PACIFIC COD FISHERIES 455 



them were purchasing from eastern curers hake, cusk, and pollock, 

 closely related species to the true cod, but much cheaper, and, in the 

 opinion of those best informed, much inferior to the true cod, and 

 were selling these as true cod along with the cod itself. The pure 

 food law compelled the dealers to sell the fish for what they really 

 were, and as a result the market for the Pacific cod has been widening 

 rapidly ever since. 



Being shut off from Europe and the east coast of South and Cen- 

 tral America by high freight rates and the great distance the fish 

 had to travel, the Pacific dealers directed their efforts toward 

 Mexico, the west coast of Central America, the islands of the Pacific, 

 and Asia with most gratifying results. At one time a large business 

 was done with Australia, until that Commonwealth enacted a 

 stringent law prohibiting the use of preservatives on shipments of 

 salt fish into that country. As the goods had to pass through the 

 Tropics on their way to Australia, and the Australians are not accus- 

 tomed to using hard-cured fish, heavy losses through fish spoiling 

 resulted from this prohibition and the market there has been cur- 

 tailed as a result. 



Despite the natural and artificial handicaps under which the in- 

 dustry suffered, a considerable trade has been developed in the West 

 Indies, and this was enlarged during the European war. The Nor- 

 wegians, who formerly shipped large quantities to this section, have 

 found a new market in Germany. While the close of the war forced 

 trade largely back into old channels, many markets had tested the 

 excellence of Pacific cod and continued to use them whenever pos- 

 sible. The opening of the Panama Canal also greatly aided in the 

 expansion of the trade in this section of the world. 



The Asian market undoubtedly in time will attain to large dimen- 

 sions. At present, and for a number of years past, it has been 

 widening steadily as the fish became better known and the means of 

 transportation increased. 



Hawaii consumes large quantities of cod, and the greater part 

 comes from the Pacific coast. San Francisco dealers ship nearly all 

 of the bundle fish (fish that have been water-horsed and put into 

 bundles of 100 pounds each and bagged) and a considerable part of 

 the cased cod, while the Puget Sound dealers ship mainly cased fish. 



Mexico is rapidly developing into an excellent market for Pacific 

 cod, mainly for cased fish that have been dried harder than for con- 

 sumption nearer home. 



The increase in steamship lines to South and Central America, 

 due to the opening of the Panama Canal, will aid greatly in widen- 

 ing the markets for Pacific cod in that region of the world. 



The demand on the part of the public for dried cod is not what it 

 ought to be, and a good part of this lack of demand is due to the 

 archaic methods of doing business prevalent not only in the Pacific 

 cod industry but also in that of the Atlantic. 



If the shippers of codfish were to copy somewhat the methods 

 followed by the meat packers they would have less loss from spoil- 

 age, while the fish would present so much nicer an appearance that 

 the demand for it would increase materially. The only difference 

 between salted meat and salted fish is that the latter is less liable to 

 spoil. 



18163—27 6 



