Excellent Fishing Season 



All indications tend to the conclusion that 

 Canada is experiencing one of the most success- 

 ful and profitable fishing years for some time. 

 The value of the catch of the first six months of 

 1922 was a million dollars in excess of that of 

 the corresponding period in 1921 in spite of a 

 slight decline in prices. When it is considered 

 that approximately one hundred thousand people 

 are engaged in the catching and processing of 

 fish and at least fifty thousand more in fish 

 merchandizing, it is clear that the bountifulness 

 of nature in the sea and freshwater fisheries is 

 bound to have its effect in hastening the return 

 to normal conditions of Canada's economic 

 situation. 



The success of fisheries and the bright pros- 

 pects for the remainder of the year seem consis- 

 tently spread over the whole Dominion and to 

 comprise every variety of the commercial catch. 

 The Prince Edward Island lobster catch is 

 estimated to amount to something like ten 

 thousand cases, or to be about thirty per cent 

 greater than last year. The smelt fishery of the 

 island and also of New Brunswick has given 

 returns much in excess of past years. 



The same excellent conditions prevail in 

 Quebec. The Minister of Colonization, on his 

 return from a tour of the province, is quoted as 

 saying, "The salmon fishing this year has been 

 marvellous and is considered by old fishermen to 

 be the best in the last thirty years." Cod have 

 also been exceptionally plentiful. There has 

 likewise been an abundance of mackerel, some 

 250,000 pounds having left in the first seven 

 months of the year from the fishing grounds for 

 Montreal, New York and Boston. The fact 

 that Quebec now has complete control and 

 administration of its tidal fisheries is expected to 

 result in yet further stimulation and development. 



Many Blue Nose Vessels Out 



Nova Scotia had a larger number of deep-sea 

 fishing vessels engaged in the spring fishing this 

 year than in any since the war, and their antici- 

 pations of a good season were not belied. This 

 year they have engaged in what has been the 

 best mackerel fishing season in fifteen years, the 

 run of the fish being in such volume that a total 

 value of something like $2,000,000 is expected 

 by the conclusion of the season. In July more 

 than one hundred sail left the port of Louisburg 

 for the swordfish fishery in the confident expec- 

 tation of a catch in excees of the million pounds 

 shipped from Cape Breton to the United States 

 last season. 



Fishing in the inland lakes of the North-West 

 is exceptionally good this year, according to 

 government authorities. Lake Winnipeg alone 

 is expected to produce 1,500,000 pounds of 

 whitefish this season as well as large quantities 

 of pickerel, jackfish and tullibee. Saskatchewan's 

 inland fisheries are expected this year to exceed 



in value the $300,000 which was the value of the 

 marketed product in 1921, whilst unprecedented 

 activity prevails in the lakes of Northern Alberta 

 and their product maintains its favor in the 

 cities of the United States. 



At the Pacific extremity of Canada there is 

 the same happy situation. All indications tend 

 to the assumption that the British Columbia 

 salmon catch this year will exceed those of 1920 

 and 1921 and be about equal to the banner year 

 of 1919. The volume of the halibut catch in 

 Pacific waters is reported to be about three times 

 that of last year. The provincial herring catch 

 exceeded 50,000,000 pounds, of which 45,000,000 

 pounds were dry salted for export to the Orient. 

 Whale hunting off the British Columbia coast 

 was resumed this year and the fleet is reported 

 to have met with considerable success. 

 Expansion on the Pacific Coast 



There are many signs that the Canadian 

 fishing industry is due for more prosperous times 

 and is achieving a permanent expansion. Greater 

 attention is being paid to improving the condi- 

 tions of the industry, whilst new development is 

 expanding actual operations. Certain matters 

 have occupied the Council for Scientific and 

 Industrial Research, one being the "rust" in 

 codfish, and the successful discovery of a ready 

 method of prevention is expected to result in 

 the saving of millions of dollars to Maritime 

 fishermen. 



On the Pacific coast there is continual 

 expansion to the industry to be noted. A shark 

 tannery is to be operated on the west coast of 

 Vancouver island this summer to utilize the 

 hide of the shark and to extract the oil for 

 medicinal purposes. Near Prince Rupert an- 

 other fish by-products plant is being opened up 

 for the manufacture of fish fertilizer and meal 

 and the extraction of fish oil. The plant will 

 operate the year round, and this year will turn 

 out 1,000 tons of fertilizer and 100,000 barrels of 

 fish oil. Further innovations in the export of 

 fish are to be noted, and the experiment of 

 sending frozen fish to New York, via the Panama 

 Canal, has been so successful in every way that 

 it is confidently expected a substantial trade will 

 be developed. 



The Canadian fishing industry, after suffer- 

 ing a severe slump in the years immediately 

 following the war, is exhibiting vigorous indi- 

 cations of revivification, and is on the way back 

 to the steady progress it exhibited in the past. 



When it is considered that with a production 

 valued at about $30,000,000, exports of 6sh and 

 fish products of about $60,000,000 and an im- 

 portation of about $6,000,000 per year Canada 

 has the most expansive fisheries in the world, 

 and that of about six hundred known edible 

 varieties merely twenty or so are commercial 

 factors on the market, the practically limitless 

 possibilities of the fish industry in Canada may 

 be realized. 



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