TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE PACIFIC COAST CANNED SALMON INDUSTRY: 1864-1924

Between 1844 and 1924 the Pacific coast canned salmon industry evolved from a primitive frontier business into a major food processing industry dominated by large, vertically integrated corporations that controlled the salmon from the time they were caught until they were purchased by a consumer. Technological innovation played an important role in this evolution. On three separate occasions the adoption of a new machine shattered existing production bottlenecks on the canning lines and ushered in a wave of technological innovation in which canners rapidly mechanized and modernized their operations.;The waves of innovation transformed not only the canning lines, but the entire industry. Innovations on the canning lines affected fishing operations, labor relations and policies, attitudes towards government regulation, and, through their effect upon production, marketing and advertising policies. In turn, these aspects of the industry also influenced the course and direction of technical change.;The three waves of innovative activity stemmed from various causes. In the late 1880s, mechanization increased productivity and reduced production costs, offering canners an opportunity to secure a larger market share during a period of declining profit margins. The second wave of innovation, which began about 1905, stemmd from a desire to cut production costs by eliminating a group of highly paid workers. The final wave of technological innovation, begun about 1910, was characterized by a desire to increase both the speed and efficiency of the canning lines. This period of activity carried the industry through the First World War and into a severe depression that lasted until 1922. This depression resulted largely from the industry's proclivity for overproduction. The recovery from these hard times was accomplished by innovations in organization, marketing, and regulation. By 1925 technological innovation no longer played a major role in determining the course of the industry's development.;None of the various factors, including technology, that shaped the industry may be treated in isolation, as an independent actor. The extent to which the industry adopted, altered, modified, or rejected new technologies depended upon the linkages between these factors and upon the dictates of local conditions. The regional variation within the industry is crucial to an understanding of its technological history.