. The output consisted of 

 40,414 cases, containing 1,045,800 pounds (1,041,816 pounds of razor 

 clams, and 3,984 pounds of butter clams), and 50 dozen clams in the 

 shell, with a total value of $246,338. Of the canned product, 683,770 

 pounds were from the vicinity of Cordova, 435,294 pounds from Cook 

 Inlet, 22,752 pounds from the Kodiak district, and 3,984 pounds from 

 southeast Alaska. The total output shows a decrease of 40 percent 

 in quantity and 45 percent in value from that for 1932, when clam 

 products amounted to 1,757,016 pounds, valued at $447,368. 



