April 1951 



COMMEBCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



47 



Canada 



PER CAPITA. CONStl/IFTION CT FISSERY PRODUCTS . I949 ; Canada' a annual per capita 

 consumption of fishery products dropped from 12.83 pounds (edible weight) in I948 

 to 12.69 pounds (edible weight) in I949, according to preliminary data reported in 

 the January I95I Trade News of the Canadian Fisheries Departipent. However, consxmip- 

 tion of fresh and frozen fish is gradually increasing in Canada, the annual total 

 having risen from 73 million pounds in 1947 to 77 million in the following year and 

 84 million in I949. The increase is partly attributable to the growth in population. 



Fresh and Frozen 

 fillets ; The chief 

 product which has 

 tempted the Canadian 

 housewife to increase 

 her fish purchases is 

 the fresh and frozen 

 fillet, total annual 

 consumption of which 

 has grown from 22 mil- 

 lion pounds in 1947 to 

 26 million in 1948 and 

 31 million in 1949, a 

 truly remarkable ex- 

 pansion. 



For the second 

 consecutive year con- 

 sumption of sea-fish 

 fillets increased 

 substantially during 

 1949. Average monthly 



consumption, which amounted to 1,9 million pounds in 1947» grew to 2.2 million in 



1948 and 2.6 million in 1949. 



Biis expanding market has encouraged the industry to send out more draggers for 

 fish suitable for filleting and to invest in more equipment for fillet production. 

 This in turn makes it possible to develop the market further and leads one to expect 

 continuing increases in fillet consxmiption. Cod and haddock made up 70 percent of 

 the 31 million pounds of fillets eaten by Canadians in I949, about 40 percent being 

 cod and 30 percent haddock. Indications are that demand for haddock will soon catch 

 up with that for cod, since consumption of haddock fillets in 1949 was 23 percent 

 higher than in I948 and cod only six percent higher although supplies of the latter 

 were ample. 



Fresh and Frozen Whole or Dressed Salt-water Fish ; Increased demand is not 

 entirely confined to fillets. Consumers bought a million more pounds of unf illeted 

 sea fish in I949 than in I948. Ihe total was 38 million pounds, including fresh 

 and frozen sea fish marketed whole or dressed. Salmon was by far the most important 

 item in this total, the figure being 16 million pounds, over 40 percent of all the 

 "whole or dressed" category. In I948 the fig\ire was 12 million pounds, or 32 per- 

 cent of the category. Domestic marketings of halibut, Atlantic cod, herring, mack- 

 erel, and haddock exceeded two million pounds each in this category. Other species 

 contributed less than five million pounds altogether. 



Fresh-water Fish ; Cainadlan consumption of fresh-water fish w^s about the same 

 in 1949 as in the previous year, the totals being 22 million pounds of round or 



