THE MIGRATION OF CANNED TUNA
There are a number of people who are said to be responsible for the invention of fish canning, and it is argued that many people contributed to the canning industry development. However, there is a general agreement that the person who originally invented the idea of canning was Nicolas Appert. He was a Frenchman, and the initial methods of the canning industry have been accredited as his work. It was in 1795 when the revolutionary government of France was fighting with other European governments for land and sea in places that were separated wide enough like the East and West Indies. The French had to mainly rely on poor quality foods, which had been imported from their native country since only a small number of ports were open to them.
The foods spoiled very fast and once taken by the French people, would result to an outbreak of deficiency diseases, which in turn weakened the army, making them vulnerable to attacks from their rivals. The French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, worried about the welfare of his army and the need for proper nutrition and sustenance, offered a reward in cash for any person who would come up with a dependable method that could help in preserving the provided food. Nicolas Appert had the idea of food preservation in bottles just like wine. He tried for 15 years, eventually realizing that if food is adequately heated and sealed in a container that could not let air in, it would be preserved well enough without spoiling. The original characteristics and necessary nutritional value would be retained (Canning of fish 2015).
According to Jarvis (1988), canning was first introduced in the United States in 1819 by and Thomas Kensett and Ezra Daggett. They both processed and packed oysters as well as other seafood. In 1820, William Underwood funded a packaging and processing plant in Boston, where he packed fruits and oysters in glass containers. These men obtained such skills from England before moving to the US. William’s plant still existed until the 1940s, making it the United States’ oldest. Canning was established first on a large commercial scale in the US, with most of the country’s pioneer canners being used for the package of seafood and fish together, with vegetables packed as secondary items. Seafood product packing was seen as more complex than processing and packaging other types of food because of the ability to spoil.
In 1909, Tuna fish was first canned in the United States. Canning commenced in southern California, where a plentiful supply of tuna lead to a fast expansion. With the Hollywood film industry in its early stages, a less stylish industry consisting of stars of its own was growing along the southern California shores: namely the West Coast tuna industry. It was founded in the early years of 1900 in San Pedro, a small port town. The canning and fishing industry later stretched to Terminal Island and quickly advanced through the inventive and groundbreaking spirit of settlers mainly from Croatia, Italy and Japan. They introduced generations that provided knowledge in fishing as well as experience in canning, which formed a strictly American industry. Personal inventions as well as contributions in culture help the industry become successful, offering an economic advantage for the Los Angeles port. The fishermen from San Pedro swayed the evolution of tuna fishing with canning skills, most of which are still utilized in the modern world by fishing fleets around the globe in tuna harvesting and canning (Jarvis 1988).
