32 
BULLETIN OF T’HE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
blows oft' in testing, causing light weight. Under average conditions from 10 to 15 
per cent of humpbacks are wasted, and in a season when they are as plentiful as in 
1897 as many or more are wasted than are packed. Some years ago, when only a few 
humpbacks were packed, they were so numerous in Naha Bay that tens of thousands 
were hauled on the banks and left to decay in order to thiTi them out, 
LABELS AND BRANDS. 
Every cannery in Alaska has its own labels and brands, and the same ftsh are 
packed in each cannery under various brands. One cannery that was visited had 
seventeen. The reason for employing so many is briefly as follows: When the can- 
neries were first operated independently each adopted various brands for the same 
species of fish, and they were introduced into different sections, ultimately creating 
demand for particular goods. 
In spite of these various brands, the highest-grade goods in all, or nearly all, the 
Alaska pack has some word which conveys to the consumer what is in the tin, if he 
knows the key. The few cans of king salmon that are packed have the words 
“king” or “Alaska king” somewhere on the label, but these fish form so small a part 
of the Alaska pack that they can hardly be considered. The labels for redfish, which 
forms the great bulk of the pack, as a rule have the word “ red” in some connection, 
such as “red salmon,” “choice red salmon,” “Alaska red salmon,” etc. In some 
canneries a few of the early cohoes find themselves under a redtish label, but usually 
a can marked “red salmon” contains that fish. 
The cohoes, and frequently the white king salmon, are usually packed under a 
label that somewhere has the words “spring salmon” on it, and the humpback is 
covered by the term “ pink salmon.” The few dog salmon packed are covered either 
under “pink salmon” or else go in with that heterogeneous mass of tips and tails, 
light weights, “do-overs,” etc. Some of the canneries have not adopted this system 
of labeling, but with about three-fourths of the Alaska pack the words “king,” 
“red,” “ spring,” and “pink,” are used, as just mentioned. 
The names of eompauies which have never had any real existence are sometimes 
found on labels. Some of these are the Prince of Wales Packing Company, Tolstoi 
Packing Company, Clarence Straits Packing Company, Moira Packing Company, Coal 
Bay Packing Company. These are simply names that some years ago were placed on 
labels of which a few are still in use. They are supposed to represent fish taken at 
the several localities, but no canneries were ever located at those places or operated 
under the company titles. 
As elsewhere noted, fictitious cannery names are also used to cover “do overs.” 
MARKETS. 
The larger part of the canned redfish goes abroad, principally to England. These 
are the choicest of the pack, and more than usual care is observed in preparing 
them, as the European market demands a high grade of goods. The cans are care- 
fully weighed, and contain about 1 ounce more than a pound, so as to be sure to avoid 
light weights. The cans are carefully inspected for dents or defects, and the fish are 
the very best. It is usual on European orders to open a certain number of cases and 
average the order from an inspection of these cans. If they are defective, reclamation 
is made. The remainder of the pack of .redfish, together with the cohoes, humpbacks, 
dog salmon, tips-and tails, and do overs remain in the home market, and some are 
shipped to Australia, South America, and the South Seas. 
