PACIFIC FISHE R.M A N 



S3^l 



35 



Comparative Review of the Pacific Coast Canned Salmon 



Pack — Season 1914 



SUMMARY OF CANNED SALMON PACK, 1914. 



The salmon canning' season of 1914 has now be- 

 come a matter of history, and enjoys the distinction 

 of being next to the largest pack ever put up on this 

 coast, the largest having been in 1913. The pack. 

 exclusive of Siberia, totalled 6,644,782 cases, a de- 

 crease of 1,418.665 as compared with 1913. 



An odd feature of the year's total pack is that 

 Cohos. Chums.and Kings increased, while Pinks and 

 Sockeyes show large decreases. 



The shortage in Sockeyes was due to the small 

 runs which appear in Puget Sound the three years 

 following the big run. The hist big run occurred 

 in 1918 and the next will not occur until 1917. De- 

 spite the predictions of wiseacres, an excellent run 

 of Reds appeared in Bristol Pay. while Reds were 

 more plentiful than usual in Southeast Alaska. 

 The Blueback pack on the Columbia river was the 

 largest since 1898. and proved one of the sensations 

 of the season. The pack was 36,190 cases as com- 

 pared with 11.152 eases in 1913. The cannerymen 

 had begun to think that the Blueback run in that 

 river was nearing its end. but the results of last 

 season has greatly encouraged both packets and fish 

 culturists. 



Owing to the lack of demand for mild-cured 

 salmon, due to the war closing the principal market 

 for this product, most of the catch of Kings or 

 Chinooks was canned, causing the total pack to in- 



crease from 285,4'i 



■ases in 191 :{ to 509.100 cases 



in 1914, an increase of 223,628 cases. Two canneries 



on the Sacramento river put up a small pack be- 

 tween them, a most unusual thing of recent years, 

 as practically all of the catch is usually marketed 

 in a mild-cured, frozen or fresh condition. 



The great disappointment of the season was the 

 very short pack of Pinks. This was the off year for 

 Pinks on Pnget Sound, the run occurring only every 

 other year. and. of course, the packers had reckoned 

 upon this. Tt was hoped that a part of the shortage 

 from Puget Sound would be made up by an increased 

 pack in Southeast Alaska, but to the surprise of 

 everybody the run in that section was very short 



and only about one-half the usual pack was put up. 

 There was a considerable increase in the run in Cen- 

 tral Alaska, but the total there is too small to ma- 

 terially affect the pack-. The total pack in 1914 was 

 1,222,013 cases as compared with 2,392,166 cases in 

 1913, a shortage of 1,170.158 cases. 



As, owing to the very short pack in 1913, the mar- 

 ket for Chums or Ketas had been cleaned up long- 

 before the opening of the season, every effort was 

 made to put up a good pack, with the result thai 

 1,200,433 cases were packed. More would have been 

 packed had it not been for the short run in Southeast 

 Alaska. 



The pack of Medium Reds. Cohos or Silversides 

 increased over that in 1913, although it was less 

 than was packed in either 1912 or 1911. The pack- 

 in 1913 was a very short one. thus causing a demand 

 which justified an increased pack in 1914. 



Owing to the lack of demand from Europe for 

 frozen Steelheads, more were canned than is usually 

 the case, the pack increasing from 9,539 cases in 1913 

 to 11.292 in 1914. The total pack of this species is 

 so small now that it has ceased to be a factor in the 

 market. 



In the general totals Alaska is shown to have pro- 

 duced the largest pack in its history. the pack ex- 

 ceeding that of 1912. the next largest year, by 7,70:; 

 cases. The pack on the Columbia river is the largest 

 since 1911. The pack in the outside streams also in- 

 creased considerably. The pack of Puget Sound 

 shows a considerable falling off. being 1.790.60:! 

 cases less than in 1913. The Sacramento river once 

 more appears as a factor in the Canned Salmon mar- 

 ket, due to lack of market for mild-cured Chinooks 

 compelling the packers to put them up in cans. Brit- 

 ish Columbia shows a small falling off as compared 

 with 1913, the big year, but a considerable increase 

 as compared with the three preceding years. This 

 year we publish detailed statistics of the Canned 

 Salmon pack in Siberia since the inception of the 

 industry. Despite an increase of one cannery and 

 the enlargement of several of the plants, the pack 

 increased but .'{.100 cases over that in 1913, due to 

 a small run of Red salmon. 



CANNED SALMON PACK BY GRADES, 1911-14. 



GRADE 



1:11-1 



I 



I 



I ( 



Cnhf. Silrerslde, Med. Bed...] 579,980 



Humpback, Pink ! 1,222.013 



Keta, Chum I 1,200,433 



King, SnriiiK. Chinook I 500.100 



Red. Sockeye, Blueback 13,121.004 



Steelhead ! 11.292 



Total | 6,644. 7S2 



I 



300.033 

 2,392.166 



432.S12 



2s:,. 472 



4,643.425 



0.530 



I 1 



G21.S17 

 556.128 

 sns ,;:;,i 

 426,338 

 544.435 

 7. ION 



676,141 



2. 373. 595 



592.790 



627.714 

 1,869.927 



s.cis 



I | 



8,063, 147 I 5.056.053 I 6,140,887 



I I 



* Thf> Siberian pack is not incluriert. 



