Salmon Canneries

Commercial fishing has left its mark on the Southeast Alaska landscape. Some of the modern fish processing plants have long histories of operation, but many salteries, canneries, herring reduction plants and even small towns were built in remote areas and now lie in ruin. Between 1878 and 1949, 134 canneries were built in southeast Alaska; 70 burned (of which 5 were rebuilt), 10 were moved and others were consolidated. Some of these facilities have been dismantled or burned and others are slowly decaying, but the fragile remains of this colorful chapter in Alaska's history are present throughout the Tongass National Forest.