ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 19.34 40 



Seven sailing vessels comprised the Bering Sea ofTshore fleet, the 

 prodiu'ts of which are not inchulod with llie Alaska lisherios out])ut 

 hecaiise the vessels operate from and land tlieir fares in poits of the 

 Pacific Coast States. Of these, the C. A. Thayer (390 tons), John A 

 (235 tons), and Sophie Christenson (570 tons) were oi)erated hy the 

 Pacific Coast Codfish Co.; the Azalea (305 tons) and W'awona (413 

 tons) hv the Rohinson Fisheries Co.; and the Louise (328 tons) and 

 William II. Smith (496 tons) by the Union Fish Co. 



Products of tlie ofTshore fishery were 4,930,701 pounds of dry -salted 

 cod, valued at $212,510, and 11,675 pounds of tongues, valued at 

 $S5ti — a total of 4,942,376 pounds, valued at $213,300, as compared 

 with 4,890,469 pounds, valued at $166,601, in 1933. The offshore 

 fishery employed 199 persons, or 3 more than in the previous jT^ar. 



WHALES 



The American Pacific Whaling Co. reopened its whaling station at 

 Akutan, which had been idle since 1930, and also operated again at 

 Port Hobron. Seven steam whalers were used by the 2 plants, and 

 employment was given to 210 persons, of whom 188 were w^hites and 

 22 natives. There were 465 whales taken during the season, consisting 

 of 232 finback, 166 humpback, 44 sulphur bottom, 21 sperm, and 2 sei 

 whales. This is an increase of 283 over the number taken in the 

 ])revious year. 



Products of the whale fishery were 810,950 gallons of whale oil, 

 valued at $190,670; 76,500 gallons of sperm oil, valued at $16,830; 

 945 tons of fertilizer from meat, valued at $27,405; and 404 tons of 

 bone fertilizer, valued at $10,100— a total value of $251,005, as com- 

 pared with $68,989 in 1933. 



CLAMS 



In the Prince William Sound area 6 plants canned clams, producing 

 about 97 percent of the total Alaska output. The pack limit, as 

 specified by the regulations, of 552,000 pounds for the first half year 

 was reached on June 21, and the summer closed season extended from 

 that date through August 15. The limit of 168,000 pounds for the fall 

 pack was reached in less than 1 month and the season closed on Sep- 

 tember 11. Operators in this district were the Pioneer Canneries, 

 Inc. and Strand-Jensen Fisheries Co., w^ho prepared the bulk of the 

 pack in connection with their salmon-canning activities, the Gulf 

 Packing Co., which engaged primarily in canning crabs, and Dale 

 and Deville, E. A. Haltness, and S. E. Smith Packing Co. 



Notwithstanding the good showing from the Prince William Sound 

 district, the total output of clams in Alaska in 1934 dropped to the 

 lowest level since 1929, due to almost negligible operations in the 

 Kodiak and Cook Inlet areas. Reports indicate that clams were 

 abundant on the mainland beaches in the Kodiak area, but only one 

 plant, the Hand Packing Co., at Halibut Bay, was engaged in the 

 industry there, and that for but a short time. On Cook Inlet the 

 clam pack was produced by the Kustatan Packing Co. and the 

 Ninilchik Packing Co., ])0th of which were engaged primarily in 

 canning salmon. A small (piantity of hard-shell clams was packed 



