34 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



lines has brought about still further increase. There is a difference 

 of over 4,000 cases per day between the output of a single-line and a 

 seven-line cannery. 



New products of the Pacific fisheries. — Considerable attention is now 

 being given to the utilization of offal from salmon canneries, the 

 demand for fish fertilizer having gradually increased in the last ten 

 years until there are now three factories on the Pacific coast and two 

 more will soon be in operation. The Hawaiian Islands and European 

 countries are the principal importers of the product. Small shipments 

 have been made to Japan also. The supply of material is practically 

 inexhaustible. The offal from the Alaskan canneries in the last four 

 years has amounted to about 43,000,000 pounds annually, and from 

 canneries in Washington, Oregon, and California, 15,000,000 pounds 

 annually. Two fertilizer plants, on the Columbia River and Puget 

 Sound, use salmon offal almost entirely, but one located in Alaska 

 depends chiefly on herring for its supply, although when there is a 

 small run of herring whole humpback and dog salmon are used to 

 some extent. Besides fertilizer, a considerable quantity of oil is manu- 

 factured at these establishments. 



The canning of salmon and sardines on the Pacific coast has been 

 followed by the canning of shad, halibut, etc. These products, how- 

 ever, have not met with extensive sale, as they are as yet in the exper- 

 imental stage. The local demand at times has been quite encouraging, 

 and the outlook seems to warrant more extended operations. The 

 canned halibut placed on the market has met with considerable local 

 favor, and as a result a company has been formed to exploit this prod- 

 uct. Fancy brands of smoked halibut also are being prepared on 

 Puget Sound. 



For a number of years a company at Point Roberts, Wash., has 

 been engaged in putting up salmon paste. The fish are ground up, 

 cooked, and seasoned with spices, etc., and canned with gravy, making 

 a very palatable dish. When warmed over and spread on bread or 

 crackers, in the form of sandwiches, salmon paste is said to be delicious. 

 It is a comparatively new article of food on the Pacific coast, but in 

 Norway it has been used for many years. 



The shrimp and crab fisheries of Puget Sound. — The casual catching 

 of shrimp in Puget Sound waters in the last few years has led fisher- 

 men to believe that an industry of considerable importance might be 

 developed, although until recently there was little or no sale for the 

 product. The demand has slowly increased, however, and the fisher- 

 men have made a closer investigation of the grounds. Trials were 

 first made with hand dredges from small boats in various parts of 

 Hood Canal, and while no large body of shrimp was discovered the 

 result was quite satisfactory, and soon two small steamers were engaged 

 in the fishery, marketing their catch at Seattle and Tacoma. The 



