58 FISH AND GAME COINI MISSION 



TUNA 



The seL'oiul largest of our fisheries is that of the tuna which is 

 ahuost entirely a cannin<i' industry, only a very small per cent going 

 to the fresh fish niai-kcts. I'lilike the sardine industry which has 

 what amounts to an unlimited market for the oil and meal products, 

 the tuna industry must depend upon a market for its canned product. 



At the time of our last report in ]!t;36 there was an excellent and 

 growing market for all of our canned fishery products which resulted 

 in increased canning of tuna as well as of sardines and mackerel. In 

 the year 1936 the industry produced close to two and one-half mil- 

 liou cases of tuna which exceeded the previous high year of 1935 by 

 about 150.000 cases. The expansion of the industry was accelerated by 

 the building of more and large tuna tisliing boats. Early in 1937 tuna 

 were landed in such quantities that the pack exceeded the market 

 requirements. In order to stabilize the market and ])rcvent price 

 cutting or a reduction in the price paid to fishermen, canning opera- 

 tions were curtailed by an agreement with fishermen to hold their 

 boats in port for a time. In spite of this curtailment the pack for 

 1937 came very near reaching the three million case mark and the 

 industry went into the 1938 season with a considerable carry-over of 

 canned tuna. Again in this year, 1938. packing has been slowed down 

 by holding the boats in port for two months, but this did not prevent 

 a ruinous drop in the price of canned tuna. 



As the supply of tuna is drawn from an extensive area reaching 

 to the Equator and as the catch will be limited by the market demand 

 for canned tuna, we are not greatly worried about the supply being 

 depleted, although we are watching this very carefully. 



Due to the expense of cai)turinf; tuna in far away waters, the 

 canned product must bring a much higher price than canned sardines 

 or mackerel, for example, which are taken by more economical methods 

 and in waters near the canneries. The higher selling price of canned 

 tuna restricts the catch to supplying a market which may not expand 

 sufficiently to strain the tuna supply for some years to come. The 

 tendency to over expand, especially in number and efficiency of fishing 

 boats, exists in this fishery only to a less extent than wdth the other 

 larger fisheries of the State. It is probable that cheaper methods of 

 catching and canning tuna will be worked out. A good deal of experi- 

 menting with refrigeration methods on the boats is being carried on 

 by fishermen and the canning companies so as to reduce tlie loss of 

 tuna from spoilage or deterioration in the long haul from the tropics. 

 The new- fisheries research boat now building for this bureau will be 

 equipped for carrying on refrigeration experiments on a commercial 

 scale. Such experiments are designed to improve the quality of the 

 fish and prevent what at present represents a serious loss to both fisher- 

 men and canners. 



MACKEREL 



Third in importance in the fisheries is that of the mackerel which 

 is also our youngest fishery, being now in its eleventh year since the 

 first important pack of canned mackerel in 1928. The reasons for the 

 rapid development of this fishery were : a fair abundance of fish ; a 

 good demand for a moderately low-priced canned fish: and an abund- 

 ance of purse seiners which could fish for mackerel when they were not 



