1139 
salmon in terms of volume consumed by the United States, and has gone on to # 
level where it presently is about double that of canned salmon. 
The canning of salmon is still decreasing, and it will probably continue to do 
so far some time yet. This is not attributable to lack of plant efficiency or market- 
ing effectiveness, but mostly to changing transportation patterns. All of the Pa- 
cific salmons, especially when caught in the sea, are among the most delicious of 
fishes, are relished in the fresh or frozen form, and command much better prices 
in those forms than in the canned form. The general rule of the thumb in the 
salmon business is to never can fish that can be sold frozen, and never freeze 
salmon that can be sold fresh. Like everything about salmon even such a general 
rule of thumb is contentious and not always correct. 
Both air shipment and containerized refrigerated shipment are rather rapidly 
changing the pattern of salmon use by making it possible to get the product from 
the ocean to the consumer at a price and in a condition that will demand higher 
value. Air shipments of fresh fish from even as far north as Nome, Alaska, and 
particularly from Anchorage, are becoming more common both to Hurope (where 
demand is very strong), and to the United States both Hast, West and Cenitrai, 
where well taken care of salmon selis at high value with strong demand. Air 
shipment of ocean fresh salmon from Seattle to Hast coast markets has begun, and 
will undoubtedly increase steadily. This air shipment of salmon in the fresh form 
from catching location to luxury market is already substantial and can be con- 
sidered ‘to be only in its initial stage. 
The use of refrigerated vans to ship frozen salmon from isolated catching lo- 
cations to more centralized locations for further processing is affecting the salmon 
trade even more profoundly than is air shipment because of the larger volumes 
involved. It is also resulting in a more effective use of the salmon resource for the 
reason that it makes possible the effective use of runs of salmon into many small 
coastal streams (particularly in Alaska) whose salmon runs were too small and 
too sharply peaked seasonally to support a steady salmon cannery. 
These changing trends in the salmon trade do not mean a demise in salmon 
canning because in several places (such as Bristol Bay, the Fraser River, Cook 
Inlet, Prince William Sound) the large salmon runs coming into spawn peak 
so sharply that they cannot be handled effectively in any manner except by cau- 
ning. It does, however, mean continued shrinkage in the relative importance of 
canned salmon in the fish business and this will continue to create social and 
economic readjustments that will be troublesome politicaliy in the affected states 
and with the Federal Government as well, in both the domestic and international 
policy spheres. 
These changing trends have, despite changes in physical volume of salmon 
produced, kept value up. The record vear of catch of salmon was 1936 when 791 
million pounds were landed, but the record year of value was 1965 when only 
327 million pounds were landed. Quite aside from inflationary effects, there has 
been a rather steady upgrading in end use of salmon which has increased the 
value of his eatch to the salmon fishermen. This seems likely to continue. 
There is considerable scope for increasing the total catch of salmon from wild 
stock. This will not be through the discovery of new stocks. All stocks of Pacific 
salmon are known and most are fully utilized, as well as a few being overutilized. 
Improvements in resources management practices are becoming practical with 
advancing research, and these are being made slowly. Rectification in access by 
salmon to spawning beds by removal of obstacles, and even improvements in 
spawning area, are possible and being practiced. Improved practices by the In- 
ternational Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission on the Fraser River, and by 
the Canadian Department of Fisheries on the Skeena River, have been par- 
ticularly rewarding and are slowly being applied elsewhere, particularly in Bristol 
Bay rivers, with what appears to be some success. Increased total production 
from these activities is unlikely to be spectacular but it can be substantial. It 
is not beyond reason to speculate that the total sustainable yield of salmon from 
wild stock could be increased by a half through such means, and a doubling is not 
entirely ruled out. The scientific, technical, political, economic and diplomatic 
problems to be overcome in doing this are substantial, as are the social problems 
of simply keeping encroaching civilization, and other water uses, from further 
destroying the necessary fresh water habitat of the salmon. 
With all of the loose talk now being heard about the possible benefit of aqua- 
culture on food production it is probable that there is nowhere that this could 
be applied with quicker and more spectacular results than in the artificial prop- 
agation of salmon, and steelhead and sea run cut-throat trout as well. Seventy 
