North Pacific Cannery Tour
On the North Pacific Cannery Tour you will learn about life at coastal canneries and the unique features that distinguished the challenges of operating canneries “in the wilderness”, as well as the unique living arrangements at these canneries.
North Pacific is unique among similar salmon cannery site because it still has many of the buildings associated with support functions and accommodations still intact.
Support functions on site were critical to the success of remote canneries on BC’s coast. Canneries needed to have the materials, equipment and know how to maintain, repair and replace machinery and equipment during the brief salmon fishing and processing season.
Tour North Pacific’s net lofts, machine shop, working dock, can reform line and learn about the important roll of these functions which distinguished the experience of remote canneries.
At remote canneries, home during the salmon run was right next to main plant. Living conditions at remote canneries were sparse and simple but rich in human experience and cultural diversity. Canneries had workforces made up of women, men and even children from many ethnic backgrounds in very tight, but segregated quarters. On the tour see the accommodations of Japanese, different First Nations, Chinese, and Europeans at Remote Canneries.
The fishing fleet was always critical to the success of a cannery. Learn about the different fishing techniques such as traps, gillnets, seiners and trawling used to catch salmon as well as the rigour of manual row boats and the significance of mechanization and gas powered boats to the fishing fleet’s evolution. |
