64 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1916, 
HANDICAPS TO AMERICAN CONCERNS AND AMERICAN FISHING VESSELS. 
The handicaps imposed upon American fish houses are such that their competition 
with the Canadian concerns, particularly the Canadian Fish & Cold Storage Co., is 
only nominal. Without freezers and cold-storage capacity the American houses have 
no local market for American fish, on account of Canadian duties and the pronibition 
against American fishing vessels that their catches can not be sold direct into Canada, 
even on payment of duties, but must be shipped from some American port into 
Canada. American houses, until the 1st of December, were not allowed to ship their 
fish to Seattle, which is a prime factor in the halibut business, as a great portion of 
the catches—to wit, the ‘‘whales,’’ “‘chickens,’’ and ‘‘seconds’”—have no market in 
the east, and American houses have no vessels for furnishing the same, consequently 
they are restricted in their buying to boats which make short and quick trips to the 
banks and which have a greater proportion of medium-sized, No. 1 fish, so that the 
other classes hereinabove mentioned can be thrown away and the trip handled at 
a profit. ; 
It is not the custom in Prince Rupert to cull the catches of fish, as is the custom on 
the American side of the line; in fact, second-grade fish are shipped to the eastern 
markets and sold as first-grade fish. Second-grade, or white-meated halibut, can not 
be detected except by an incision, which is usually made close to the tail. White 
and blue-meated halibut, to all external appearances, are the same when landed, 
and it is not until they have been packed in ice for two weeks’ time that the dif- 
ference in grade is apparent. At that time the blue-meated fish is firm; the white- 
meated becomes mushy. Much advertising has been done by Canadian firms to the 
effect that they land fresher fish in the eastern markets than can be done at Ameri- 
can ports. This does not seem possible, as there are but three trains leaving Prince 
Rupert per week—Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Fish landed. at Prince 
Rupert on Saturday must wait, therefore, until the following Wednesday. Fish 
can not be landed in the eastern American markets, under normal existing con- 
ditions, as soon as they can be transported by either fishing vessel or steamer to 
Seattle, and then sent east by rail. The boat time between Prince Rupert and 
Seattle is two days; train time three days to Chicago, four days to New York or 
Boston. The fastest time ever made by Grand Trunk Pacific is five days to 
Chicago; six days to New York and Boston. The fish arriving there on any day 
prior to the day upon which trains leave must remain there until transportation as 
per above schedule is available. 
Every possible inducement is made to the American fishing vessels not only to 
buy their supplies at Prince Rupert when not compelled to buy bait there, but also 
to induce them to change their registry to the Canadian flag. 
The baiting restrictions and regulations imposed upon American fish houses in 
bringing American fish into their own country, together with Canadian tariff laws 
and the absence of tariff on Canadian fish in this country, have resulted in the catches 
of Canadian fishermen being worth from one to two cents a pound more than that of 
American fishing vessels. The Canadian fish can be used in both American and 
Canadian markets, can be used to fillupacar that isshort, and can also be shipped 
in lots of less than 20,000 pounds, which is the capacity of asingle car. It would not 
pay an American concern to ship a carload of fish in bond into the United States of 
under that weight. 
Other restrictions have been imposed upon American fishing vessels. For instance, 
on November 23 the American fishing schooner Venus, Capt. A. Bernhoft, sold — 
her catch at Prince Rupert. On the solicitation of the Canadian supply houses to 
purchase gear and bait there, the captain stated that he could buy his supplies cheaper 
in Ketchikan and would purchase there. He then went to the Canadian Fish & 
Cold Storage Co. for ice, but was refused ice unless he would purchase his other sup- 
