Tuna: Canned Tuna

Tuna was canned in France and Italy by the late nineteenth century. Small quantities of thoun or tonno were imported into the United States by the early 1880s. The first American tuna cannery was established by Albert P. Halfhill, a grocer who had moved to Los Angeles in the 1880s. Halfhill joined the California Fish Company, which canned sardines and other fish. In 1903 the sardine catch was extremely limited, so Halfhill looked for another fish to pack. Because albacore was abundant in California waters, Halfhill experimented with canning tuna. In 1908 he successfully packed 250 cases of albacore, labeling them “Tuna,” but few were sold. This lack of success changed in subsequent years owing to the promotional wizardry of H. Jevne, the pioneer Los Angeles grocer. Because of Jevne’s efforts, Americans began to discover that the white meat of tuna was excellent tasting, especially after the tuna oil had been removed. The depletion of other traditionally consumed fish stocks, coupled with Halfhill’s modest success, encouraged more tuna canners.