16 



PACIFIC FISHERMAN 



fr««h fish and inuvn 



T-t-nlth. Yet. in the courae 

 •OK. Puc«t Sound will lose 

 4 rras«n flsh. molt of its 



.. 1 .1,1, ---^'iiction. 



IB lb« opiaioa of rellabi. Uora I 



bav* dtKaraed tlM sulv, -< an- 



aasatraoiia a> «r«II In tlitu ''i< :i."m iii,>>. aesplte 

 til* tnutafer of importance from I'uget Sound to 

 Alaska, the Ameiiran sharr nf th-- Indiivirv will not 

 !»• Ifsocn ed much. If any rvcJop- 



a«at tjhat Is cerialn to <^ 



Thare Is said to b« a k , ed by 



Brttlah Oolumbla flshlnir nuerv-sis'. mc }>rK-es of 

 flak IB U>« Canadian markets average a c<>nt a pound 

 !«■• than at acKiiboiinK or similar American points. 

 TlM CaaadUiB operatora are able to sell at this low- 

 er wtte* at aa even sreater profit because of the 

 fkeultlaa vhloli eompatition f'^« pr<n'ided and. 

 aapadallr. as a result of ~ '.n the cost 



of amiatlon of British hips. The 



illaanismirr of Amcrli-.TT !f<m which 



requliao «ni 

 tarsMad In 



held and a' ^ 



are operated at a much lowor .:xi..'n.se. 



The proportlOBS of the American and Canadian 

 aorUiweat paVlrtTig and acnntr.i; ir.dustry hare been 

 ooauaented on. ft lias b> tlmt it is with 



freak aad fraaen flsh thai - most likely tu 



rsdaico the share of the I ^^, The growth 



of this branch In the province mh.-« be Indicated by 

 saving that the fresh and frosen production of Brit- 

 ish Columbia in 1911 was at least one-flnv. more 

 tliaii in 1910. In 1912 it promises to be at least 

 a third more than it was in 1910 and In 1913 at 

 least fifty per cent, more than in 1910. In other 

 words, there will be a gain, by conservative esti- 

 mates, of not less than one-half In three years 

 (1911, 1912 and 1913) upon the basis of the 1910 

 catch, which Is the last for which we have ofBcial 

 flffures. 



Of the total fresh and frozen flsh production or 

 the Pacific Northwest fisheries, the American and 

 Canadian proportions are easily estimated. In 1911 

 Puget Sound received sixty per cent, of the fresh 

 and frozen catoh; Alaska, ten per cent, (the United 

 States, seventy per cent, and Canada thirty per 

 cent, of which two-thirds was taught by American 

 boats for an American company). This year the 

 proportions, as estimated bv reliable authorities, 

 will be as follows: Puget Sound, fifty per cent; 

 .\Iaska, thirteen per cent, (the United States, sixty- 

 three per cent.): and British Columbia, thirty-seven 

 per cent. In 1913. it Is predicted, British Columbia 

 will receive fullv forty per cent, and the sixty per 

 cent, of the United States will be. from Alaska, 20 

 per cent, and from Puget Sound 40 per cnt. Puget 

 Sound is not likely to catch a smaller amount. The 

 Alaskan production, however, will increase and sus- 

 tain the American proportion, and Alaska and Puget 



Sound will within a few years occupy reversed posi- 

 tions. 



The points which I would make are, then, a.s 



fOttCKSl'. 



Frozen fiSti is supplanting fresh ft»>i and, so far 

 as British Columbia Is concerned, it is in these 

 classes that the greatest increase in production Is 

 being made. 



Vancouver and Seattle are likely to lose their 

 relative Importance in favor of Prince Rupert. Thi.s 

 movement of the Industry northward will be largely 

 because of the development of the fresh and frozen 

 flsh Industry for which greater facilities are being 

 rapidly provided. 



The development of British Columbia's fishing in 

 dustry Is not excessive in my opinion and. excep' 

 for the immediate present before Alaska'.s impoi i 

 ance and the extent of Alaska's latent resource 

 is recognized, it is not likel.v that to make serious 

 inroads on the American share. 



Greater markets are being opened. There is room 

 for all. Americans, to be sure, must be awake and 

 hustling to hold their own. But we do not need 

 to gain through any loss on the part of Britisli 

 Columbia. The same progressive spirit that has 

 given us our present share should insure the proper 

 development of our own resources and the sustain- 

 ing of our present pre-eminence in spite of the ac- 

 tivity and any strategic advantage that Canada en- 

 joys. 



Production of Salt Salmon on Pacific Coast in 1911 



THi£ salting season of 1911 opened up with 

 little stock on the market that had been car- 

 ried orer and the prospect that there would be a 

 Urge pack of pink saltnon on Puget Sound. Pack- 

 ers looked for all the pinks that the market could 

 poMfbly take at moderate prices if not an over- 

 production. Reds were cleaned up and as a con- 

 seqoence the new pack was in good demand from 

 tbe first arriTal throughout the season. As the 

 se aa op progressed, it became evident that the 

 large pack of pinks looked for on the Sound could 

 not be packed because the canneries used prac- 

 tically all of the available fish at prices that the 

 salters could not see any sure profit in meeting,. 

 The pack of pinks on the Sound was, as a conse- 

 quence of this condition, very light Alaska pinks 

 opened moderately strong at $6.50 and as the sea- 

 son progressed reached $S.OO per barrel. Alaska 

 reds tn 200-pound barrels opened at $10.00 with a 

 prospect of the pack being sufHclent to supply all 

 denanda and advanced to $11.50, some small 

 sales being reported at $11.75 and plenty of in- 

 qniries for the stock after dealers and packers 

 had no more to offer. 



A few red bellies were received which brought 

 fSOoA prices as did also the pinks offered. Red 

 backs sold for $9.00, but the stock was only of- 

 fered in small quantities. The season was very 

 soceessfal from every standpoint, the packers 

 making good money and the dealers cleaning up 

 earlier than nsnal. The pack of pinks was far 

 from as large as It has been in former years when 

 the pinks ran In Puget Sound. The great number 

 of new canneries that are going into .Alaska this 

 season wlU fish the grounds formerly occupied by 

 salterles and will, in the opinion of dealers, mate- 

 rially Aeemue the pack of both reds and pinks in 

 the north for the season of 1912. Prospects for 

 good profits for the packer that does not have to 

 compete with a cannery for his stock are very 

 bri^t. 



The 1911 pack reached the market in very good 

 condition which indicates that the tendency is to 

 be more conservative in packing only as many as 

 can be taken care of properly. This condition is 

 very gratifying to the salt trade generally, as in 

 previous years there has always been a quantity 

 of stock offered as good stock which was either 

 improperly cured or short weight which caused 

 the buyers a great deal of trouble. Most of the 

 IJack arriving from Alaska had been repacked 

 before being shipped and as a consequence was 

 sold on arrival, which cut out the storage and re- 

 packing charges that have cut into the profits of 

 the smaller salters in years past. Small salters 

 have apparently learned the lesson that goods of- 



fered in first-class marketable condition will bring 

 a much better and quicker profit than goods 

 shipped to a broker without being repacked or 

 weighed. 



The market has not been cleaned up on salt 

 salmon at as good figures and as early In many 

 years as it has for the season of 1911, Buyers 

 sought small consignments and made up their 

 cars from them cutting local wholesalers out of 

 a supply that has heretofore been at their mercy. 

 This condition made it necessary for the whole- 

 saler to keep his eyes open to get enough for his 

 winter trade. Salters to whom we have talked 

 are very optimistic of the immediate future for 

 salt salmon. 



1911— SALT SALMON PACK— 1911. 

 Packer. Location. Headquarters Pack 



Address. bbls. — 200 lbs. 



Libby, McNiel & Libby Bristol Bay Chicago, 111 4,000 



Alaska Packers' Assn Bristol Bay San Francisco 2,629 



Alaska ish. & Pkg. Co Bristol Bay Astoria 400 



FYancisco 340 



Francisco 800 



Francisco 134 



94 



68 



28 



571 



Union Fish Co Bristol Bay San 



Olson & Bros Bristol Bay San 



Fred Schroeder Bristol Bay San 



North Alaska Salmon Co Kviehak San Francisco 



North Alaska Salmon Co .\ushagak San Francisco 



North Alaska Salmon Co Lockawock San Francisco 



Erskine & Fletcher , Kodiak San Francisco 



Blodgett & Blinn Kodiak Seattle 650 



Engelbr Wiese s. E. Alaska Seattle 50 



George Irving Holbrouck Ketchikan 3 OOO 



Alaska Codfish Co Bristol Bay San Francisco 126 



J. B. Jacobson S. E. Alaska Seattle 20O 



Martin Enge Petersburg Petersburg 200 



W. H. Royden Petersburg Petersburg 150 



E. Rogge s. E. Alaska Seattle : , 200 



Chlopeck Fish Co Seattle Seattle 2 200 



Pacific Fish. & Pkg. Co Aberdeen Aberdeen '76 



Estimated pack small individual salters S. B. Alaska 1 ooO 



Total coast pack, bbls 



Total coast pack, lbs 3 443 200 



Valuation ! ;$'l66;900 



for purposes of comparison the 1910 figures are here given: 



Pacific Coast salt salmon pack 1910 15,318 bbls. 



,17,216 



Mild Cured Salmon Review~-1911 



By A. R. Todd. 



TiiE season of 1911 was a good one for the 

 producers of mild cured salmon. All of 

 the outfits with whom we have been able 

 to get in touch put up average packs of large 

 sides, and many of them put up In addition to 

 their usual pack of large sides a subsUntlal pack 

 of small sides, which found a market as fast as 

 offered at good prices. We have in mind one 

 sale of a car load, that averaged less than seven 

 pounds apiece at eighty dollars a tierce and the 

 buyer repacked them. All goods that arrived 

 from Alaska In good condition and were offered 

 on the open market found the buyers bidding 

 aealnat each other and as a consequence brought 

 nice prices. lUe fisherman in Southeastern 

 Aalaka were aUracted by the high prices paid In 

 Seattle for fresh salmon and many large flsh were 

 shipped with the small reds and the whites, which 

 always find this market One packer finding that 

 this stock was arriving in such excellent condi- 

 tion split the large fish and good resulu. The 

 writer saw the first of these repacked and can 

 vouch for them as being of the very finest quality 

 Many of the flsheruien split and cured their own 

 catch and when they had a few tierces sold theiii 

 to the buyers in Alaska at good profit. Buyers 



were unable to get enough to supply their export 

 trade with the larger sides and as a consequence 

 enterefl the market for the smaller sizes which 

 left New York and other eastern smokers short. 

 Brokers are receiving inquiries constantly for mild 

 cured which indicates that buyers and smokers 

 are living in hopes that some of the stock will 

 be uncovered and offered for sale and that they 

 will not get a chance at it. The increased de- 

 mand upon the wholesale dealers in fresh flsh for 

 red galmon during the early weeks of the King 

 salmon run is tending to place the mild cured 

 packers in Southeastern Alaska and it is praoicted 

 freely by fresh fish dealers that this condition is 

 only in its infancy as better steamship facilities 

 and more expert handling of the flsh will lessen 

 the percentage of flsh that will be damaged in 

 traiuit. Of course all agree that this condition 

 will not affect the out laying salteries, where the 

 boat service is in frequent. The fishermen are 

 getting larger and better equiped boats for the 

 handling of their flsh to the points for shipment 

 to Seattle, and this makes the mild cure packer 

 bid Against the fresh fish dealer for his stock. 

 The season of 1911 was a very successful season 

 for the packers however and all stock is now dis- 

 posed of, with absolutely none offered. Prices 



ranged better on an average than for the season 

 of 1910. 



Recapitulation. 



District. No. Packers. Pack. 



Columbia River 10 8,485 



Alaska 5 3^902 



'"uget Sound 4 2,745 



California 5 2,171 



British Columbia 5 2,006 



Oregon-Washington Coast 6 l]l62 



Total 35 20,37i 



Total coast pack in tierces 20,37 1 



Total coast pack in pounds 16,296. 8ti 



Valuation $1,711, It; 



For purposes of comparison the 1910 figures are 

 here given: 



Columbia River 6,922 



Alaska 4,694 



Puget Sound 2!435 



California 4,694 



British Columbia 1^638 



Oregon-Washington Coast 1,465 



Total 1910 pack 23,04.' 



