Fish Is a Fighting Food: North American Canned Salmon and the First World War

Ross Coen

doi:10.22584/nr44.2017.020

Abstract

The Northern Review 44 (2017): 457–464 During the First World War, the Pacific Northwest canned salmon industry, which was headquartered and operated in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, sent millions of cases of its product to Britain and France for consumption by Allied troops and civilians. The war transformed the canned salmon industry in ways that reverberated long after the 1918 armistice. In order to meet the ever growing demand for fish, the industry expanded dramatically, almost doubling overnight in some regions, which led to overfishing, depleted fish stocks, and concomitant government regulation of fisheries that would only increase over time. In addition, the high rates of product spoilage—a direct result of new and disreputable packing companies entering the market in hopes of securing guaranteed government contracts—led to greater enforcement of pure food laws and safety regulations, an action that in turn educated the public about sanitation and the emerging science of nutrition. The adoption of canned salmon as a wartime ration may in hindsight seem obvious, yet the process was by no means inevitable but rather required industry lobbying and negotiations with the United States and Canadian governments over prices, delivery procedures, and general fishing operations. This article examines the complex and occasionally contradictory process of bringing Pacific Northwest canned salmon to Europe during the First World War. This article is part of a special collection of papers originally presented at a conference on “The North and the First World War,” held May 2016 in Whitehorse, Yukon. https://doi.org/10.22584/nr44.2017.020

Highlights

During the First World War, the Pacific Northwest canned salmon industry, which was headquartered and operated in Alaska, BriƟsh Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, sent millions of cases of its product to Britain and France for consumpƟon by Allied troops and civilians
The disreputable operations and inferior product of many of the market’s new entrants spurred government inspectors to begin enforcing safety and sanitary regulations, a move welcomed by the more established salmon packers.[1]
The adoption of canned salmon as a military ration may in hindsight seem to be an obvious move for US and Canadian authorities, there was nothing inevitable about it

Summary

Introduction

During the First World War, the Pacific Northwest canned salmon industry, which was headquartered and operated in Alaska, BriƟsh Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, sent millions of cases of its product to Britain and France for consumpƟon by Allied troops and civilians. From 1914 to 1918, the Pacific Northwest canned salmon industry, which was headquartered and operated in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, sent millions of cases of its product to Britain and France for consumption by Allied troops and civilians.

Results

Conclusion