B5
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022
Sharks: Over 250,000 metric tons of spiny dogfi sh were harvested throughout 1940s
Continued from Page B1
sharks were highly sought
after, once targeted as
primary sources of v ita-
min A. The spiny dogfish
shark is one of the most
common sharks found in
temperate ocean waters.
On the West Coast,
stock
size
report-
edly averaged between
300,000 and 500,000 met-
ric tons before the liver
boom. Over 250,000 met-
ric tons of spiny dogfish
were harvested through-
out the 1940s.
In California, soupfin
sharks made up almost
half of total landings in
the early 1940s. These
sharks, especially vul-
nerable to overfishing,
mature more slowly than
other species and give
birth to few young at
once.
Although exact data on
soupfin shark populations
can be hard to accurately
capture, it’s believed that
their numbers still hav-
en’t recovered since the
1930s.
During its peak, the
shark fishing industry
was a lucrative business.
Shark livers could sell for
as much as $18 per pound,
and many larger sharks
had livers weighing mul-
tiple pounds.
These
livers
were
stored in 5 gallon cans that
weighed up to 40 pounds
when
fully
packed.
According to the Han-
thorn Cannery Museum in
Astoria, during one sea-
son a can was often worth
$320 each, which totals
over $4,000 in today’s
money.
But for as profitable as
the industry was, its suc-
cesses were short-lived.
Demand plummeted after
the invention of synthetic
vitamin A in the early
1950s, leaving sharks to
their home in the sea.
Julia Triezenberg is an
educator at the Columbia
River Maritime Museum.
Julia Triezenberg
ABOVE: These 5 gallon cans, shown at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum in Astoria, once stored
over $4,000 of shark livers, adjusted for infl ation. LEFT: Wartime propaganda stressed the
importance of vitamin A for pilots.
THESE LIVERS WERE STORED IN 5 GALLON
CANS THAT WEIGHED UP TO 40 POUNDS WHEN
FULLY PACKED. ACCORDING TO THE HANTHORN
CANNERY MUSEUM IN ASTORIA, DURING ONE
SEASON A CAN WAS OFTEN WORTH $320 EACH,
WHICH TOTALS OVER $4,000 IN TODAY’S MONEY.
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