prior to european contact, first nations people on the pacific coast would frequently trade salmon with first nations people of the canadian prairies. shortly after european settlements had begun appearing in british columbia in the mid 19th century, the first salmon canneries had begun appearing alongside them, the first being a salmon cannery in the fraser river in 1867. the next forty years saw the salmon industry gradually become an increasingly lucrative trade in the pacific. places such as the fraser river and the skeena river saw a sharp rise in immigration and the development of the fishing industry. with the outbreak of the second world war came an increased demand for fishing industries of british columbia to help relieve the war effort. the ten year average for total cases of canned salmon in british columbia from 1910 to 1942 was 1.6 million, while the second world war's average alone was more than 2 million, with a peak of 2.25 million in 1942.