SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF SWIFTSURE BANK 
703 
The pink salmon were for a long time considered inferior in value for canning 
because of their light-colored, soft flesh. However, as the sockeyes became scarcer 
and a demand for cheaper grades of salmon increased, the pinks eventually became 
important. The first pack of any consequence on the Fraser River was in 1907 when 
63.000 cases of pinks and chums were canned. In 1909, a big sockeye year, only 
2.000 cases of pinks were canned, but in 1911, the next pink-salmon cycle, 142,000 
cases were packed and the pink salmon had definitely become an important factor in 
the fishery. 
Table 1 . — Number of canneries operated in the region 
Year 
Fraser 
River 1 
Victoria 
and Gulf 
of 
Georgia ! 
Puget 
Sound 
and Neah 
Bay 3 
Total 
Year 
Fraser 
River 1 
Victoria 
and Gulf 
of 
Georgia 2 
Puget 
Sound 
and Neah 
Bay 3 
Total 
1876 
3 
3 
1906 
23 
4 
17 
44 
1877 
5 
1 
6 
1907.. _ 
18 
3 
13 
34 
1878... 
8 
1 
9 
1908... 
10 
2 
11 
23 
1879 
7 
2 
9 
1909 
34 
3 
23 
60 
1880 
7 
2 
9 
1910... 
21 
2 
15 
38 
1881 
8 
3 
11 
1911 
15 
2 
20 
37 
1882... 
11 
3 
14 
1912 
15 
2 
20 
37 
1883 
13 
3 
16 
1913 
35 
4 
31 
70 
188-1 
6 
3 
9 
1914 
20 
3 
22 
45 
1885 
6 
3 
9 
1915 
22 
3 
41 
66 
1886 
ii 
3 
14 
1916 
21 
5 
32 
58 
1887 
12 
3 
15 
1917 
29 
5 
47 
81 
1888 
12 
4 
16 
1918 
18 
5 
37 
60 
1889... 
15 
2 
17 
1919 
14 
3 
36 
53 
1890... 
17 
1 
18 
1920 
11 
3 
11 
25 
1891... 
22 
2 
24 
1921 
13 
3 
23 
39 
1892. _ 
22 
2 
24 
1922. 
10 
4 
15 
29 
1893 
26 
3 
29 
1923 
11 
4 
18 
33 
1894 
28 
4 
32 
1924 
9 
4 
12 
25 
1895 
33 
6 
39 
1925 
10 
4 
23 
37 
1896 
35 
u 
46 
1926 
10 
3 
14 
27 
1897... 
43 
12 
55 
1927 
10 
3 
21 
34 
1898 
49 
18 
67 
1928... 
8 
3 
14 
25 
1899 
41 
17 
58 
1929 
9 
3 
21 
33 
1900 
45 
19 
64 
1930 
8 
3 
13 
24 
1901 
49 
16 
65 
1931 
7 
3 
18 
28 
1902 
42 
20 
62 
1932 
8 
3 
10 
21 
1903 
36 
19 
65 
1933. 
10 
3 
19 
32 
1904 
25 
1 
12 
38 
1934 
11 
3 
21 
35 
1905 
38 
2 
24 
64 
> Includes canneries in Vancouver and environs. 
2 Extending north to and including Quathiaski. 
3 Neah Bay is just inside of Cape Flattery. Number estimated from 1878 to 1887, inclusive, except for 1881, which is from Hitt ell 
(1882). 
Chum salmon were long regarded as a nuisance by the fisherman, although the 
Indians always used them to some extent, especially in years of poor sockeye runs. 
In 1897 the Japanese commenced drysalting chum salmon on the Fraser River for 
the Japanese market, and for use in the Yukon for dog feed. The Report of the 
Department of Marine and Fisheries for 1899 (1900) says: 
A new feature in the fishing industry this season was the salting for shipment to Japan of 
4,000,000 pounds of dog salmon (O. keta) by Japanese fishermen. The fish were mostly caught by 
fishermen when fishing for cohos for the canners, and bought by the Japanese. Formerly this class 
of fish, when caught, were allowed to go to waste. 
In 1900 the canners commenced using chum salmon. The sockeye run was 
very small and a good price was being offered for lower grades of salmon, so 105,000 
cases were canned. Difficulty was experienced in marketing, however, on account 
