266 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 
In Sakhalin, or Karafuto, as it is called in Japan, the Japanese 
have had arather checkered career. At one time this island belonged 
to the Chinese Empire. Early in the nineteenth century the southern 
ortion was occupied by the Japanese. In 1875 she bartered it to 
ussia in exchange for some small islands in the Kuril group. As 
a result of the Russo-Japanese war the southern half, or all that 
portion south of 50° north latitude, was in 1905 ceded to Japan. 
The salmon fisheries of this island are of much importance. For 
many years the Japanese had a virtual monopoly of them, but very 
early in the present century the Russians attempted to restrict con- 
siderably the activities of the Japanese fishermen, and encouraged 
her own subjects to compete with them. Many hundreds of Rus- 
sians and Koreans were encouraged to migrate to the island and 
engage in its fisheries. Despite these handicaps, the operations of 
the Japanese fishermen, according to the statistics shown below, do 
not seem to have suffered. 
re : Spring 
Year. Salmon.@ alent Total. 
Koku. Koku.b Koku.b 
8, 589 34, 246 42, 835 
6, 335 11, 228 17, 563 
8,379 22,959 31, 338 
7,719 8,797 16,516 
3, 089 12,735 15, 824 
sRiecatseemnne |Seloseitoceeee 24, 726 
a Species not specified. » Koku equals about 53 bushels. 
Considerable fishing is carried on around the island of Yetorofu, 
one of the Kuril group. Here are found red (OQ. nerka), silver (0. 
kisutch), and dog salmon (OQ. keta), also either the humpback or Dr. 
Jordan’s masu. 
CANNING INDUSTRY. 
The salmon canning industry in Japan proper was inaugurated by 
the Hokushu Colonization Department, a local branch of the Federal 
Government. For some time this department had operated a fishery 
school on Hokushu Island, at which experimental work in the canning 
of salmon and other fishery products was carried on. ‘This estab- 
lishment canned considerable salmon during the Russo-Japanese war. 
This same department also established a fishery school on Yetorofu 
Island, one of the Kuril group, which was, in 1908, taken over by 
Suhara Kakubei, a fisherman and graduate of the school, and used 
as a salmon cannery. 
Some years earlier, however, about 1892 or 1893, Fujino Shirobei 
started canneries in Shibetsu and Bekkai, Nemuro Province, Hok- 
ushu Island, and a short time later Idzumi Shozo also started a 
plant at Nemuro. For a number of years these three canneries were 
the only producers. The plants were quite primitive, the product 
small, ind most of it was consumed by the Japanese navy. A 
demand for the product was gradually worked up, however, and as 
a result there are now a number of small canning plants on Hokushu 
Island proper, the Kuril Islands, and Japanese Sakhalin. Most of 
these plants devote the major part of their energies to the packing 
