Learn about Canada’s West Coast fishing history with our online and digital resources
Virtual Museum Exhibit
From Tides to Tins: Salmon Canning in B.C. is the Cannery’s Digital Museums of Canada online exhibit, featuring an interactive map and timeline to explore and learn about the 220+ canneries that have existed along the coastline of British Columbia. Illustrated by hundreds of archival photographs, see how world events and technological changes impacted Canada’s West Coast canning industry. Teacher’s Resources for this exhibit can be found here.
Ebb & Flow Film
Produced by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society, Ebb & Flow: Turning Points in West Coast Fishing History explores key milestones in the commercial fishing industry on Canada’s West Coast. This 25-minute documentary-style film explores how immigration, global conflicts, economic change, social movements, and technological progress have all affected the fishery’s evolution. The film may also be viewed on the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, and is available subtitled in Chinese and Japanese (on site, by request).
Film production was supported by the Province of British Columbia
Cannery Publications
The Monster Cannery: The History of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery is an exploration of more than 100 years of history at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. This book explores the social development, technological innovation, economic upheavals and environmental changes of British Columbia in relation to the West Coast fishing and canning industries. The Monster Cannery can be used effectively by grades 4 to 12.
My Monster Cannery is a children’s picture book showcasing the process of salmon canning inside the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. It follows a 10 year-old boy who begins work at the cannery and his ensuing exploration of the factory. This book introduces the themes of teamwork, diversity, and technology. My Monster Cannery is appropriate for kindergarten students through to grade 3.
The Monster Cannery and My Monster Cannery books are available in all school libraries in the Richmond, Delta and New Westminster school districts thanks to contributions from the Port of Vancouver.
These books and others relating to Steveston, Japanese Canadian and fishing history are available for purchase at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Gift Shop. Call 604-664-9009 or contact us for more information.
For activities which complement the Monster Cannery publications (see above), we offer The Monster Cannery Teacher Resource Guides. These guides contain activities for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Teachers will find the province’s Prescribed Learning Outcomes for each grade level and reproducible worksheets helpful in teaching a variety of Social Studies units. To obtain a full digital copy, please contact us: bookings@gogcannery.org, or download each section below.
Teacher Resource PDF downloads:
- Primary Grades K-3: Teamwork, Technology, and Diversity
- Intermediate Grades 4-6: Diversity, Aboriginal Cultures, Immigration, and Local History
- Junior Grades 7-9: Sustainability, Early Civilisations, and Early Canadian history
- Senior Grades 10-12: Canadian Identity, Labour History, the Economy
Herring and Salmon Films by Bob Turner
The two main fish processed by the Cannery when it was in operation were salmon and herring. Curious about how these fish live and grow in BC’s waters? Filmmaker Bob Turner takes a closer look into the lives (and lifecycles) of these fascinating species.
Find more of Bob’s films and stewardship work at his website, Our Salish Sea.
Activity & Learning Resources
Here is a collection of resources that can be enjoyed at home, brought to you by our Cannery Crew.
Try some of these fishy-fun activities at home and learn about fishing methods, sustainability, and habitat through word searches, drawing and simple puzzles.
GRADES 2 to 5:
Fishing Words & Answer Key to Fishing Words
Bycatch What’s That
Beginner English Language Learning:
Beginner Matching Game
Beginner Missing Words
Intermediate English Language Learning:
Cans at Home Activity
Intermediate Matching Game
Intermediate Missing Words
Virtual Tour of Branter Collection
Collections Manager Heidi Rampfl takes us on a virtual tour of the salmon can labels from the William Branter Collection for this year’s Richmond Doors Open.
Virtual Tour of Waves of Innovation
A curator’s tour of the Waves of Innovation: Stories from the West Coast exhibit at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site from May 2021 to Spring 2023.