PACIFIC FISHERMAN 



105 



CANNED MUSSELS. 

 The U. S. Bureau of Fisheries has 

 been conducting an energetic cam- 

 paign this year looking to the utiliza- 

 tion of our immense mussel resources, 

 which are now almost entirely neg- 

 lected. As the Pacific Coast's answer 

 to this campaign, H. E. Westbrook, 

 who operates a salmon cannery at 

 Smith River, in northern California, 

 this year packed 1,500 cases of im- 

 pound cans (four dozen to the case). 

 As these mussels were taken from the 

 rocks bordering the oren sea, far from 

 any possible source of contamination, 

 they are not subject to the prejudice 

 that has existed against mussels taken 

 from beds near large centers of popu- 

 lation. The canned mussels are of 

 good size, comparing favorably with 

 medium and large-sized oysters, and 

 preserve in the canned state the full 

 flavor and nutritive value of the fresh 

 mussel. 



CANNED SHAD. 

 The packers of canned shad made 

 no particular effort to increase their 

 output this year, and it was just as 

 well that they did not, as the depres- 

 sion in business throughout the South, 

 due to the war temporarily shutting 

 off their market for the sale of cotton, 

 caused a falling off in the demand for 

 the cheaper grades of fish, canned shad 

 amongst the rest. As considerable 

 cotton has been shipped to Europe 

 during the last two months, business 

 conditions in the South have improved 

 very materially, and the demand for 

 this grade of fish is much better at 

 this writing. 



cific Coast is confined to the state of 

 California, there being two plants op- 

 erated at Monterey and one at San 

 Pedro. The latter burned down in 

 the fall of the year but will soon be 

 rebuilt. Its principal business was in 

 the packing of tuna, but little attention 

 being devoted to sardines. The pack 

 this year was an excellent one and 

 exceeds that of 1913 by 7,148 cases. 



1914 — Pack of Canned Sardines — 1914. 



1-lb. Ovals 

 Company and location — 4 doz. 



Monterey Packing Co., Monte- 

 rey, Cal 58,000 



Pacific Fish Co., New Monterey, 



Cal 20,434 



Southern California Fish Co., San 

 Pedro 2,400 



Total 80,834 



CANNED TROUT. 

 But little attention was paid this 

 year to the canning of trout in Alaska. 

 The Midnight Sun Packing Co., which 

 operates a cannery on Kotzebue Sound, 

 packed 100 cases of 1-pound tall Dolly 

 Vardens. It is probable that a more 

 favorable demand could be created for 

 this fish if they were packed in one 

 and two-pound oval cans. In these 

 containers the fish could he packed 

 whole and thus would present a m icli 

 more attractive appearance than when 

 they are cut up and packed like salm- 

 on, as at present. 



CANNED SARDINES. 

 The canning of sardines on the Pa- 



CANNED CLAMS. 



One of the noteworthy features of 



the year has been the remarkable de- 



celopment noticeable in the canned 



clam industry on this coast. A num- 



ber of new and important plants were 

 built and operated this year for the 

 first time, while a couple of old plants 

 were reopened. Still other plants are 

 now in course of construction and will 

 be operated in 1915. 



Pacific Coast canned clam products 

 have now firmly established them- 

 selves in the favor of the consuming 

 markets of this country, owing to the 

 fact that the brands packed are being 

 kept up to a very high standard. 



A considerable quantity of clam nec- 

 tar and juice was packed this year by 

 one of the new companies, and is said 

 to be meeting with a ready sale. 



The greater part of the development 

 in this industry has occurred in Wash- 

 ington and Oregon, but as the abun- 

 dant supplies of raw material in 

 Alaska become better known those 

 waters will undoubtedly be resorted to 

 by our packers. 



The canned clam pack in 1914 

 amounted to 75,974 full cases, as com- 

 pared with 69,040 in 1913 and 43,900 

 cases in 1912. 



CANNED CLAMS. 



Clams are packed and sold like oys- 

 ters, by the net weight of the contents 

 after the can is cut. 



For illustration, there are No. 1 cans 

 of clams which will cut out 8 ounces 

 of clams, and No. 2 cans, which will 

 cut out only the same weight. 



They are packed of No. 1 size (con- 

 taining 6 ounces, 8 ounces and 10 

 ounces), while the No. 2 size is packed 

 to contain 6 ounces, 8 ounces, 10 

 ounces, 12 ounces or 16 ounces. 



1914— PACIFIC COAST CANNED CLAM PACK— 1914. 



* 100 bottles to the case. 



t Includes 115 cases of *4-lb. 



t Estimated. 



flats. 



