Page 2
THE FISHERMAN
April 18, 1958
16,954 Cases
U.S. Buys B.C. Pinks
British Columbia exports of canned pink salmon for the week ending April 12 amounted to 16,954 cases mixed halves and talis.
Breakdown is 8,954 cases of 48 one-pound tails, 4,800 cases of 24 one-pound tails, and 3,200 cases of 48 half-pound flats.
There were no imports of canned salmon from Japan for that week but 23,751 cases came in a week earlier.
Pink talis are currently wholesaling in Seattle at $23 per 48 pound case while pink halves are selling from $13 to $13.50 per 24 pound case of 48 half-pound flats. The U.S. bureau of commercial fisheries in its market report states ■that "Some indication toward the prorating of stocks of pink tails had earlier been indicated in view of the scarcity of these stocks but because of the depressed (post-Lenten) movement of canned salmon currently at least, such a procedure will hardly be instituted until buying for early summer supplies of canned salmon give some indication of overall market conditions for this fishery product within the next several weeks."
But even earlier talk of sharing supplies makes it clear that B.C. canners were misrepresenting the situation when they said that they had "two-thirds of a year's supply" on hand. At the present rate of sales, all pink stocks including Japanese and Canadian will be virtually exhausted by the time the fish start running this summer.
Fishermen are still asking the Dominion Bureau of Statistics for accurate figures on canned salmon slocks on hand in Canada. Generalities provided by the Fisheries Association mean nothing, the UFAWU points out, since the operators admit their information is unreliable. In addition, of course, the Union notes that the blacker the canners paint the carryover picture, the easier they feel it will be during negotiations.
CONT'D FROM P. 1
Commission
ion found it difficult to use many ol the figures presently provided because of their unreliability.
Asked by Kidd if "packers do their own wholesaling," Stevens said there were wholesalers other than fishing companies but that "B.C. Packers does most of its own wholesaling across the country."
JAPANESE IMPORTS
Answering a question on imports, Stevens told the Commission that 266.000 cases of Japanese salmon had been imported in two years. "But," he said, "the housewife paid the same price for Japanese sockeye as for Canadian sockeye." An earlier brief had suggested that housewives turn to Japanese labelled salmon in order to get fish at cheaper prices.
No figures are available on prices importers pay for Japanese s.-lmon, Stevens said, but canners claim they make only a very small margin on Japanese imports.
There is a contradiction in this assertion and the company claim that Japanese salmon is underselling B.C. salmon on the world market, Stevens pointed out, charging that either the Japanese were not underselling Canadian salmon or the Canadian "big three" fishing company importers are making more than a small margin of profit.
DECLINING EMPLOYMENT
Commissioner MacKichan referred to figures in the Union brief taken from a fisheries department i -study showing employment in fishing industry shore plants declined from 6,900 in 1942 to 4,400 in 1954,
CENTENNIAL FEATURE
'Alexander MacKenzie from Canada By Land the 22nd of July, 1793'
(Number six in a series of historical events in the life of B.C. carried weekly in The Fisherman during Centennial Year)
/CAPTAIN Vancouver was busy charting the coastline while awaiting further orders from England in respect to the settlement of the "Nootka Affair." His explorations took him north of Vancouver Island and in June he was at Burke Channel near the mouth of the Bella Coola River. A month later on July 22, a Canadian exploration party from the east led by Alexander MacKenzie reached the same spot.
In the fall of 1792, Alexander Mackenzie, a fur trader of the North West Company, had set out from Fort Chipewyan in a light canoe which could be carried easily by four men. His party proceeded up the Peace River and spent the winter near the junction of the Smoky and Peace Rivers. The next year he followed the Peace and the Parsnip and portaged across to the "Great River" (the Fraser—which was thought to be the Columbia.) After proceeding
down river for some distance he was advised by friendly Indians to follow a tributary to the west. He was actually following one of the "Grease trails" by which Coast Indians carried fish oil for trade to the interior. When his party reached the Bella Coola River they borrowed an Indian canoe and descended it to the sea. Here we see Mackenzie using his sextant to determine his position. Three days later on a rock in Dean Channel, he mixed vermillion and grease to write his famous inscription "Alexander Mackenzie from Canada by land the 22nd of July, 1793." The Dominion government has since erected a monument on this spot which marked the end of the first overland journey through the mountain barriers to the coast. In this way a dangerous and difficult but usable route was established for the fur-traders of the North West Company to extend their activities into British Columbia.
and asked what accounted for the drop.
Business agent Alex Gordon pointed out that in 1944 there were 32 operating canneries in B.C. with 100 lines whereas last year the number of canneries had dropped to 17 with 58 lines.
"Average overall production has not declined materially," Gordon said, reporting that lines have been speeded up, throwing 260 cans per minute, twice as many as before. He estimated that 30 fewer men were employed on the five high speed lines at Nelson Brothers' new cannery at Steveston than on five lines at other canneries in the area.
FISH CATCH NOT UP
On the other hand, Union secretary Homer Stevens told Commissioner W. M. Drummond, "fishing potential" per fishing unit has "greatly increased" but actual production per vessel has gone down. He cited the case of herring where per vessel catch a few years ago was 3,000 tons but in recent years it has dropped to 1,600 tons.
Last year an additional 1,200 licences were issued, Stevens revealed.
"We want a Royal Commission similar to this one to investigate this situation," Stevens told the Commission.
With salmon catches based on cycles, Stevens said in reply to a question from Commissioner Drummond, carryovers are a normal part of the industry's operations He referred to pinks which
average 800,000 cases in odd years, and only 400,000 in even years.
Much of the questioning, particularly from chairman Stewart, centred around details concerning the Union, its membership, the differ-
ent types of fishing and how they are carried on.
Representatives of B.C. Packers and Canadian Fish sat through most of the hearing.
Figures Show Fishermen Made Less Money in '57
British Columbia's fisheries had a marketed value of $63,-100,000 in 1957, but fishermen made less money than in 1956, according to a statistical summary released last week by the federal department of fisheries. The 1957 total was lower by $4,400,000 than the fishery returns for 1956 and well short of the 1951 record of $84,000,000 in fish values. Chief fisheries economist Blake *-
Campbell emphasised the following factors which affected the 1957 fisheries:
Herring values of $6,290,000, as compared with $10,660,000 in 1956, reflected the prolonged price dispute between major operating companies and fishermen which resulted in only a 20 percent fishing effort after October 15.
The men refused to fish at drastic cuts in earnings proposed by operators but did offer to sail on the basis of a six percent reduction in rates paid the previous season.
The production put in during the winter was under signed agreement between the Union and small operators, largest of which was John C. Jackson, Limited, which has been operating a reduction plant at Shingle Bay.
Most of the fish reported for the latter part of 1957 was taken by the Prince Rupert Fishermen's Co-op, by Nelson Bros, and Mil-lerd's under Union contract.
Salmon landings were higher than in 1956 but lower unit prices for some species coupled with a reduced catch of the more valuable sockeye resulted in total salmon returns to fishermen of $18,885,000 compared with $21,-356,000 in the previous year. A greater percentage of salmon utilised in the highest processed form—canning, contributed to an increase in overall marketed value of salmon from $44,400,000 to $44,-900,000, according to Campbell.
Landed and marketed returns for halibut showed a sharp drop from those of the previous year.
Last year, 22,647,000 pounds of this species brought $3,697,000 to fishermen and $5,616,000 in marketed value. The 1956 halibut fishery produced landings of 23,316,-000 pounds worth $5,067,000 to fishermen and $6,636,000 on the market. Basic reason for the cut in fishermen's earnings was reduced prices paid by operators. There is no minimum price agreement covering this international fishing.
Landings of oysters, crabs, and fish for minkfeed, which reached record levels in 1956, dropped sharply last year. Landings and marketing of grey cod, black cod and shrimp on the other hand showed increases. The record revealed four stop-
pages of fishing operations in 1957, three of them relatively minor. Halibut fishing was delayed for a week after the season opened May 1, pending a settlement of work contract between crewmen and operators of larger type vessels. The salmon net fishery was tied up on two occasions, the second one resulting only in postponement of a fisheries department closure, and the herring fishery was curtailed in the latter part of the year when companies failed to get the men to accept sharp price cuts and removal of important working conditions.
Other species marketed values were: crabs and shrimps, $1,141,-000; soles, $912,000; ling cod, $552-000; grey cod, $579,000; oysters, $329,000; clams, $375,000; black cod, $391,000.
The 13,000 fishermen and marine service men engaged in the 1957 fisheries represented an increase of more than 2,000 persons over the number engaged in primary operations in 1956, despite the overall drop in landed values. They sailed in a fleet of vessels and boats capitalised at $45,699,000, compared with $43,143,000 invested in the previous year's fishing fleet.
New fishing vessels completed in 1957 totaled 81 units with an aggregate value of $1,370,000, of vhich 65 were gillnetters valued at $759,000, six trailers worth $91,-500 and seiners and combined types valued at $432,000.
Most significant trend in 1957 was seen in the larger vessels used for combination type operation. This class increased from 262 with a value of $3,563,000 in 1956 to 380 craft, worth $6,506,000 last year.
Aggregate value of fishing gear inventoried at the end of 1957 was $7,997,000, a $300,000 increase in the value of gear used in the preceding year. Chief item was 7,416 salmon gillnetters valued at $2,-634,000 with salmon and herring purse seines adding well over another $2,000,000 to the gear bill.
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Department vf Fisheries' publications are used by educational authorities across the country. Write to the Queen's Printer, Ottawa, for the booklets shown here. Available to the general public, 25c each.
Putting fascination into education
CREATING A GREATER public awareness of our country's fishery resources is one of the responsibilities of the Department of Fisheries of Canada. Its Information and Educational Sen ice seeks to show present-day Canadians how this natural heritage is being maintained for future generations through proper conservation and management.
This work is carried out through the daily and weekly press; radio and television; magazines; educational publications; recipe pamphlets for housewives ; exhibitions ; permanent fishery displays; film and liltnstrip showings; and illustrated educational talks to groups of fishermen.
Such is the standard of the Department's booklets that they have found a ready acceptance by school and other authorities. Most of this material is obtainable by students, teachers, private organizations and individual*.
CANADA 'S SCHOOL CHILDREN have a natu ral love oj fishing and lite great outdoors. 'I he D< part/unit oj Fisheries' publications teach them the important role the fishing industry plays in our country's economy.
OF-37
Department of Fisheries
OTTAWA CANADA
HON. J. ANGUS MACLEAN, MP., Minister • GEORGE R. CLARK, Deputy Minister
