Georgia Cannery
Last fall's visit by my former university roommate and his wife gave us a chance to do something different. Visiting the Gulf of Georgia Cannery seemed like a perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon in November.
Built in 1894, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery was the largest cannery in British Columbia until 1902. It was known as the "Monster Cannery" - packing more than 2.5 million cans of salmon in 1897. Each canning season brought together a diverse mix of workers, usually of First Nations, Chinese, Japanese and European descent. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery was one of BC's largest employers, producing one of the province's main export commodities.
Over the years, technology changed the plant's role, as manual salmon canning gave way to rows of high-speed machinery. Sadly, the last can of sockeye rolled off the production line in 1930.
During the war years, the Cannery changed from canning Salmon to Herring. Herring canning became an industry-wide endeavour and alongside it grew the business of herring reduction, the transformation of herring into protein-rich oil and meal for animal feeding purposes.
In the post-War years, the cannery's role changed again, from herring reduction to canning herring roe. Unfortunately, overfishing eventually led to catch limits. Catches that were in the hundreds of thousands of tonnes were limited by regulation to the low tens of thousands of tonnes. The Cannery finally closed in 1979.
Over the years, the local community lobbied various levels of government to save the Cannery. In 1979 the Federal government purchased the property and in 1984 it was transferred to Parks Canada. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, a local not-for-profit organization, was formed in 1986 to work together with Parks Canada to develop and operate the site. The building opened as a National Historic Site in 1994, in celebration of the centennial of the building.
To the credit of the Society, their displays very ably show the work that was required to catch salmon; and what plant working conditions were like. Having sailed Georgia Strait in less than ideal conditions, I was particularly struck by the first display. I would not want to be in a boat of that size in gale force conditions. Yet that is what they did. Working conditions for the plant workers weren't great either. During summers, the plant was extremely hot; during winters, it was so cold that workers could see their own breath, even at full production. I tip my hat to all of them.
Is it worth the price of admission? If you truly want to understand the role of fishing in BC's formative years, you need to see this Site.
Read MoreBuilt in 1894, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery was the largest cannery in British Columbia until 1902. It was known as the "Monster Cannery" - packing more than 2.5 million cans of salmon in 1897. Each canning season brought together a diverse mix of workers, usually of First Nations, Chinese, Japanese and European descent. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery was one of BC's largest employers, producing one of the province's main export commodities.
Over the years, technology changed the plant's role, as manual salmon canning gave way to rows of high-speed machinery. Sadly, the last can of sockeye rolled off the production line in 1930.
During the war years, the Cannery changed from canning Salmon to Herring. Herring canning became an industry-wide endeavour and alongside it grew the business of herring reduction, the transformation of herring into protein-rich oil and meal for animal feeding purposes.
In the post-War years, the cannery's role changed again, from herring reduction to canning herring roe. Unfortunately, overfishing eventually led to catch limits. Catches that were in the hundreds of thousands of tonnes were limited by regulation to the low tens of thousands of tonnes. The Cannery finally closed in 1979.
Over the years, the local community lobbied various levels of government to save the Cannery. In 1979 the Federal government purchased the property and in 1984 it was transferred to Parks Canada. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, a local not-for-profit organization, was formed in 1986 to work together with Parks Canada to develop and operate the site. The building opened as a National Historic Site in 1994, in celebration of the centennial of the building.
To the credit of the Society, their displays very ably show the work that was required to catch salmon; and what plant working conditions were like. Having sailed Georgia Strait in less than ideal conditions, I was particularly struck by the first display. I would not want to be in a boat of that size in gale force conditions. Yet that is what they did. Working conditions for the plant workers weren't great either. During summers, the plant was extremely hot; during winters, it was so cold that workers could see their own breath, even at full production. I tip my hat to all of them.
Is it worth the price of admission? If you truly want to understand the role of fishing in BC's formative years, you need to see this Site.
