FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST STATES IN 1904. 19 



the rocks by Japanese divers, who use home-manufactured diving 

 suits, in 6 to 14 fathoms of water, and work in shifts of four hours 

 each. The men are paid $15 per month and a percentage on the busi- 

 ness, and are also given any shells they may wish to polish, and any 

 pearls that may be found. Pearls vary in size from that of bird shot 

 to buckshot, and are a dark lead or blue color. Some are from one- 

 fourth to one-half inch in circumference, and very irregular in shape. 

 The small ones have very little value, but those as large as buckshot 

 are valued by dealers at from $60 to $70 each, and the large irregular 

 ones bring different prices, according to size and color. A few have 

 been sold for several hundred dollars each. One taken in 1004 was 

 sold for $2,500. Pearls are not found in abundance, however, and the 

 number taken and value received is kept secret by the fishermen. The 

 possibility of finding a large and valuable pearl is the reason the 

 Japanese will work for such small wages. 



Abalones are canned also at East San Pedro, in Los Angeles County. 

 The output of this establishment in 1904 was 821 cases in 2-pound cans 

 (4 dozen to the case), 19 cases of minced abalone meat in 1-gallon cans, 

 330 cases in 1-pound cans, and 55 cases of sliced abalone in 1-gallon 

 cans. 



Two men at Pigeon Point, San Mateo County, took 75,000 pounds 

 of abalone, packing 250 cases containing 48 one-pound cans each. 



In packing abalones for market the meat is first soaked for three 

 days in cold water to which salt has been added. If for American use, 

 the meat is minced with fresh water added, packed and sealed in 

 1 -pound cans, and cooked for one-half hour. The cans are then vented 

 and again sealed and cooked for two hours under 10-pound pressure. 

 The 1 and 2 pound cans meet with a good demand as "rock clams", 

 under which name the} r are labeled. The first that were canned were 

 labeled "abalone"', but there was little or no demand for a product so 

 little known. For the Japanese market abalones are cut into several 

 pieces and packed in the cans with a sauce that is specially imported 

 for the purpose from Japan. For the Chinese market the} T are placed 

 in the cans whole, with a covering of fresh water, and cooked as above. 

 In preparing the dried product the abalones are dressed, boiled, dried 

 on trays, and then smoked, after which they are boiled and dried twice 

 more; they are then ready for packing and shipment. Most of this 

 product goes to China and Japan. The catch of live abalone from 

 Point Lobos averages in gross weight 45,000 pounds a month or 540,000 

 pounds a j T ear. The value to the fishermen is 1 cent a pound, exclu- 

 sive of percentage, pearls, and shells. 



SQUID, ALG.E, AND SEA-URCHINS. 



Fisheries for squid and alga3, formerly conducted by Chinese com- 

 munities on the coast, are now worked on shares with Japanese, who 



