The Alaskan King Grab Industry
Has Short But Phenomenal Growth
The history of the king crab in
dustry in Alaska dates back a
relatively few years.
Camring and packing king crab,
now a big industry, has stirred the
imagination of enterprise minded
operators since 1920, but as re
cently as 1953, the present po
tentials were not conceived. It
r
was a speculative venture.
Yet, canning King Crab date!
back to 1892, when it was firs
started by the Japanese. Th«
industry expanded slowly in tha
country, until in 1923, the success
ful development of the floating
cannery permitted expansion o
the fishing operations away fron
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Dr. Paul Jaeger, Orthodentist,
will be in his Kodiak office May
3 and 4. For appointments, call
Culver Realty office, Phone 2761
Rhoades
ife tjaj Furniture Store
WES RHOADES, PROP.
Phone 4151
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Japan proper. Japan was able to '
conduct her operations into the <
Bering Sea near the Pribilof
Islands in Bristol Bay and along
the north coast of the Alaska
Peninsula, which she continued
every year from 1930 to 1940. The
’ outbreak of war stopped the opera
tion until in 1953, when it was re
’ sumed. To give an idea of the ex
tent of the Japanese operation
f prior to that, in 1940, the total
j number of crabs caught by that
j country’s fishermen, in the East
ern Bering Sea was 8,607,970.
The first commercial king crab
operation in Alaska was inaugu
rated in 1920 when a few cases of
canned king crab meat were pack
ed at Seldovia. Later efforts prov
ed unsuccessful, so that from 1926
to 1934 no commercial canning of
king crab took place in the terri
tory.
Sporadic attempts were made to
put up packs each year following,
but it was not until 1938 the first
determined effort to exploit this
resource was made, when the
floating cannery ship “Tondeleyo”
of the Pacific Fisheries and Trad
ing Company operated at Kodiak
Island, the Shumagin Islands, and
the eastern Bering Sea. Despite
an excellent pack, the expense and
uncertainty of exploratory fish
ing made the venture unprofit
able.
At the end of the war in 1945,
exploratory fishing in the Bering
Sea in 1946 was conducted by
Wakefields and by Libby, McNeill
and Libby. In 1947, work continu
ed with the “Deep Sea”, the larg
est trawler yet built on the Paci
fic Coast,, which was put into
operation by Wakefield’s Deep
Sea, Incorporated. Packs were put
up in the form of frozen picked
meat and frozen meat in the shell.
17,000 cases were canned in
1948 by the “Pacific Explorer.”
From 1948 to 1954, three Ameri
can firms processed king crab in
the Bering Sea. The development
of large scale crab fisheries at
Kodiak lagged behind that in the
Bering Sea. Once it was started,
the expansion has been nothing
short of phenomenal. The Kodiak
catch of 64,882 pounds (round
weight) in 1950, increased to over
3,000,000 pounds in 1954, thus
making Kodiak the largest center
of canned crab meat production on
the Pacific Coast.
In 1955, 244,373 crabs were
caught in this area. Seven com
panies operated canneries. 3,708
cases, each consisting of 48 cans
of %s, were packed. 188,535
pounds were frozen. An additional
203,157 pounds were section fro
zen, and 147,479 pounds of whole
fresh crab were sold.
With six operators in 1956,
520,593 crabs were caught, and
17,112 cases put up. Frozen meat
totaled 416,609 pounds and whole
crab, 458,052 pounds. In 1957, the
last figures available, 509,244
crabs caught. 22,373 pounds were
canned. 180,000 frozen; frozen sec
tions, 408,680 pounds. Only five
operators put up this pack.
It is estimated there were more
than thirty-five crab fishing boats
in this area, during 1957.
NOTICE
The Christian Science Society
in the Chapel Annex on the Base.
Friday
Game Night
8:30 p.m.
at
V. F. W.
>£ Kodiak holds services & Sun
lay School every Sunday at 11 a.m.
A Definition
Fib. n. A lie that has not cut its
teeth. An habitual liar's nearest
approach to truth. — Devil’s Dic
tionary.
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The Community Baptist Church
w
“The Big White Church on the HilT
Rev. John Molletti, Pastor
Sunday School —9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship —11:00 a.m.
Youth Fellowship Groups —6:30 p.m.
Evening Worship —7:30 p.m.
Mid Week Service —7:30 p.m., Wednesday
“Holding Forth The Word Of Life”
For All Your
WELDING NEEDS
Or Problems
PHONE 2151
KODIAK WELDING WORKS
WODUNGER - BERTS
DRUB STORES
HOSPITAL DAY - MAY 10
Avail yourself of this opportunity
to become acquainted with your
local hospital facilities and ser
vices.
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, May 10
3 to 5 PM
The Grey Nuns extend a cordial in
vitation to all in the community on
this day.
SHOP THE DRUG STORES
FOR TV Service
Phone 3831 from
10:00 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Technicians Ford Landers &
Marvin A. Sands
SPECIALISTS IN TV, PHONO, AND
RADIO REPAIR
We will serve the Kodiak area
for many years to come and re
main ever ready to stand back of
our installations and repairs.
Marvin A. Sands
Kodiak TV
(Next to the PNA Office)