PACIFIC COD FISHERIES. 73 
cod, and for a number of years after, the vast majority of them were 
purchasing from eastern curers hake, cusk, and pollock, closely re- 
lated species to the true cod, but much cheaper, and, in the opinion 
of those best informed, much inferior to the true cod, and selling 
these as true cod along with the cod itself. The advent of the pure- 
food law compelled the dealers to sell the fish for what they really 
were, and as a result the market for the Pacific cod has been rapidly 
widening since. 
Being shut off from Europe and the east coast of South and Cen- 
tral America by high freight rates and the great distance the fish 
had to travel, the Pacific dealers directed their efforts toward Mexico, 
the west coast of Central America, the islands of the Pacific, and 
Asia with most gratifying results. At one time a large business was 
done with Australia, until that Commonwealth enacted a stringent 
law prohibiting the use of preservatives on shipments into that 
country of salt fish. As the goods had to pass through the Tropics 
on their way to Australia, and the Australians are not accustomed to 
using hard-cured fish, heavy losses through fish spoiling resulted 
from this prohibition and the market there has been much curtailed 
as a result. 
Despite the natural and artificial handicaps under which the in- 
dustry suffered a considerable trade has been developed in the West 
Indies, and this has been much enlarged since the European war 
broke out, the Norwegians, who formerly shipped large quantities to 
this section, have found a new market in Germany. The opening 
of the Panama Canal has also greatly aided in the expansion of the 
trade in this section of the world. 
The Asian market will undoubtedly in time attain to large di- 
mensions. At present, and for a number of years back, it has been 
steadily widening as the fish became better known and the means of 
transportation increased. 
Hawaii consumes large quantities of cod and the greater part of 
this comes from the Pacific coast. San Francisco dealers ship nearly 
all of the bundle fish (fish which have been water-horsed and put 
into bundles of 100 pounds each and bagged) and a considerable 
part of the cased cod, while the Puget Sound dealers ship maiuty 
cased fish. 
Mexico is rapidly developing into an excellent market for Pacific 
cod, mainly for cased fish which have been harder dried than for 
consumption nearer home. 
The increase in steamship lines to South and Central America, 
due to the opening of the Panama Canal, will greatly aid in the 
widening of the markets for Pacific cod in that region of the world. 
The demand on the part of the public for dried cod is not what it 
ought to be, and a good part of this lack of demand is due to the 
