366 U. S. BtlEEAU OF FISHERIES 



ALASKAN FISHERIES 



SALMON FISHERY 



Interests operatino- salmon-cannino; plants in Alaska have their 

 headquarters in San Francisco. Each season 4,000 to 5,000 men 

 work at these canneries, being employed largely through the Alaska 

 Fishermen's Union in San Francisco. The union has a contract 

 with the canners which covers the wages, living conditions, hours of 

 labor, and other matters pertaining to the employment and well- 

 being of its members. The season in Alaska usually lasts during 

 the four to five summer months of each year. Therefore, laborers 

 hiring out for this work find it necessary to obtain employment in 

 other lines during the winter months. Some follow fishing upon 

 their return to California, while others work as sailors, longshoremen, 

 or ship riggers, or find employment in steel construction" and other 

 lines. The crews leave San Francisco about May 15 and return 

 during the latter part of August or the first week in September. 

 Most of the fishermen are Italians, although there are considerable 

 numbers of Finns, Norwegians, and Swedes. The cannery employees 

 are generally Japanese, Chinese, Filipinos, and Mexicans. 



Practically all the supplies for these canning operations in Alaska 

 are purchased in the State of California, and are loaded on the com- 

 pany's vessel at San Francisco for transportation to Alaska. The 

 pack is brought to San Francisco and distributed from there. 



COD FISHERY 



A fishery for cod off the coast of Alaska in the northern Pacific is 

 conducted by interests operating from San Francisco, where the 

 boats are outfitted and from which port they sail. The season in 

 Alaska lasts through the summer months, although the schooners 

 sail from port some time in the spring and return in September. 

 Four vessels were engaged in this fishery in 1928. 



The cod are immediately salted aboard vessel or at shore stations 

 in Alaska, barreled, and then brought to San Francisco for manu- 

 facture at the plants of the fishing interests into various salt codfish 

 products. The landings of salt cod in California during 1928 

 amounted to 1,898,106 pounds, valued at about SI 15,000. This 

 represents the landings of only three vessels, as the fourth vessel to 

 sail in 1928 was wrecked on its return voyage, with a loss of about 

 1,000,000 pounds of salt fish. 



The fishery for cod from California ports has been conducted since 

 1863 although it never gained much prominence, the annual landings 

 of salt cod at San Francisco rarely exceeding 5,000,000 pounds. 

 The markets for salt cod products are on the Pacific coast and in 

 several of the Western States, the west coast of South America, the 

 Hawaiian and Philippine Islands, and to some extent in Straits 

 Settlements. 



