COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 



23 



THE SALMON INDUSTRY.* 



CANNERIES. 



The first two canneries in Alaska were built in the spring of 1878 — 

 one at the Redoubt, Old Sitka, and the other at Klawak, both in South- 

 east Alaska. The latter was built by the North Pacific Trading and 

 Packing Company, which still operates it. In Central Alaska the first 

 cannery was built in 1882 at Karluk. The first in Western Alaska 

 (Bristol Bay region) was constructed on the Nushagak River in 1884. 

 By 1889 there were 37 canneries in operation, with a total output of 

 719,196 cases, a flood of canned salmon which was too much for the 

 markets, so that by 1892 the number of canneries had fallen to 15, 

 with an output of 474,717 cases. From this time on there was a 

 gradual increase until 1902, when there were 64 establishments in 

 operation, packing 2,545,298 cases; but the low prices prevailing dur- 

 ing the last few years, owing to excessive competition, again reduced 

 the number very materially, and in 1905 there were but 47 canneries, 

 which put up 1,894,516 cases. The table below shows by sections 

 and years the number of canneries operated and the pack. It has 

 been found impossible to give the value of the pack, owing to the wide 

 fluctuations in price and the fact that establishments frequently held 

 their pack for several seasons before disposing of it. 



Pack of Canned Salmon in Alaska, 1878 to 1905. 



Year. 



1878. 

 1879. 

 1880. 

 1881. 

 1882. 

 1883. 

 lss-t. 

 18S5. 

 1886. 

 1887. 

 1888. 

 1889. 

 1890. 

 1891. 

 1892. 

 1893. 

 1894. 

 1895. 

 1896. 

 1897. 

 1898. 

 1899. 

 1900. 

 1901. 

 1902. 

 1903. 

 1904. 

 1905. 



a No effort is made to give a detailed history of the fishery or of the methods followed, as these 

 have been treated of, quite at length, in the publications of the Bureau and in the yearly reports of 

 the agents appointed by the government to see that the salmon law is enforced. 



6 Experimental pack. 



