XL wat mn | fii Shes COMMERCIAL BE WEE U/ FISHERIES ene eo ue x he a ee ee se tn cae en tee an om a So tn aa i Ot ad ee Vol.12, No.6 | a : JUNE 1950 and WILDLIFE SERVICE United States Department of the Interior Washington, D.C UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OSCAR L. CHAPMAN, Secretary FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ALBERT M. DAY, Director COMMERCIAL PelSHERIES A REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTS AND NEWS OF THE FISHERY INDUSTRIES PREPARED IN THE BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES A. W. Anderson, Editor R.T. Whiteleather, Associate Editor Wm.H. Dumont and J. Pileggi, Assistant Editors Applications for COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, which is mailed tree to members of the fishery industries and allied interests,should be addressed to the Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of the Interior, Washington, 25, D.C. The contents of this publication have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted freely; however, reference to tne source will be appreciated. The Service assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of material from outside sources. The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, December |5,!949 COVER: CLOSING A MENHADEN PURSE SEINE NEAR BEAU- FORT, N. C. MENHADEN, WHICH ARE UTILIZED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FISH MEAL AND OIL, ACCOUNTED FOR 22 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL 1949 U, S. AND ALASKA CATCH OF FISHERY .PRODUCTS. (SEE PP. 26-7 OF THIS ISSUE. ) " n PAGE JOHN N. COBB’ USES NEW RIG FOR SLOW-SPEED TROLLING, BY SHELDON W. JOHNSON ....seeeeeereeerereee | STUDIES ON METHODS OF EXTRACTING VITAMIN A AND OIL FROM FISHERY PRODUCTS -- PART I11 - EXPERI - MENTS ON THE EXTRACTION OF LOW-OIL-CONTENT LIVERS WITH PETROLEUM ETHER BY THE SHAKING METHOD, CONTENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 83 BY F. BRUCE SANFORD AND NEVA L. KARRICK 2... ..cccenvcccacncscsccccecercsccscesececesesssesesese§ 4 BD) Oe ee PAGE PAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE LABORATORIES: ......e.e-e- Q 4 TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS (CONTD.): TECHNICAL NOTE NO. 4 - FISHERY BYPRODUCTS SPLITTING OF FISH FILLETS BEING ADOPTED .. 23 EOR) ANIMAL (FEEDING SCR i\er n\\sieielniae clsieiniobinleisis) nll PACK OF MAINE SARDINES (INCLUDING SEA HER- TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS: ...-.cceccsesece-enss IS I) sete in Sacha cdoabddoDsbocdDandceSc0, Ze! ADDITIONS TO THE FLEET OF U. S. FISHING MANUFACTURE OF MEAL AND OIL UTILIZES HALF VESSELS Eee isiatals arate ai eagetatale wien win Oleteajeretsinistelaiere Meal OF THE FISHER VES CATCH) .\.cjciels sien s\uloluiin\s nn Lee ECA PROCUREMENT AUTHORIZATIONS FOR FISHERY U. S. PRODUCT! ON OF MENHADEN PRODUCTS,1949 26 PRODUCTS) %soistuitatntoleinl ecelavalciaiela stntatnieinin'elsisisTatcrele mmc U. S. PACIFIC COAST STATES PACK OF CANNED FEDERAL PURCHASES OF FISHERY PRODUCTS ..... 16 SALMON, 1949 weccscccccccvevesccencsncese 27 FISHERY BIOLOGY NOTE Ss sieltaictainial-leleisiateiinlatel-tteneliy, U. S. PACK OF CANNED TUNA AND TUNA-LIKE HAMMOND BAY CHOSEN AS FIELD HEADQUARTERS FISH, 1949 cc cccscererccecrccescssceverecs 20 ROR) SEA LAMPREY, "RESEARCH Wecssiesveteininisistela'eis) cll? U. S. PACK OF CANNED SHRIMP, 1949 .....ee5 29 HATCHERY TO HELP RESTORE GREAT LAKES U. S. PACK OF CANNED MACKEREL, 1949 ...... 30 LAMPREY-DEPLETED LAKE TROUT FISHERY .... 17 WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PRICES .....eeeeeeeese Sl FISH MARKETING STUDY INAUGURATED IN: LATIN FORENGNS (7. crejeie/ele, sjelc}e ic, ejelelele/slelnielelulpinisin\efuletul-felels/ moa) AMERIL CAM s\ctaisiaie'nisia(ainlae/alelstaie(jelaveleiniclevaieieiatett a ame ADEN PROTECTORATE GULF EXPLORATORY FISHERY PROGRAM: ..... 18 STATUS OF FISHERIES, 1949 ....ssesee0ee-2 33 ,OREGON,, RETURNS FROM FIRST CRUISE ...... 18 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC: OREGON SEARCHES FOR SURFACE-FEEDING CURRENT FISH MARKETING SITUATION ......6.. 33 TUNA NNO THE (GUERS o:cre crelas/ainicinis eivue areca mo AUSTRALIA MENHADEN FISHERY MOVIE IN PRODUCTION ...... 19 AUSTRALIAN TUNA EXPORT PROSPECTS .....2.. 35 NORTH ATLANTIC F)SHERY INVESTIGATIONS: .... 20 NEW SPINY LOBSTER PROCESSING TECHN! QUE ALBATROSS 111 CHECKS MCVEMENTS OF PRIN- DEVELOPED Mniaivinlvlelctetciaisie eeeeee “Seo GES CIPAL WINTER-TRAWL FISHERY SPECIES ...... 20 WHALING INDUSTRY .cucccccccsecscreseceress 30 NORTH PACIFIC EXPLORATORY FISHERY PROGRAM: 21 GOVERNMENT COMMISSION TO COMMENCE WHALING 37 JOHN N. COBB LEAVES ON 4-MONTH CRUISE . 21 CANADA: PACIFIC HALIBUT AREAS |8 AND 2 CLOSED ON FECERAL-PROVI NCIAL CONFERENCE ON FISH DUNE Mite ofa afeiniy!f'u\xi eine ainte]sle s\mieieia/ala'p=\nip viel ele meee INSPECTION 2 wcccccccrccescreresesvsesess 30 PACIFIC OCEANIC FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS: ... 22 FISHERIES PRICES SUPPORT BOARD A PERMA- HENRY O'MALLEY SAILS ON LOCAL FISHING NENT BODY .sseseeesereeecererpeerererees 38 n CRUISE wevcepescceaciocsscuncacsvecccasce 22 CONFEDERATION AND NEWFOUNDLAND'S FISHERIES 38 HUGH M. SMITH LOCATES FISH EGGS AND LAR- NEWFOUNDLAND! S FISHERIES DEPRESSED ...... 39 VAE AND INVESTIGATES TAGGING OF TUNA ... 22 CHILE: SQUTH PACIFIC F)SHERY INVESTIGATIONS: ..... 22 FISH OILS 22. scccccceccccsesevesesseesess 40 BLACK DOUGLAS CONTINUES SARDINE RESEARCH 22 WHALING INDUSTRY, 1949 wesceececeessesess 40 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW <= (=) tt os BS =z 2 C=) June 1950 Washington 25, D.C. "JOHN N. COBB’ USES NEW RIG FOR SLOW-SPEED TROLLING By Sheldon W. Johnson* A power take-off from an auxiliary engine to drive the vessel at slow speeds is a special feature of the John N. Cobb, exploratory fishing vessel of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's North Pacific Exploratory Fishery Program. In the various types of fishing encountered during exploratory work, such as, towing shrimp trawls and plankton nets, and trolling for fish other than tuna, it is necessary to operate at speeds from 4 knot to 3 knots for extended periods of time. While it is possible to run the main engine at slow speed, it is not recom- mended practice for prolonged periods as it results in fouling. ap FIGURE | = THE JOHN N.’ COBB'S MAIN SHAFT AND SPROCKET AT LEFT. THE AIR RAM CONTROLLING THE CLUTCH ON THE REDUCING GEARS ON THE LOWER. RIGHT. CHAIN DRIVE AND SHAFT FROM AUXILIARY ENGINE IN BACKGROUND. *Master, John N. Cobb, exploratory fishing vessel, North Pacific Exploratory Fishery Program, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Seattle, Wash, 2 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 a Yi} FIGURE 2 - INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND 7 TO | REDUCING SPROCKETS CONNECTED WITH REDUCING GEARS AND CLUTCH. AIR RAM CONTROLLING THE REDUCING CLUTCH ON THE RIGHT. The John N. Cobb is equipped with a sailing clutch between the main engine and intermediate shaft. The fishing winch is powered by a Diesel auxiliary en- gine, through a torque converter. Therefore, it was a relatively simple matter to tie the power from the auxiliary engine to the intermediate shaft, disengage the sailing clutch, and have a flexible slow-speed operation. A chain and sprocket drive is employed from the winch shaft to a 3 tol self-contained reducing clutch and reverse gear. Power is transmitted from the reducing clutch to the intermediate shaft via chain and 7 to 1 reducing sprock- ets, with a shaft speed from 0 turns to 85 turns per minute. The ship's speed at 80 turns is 3 knots. The reducing clutch and reverse gear are controlled by an air ram which may be operated from the pilothouse or engine room. By installing two quick-change, cross-over valves in the line, the existing air lines to the sailing clutch from the pilothouse and engine room have been made to do double service. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 5 AUXILIARY DIESEL ENGINE WITH TORQUE CONVERT ER _A\R CONTROLS LEAD TO qf PILOTHOUSE & BRIDGE WING JACK SHAFT AIR CONTROLS FOR SAILING 2 \ CONTROL | CLUTCH LEAD TO Pi LOTHOUSE = ' AND BRIDGE WING { AIR RAM FOR CLUTCH GEAR CONTROL bo } od STANDARD MARINE CLUTCH AND REVERSE GEAR | SAILING “— MAIN ENGINE 9 {cLUTCH] | CHAIN ORIVE TO TRAWL WINCH SPROCKET ON PROPELLER SHAFT PROPELLER ENGINE-ROOM BULKHEAD ELEMENTARY DIAGRAM OF SLOW-SPEED TROLLING DEVICE U.S.F.W.S. JOUN S. COBB WwW. Cc. WICKUM € SOUS Waval ARCUITECTS & EucinEetas FIGURE 3 - ELEMENTARY DIAGRAM OF SLOW-SPEED TROLLING DEVICE. The whole installation was kept simple with a minimum number of parts. A further feature of the installation is that it could be used to furnish emergency motive power in the event of main-engine failure. "S'S PACIFIC EXPLORER" Part |\V-Personnel and the Movement of Materials The improved techniques of the purse seiners and the use of larger vessels and nets are becoming increasingly effective for the capture of tuna. The success of the purse-seine method depends on the finding of sizable schools of tuna nearthe surface which are sufficiently quiescent to be captured. The purse-seine method of fishing is not dependent on supplies of bait and offers a definite promise for the development of a truly high seas tuna fishing and mother ship operation. Of the vessels fishing for the Pacific Explorer, the purse seiners, as a group and for their period of operation, were far more successful in catching tuna than the bait boats. While the purse seiners were quite successful during the spring, there may be other seasons of the year, however, when the tuna will be extremely difficult to capture by this method. --Fishery Leaflet 326 oa COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 STUDIES ON METHODS OF EXTRACTING VITAMIN A AND Ol. FROM FISHERY PRODUCTS! PART |lI-EXPERIMENTS ON THE EXTRACTION OF LOW-OIL-CONTENT LIVERS WITH PETROLEUM ETHER BY THE SHAKING METHOD By F Bruce Sanford and Neva L. Karrick* ABSTRACT This report deals with experiments that were directed toward improv- ing the laboratory method of analyzing for oil in lowoil-content fish livers, The particular procedure studied was the shaking method, The study was limited to three variables: (1) the weight of the liver sample (5 and 18 grams in one series of experiments, and 1 and 5 grams in another series); (2) the type of dispersing agent (powdered pumice and powdered anhydrous sodium sulfate); and (3) the volume of dispersing agent (25, 50, and 100 milliliters), A better dispersion of the ground liver was obtained with the pumice than with the anhydrous sodium sulfate, Fifty milliliters of dis- persing agent appeared to be about the optimum volume to use with 50 milli- liters of petroleum ether and a shaking bottle of 1&0-milliliters capacity, The liver samples weighing 5 grams were more thoroughly extracted than those weighing 18 grams; and the semples weighing 1 gram were more thoroughly ex tracted than those weighing 5 grams, The clumping of the liver material appeared to decrease the amount of oil extracted. INTRODUCTION Because of the decrease in the abundance of soupfin and certain other sharks, the livers of food fish are becoming increasingly important as sources of natural vitamin A. In contrast to the livers of most sharks, the livers of food fish usu- ally have a low content. The rapid method of analysis (Anonymous 1947) for oil and vitamin A that was developed for shark livers is not suitable for livers that contain only a small amount of oil. Therefore, a rapid method of assay is needed for the low—oil-content livers. The purpose of these experiments was to obtain data that may ultimately re—- sult in the development of the needed method. The observations reported here are part of a series of studies being conducted to investigate the factors involved in the solvent extraction of oil and vitamin A from low-oil-content livers for analytical purposes. This particular group of experiments applies to the shak-— * Chemists, Fishery Technological Laboratory, Branch of Commercial Fisheries, U, S, Fish and Wildlife Service, Seattle, Washington, 1/ Part I - "Vitamin A Potencies of Oil from Grayfish Livers Obtained by Extraction with Petroleum Ether and by Cooking with Water," by D, Miyauchi and F, B, Sanford, appeared in Commercial Fisheries Review, September 1947, Vol. 9, No. 9, and also as Separate No, 10, Part Il = Experiments on the Solvent Extraction of lowFst Livers, appeared in same Review, February 1949, Vol, 11, No. 2, and also as Separate'No, 224. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 5 ing method (Anonymous 19h). The following variables were tested: (1) the weight of the sample (5 and 18 grams in one series of experiments, and 1 and 5 grams in another series), (2) the type of dispersing agent (powdered pumice and powdered anhydrous sodium sulfate), and (3) the volume of dispersing agent (25 milliliters, 50 milliliters, and 100 milliliters). In order to simplify the immediate problem, no analyses were made for vitamin A. PROCEDURE To maintain continuity and facilitate comparison with previous results, the liver samples were from the same material employed in the work reported earlier (Sanford and Manalo 1949). A quantity of rockfish (Sebastodes sp.) livers had been ground, stirred until uniform, sealed under atmospheric pressure in half- pound cans, and stored at -18° C. (0° F.). Because the cans had not all been opened, a number of them were available for the present study. After these had been used, a series of sole livers was prepared in a similar manner. The concentration of oil in the liver material was determined as follows: A can of the frozen liver was placed overnight in a refrigerator maintained at a temperature slightly above freezing. On the following morning, the material was removed from the can and blended for 3 minutes in a Waring Blendor. A portion (approximately 1, 5, or 18 grams, depend— ing upon the experiment) of the material was transferred to a tared, square, 180-milliliter bottle, and the bottle and its contents were accurately weighed. Exactly 50 milliliters of petroleum ether (bp 35° - 60° C.) and the desired volume (25, 50, or 100 milliliters) of dispersing agent (pow- dered pumice or powdered anhydrous sodium sulfate) were added to the bottle. It was corked, machine-shaken for one hour (14 one-inch strokes a minute) , and centrifuged. A 10-milliliter aliquot portion was then pipetted into a tared beaker and the solvent was evaporated by placing the beaker on a wire screen suspended above an electric hot plate. Three minutes after the solvent had disappeared, the beaker was removed, allowed to cool, and weighed. The oil content of the sample was then calculated. The choice of 5 and 18 grams as the sample weights to be studied in the first series of experiments, although somewhat arbitrary, was based upon the following considerations: The sample should be large enough that the extra precautions re- quired in micro techniques need not be employed. On the other hand, the dimensions of the shaking bottle imposed an obvious upper limit on the size of the sample. Another consideration was that the samples must be sufficiently different in weight so that, if sample size was a signifi- cant variable, this fact would became apparent from the data. Previous work with the liver material indicated that 5 and 18 grams would be satisfactory weights. The choice of 1 and 5 grams in the second series Risen ated cantare tie Polbawing pracsiaret kweigied’ simile of Liver ie shaken in a bottle with a measured volume of solvent and a desiccant or a dispers- ing agent, The bottle and its contents are centrifuged and an aliquot portion of the supernatant solution is taken by means of a pipet, The wight of oil obtained, after the solvent in the aliquot portion is evaporated, gives the remaining datum necessary for the calculation of the liver oil concentration, A second aliquot portion, suitably diluted with isopropanol, is taken for a determination of optical density by means of a spectrophotometer, The vitamin A potency of the oil can then be calculated from the resulting data, 6 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, Noe 6 of experiments was based upon similar reasoning. It was realized, how— ever, that the results with the l-gram samples would be more variable than those with the 5-gram samples. To compensate somewhat for the de- crease in precision, the number of replicate samples in the second series was increased to 10. Because the blended liver material was fluid, the sample was transferred from the blender jar to the shaking bottle, using a pipet constructed from glass tubing one centimeter in diameter. Markings on the pipet indicated the volune of liver material needed to obtain samples fairly reproducible in weight. DISCUSSION If anhydrous sodium sulfate is placed in the shaking bottle before the petro-— leum ether is added to it, the liver material tends to form clumps or balls when the bottle is shaken. This results in less efficient extraction of oil from the liver. The order of addition of the pumice and solvent, however, appears to make no difference because there is little tendency for the pumice to cause balling of the liver particles. If the dispersing agent can be placed in the bottle before the solvent, the manipulative procedure can be slightly improved because the pos— sibility of losing the solvent by evaporation is decreased. Therefore, when pow— dered pumice was used as the dispersing agent, it was added before the petroleum ether; when anhydrous sodium sulfate was used, it was added after the petroleum ether. The amount of a powder is usually measured by weight. In experiments re- ported here, however, the amounts of powder were measured more conveniently by volume. The data in Table I indicate that, under the conditions of the experiments, oil was more completely extracted from the 5-gram samples of liver than from the 18-gram samples. The effect of changing the sample weight from 5 grams to 18 grams was somewhat more noticeable if powdered anhydrous sodium sulfate was used as the dispersing agent than if powdered pumice was used. The pumice appeared to be a more effective dispersing agent than the sodium sulfate. Increase in sample size accentuated the difference in the apparent ef- fectiveness of the two dispersing agents. able 1 - The Apparent Oil Concentration in Liver of Low-0il-Content (Rockfish, Sebastodes sp.) as Determined From 5- or 18-Gram Samples, Using Varied Quantities of Powdered Pumice or Powdered Anhydrous Sodium Sulfate to Disperse the Liver Material Volume of anhydrous APPARENT CONCENTRATION OF OTL IN SAMPLE sodium sulfate f Percent 13.1 14.8 n. om June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 7 With 5-gram liver samples, 50 milliliters of dispersing agent (pumice or anhydrous sodium sulfate) was better than either25or 100 milliliters. With 18- gram samples, the optimum volume of dispersing agent appeared to vary with the type of agent. Thus, with pumice, the use of 25 milliliters appeared to result in better extraction than did the use of 50 or 100 milliliters; on the other hand, the use of 100 milliliters of anhydrous sodium sulfate appeared to result inbetter extraction than did the use of 25 or 50 milliliters. Inasmuch as the 18-gramliver samples could not be extracted efficiently, no attempt was made to confirm these results. Instead, with the amount of dispersing agent set at 50 milliliters, the effect of reducing the sample weight from 5 grams to 1 gramwas studied. The data for this second series of experiments are reported in Table 2. The results of the experi- ments are in agreement with those of the first series. In short, the dispersion was better with the pumice than with the anhydrous sodium sulfate, and relatively more extractives were obtained from the l-gram samples than from the 5-gram samples. Table 2 - The Apparent Oil Concentration in Liver of Low-0il-Content (Sole) as Determined from 1 or 5-Gram Samples, Using 50 Milliliters of Powdered Pumice or Powdered Anhydrous Sodium Sulfate to Disperse the Liver Material APPARENT CONCENTRATION OF OIL IN SAMPLE eae ee of liver | dispersing licate Sample Number sample agent ot Spel a= Percent | Percent | Percent |Percent | Percent | Percent | Percent | Perc Percent| Percent oe 14.8 14,0 13.4 14.6 15.0 14.7 14.7 14.1 14.6 ane 4 5 13.7 14,2 13.8 14.0 13.8 14.2 13.7 14,1 14.2 14.0 5 00 10.9 11.5 10.8 | 11.8 1.7 11.5 10.6 10.3 11.2 11.0 In the present experiments, neither the amount of the non-oil impurities nor the completeness of the oil extraction was determined. For this reason, the oil concentrations reported in Tables 1 and 2 have been designated as "apparent." ~ The large deviations among the replicates show that the results were affected by variables other than those being directly investigated. Observations indicated that one cause of the uncontrolled variation was the clumping of the liver materi- al after it had been introduced into the shaking bottle. The clumps were espe- cially noticeable when anhydrous sodium sulfate was used. Clumping would account for at least a part of the variation because the aggregation of the liver particles obviously would reduce the completeness of the extraction. Therefore, in extract- ing oil from liver material by means of petroleum ether and the shaking method, care should be taken to obtain small, dispersed liver particles. SUMMARY Low-oil liver samples, 1, 5, or 18 grams in weight, were shaken in square, 180-milliliter bottles with 50 milliliters of petroleum ether and, depending upon the experiment, 25, 50, or 100 milliliters of powdered pumice or powdered anhydrous sodium sulfate. It was found that: (1) Relatively more oil was extracted from the small samples than from the large ones. (2) Judging both from the appearance of the liver particles when dispersed by powdered pumice or by anhydrous sodium sulfate and from the relative amounts of oil extracted when each of these materials was used under similar conditions, pumice was a more effective dispersing agent than anhydrous sodium sulfate. 8 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 (3) With the 5-gram liver samples, 50 milliliters of dispersing agent was more effective than 25 or 100 milliliters. (4) For efficient oil extraction, care must be taken to obtain small, well dispersed liver particles. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Alvaro Bonilla A. and Mrs. Mabel A. Edwards. LITERATURE CITED ANONYMOUS 1947. Preliminary procedures for the analysis of vitamin A in fishery byproducts, Commercial Fisheries Review, vol. 9, no, 1, pp. 40-2. SANFORD, F, B,, and MANALO, A, D, 1949. Studies on methods of extracting vitamin A and oil from fishery products. Part II - Experiments on the solvent extraction of lowfat livers. Commercial Fisheries Review, vol. 11, no, 2, pp. 18-22 dl >) = 6 SH. & C VIN RON (a PACKAGING FROZEN FISHERY PRODUCTS Packaging is of importance in retarding oxidative changes in fish, Oxidation of the fat that is present in fish isa factor which has much todowith the period of time that fish-- particularly those designated as fatty--can be maintained in a satisfactory condition in frozen storage. The fat contained in fish is much more susceptible to oxidation than is the fat found in other animal or vegetable foods, Oxygen is rapidly absorbed by this fat and will soon cause the loss of fresh flavor and the development of rancidity, Bleaching and fading of the natural color of the fish may also occur and in extreme cases the fat will darken, causing the fish to assume a brown color, These changes can be retarded by packaging tightly with essentially air-tight wrappings to prevent ready passage of air to the fish, --ishery Leaflet 324 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 9 RESEARCH tp, /N SERVICE LABORAT ORIES aithes ~ April 1950 REFRIGERATION: Volatile acid numbers (V.A.N.) were determined for the striped bass that were pan-dressed, packaged in different ways, and held in zero storage for 12 months. The fish that were wrapped (unfrozen) in vegetable parchment, fol-— lowed by dipping in water, wrapping in cellophans, and freezing, had a V.A.N. of 10.6. Those that were frozen first, then glazed, followed by wrapping in cello- phane, had a V.A.N. of 12.8. Unfrozen fish that were wrapped in cellophane and then frozen (no glaze), had a V.A.N. of 39.5. (Volatile acid numbers increase as quality decreases). These determinations bear out the findings of visual examina tions in that the water-soaked parchment maintained a higher quality in the fish than did the other treatments. HH The first month's examination of frozen oysters treated with ascorbic acid and glazes revealed an acceptable score for all samples. Differences between lots were small. ke SANITATION AND QUALITY CONTROL: A study is being made on the cultural char- acteristics of "pink yeast" isolated from oysters. ae a The survey project of the southern states to determine the effect of indus— trial waste pollution on the marine fisheries was completed. KK PRESERVATION: Several additional chemicals were tried as preservatives for salmon eggs. Sodium metaphosphate and sodium phosphate were tried without suc— cess. Formaldehyde gave adequate preservation but badly distorted the texture of the eggs. Sodium borate in preliminary trials gave very promising results. A combination of sodium sulfate and sodium benzoate gave better preservation than either chemical alone. Several additional phenolic compounds are under test at the present time. x % # Samples of canned pink salmon prepared from frozen fish were examined. Mem— bers of the National Canners Association Laboratory cooperated with the Service in examining the packs. There was a small decrease in free oil in pink salmon canned fran frozen fish than was the case in a previous lot of sockeye salmon 10 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No, 6 examined earlier. Development of curd in canned frozen salmon was more noticeable on the sockeye than the pink salmon. This is because the curd is white in color and contrasts very sharply to the bright red color of sockeye, whereas it seems to blend in with the natural color of the pink salmon and is therefore not so noticeable, The pink salmon canned from frozen fish had developed strong rancid flavors and the fatty layer was more discolored than was the case with sockeye canned from frozen fish. * * + NUTRITION AND COMPOSITION: Samples of frozen fish obtained during explora- tory operations in the Bering-Sea were analyzed for proximate composition. The results are as follows: Percent Percent | Percent Species = moisture oil protei 1.3 - Flathead sole ng crab BYPRODUCTS: Work was continued during the month on the project concerned with the loss of vitamin By)2 and animal protein factor during processing of fish meal. Four samples of herring fish meal were obtained from different sources. Also, three samples of raw frozen herring were obtained, likewise from different sources. The raw herring was ground, stirred until uniform, hermetically sealed in $-pound flat cans, and stored at 0° F. The herring meal was also stored in hermetically sealed tin cans. Work is now proceeding on analyses of the vitamin Bjp content of the fish meal and fresh herring samples. The purpose of these tests is to determine whether the vitamin "12 content of the fish meal, after correcting for losses occurring during manufacture (that is, moisture loss, etc.), is less than the vitamin B,5 content of the original raw material. If no signif- icant losses occur during processing, no further extensive work will be required. However, if it develops that there is a significant loss of vitamin Bjo during preparation of fish meal, further tests will be made to determine whether this occurs during cooking, drying, or other stages of the manufacturing process. * * OX A number of hatchery food materials were analyzed for vitamin Bio with the following results: June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Wat Vitamin By Content Material Analyzed (micrograms per gram) Columbia river viscera — vacuum—freeze dried Columbia river viscera - steam—-vacuum dried Columbia river viscera — tunnel dried Columbia river viscera - 145°, prepared 1948, stored at Leavenworth Salmon offal meal - commercial Stickwater - lyophilized Crab meal - East Coast (commercial) Crab meal — Pacific Coast (commercial) Herring stickwater concentrate 1O. Crab meal (prepared here, not used at Leavenworth) Nl. Herring solubles (dried) 12, Halibut sawdust ooo eee e - hr oO Ls) D 7 7 6 oz D al 0) 2 OOONOCO e Oo e OFO = Aside from the principal value of these analyses in connection with the hatch- ery feed program, the data give some indication as to the possible distribution of vitamin B,)5 in fish meals. Samples 1 through 4 and 6 were all prepared fram the same raw material at the Seattle laboratory. It would appear that exposure of the raw material to temperatures up to that of free steam do not destroy vita-— min B)2, but that a large quantity of this vitamin appears in the stickwater. Sample 9 (herring stickwater concentrate), which had a relatively low vitamin B92 content, was one poorly processed as evidenced by the low content of other vita-— mins and very poor nutritive value in fish-feeding tests. From the almost zero content of vitamin B)> in the halibut sawdust (collected during cutting of frozen halibut steaks), it is probable that vitamin B)2 does not occur in appreciable quantities in the meat of fish. KH TECHNICAL NOTE NO4-FISHERY BYPRODUCTS FOR ANIMAL FEEDING Condensed fish solubles and fish meals contain several of the newly discover- ed growth-promoting vitamins, according to reports by research men attending the scientific meetings in Philadelphia and Atlantic City this year. These products are among the few natural feedstuffs which probably contain growth-promoting fac— tors similar in action to the antibiotic aureomycin. They also contain at least one other newlyediscovered growth-promoting factor only otherwise found in dried yeast or liver. Condensed fish solubles are usually included in the concentrate feeds for poultry and swine at a level of two percent, and fish meals at a level of 4 to 6 percent of the ration. Not only do these fishery byproducts supply certain other necessary vitamins, including vitamin B 9, but they are good sources of high quality protein, and certain nutritionalte essential minerals, particularly calcium, phosphorus, iron, and copper. The high protein content (from 55 to 70 percent protein) and low fiber content of fish meal makes it a particularly ef- ficient source of protein, minerals, and vitamins in high-energy rations for 12 COMMERCIAL F ISHERTES REVIEW Vol, 12, No. 6 quickly growing poultry and swine. Condensed fish solubles may also be used, par- ticularly because of their high values for vitamins and minerals. Condensed fish solubles or fish meals may also be included to good advantage in breeder rations for these farm animals since they efficiently balance the nu- trients of the low-cost cereals or cereal byproducts which make up the bulk of the rations. They also act as a safety factor in the rations to protect the ani- mals against the occasional serious deficiencies of specific nutrients of other feed ingredients used in the rations fed, which may be caused by adverse storage conditions or poor processing; and against factors of undue stress in the animals themselves, produced by unfavorable surroundings, adverse weather, or potential infections. —-Dr. Hugo Nilson, Pharmacologist, Fishery Technological Laboratory, College Park, Maryland. 2 pounds halibut steaks. 1 teaspoon onion, grated. 1 teaspoon salt. 4 tablespoons butter or other 1/8 teaspoon pepper. fat, melted. 2 tablespoons lemon juice. paprika. Cut fish into serving size portions. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and onion to the melted fat. Dip each piece of fish into this mixture and place in a greased baking pan. Pour the rest of the fat over the fish. Bake in a moderate oven 350° F, for 25 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately on a hot platter. Serves 6. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 13 EDEVELOPMENTS = Additions to the Fleet of US. Fishing Vessels During March 1950, a total of 58 vessels of 5 net tons and over received their first documents as fishing craft--9 less than in March 1949. California led with 11 vessels followed by Louisiana and Florida with 8 vessels each, reports the Bureau of the Customs of the Treasury Department, During the first three months of 1950, a total of 142 vessels were documented, compared with 175 during the same period in 1949, Vessels Obtaining Their First Documents as Fishing Craft, March 1950 March 1950 1949 1950 1949 New England Chesapeake Bay South Atlantic & Gulf Pacific Coast NOTE: Vessels have been assigned to the various sections on the basis of their home port. ECA Procurement Authorizations for Fishery Products Included among the procurement and reimbursement authorizations announced by the Economic Cooperation Administration during May this year was $219,000 for the purchase of edible and inedible fishery products from the United States and Pos~ sessions, Of this amount, $210,000 was to be used by the Federal Republicof Ger- many for the purchase of inedible fish oil, and $9,000 by Trieste for the purchase of canned fish (except shrimp, crab meat, and lobster meat), Certain decreases in previous authorizations have taken place which reduce the total amount authorized for fishery products under the ECA program from 14 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW April 1, 1948, through May 31, 1950, Vol, 12, No, 6 All of the decreases (a total of $397,000) involved authorizations for purchases from the United States and Possessions, The decreases consisted of $125,000 for Belgium-Luxembourg for the purchase of canned fish; $57,000 for Ireland for the purchase of canned fish; and $215,000 for the German Federal Republic for the purchase of fish oil, Table I = Total ECA Procurement Authorization for Fishery Products, April 1, 1948 — Ma 31, 1950_ Country of Origin Recipient Country Fish, Canned Canada (including Newfoundland) Total Canned Fish Fish, Salted Canada ineluding Newfoundland U. S. & Possessions Belgium—Luxembourg Greece Ireland Italy Trieste United Kingdom United Kingdom French West Indies Greece Italy Oval moa Lbedekl shmerebeieioinienieieinisicieloienalere teres Total Gra blew Sheeran BYPRODUCTS : ish & Whale Oils eeeesereeseeoree eeoeseeseeeereeseoeecs Austria France France Germany " 1,216,000 23,000 257,000 1,422,000 1,693,000 2,960,000 2,201,000 Norway U. S. & Possessions Newfoundland U. S. & Possessions Iceland Norway Belgium U. S. & Possessions | Netherlands Total Fish & Iceland Canada (including Newfoundland Norway & Portugal Total authorizations for fishery products and byproducts from April 1, 1948, through May 31, 1950, amounted to $29,536,000 (see Table 1), This amount consist- ad of $13,458,000 for canned fish; $4,088,000 for salted fish; $10,450,000 for fish and whale oils; and $1,540,000 for fish meal (see Table 2), In addition, there were some authorizations for some related fisheries prod- ucts during May, The Federal Republic of Germany received an authorization for $30,000 for the purchase of pearl essence from the United States and Possessions, and Austria $40,000 for the same purpose, The Netherlands received an authori- zation for $5,000 for the purchase of fish glue from the United States and Pos- sessions, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 5 An authorization to Korea for building fishing vessels was announced during the month, The sum of $1,424,000 was approved for the purchase of commodities for the Table 2 - ECA Procurement parE for Fishery Products Bh Country of Origin and Commodity, April 1, 1948 - May 31, 1950 ota. | Grand Total) a A Fr vO A of Origin Fish Fish Edible Fish Whale Oils| Fish Mealj] products Byproducts eeccenves Bieluie(ulsleleieielsials es e(In U.S. Dollars)....... minjajavelsletaleiain\ eles eisielerwiniarere’s e cle! ee 6,822,000 2,123,000 2,123,000 anada (including Newfoundland) .. 257,000 651,000 |] 11,375,000 eS Be = ES 1,693,000 183,000 |] 1,876,c00 |] 1,876,000 po006 2,201,000 = 2,201,000 2,201,000 963,000 4, 1176, eas cers cerescccece 4, ais 000 4, i176, ao ECA project to construct fishing vessels for rehabilitation of Korean fisheries, The commodities under this project are to be procured by the United States Federal Supply Service from Japan, United States and Possessions, British Dependencies in Asia and Oceania, and the Philippines, Of the total authorized, $603,000 is to be spent for vessels and equipment, $323,000 for engines, and the balance for miscellaneous equip- ment and materials for the project, France received a procurement authorization of $70,000 to cover the purchase of spare parts for vessels and barges from Canada, Of this amount, approximately $50,000 will probably be used for the purchase of spare parts for fishing vessels, Since ECA is placing increasing stress on capital equipment, there is a corre- spondinglydecreasing emphasis on food products, This does not apply to surplus food products, Under a new Marshall Plan project to give Koreans a chance to catch up on modern technical "know-how", 23 Americans will go to Korea, ECA reported on May 1, The U, S, instructors and administrators will be selected by the Illinois Institute of Tech- nology to direct a study program at the new Korean Technical Institute at Seoul which is scheduled to open on July 1. A small phase of this project will be conducted at the Pusan Fisheries Institute, a branch of the Technical Institute in Seoul, where Koreans will be taught modern fishing practices, processing of marine food products (such as, canning, salting, smoking, drying, and freezing), principles of handling and sanitation, and plant management, The Americans will be sent to Korea under ECA's technical assistance program and will spend one year at the Institute bringing Korean teachers and student trainees up to date on technical skills, Dollar costs of $475,000 for the entire project (fisheries is only a small part of this project) will be aes by ECA, A list of new Italian import-license preliminary approvals issued by the Office of Small Business during May included an import license for 50 outboard motors for fishing boats with an approximate value of $16,000, This list covers the purchase of equipment from the United States under ECA financing, Establishment of a Special Technical and Economic Mission (STEM) to the associ- ated states of Indo-China (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) was announced on May 25 by ECA, Other ECA missions to strategic areas in southeast Asia are in prospect, In its seventh quarterly report to Congress (for the last quarter of 1949), ECA pointed out that a record high industrial production rate, substantially increased exports, and removal of many quota restrictions featured economic recovery progress - 16 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No, 6 in Western Europe during the fourth quarter of 1949, Develuation of currencies, the report noted, did not set off a new cycle of inflation as had been feared, The improved competitive position of West- ern European goods in world markets, re- sulting from the devaluation of currencies in September, was followed by a substanti- ally increased volume of exports, The re- port also described the proposed European Payments Union and told how it would pro- mote full transferability of European cur- rencies and assist in creating suitable monetary conditions for the expansion of European trade, The Economic Cooperation Administra- tion has announced the availability of publications designed to assist American business firms which desire to trade with Italy and Greece, The nublications, pre- pared at the request of ECA's Office of Small Business, include directories of Italian and Greek importers, They also contain summeries of economic information on the two countries together with gener- al data and trade regulations and resumes of export and import procedures, Both manual also ccntain lists of products available for export, “ALL OUR COLOURS TO THE MAST- THIS POSTER, SUBMITTED BY REIUN DIRKSEN, To aid American businessuen inter- A DUTCH ARTIST, WAS AWARDED FIRST PRIZE ested in doing business with Greece, the AND $1,500 IN AN INTRA-EUROPEAN MARSHALL Foreign Trade’ Administration of the Min- PLAN POSTER CONTEST SPON ; = 7 ghoneeh a) istry of Naticnal Economy of Greece also has opened an office in Washington, D, C, 1/ Greace--A Businessman's Manual and Directory on Trading with Greece, see listing on me Federal Purchases of Fishery Products DEPARTWENT OF THE ARVY, March 1950: A total of 825,341 pounds (valued at $420,349) of fresh and frozen fishery products were purchased during March this year by the Army Quartermaster Corps for the U. S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Purchases of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products by Department of the Army March and the First Three Months, 1949 and 1950 QUANTITY | VALUE 1950 1950 1949 1949 1949 | mW lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. : . o b 825,341 |1,588,166 | 2,568,844 |3,954,229 |} 420,349 |510,200| 1,187,460 }1,332,972 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW y/ Air Force for military feeding, Purchases for March were 44 percent more in quantity and 57 percent higher in value than for February 1950, However, purchases for Narch 1950 were 48 percent lower in quantity and 18 percent lower in value, compared with March a year ago, For the first three months in 1950, the quantity of fresh end frozen fishery products purchased was 35 percent lower and the value 11 percent below the corre- sponding period in 1949, HAMMOND BAY CHOSEN AS FIELD HEADQUARTERS FOR SEA LANPREY RESEARCH: The United States Coast Guard is permitting the Fish and Wildlife Service to use the Hammond Bay Boat Station on Lake Huron near Rogers City, Michigan, as field headquarters for research on methods of controlling the sea lamprey. This station not only has ex- cellent office facilities, but can be fitted readily into an experimental laboratory, A boat slip and marine railways will permit the basing of small craft at the station, The location of field headquarters for research on the sea lamprey on Hammond Bay is advantageous since the station is situated approximately in the center of the experimental control zone that will be established this year between Waugachance Point in Lake Michigan at the western end of the Straits of Mackinaw and Alpena, Michigan, on Lake Huron, Every spawning stream in this stretch of shoreline that does not now contain a barrier to the migration of the sea lamprey is to have a weir or other experimental device for the capture end destruction of the spawning run, It was also in the Hammond Bay region of Lake Huron that the first scientific studies of the sea lamprey in the upper Great Lakes were initiated four years ago under the sponsorship of the Michigan Department of Conservation, HATCHERY TO HELP RESTORE GREAT LAKES LAMPREY—-DEPLETED LAKE TROUT FISHERY: Pen- dill's Creek, Creek, 25 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on Lake Superior, | has been chosen as the site of the Upper Peninsula lake Sonera hatchery, the Secretary of the Interior announced on May 3, The experimental hatchery, designed to help restore the lamprey-depleted lake trout fishery of the Great Lakes, was made possible by a Con- gressional bill which authorized a total of $325,000 for the project; $92,500 of this sum was later made available, Construction of the hatchery will begin early this summer, The hatchery is ex-= pected to be in full operation a year from this fall, When the number of lampreys decline, officials of the U, S, Fish and Wildlife Service hope that the Lake Michigan fishery can be built up by restocking with lake trout, The introduction of large fingerlings follows the practice of the Pacific salmon cultural stations--which has shown that stocking with larger fish is muchmore effective than with fry, 18 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No. 6 Fish Marketing Study Inaugurated in Latin America” In order to investigate and obtain information on current and potential markets in Latin America for United States fishery products, particularly canned fish, the U. S, Department of Agriculture has initiated a study under its Research and Market- ing Act program, The project is sponsored by that agency's Office of Foreign Agri- cultural Relations in cooperation with the Fish and Wildlife Service, U, S. Depart- ment of the Interior, Two specialists, already stationed in Latin America, have been assigned by the Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out the first-hand study, They are Milton J, Lindner, chief of the U.'S,-Fishery Mission to Mexico with headquarters at the Amer- ican Embassy in Mexico City; and Robert 0, Smith, who has been stationed since 1949 at the American Embassy at Lima as chief of the Fishery Mission to Peru, The two specialists met the week of May 21 at Caracas, Venezuela, to confer and to complete final plans for the survey, Lindner will travel down the east coast of South America, and Smith will survey the West Coast, They will return to their posts in late June, This survey is patterned after a similar survey of European markets for fishery products made in 1948, The two specialists will visit Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Surinam, Curacao, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile, 1/See page 33 of this issue fora report on the Argentine Republic--the first of this series. re Gulf Exploratory Fishery Program "OREGON" RETURNS FROM FIRST CRUISE: Observations on tuna, snappers, bait fish, and shrimp were made by the Oregon on its first cruise in the Gulf of Mexico between May 8-25. This vessel of the Serv- ice's Gulf Exploratory Fishery Program left Pascagoula, Missis- : 7 sippi and proceeded west of the : Mississippi River to shallow water ‘< off the Louisiana coast, About three days were spent in attempts to get a good supply of live bait for tuna, The vessel worked west- ward along the continental shelf and put in at Galveston May 17. The cruise was continued on May 23 off the Texas and Louisi- ana coasts along the 50-fathom curve, and the Oregon returned to Pascagoula on May 29, THE OREGON OF THE SERVICE'S GULF EXPLORATORY FISHERY ‘ PROGRAM LEAVING FOR ITS FIRST CRUISE. Observations on Tuna: On the Louisiana and Texas coasts a large number of small schools of the little tuna (Euthynnus alletteratus) were encountered Over depths greater than 30-fathoms, frequently among scattered schools of the common jack (Caranx hippos), Attempts to attract the little tuna with live bait were unsuc- cessful and trolling with artificial bait met with limited success, The little tuna captured were gorged with percomorph fish about 14 inches long, Dolphin, barracuda, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 19 and one wahoo, as well as common jacks, were taken while trolling with artificial bait for little tuna, A school of larger fish, possibly tuna, was sighted but could not be approached to permit identification or accurate estimate of the size of the fish, The bait fish located were in water too shallow to permit the use of the typi- cal lampara bait seine, Collection of a small quantity of bait was made with a shrimp trawl. The bait remained alive in the tanks until the return to Pascagoula but many of the fish obtained were not suitable for bait, Observations on Snappers: Surface and bottom temperatures were recorded on snapper banks, Snapper stomachs were collected for examination, One shrimp trawl drag contained six snappers under 10 inches long, Snappers weighing 16 to 29 pounds were taken in other drags at night on mud bottom, Shrimp: Six 30-minute drags with a 40-foot shrimp trawl, in fifty fathoms on mud bottom, were made at widely separated points off the Louisiana and Texas coasts, All of these drags produced grooved shrimp (Peneus aztecus), 8 to 15 count per pound (heads on), and no other commercial species of shrimp, Quantities obtained were small, one to nineteen pounds, and three trawls were lost when bogged in heavy mud, It is expected that difficulties encountered in dragging can be overcome with modi- fications of the trawling rigs, Miscellaneous Observations: Scrap fish obtained at fifty fathoms included sev- eral species hitherto known chiefly in the West Tndien and Caribbean region, Bottom temperatures at fifty fathoms were only 1 iy, Be 9° F.colderthan surface temperatures, feeding tuna “tuna and other mackerel-like fish, and continuation of exploratory fishing for snappers are the main objectives of aad Oregon's second cruise, This vessel of the Service's Gulf Exploratory Fishery Program left Pascagoula, Mississippi, on June 8, 1950, and is scheduled to return to port about June 30, Operations will be conducted in the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River, particularly near the 100-fathom curve between the Mississippi coast and Key West, Collections of material and data similar to that collected on the first cruise in the west Gulf of Mexico will be made for comparison purposes, Shrimp trawl drag- ging in 50 to 100 fathoms also will be continued, Menhaden Fishery Movie in Production The menhaden fishery (the largest fishery in the United States) is the sub- _ject of a U, S, Fish and Wildlife Service film now in production, The new 16 mm, sound and color film is a cooperative project of the menhaden industry and the Fish and Wildlife Service's Branch of Commercial Fisheries, The menhaden industry is financing the film, and the Branch of Commercial Fisheries is directing its production and will be responsible for distribution of prints, The picture will tell the story of menhaden--from the catching of these tre- Mendous schools of small herring-like fish to the processing and utilization of 20 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 the fish meal and oil products in agriculture and industry, It is estimated that the film will be completed within one year, ©) = North Atlantic Fishery Investigations the offshore winter-trawl fishery and pertinent temperature observa~ Be tions were the principal objectives of an eight-day cruise by the Alba- tross III, research vessel of the Service's North Atlantic Fishery Investigations, Made in cooperation with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the cruise was completed ' on May 19 when the vessel returned \ to Woods Hole, Mass, Additional objectives were underwater bottom photography and further brine-freezing of haddock in the round for the Technology Section of the Branch of Commercial Fisheries, With the standard 1$ Iceland trawl (liners in bellies and cod end, no rollers or V-D gear) 63 half-hour tows were made beginning at a point ten miles southwest of Cox Ledge, ex- tending to the edge of the Hudson Canyon in 210 fathoms, eastward to southeast Georges in depths ranging from 50 to 240 fathoms, westward in shoaler water (30 to 50 fathoms) to the Nantucket Shoals region, then northwest to the final station ten miles west of No Mans Land, Temperatures were obtained by bathythermograph lowerings and on several of the deeper stations by reversing thermometers, Although 51 species were taken during the cruise, only scup were caught in commercial quantities (be~= ABOARD THE ALBATROSS 111--BIGELOW WATER SAMPLER ain READY TO BE LOWERED, tween Cox's Ledge and Hudson Canyon), Further data on the life history of the shad were added when a number of small ones were caught, These were of a size (10 to 14 inches) never seen in the rivers where they run on their spawning migration, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 21 A catch of very large redfish was taken on the continental slope in 175-195 fathoms, off the south central part of Georges Bank, In this same haul two baby halibut about 6 inches long also were taken, The catch of fluke was relatively small and most of the fish were taken between 40 and 60 fathoms, indicating that a large percentage of the fish inhabiting the wintering grounds (50 to 70 fathoms) had not yet migrated far toward shoaler water, North Pacific Exploratory Fishery Program "JOHN N, COBB" LEAVES ON FOUR-MONIH CRUISE: The Service's North Pacific Exe ploratory ory Fishery | Program 1 vessel, John N, Cobb, left Seattle on June 12, 1950, on a. four~month exploratory fishing cruise in the " off shore waters of the North Pacific, Primary objectives of this cruise are to locate commercial concentrations of alba core tuna; determine their pattern of abundance; trace their general migration in the waters off Oregon, Washington, and Southeastern Alaska; and determine the most effective means of capturing the tuna commercially, The vessel will fish with usual commercial gear, such as, surface-trolled jigs and live bait. In addition, in an attempt to determine the vertical distribution _ of these fish, both linen and nylon gill nets will be used by the vessel, When conditions permit, long-lining and deep trolling for tuna will be tested, Oceano- graphic and other scientific information related to the problem will be collected, A daily broadcast of findings will be made from the vessel to the fishing fleet in the North Pacific, Pacific Halibut Areas IB and 2 Closed on June | The International Fisheries Commission announced on May 20, 1950, that Areas 1B and 2 (with a quota of 25,500,000 pounds) in the Pacific were closed at midnight June 1, 1950, to all halibut fishing except that provided for in Article 1 of the Convention, By that date the Commission estimated that the quota for Area 2 (lo- cated between Willapa Harbor, Washington, and Cape Spencer, Alaska) will have been filled, There is no quota for Area 1B (located between Cape Blanco, Oregon, and Willapa Harbor, Washington), but this area is closed with Area 2, These two areas in 1949 were closed at midnight June 3, The 1950 season for these areas was 32 days long, compared with 34 days in 1949, 32 days in 1948, 39 days in 1947, and 42 days in 1946, No closing dates have been announced as yet for other areas, The 1949 catch limits for Areas 3 and 4 are 28,000,000 and 500,000 pounds, respectively, the same as in 1949. 22 COMVERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations "HENRY O'MALLEY" SAILS ON LOCAL FISHING CRUISE (Cruise No, 3): In order to determine the abundance of live bait at this time of the year, the research and ex= ploratory fishing vessel Henry O'Malley left Pearl Harbor on May 16 on Cruise No, 3 for one month, This vessel of the Service's Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations will operate on French Frigate Shoals and will attempt to take a full load of live bait, Using this bait and bait from other areas, the Henry O'Malley will engage in aku (skipjack) fishing in waters in the vicinity of the Hawaiian and Leeward Is¥ands, The purpose is to develop techniques of employing mainland-style vessels and gear under conditions to be met with in the mid-Pacific, and to determine the catching rate of such gear for evaluation of subsequent exploratory fishing results in new and unexplored areas, “HUGH M, SMITH" LOCATES FISH EGGS AND LARVAE AND INVESTIGATES TAGGING Q@ TUNA (Cruise No. 4): In order to determine the presence of tuna eggs and young, the Hugh M, Smith of the Service's Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations fleet sampled the waters lying within 400 miles of the Hawaiian Islands with fine-meshed nets, Although the material collected on the cruise has not been examined as yet, pre- liminary inspection revealed the presence of a large number of fish eggs and larvae, among them small sailfish between + and # inch in length, indicating a recent spawning of this species, This was the vessel's fourth cruise—left Pearl Harbor on May 10 and returned 22 days later on June 2, As a secondary mission of the cruise, methods of tagging tunas were investi- gated, Twenty skipjeck (aku) and small yellowfin (ahi) were tagged and three skipjack were held in the live well aboard the vessel for the last two days of the cruise, Of the total tagged, 13 were tagged with hooks placed in the jaw, and 7 by inserting a flat tag into the body cavity, Approximately 750 pounds of small bait fish were caught during the baiting operations on this cruise--nehu (a small anchovy), iao (a small silverside smelt), and mosquito fish (Mollienesia sp.). The bait was used to fish six schools of fish, The catch consisted of 162 skipjack tuna and 85 dolphin, a = i South Pacific Fishery Investigations ———— O_O ery Investigations has revised the station pattern for the research vessel, Black Douglas, in order to provide more intensive coverage of spawning areas and still retain extensive coverage, Sardine spawning during February and March was reported confined to an area off Lower California, The 1947 and 1946 year-classes comprised 80 percent of the 1949-50 catch in numbers of fish, These same year-classes contributed 87 percent in 1948-49. The incoming 1948 class appears subnormal for one-ring fish, ‘The 1945, 1944, and 1943 classes, which hitherto have been either weak or underrepresented, appeared over= available, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 23 From April 3 to April 17, the Investigations! Black Douglas made a cruise at stations located between Cape Mendocino and Monterey Bay, Calif, This was one of the regular monthly cruises of the cooperative sardine research program, which is attempting to determine the amount and extent of sardine spawning, productivity of the area, the current pattern of the region, and other related characteristics of the marine climate off the west coast of North America, Volumes of plankton collected on this cruise were large as on the two pre- vious cruises in this area, However, no adult sardines were sighted during the cruise, The numbers of sauries observed were less than on previous cruises, Fur seals were observed over the entire extent of the cruise, although they were few- er in number than those observed during February and March this year, Splitting of Fish Fillets Being Adopted As a Tyan of the work carried out by the Service's Technological Laboratory in Seattle on the splitting of rockfish fillets, several commercial fishery firms have now adopted this procedure for special use, such as, the fish and chips trade, Modern fish=-skinning machines can be adapted for splitting fish fillets at any desired thickness, This has several advantages, such as, (1) the production of more desirable thin sections from thick fillets, (2) the preparation of fillets of uniform thickness, (3) the preparation of extremely thin sections of fillets for use in special recipes, The removal of most of the dark flesh beneath the skin of the rockfish fillets by use of the skinning machine set to remove approximately 1/8 inch of the flesh as well as the skin was recommended by the Service, This practice about doubles the cold-storage life of the frozen rockfish fillet, In view of this, certain fish companies now specify in their orders that all rockfish fillets have the dark flesh and skin removed by a fish-skinning and splitting machine, 1/ See "Storage Life of Whole and Split Rockfish Fillets” by M, E, Stansby and J. Dassow, Commercial Fisheries Review, July 1949, Vol. 11, No. 7, pp. 1-8 or Separate No. 233. —S Pack of Maine Sardines (Including Sea Herring), [949 The 1949 pack of Maine sardines (including sea herring) amounted to 3,074,523 standard cases, valued at $21,051,675 to the packers, This was a decline of 17 Table 1 - Pack of Maine Sardines by Style of Pack, and by Size of Can and Case, 1949 Quantity in Standard and Actual Cases and Value to the Canners) _ farna Tp Seige [coronene Loree [ep Pep Style of Pack Quantit; Value Per Std. Case Size of Can and Case Quantity 3} ounces net (100 cans).. LOC (AS een) lon 15 uA ay(48, Dn ie Other sizes converted to e 664 4.210 (3,074,525 | 21,051 ol tal Total SHE : l1/"Standard cases" represent cases of various sizes converted to 100 4-oil cans ounces net) to the case. puolas oreo packs of sardines (including sea herring), smoked and kippered; smoked in soybean 011; amoked in olive oil; and fillets in Soybean oil. 24 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Voll, 125) Now6 percent in quantity and 28 percent in value as compared with the previous year, The average price per standard case declined from$7.97 in 1948 to $6.85 in 1949, Sardines (including sea herring) were canned in 47 plants in Maine, 3 in Massachusetts, and 1 in New Hampshire, Table 2 = Pack of Maine Sardines (Including Sea Herring) 1941-49 (Quantity in Standard Cases4/and Value to the Canners a a DP a Quantity Value Per Std. Case|} Year | Quantit Value Per Std. Case Std.Cases p $ Std. Cases $ $ 3,074,523 | 21,051,675 6.85 3,261,984 {14,819,803 3,682,392 | 29,359,114 2,505,114 |11,104,570 3,013,910 | 28,310,674 2,873,246 3,276,338 | 20,275,590 3,164,787 2,725,216 | 12,077,201 The pack of herring previously reported as canned sea herring has been converted to the equivalent of 100 $-oil cans (3% ounces net) to the case and included with the pack of sardines. Prior to 1949, tne packs of fish canned as sardines and as sea herring were tabulated separately, However, in 1949 the tabulation of the packs was combined, The comparative data in Table 2 likewise represents the combined packs for the past ten years, — Manufacture of Meal and Oil Utilizes Half of the Fisheries Catch About 46 percent of all fishery products landed in the United States and , Alaska during 1949 was utilized in the manufacture of fish meal and oil (Figure 1). Because fish meal and oil are used where they are not recognized as fishery by- products, the importance of the fisheries that supply this industry is little known by the public, On the farm, fish meal is an important ingredient of poultry and hog feeds, In industry, fish oil is utilized in soap, paint, varnish, insect spray, machin- ery lubricants, printing ink, oil cloth and linoleum, and in industrial processes (like leather tanning and aluminum casting), Thus, meal and oil from fish are converted into products which are used daily by everyone, The raw material is derived from two sources--whole fish caught specifically for reduction purposes and fish waste from filleting, canning, and other fisheries processing (Figure 2), Fully 2,250 million pounds of fish was processed by meal and oil manufacturers in 1949, Rendering plants utilize two principal species of fish--menhaden and pilchards, The menhaden catch last year was 1,069 million pounds, while that of pilchards amounted to 640 million pounds, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 25 TOTAL CATCH 41 42 «43 The pilchard catch in the Pacific reached a high of 1,500 million pounds in 1936, but following that year the catch fluctuated between 800 and 1,300 million WHOLE FISH AND FISH WASTE USED FOR MANUFACTURE INTO MEAL AND OIL MILLION i921 1949 Race Mla ene aera epee eg legale. TMT WHOLE FISH en Sea eee | ES Lape lnc he lasers 22 23 24 25 227 eaeaewmwsaerzesxnH KH B FF 3B 39 W 4 4 43 4 45 46 47 48 49 26 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW ~ Vol. 12;eNosG U. S PRODUCTION OF FISH SCRAP AND MEAL, 1921-1949 | | I I I PILCHARD MEAL Ca ¢ /@ MENHADEN DRY SGRAP & MEAL ae "MENHADEN ACID SCRAP Lit at ate 4 35 33 B® 40 pounds, After 1945, it declined sharply to a low of 250 million pounds in 1947, but then increased again, While the catch of pilchards was fluctuating, the menhaden catch in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico increased to record levels, U.S. Production of Menhaden Products, 1949 Receipts of menhaden by manufacturers of menhaden products in 1949 amounted to 1,068,622,995 pounds (1,594,959,694 fish). This was the largest catch in the Table 1 - Manufacturers' Receipts of Menhaden and Production of Menhaden Products, 1g49l/ Quantity and Value to the Manufacturer sbaee os a) Ae ieee States Utilized Scrap and Heed Pounds SE 157,582,459 6,620 7049, a 1,570,065 249,684,210]! 2/25, 303 | 2/3,763,975 | 2,428,176 126,430,336|] 15,100] 2,417,735 227,679,400] 2/23,016 | 2/3,421,841 54,919,900 6,070 | 1,006,765 INGW JOTSOY seccccccccccccccecs ew York and Delaware eoeccoee Virginia Pe eereeeseeeesesseere INOrth Carolina eseecesesccvece Florida cececccccescccscccscccce ssissippi, South Carolina, . Louisiana,and Texas sescece 252,326,690 26,139 4,495,917 Pobab ovens eee veceve[ 71060 628 ov0)] These | Te SOE [Ny 008 | Sy eee, ea HY O50 107 l1/Does not include the production of menhaden condensed solubles, 2/A small production of acidulated scrap has been included with the production of dry scrap and meal. 3/1,594,959,694 fish. June 1950 COMVERCIAL F ISHERIES REVIEW 27 history of the fishery, and was the second successive year that the yield exceeded one billion pounds, In 1949, menhaden products were manufactured in 9 plants in North Carolina; 6 in Virginia; 4 in Florida; 3 in New Jersey; 2 each in Delaware, Mississippi, and Louisiana; and 1 each in New York, South Carolina, and Texas, Table 2 - Menhaden Utilized and Production of Menhaden Products, 1940 to 1949 __ (Quantity and Value to the Manufact a Menhaden Utilized Value 1/17, 655, as cnt 7/11,560,914 1/ 10, 132,179 10,883,852 11,425,497 8,605,118 9,033,032 5,483,377 5,656,550 685,980,170 4,913,224 3,725,498 615,554,460 4,766,672 3,892,142 482,643,880 3,362,279 3,200,129 775,086,820 4,008,355 634,589,000 2,425,229 1/A small production of acidulated scrap has been included with dry scrap and meal. Since the founding of the Nation the catch of menhaden by United States fish- ermen has been far greater than that of any other species, Data on the catch of menhaden (which are available for most of the last 76 years) indicate that during this period about 35 billion pounds of menhaden were taken for manufacture into meal and oil, Asch #4, ee U. S. Pacific Coast States Pack of Canned Salmon, 1949 The 1949 pack of canned salmon in the Pacific Coast States amounted to1,133,325 standard cases, valued at $22,167,812 to the canners, Compared with 1948, this was Table 1 - Pacific Coast States Pack of Canned Salmon by Species and Area (Quantity and Value to Canners Puget Sound [Columbia River Species Cases Per Case | nscaatee | cant Per Case Value Cases Per Case Cases For suze Value 21, 622 $19. 34 $50.47 ~+«#4, 055,146 199,225 . e 167,791 553,987 93,520 3 2,915,749 ; i 237,187 63,516 2 1,342,829 496 562 243,575 an increase of 40 percent in volume, but a decline of 8 percent in value. The Puget Sound district of Washington accounted for 82 percent of the 1948 pack; the Columbia River districts of Oregon and Washington, 16 percent; and the coastal districts of the three states, 2 percent, Salmon were canned at 34 plants in Washington, 11 in Oregon, and 3 in Califor- nia, * Does not include canned salmon pack in Alaska. 28 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No. 6 Table = - Pacific Coast States Pack of pauses Salmon, 1940-49 Std. Cases |Std. Cases Std. Cases fanaa Std. Cases Std. Cases | Std. Cases 107, 107,801 765,145" 143 97,907 125,647 2/185,992 37,095 155,842 1/163,474 283,935 1: 53,130 38,061 21,610 282,105 320 ,817 154,475 143,837 238 ,425 2,254 86 ,451 /Includes 94,712 cases of smoked salmon which were /Includes 814 cases of smoked salmon which were not reported by species. US Pack of Canned Tuna and Tuna-Like Fish, 1949 A new record pack of tuna and tuna-like fish was produced in 1949, A total of 7,290,320 standard cases was packed, valued at $97,710,325 to the packer, fable 1 - Pack of Canned Tuna and Tuna-Like Fish by Species and States, 1949 (Quantity in Standard Cases & Value to the Canners [SS~SCSCCALFORNTASSC*d’SSCSCWASHIINGTON AND OREGON] MAINE, MARYLAND, & MASSACHUSETTS Species antity Value Per a Value Per Std.Case} Quantity Value Per Std.Case Stas Casee Cases $ p ie eccccces 1,022,957| 15, a7, 412 Yellowfin 3,753,906 49,273,930 Bluefin ....ee- 76,877 999,642 Skipjack .wccceese Be rates 1/17, 708,064 2,579,943 2/76, 334 2/804, 289 6,406,401] 86,032,991 647,718| 9,202,517 14,21 | 76,334 | 804,289 una-Like Fish: Bonito ..ccees 33,734 365,444 10.83 pees 133 1,305,084 10.35 Total tuna-like 1949 949 Grand Total .. | Total «. ae 1566,268| 87 [87,703,519 | 519 ia a 718 Peas 202,517 pees 21 804 289] 10.54 _| "Standard cases" represent cases of various sizonk converted to the equivalent of 48 No. $ tuna cans to the case, each can g 7 ounces net weight of solid-packed meat or 6 ounces net weight of flakes or grated meat. Table 2 - Pack of Canned Tuna and Tuna-Like Fish by Species, 1947-49 (Quantity in Standard Cases and Value to the aa Eee me 1949 Total ae Total Total TAvEs Price pote Price Total Avg. Price Bere Hey | te ieee | eee ae ae A: as Std.Cases. 1,466,849 466,849 21,750,314 24,559,318 3,902,763 62,352,835 2,378,079 16,295,504 1, eof Eee Yellowtail Total tuna- like fish }—_like fish ...| June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 29 This was an increase of 4 percent in quantity, but a decline of 13 percent in value as compared with the previous year, The average price per standard case declined from $16.00 in 1948 to $13.40 in 1949. Table 3 - Pack of Canned Tuna and Tuna-Like Fish, 1940-49 Quantity in Standard Casesl/and Value to the Gennes) SE eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeae=eanananaeas=anananananapyouaeeeeae—e—e—e———————= Quantit ieTus Per Std.Case |/Year Quantity Meus Per Std.Case 11.80 97, 710, 325 40, 856, 117 112,612,296 4 2,696,073 31,430,189 90,609,175 S | 2,484,749 30,742, 493 59,135,823 e 2,931,581 19,397,887 47,407,451 é 23,727,560 1/Cases of various sizes converted to the equivalent of 48 No. s tuna cans to the case, each can containing 7 ounces net weight of solid-packed meat or 6 ounces net weight of flakes or grated meat. California firms packed 6,566,268 cases (90 percent of the total); followed by Oregon with 539,964 cases; Washington, 107,754 cases; and the states of Maine, Massachusetts, and Maryland--76,334 cases, U.S. Pack of Canned Shrimp, 1949 The United States pack of canned shrimp in 1949 amounted to 664,721 standard cases (48 5-ounce cans), valued at $11,203,325 to the packers, This was an increase Table 1 - Pack of Canned Shrimp by States 1949 |Table 1 - Pack of Canned Shrimp by States1949|| Table 2 ~ Pack of Table 2 - Pack of Canned Shrimp by Size of Can, 1949 ____| Can, 1949 State |Quantity | Value || Size | Quantity | Value | Packers’ Price| aa Price = g $ Per Std.Case 116,314 495,800 5 ounces net (48 cans) . 8,571,199 ty ounces net (48 cans) eee and South Carolina we. 52,607 864,852 Other sizes (std. cases) ... 5 Total seeccocseese| 664,721 [11,205,325 Motall.veis's siecle sisie'svie's's'e's 662,972 11205-5258 ne Sa | ./"Standard cases" represent the various-sized cases converted to the equivalent of 48 cans of 5 ounces each. of 105,851 cases as compared with the previous year, and was the largest pack since 1942. However, the 1949 pack was ony 47 percent as great as the record 1937 pro- duction of 1,412,702 cases, Table 3 - Pack of Canned Shrimp, 1940-49 (Quantity and Value to the Canners SS SS SSS SE SSS Hear —[uantity | Vaiue [Feckers + Price [ Yeor [quantity [value [Paokers Fricg $ Per Std. Case | il/Standard cases represent the various-sized cases converted to the equivalent of 48 5-ounce cans for both wet and dry pack. 30 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No. 6 Nearly 75 percent of the 1949 pack was canned in Louisiana, while Mississippi canners accounted for 17 percent of the production, Shrimp were canned in 17 plants in Mississippi, 35 im Louisiana, 2 each in Alabama and South Carolina, and 1 plant in Georgia, 2 Kd oe U.S. Pack of Canned Mackerel, 1949 In 1949, the United States pack of canned mackerel (including jack mackerel) amounted to 1,049,927 standard cases, valued at $6,848,930 to the packers, This was a decline of 18 percent in quantity and 30 percent in value, compared with the previous year, (Quantity and Value to the Canners Per ioe Size of Can and Case pues Value Per Std.Case 15 ounces net, tall (48 cans) we. if}, G w , oval (48 " ) oc. 15s mn (24 cans) seccvece 14406" my (24 0 Yiisescecce Other sizes (converted to standard cases) Grand total... BITES 00300050 , , , i/Includes the pack of jack mackerel in California. / "Standard cases" represent cases of various sizes converted to the equivalent of 48 l-pound cans to the case, each can containing 15 ounces net of fish. The California pack was 10 percent less than in 1948, while the production in the Atlantic Coast States declined 49 percent, BING ceveeveses lassachusetts «+ ATVLANG «eeeees Total Atlantic Coast eeecees California eseee Mackerel were canned in 41 plants in California, 7 in Maine, 6 in Massachusetts, and 4 in Maryland, Table L - Pack of Canned Mackerel, 1940-49 (Quantity in Standard Caseal/and Value to the Canners) “California =e Oe OR ee antit: Value aos Std.Case | Quantity Valus Per Std.Case} Qua Value Per Std.Case Std. Cases 5,766,415 135,117 7,941,931 262,219 12,571,059 277,752 5,599,894 238,462 3,590,614 54,557 5 H 4,046,691 5,096,749 232,780 |1,937,248 1,225,060 7,033,997 831,660 4,379,996 105,591 891,207 937,251 5,271,203 616,436 3,000,604 104,753 692,478 e 721,189 3,693,082 2,947,233 3,986,695 < f./Cases of various sizes converted to a case of 48 l-pound cans, each can containing 15 ounces net of fish. Prices for standard cases to the canner declined during the year, The biggest drop occurred in the California pack which declined from $7.40 per case in 1948 to 6.29 per case in 1949, Mackerel canned on the Atlantic Coast averaged $8.13 per standard case in 1949, compared with $8.81 in 1948, mL June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 31 Wholesale and Retail Prices WHOLESALE PRICES, APRIL 1950: In April this year the fish and shellfish (fresh, frozen, and canned) wholesale index was 95.5 percent of the 1947 average-- 2.3 percent below March 1950 and 8.7 percent lower than in April 1949, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, The biggest drop occurred in the prices of fresh and frozen fishery products, but mainly in the drawn, dressed, or whole fin-fish category, (See table 1.) Table 1 - Wholesale Average Prices and Indexes of Fish and =n _April 1950 GROUP, SUBGROUP, AND- ITEM SPECIFICATION [POINT OF PRICING | UNIT | ‘AVERAGE PRICES [___ INDEXES (1947 = 100) | aa. Mar. 1950 ee Apr.1950 = a aoe ae Apr.1949} FISH AND SHELLFISH (Fresh, Frozen, and Canned) 104.6 Drawn, Dressed, or whole Fin Fish: res. [SEPEPEEESESSPE PPPS SYSPEPEES SSPSCETE PESTS EP MEE Haddock, large offshore, drawn, fresh ... | Boston Halibut, Western, 20/80 lbs., dressed, fresh OY frOZEN ecocecccccccce New York City Salmon, king, lge. & med., dressed, fresh Or FTOZEN ceccceesevcccercsccccee Lake trout, domestic, mostly No. 1, drawn ((GRasE08)) fresh Whitefish, mostly Lake Superior, eine (acossea) Preshvcesclaricticeteceelciaictels Whitefish, mostly Lake Erie pound net, round, fresh eccccccccccccccece 2O-1Ld. tins .esecccccccseees Boston Shrimp, lge. (26-30 count), oedieaen : fresh Or froZen weccecoeereecveceereecee | Now York City y - | Norfolk area 1O-1b. bOXES seeeecoeescecceee | BOStOn Haddock, small, 10-1b. cello-pack " Rosefish, 10-lb. cello-pack ... | Gloucester Shrimp, lge. (26-30 Gas 5- to 10-1b. Salmon, pink, NO. 1 tall (16 oz.), 48 cans POLCSe cacecccscvccccecccccccvccccccccte Tuna, light meat, solid pack, No. $ tuna (7 oz.), 48 cans por CS. sescccceesecccee Sardines (Pilchards), California, tomato pack, No. 1 oval (15 oz.), 48 cans per cs Sardines, Maine, keyless oil, No. oh drawn (34 ) per cs. Wholesale prices for fresh and frozen fishery products during the month dropped 3.2 percent below March 1950, but were still 5.5 percent higher than the corresponding month in 1949. Mainly due to lower prices on fresh drawn haddock, the drawn, dressed, or whole fin-fish prices were 5.7 percent lower in April 1950 as compared with the previous month, but 11.2 percent higher than in April 1949. Fresh drawn haddock prices during April dropped 12,5 percent below March 1950, but were still 24.7 percent higher than the corresponding month the previous year, Although prices of fresh processed fishery products during the month were only 0.2 percent below March, fresh haddock fillet prices dropped 11 percent during the same period. However, an increase in shrimp prices compensated for the large decline in fresh fillet prices, Fresh haddock fillet prices were still 20.2 per- cent higher than in April 1949. Frozen processed fish and shellfish prices during the month were 0.7 percent lower than in March, but 5.5 percent higher than in April 1949. Frozen flounder fillet and shrimp prices rose during the month, while frozen haddock and rosefish fillet prices dropped, 32 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 12, No, 6 During April, canned fishery products at wholesale were priced only 0.7 per= cent below the previous month and were still 26.8 percent lower than in the corre- sponding month in 1949, Wholesale prices of canned pink salmon, California sar- dines, and tuna were quoted in April at the same level as in March, but Maine sar- dines were quoted 4.9 percent lower, RETAIL PRICES: Food prices on the average rose 0,3 percent between March 15 and April 15 this year, The retail food price index on April 15 was 196.6 percent of the 1935-39 average, 3.1 percent lower than a year ago, but 35 percent above the June 1946 level, (See table 2,) Table 2 - Retail Price Indexes for Foods and Fishery Products, April 15, 1950 with Comparative Data las eS Ee Se H 1 foods e@eceseseoseooeed 1935-39 = 100 All fish and shellfish (fresh, frozen, & canned) do Fresh and frozen fish eeee | 1938-39 = 100 Canned salmon: pink ececee do The retail index for all fish and shellfish (fresh, frozen, and canned) on April 15 was 297.4 percent of the 1935-39 average, 1.7 percent lower than on March 15, and 7.4 percent lower than on April 15, 1949. The decline was attri- buted to lower prices on most fresh and frozen fishery products, and slightly lower prices for canned fishery products, The retail index for fresh and frozen fish on April 15 was 276.0 percent of the 1938-39 average, 1.8 percent below mid=March, but 5.6 percent higher than mid-April 1949. Canned pink salmon prices also dropped 1.2 percent from mid- March to mid-April and the index was 328.2 percent of the 1938=39 average, Canned pink salmon prices during April were still 28,2 percent below the corresponding period a year ago, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 33 Aden Protectorate STATUS OF FISHERIES 1949: Little has been done to further or develop a fish-— ing industry in Aden, states a May 4 American consular report from that country. According to reports submitted by the Government Fisheries Officer of the United Kingdom this area has potentialities for fisheries development. In British Somali- land, a small canning factory has been set up and it is exporting its products. In Mukalla, two Arab firms operate a dried fish and fish oil business, marketing their products mainly in India. All these fishing operations are on a small scale. Aden has a fisheries officer doing research. Specimens are gathered and in— struction is given to the natives on how to improve their fishing techniques and marketing. The American Consulate reports that inquiries from American merchants in- terested in importing dried fish and fish oil from this locality have been re- ceived. Argentine Republic CURRENT FISH MARKETING SITUATION :£/ Because canned fish is a luxury item in Argentina, locally—produced food is plentiful, and the country suffers from a dol- lar shortage, it is almost impossible for Argentina to import canned fishery pro-— ducts at this time. This is the information submitted by Milton J. Lindner, who is covering the Eastern part of South America in a survey of South American mar— kets for U. S. fishery products. The Central Bank, which controls dollar permits, will not issue permits to export dollars for canned fishery products. The recent loan from the United States will not materially change this situation in the near future since the loan money will be used to pay. the backlog of obligations and to purchase farm and trans— ortation machinery which are in short supply. 1] This is the first report in a series to give information on current and potential markets for United States fishery products in South America, Milton J, Lindner and Robert 0, Smith, United States Fish and Wildlife Service representatives, are now in South America investigating markets in connection with a survey sponsored cooperatively with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, More detailed reports will be issued at a later date as "Foreign Market Circulars" and will be avail- able from the Branch of Commercial Fisheries, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washing- ton, D. C. 34 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 The demand for canned fishery products is being met by increased local pro- duction of mackerel, which is packed as tuna, salmon, albacore, and "caballa" (the local name). Beef is plentiful and cheap, being subsidized by the Argentine Government. Fresh beef of good quality retails from 14¢ to 25¢ per pound (U. S. currency equivalent), and canned mackerel of poor to fair quality from 50¢ to over $1.30 per pound (U. S. currency equivalent), depending on type of pack. Prior to the war, Argentina's principal fishery imports were dried cod, mostly from Norway and the United Kingdom; canned sardines, mostly from Spain; herring in brine, mostly from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom; and canned oysters, mostly from Spain. Imports from the United States were chiefly canned pilchards in tomato sauce. Imports were cut off during the war, but increased rapidly after the end of hostilities. Argentina, like many other countries, soon ran out of dollar exchange and by mid-1947 found it necessary to impose restric— tions on imports and currency transactions. Very little canned or preserved fish-— ery products have been imported in about two years. A few of the smaller shops still have U. S. canned salmon and oysters. The larger stores, with a greater turnover, have been out of these products for some time. Some frozen squid and octopus were observed in the market, apparently of Spanish origin, retailing at about 90¢ per pound (U. S. currency equivalent). The Argentine catch of marine fishes is reported about 110 million pounds a year, of which mackerel accounts for about 32 million pounds, hake about 22 mil— lion, and anchovy about 13 million. Fresh-water fish production is about 33 mil— lion pounds annually, over half of which is sabalo, a species similar to the buf— falofish. Practically all the sabalo are processed for meal and oil. In Buenos Aires, fresh fish is sold in the round, and selling prices are fixed by the Municipal Government. Ten large trawlers are operating, half of which are owned and operated by the Federal Government. These trawlers supply principally hake and sea trout to the fresh fish markets. A good variety and quality of fresh fish and shellfish are available. The break in prices of shark-liver oil in the United States market and the prohibition on the imports of canned fishery products into Argentina, have re— sulted in the fishermen changing from shark to mackerel fishing to meet the changed market situation. Accordingly, shark—liver oil production declined from 23 trillion units of Vitamin A in 1946 to about 3.7 trillion units in 1949. The mackerel fishery increased from practically nothing in 1945 to over 32 million pounds in 1949. All imports of canned and packaged fish must be labeled in Spanish to indi- cate: name of product, name of importer or local representative, net weight of contents, country of origin, and year and month of packing. Products having an acid reaction must be packed in enamel—lined cans. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 35 Australia AUSTRALIAN TUNA EXPORT PROSPECTS: The Australian Assistant Trade Commissioner in San Francisco is optimistic about the Californian market for Australian tuna, reports the March 1950 Fisheries Newsletter issued by the Australian Director of Fisheries. According to the Commissioner, the Californian industry was most interested in the trial shipment of Australian frozen tuna (in the round) to San Francisco, which arrived in excellent condition. Although the Australian southern bluefin (Thunnus maccoyii) is not quite the same species as the California bluefin (Thunnus thynnus), it has been established that it is a light-meat tuna. Australian fishermen catch the tuna by trolling and bleed the fish, and since the fish are handled individually, they are generally free from bruises. On the other hand, California fishermen catch bluefin mostly by purse seine and they are not generally bled. Samples of Australian canned tuna also created a very good impression in California, according to the Commissioner. However, whereas round tuna is ad— mitted into the United States duty-free, the canned-tuna is assessed a duty of 223 percent ad valorem. The Commissioner indicated that he had reason to hope that in the not too distant future there would again be direct steamer connections between Sydney and San Francisco obviating consignment to Vancouver for transshipment. This transshipment doubles the freight cost between Sydney and San Francisco. NEW SPINY LOBSTER PROCESSING TECHNIQUE DEVELOPED: Australian exports of spiny lobster tails (crayfish) have become quite an important factor in the economy of the producing States, particularly, Western Australia and South Aus— tralia. Since most of the tails are exported to the United States, the spiny lobster industry is of national importance as a dollar—earner, states the March 1950 Fisheries Newsletter. The rapid growth of this industry has brought out the need for rapid de— velopment of techniques in the handling of spiny lobsters and in the freezing and transportation of the "tails." Since the Australian Department of Commerce and Agriculture requires that the anus and digestive tract be removed, several methods of doing this have been developed. However, an employee of one of the processing companies in Geralton, Western Australia, has recently invented and patented a device for removing the anus and digestive tract. The use of this device will probably supersede all previous methods employed. The invention is a new vacuum—type machine. A vacuum pump is connected by suitable piping to a vacuum tank (the larger the better), to which is fitted a vacuum gauge. Leading from this vacuum tank is a connecting pipe which leads to a lidded receptacle. The latter is fitted with an air-tight lid, on the under- side of which is fixed a baffle that goes down into the receptacle some eight 36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 inches. The connecting pipe from the vacuum tank is fitted into the lid of this receptable on one side, and leading away, on the other side, is a flexible-hose pipe, into the end of which is fitted a stainless steel tube, threaded and fitted with washers to take the cutting tool. The cutting tool is a screw-on nickel- steel drawn pipe made razor-sharp at the cutting end, which is sufficiently large to fit over the anus. Continuous operation is allowed by having spare, sharp cut— ting tools. In operation, this cutting tool is placed over the anus. The suction causes the skin around the anus to be drawn tightly against the cutting edge, thus stretch- ing the skin to some extent and making it easy for the operator, by the exertion of hardly any pressure, to completely sever the anus. The anus, with the diges— tive tract, is then drawn along the flexible hose into the receptacle, hits the baffle plate, and falls to the bottom. If desired, two or more flexible hoses from the lid to the operating tables can be used, in which case a larger vacuum tank is necessary. The vacuum maintained in the plant at Geralton was 10 inches. After the removal of the anus and the digestive tract, the operator can, if he sees any blood or dirt, quickly remove it from the tail by the vacuum process. No part of the digestive tract or contents is left behind. An officer of the Australian Department of Commerce and Agriculture has vis— itedpractically all packing establishments throughout Australia and has inspected a large number of "tails" from which the digestive tracts have been removed by various methods. In his opinion, the method just described gives a result which is hygienic and speedy in performance, and leaves nothing to be desired as far as compliance with the Australian export health regulations is concerned. A more recent development of the industry is the use of the flesh in the claws and the body for the production of packaged, frozen, cooked spiny lobster meat (crayfish meat). After the separation of the raw tail for export, the re- mainder of the spiny lobster is cooked and the meat removed. WHALING INDUSTRY: The one Australian whaling company hopes to capture 400 humpback whales this season, which began in June. This company has two catcher boats, but for nearly all of its first season (1949) it had only one chaser working at a time. Last season (between July 5 and October 12) the company took 190 whales from which 1,000 metric tons of oil was obtained. The company, which operates from Point Cloates, Western Australia, hopes to obtain a higher yield this year. Just before the end of last season a meal factory began production and turned out about 60 metric tons of 76—percent protein meal. This meal and the guano made from the rest of the offal were sold locally. All the oil was sold to the Dutch Government. The factory is now equipped to handle four whales a day. All of the whales captured last season were taken within a radius of about 50 miles, This season the chasers are equipped with radiotelephone enabling them to keep in touch with the factory. Each chaser carries a crew of nine, comprising gunner, mate, two engineers, four seamen, and a cook. About $221,000 has been invested in this whaling company. The largest num- ber of men employed in the factory last season was 105 and it is expected that June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW a @ 0 ere CLOATES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. NOTE FOLDED MAST TO GET UNDER LOW BRIDGES AND ON FOREDECK THE TRACTOR WHICH SERVES AS A WINCH FOR PLAYING WHALES. about the same number will be employed this year. The manager of the company re— ports that the average earnings. of the workers, based on wages and bonus, were about $56.00 per week plus free living quarters, Meals cost $5.60 per week per man. GOVERNMENT COMMISSION TO COMMENCE WHALING: The Australian Whaling Commission expects to commence whaling in June this year from its first base at Babbage Is- land, Carnarvon, Western Australia. It plans to produce 4,500 tons of whale oil, 3,000 tons of meal, and 6,000 tons of whale solubles from a catch of 600 whales in its first season, according to the February 1950 Fisheries Newsletter. After investigating the possibilities of establishing a whaling industry on a national basis, it was decided that a combination of circumstances made opera- tion of a factory ship in the Antarctic uneconomical, and that a shore station should be established. Legislation was passed bringing into being the Australian Whaling Commission. Catching operations will be conducted with three catchers. One is being built (Clyde), a second (Southern Breeze) has been purchased in South Georgia; and to date no definite move has been made to purchase a third catcher. Southern Breeze is 137 ft. x 26 ft. x 13 ft. 7 inches, with a gross metric tonnage of 34, and a speed of 13 to 14 knots. The Clyde is 160 ft. x 31 ft. x 17 ft. 6 inches (moulded), with a gross tonnage of 600, and a speed of 15 knots. Delivery of this vessel is scheduled on May 1, 1950. A prefabricated steel building (220 ft. x 135 ft.) will enclose a 2-stage flensing deck and all processing equipment, as well as providing store and ware— house facilities. 38 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIBW Vol. 12, No. 6 Most of the technical staff and skilled operatives will be Norwegian, but there will be a proportion. of Australians who will be trained for the expansion of the industry. Canada FEDERAL—-PROVINCIAL 'CONFERENCE ON FISH INSPECTION: Representatives of the ten Canadian provincial fisheries services met with senior officers of the Federal De- partment of Fisheries in: Ottawa on April 24 to discuss problems associated with the inspection of fish under the new Canadian Fish Inspection Act, reports the April 1950 Trade News of that agency. At this meeting the fish inspection procedures were outlined, Discussions were held on the over-all implications of the Federal Government's revised Fish Inspection Act, and the siteps the provinces may be requested to take in the way of enabling legislation t:o supplement the Act, when it is proclaimed. The ma- jority stated the provinces would pass complementary and enabling legislation to the new Act when it becomes operative. Some provinces already have their own fish inspection acts, and one of the main purposes of the discussions was toclar- ify the fields which should be administered by the Federal and provincial author— ities, and promote the coordination of administration and legislation on a uni- form basis. The meeting considered desirable the Federal suggestion to ask the fishing industry to cooperate in a zone test to ascertain the amount which domestic fish sales could be increase:d through higher quality products, coupled with advertis— ing and a consumer educ:ation. Xegulations applying to the inspection of whitefish, and the application of CYapulsory inspection of export shipments of this species were also discussed. To date whitefish inspection has been on a voluntary and trial basis. A notice will be issued when the proposed compulsory product inspection regulations, with whatever amendments are necessary, are to become effective. FISHERIES PRICES SUPPORT BOARD A.PERMANENT BODY: A bill passed by the Cana— dian House of Commons in March made the Fisheries Prices Support Board a perma— nent body, according to the Trade News. The Board was set up when it was expected that the fishing industry might find difficulty in readjusting itself to normal trade conditions after the great- ly expanded activities brought about by World War II. Since the Board's creation in 1947, it had been necessary to have its exis— tence approved annually by Order-—in-Council. $e) Seheyes oe ae! ae tiesir erin os CONFEDERATION AND NEWFOUNDLAND'S FISHERIES: One year after the entrance of Newfoundland into the Canadian union, it has become possible to state definitely that the effects of union upon the vital export trade of Newfoundland appear to be negligible. WYowever, measures proposed for Federal support of fisheries may, June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 39 when enacted and implemented, provide some assistance to the Island's faltering trade in salt cod, an April 18 American consular dispatch from St. John's reports. While the condition is unrelated to confederation, Newfoundland is experi- encing an economic depression basically attributable to the complete dependence of the province upon limited types of world trade. Among the depressing influ- ences is the weakness of demand for salt cod and fish oils. Despite the new relation with Canada which Newfoundland enjoys as the result of confederation, and the economic assistance which that union has made possible, the Newfoundland economy is basically colonial and perilously dependent upon world markets for a limited group of primary products of the forests, fisheries, and mines. The markets for these products, partly as the result of currency devalua- tions and partly as a postwar readjustment to normal long term trends, became de— pressed during 1949 and the depression will probably continue with little abate- ment throughout 1950. The salt cod trade, which revived under the stimulus of war demand, is in serious difficulties, of which the inability of customary consuming countries to make purchases in sterling or dollars, is but one. The growth of national fish-— ing fleets, changes in consumer preferences away from salt cod, together with an- tiquated methods of production have contributed to the long-term difficulties in which this phase of Newfoundland's fishery finds itself. Ke KK NEWFOUNDLAND'S FISHERIES DEPRESSED: Salt Cod Fisheries: The market for salt first queries of 1950, a*May 4 American consular dispatch from St. John's states. The 1949 salt-cod production, which was greater than that of 1948, moved into mar- ket channels much more Slowly than in former years. Considerations of price and exchange difficulties, as well as competition and consumption trends away from salt fish appear principally responsible for lack of export demand for salt cod. Price uncertainties for salt cod and the probability that prices offered would not meet production costs for the Labrador—cure type of salt cod, for which for-— eign demand has decreased, forecast some difficulty for fishermen in securing supplies and financial backing for the 1950 season, and probably means an abandon— ment of the Labrador cod fisheries. Assistance in the marketing of approximately one-third of the annual produc-— tion of salt cod in European areas is promised by the Canadian Government, but the issue of the price to be paid to fishermen was to be determined by free mar— ket conditions rather than by agreement and Government support as had been hoped by the fishermen themselves. In 1948 and 1949, agreement was reached among fish exporters, merchants, and fishermen for a minimum price, but no such agreement has been made for 1950 production. The price of salt cod to producers is ex- pected to fall, and will probably result in reduced employment in the fisheries. As of March 20 this year, stocks of salt cod amounted to dt 302,600 pounds, compared to 20,769,840 pounds on the same date in 1949. Frozen Fish: It is believed that production of frozen fish and fillets is being maintained at 1949 levels, since the market for frozen fillets, which is in the United States, is considered firm. 40 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 Fish-Production Improvement Planned: The Provincial Government of Newfound-— land is giving some attention to improvement of fish production and has recently sent a representative to observe fishing methods and equipment employed in the Scandanavian countries. Several Icelandic vessels have been engaged by the Govern— ment to demonstrate fishing methods and to explore areas for herring. Chile FISH OILS: Production of industrial fish oils in Chile is still very limited, according to fishing experts. Produced as a byproduct by fish-meal plants, not more than 100 metric tons are estimated to be produced annually, reports a May 3 American consular dispatch from Santiago. However, this output is subject to in- crease as the various fish meal plants under construction and contemplated for the future go into operation. Chile has also been producing shark and other fish liver oils for pharmaceu— tical purposes for many years. Its total output and local consumption are not known, but in 1949 it exported 61 metric tons, 57 percent of which went to the United States and the remainder to France. WHALING INDUSTRY, 1949: Two Chilean companies engage in whaling—the larg— est has its - principal offices in Valparaiso and the other (which is quite small) is located in Palcahuano. The large firm has five whaling vessels and a land station at Quintay, not far from Valparaiso. The whaling operations of this company were begun during the war to provide substitute materials for tallow and other scarce fats in its manufacturing processes. In 1949, this company caught and processed 230 baleen whales and 680 sperm whales. The baleen whales yielded 795 short tons of oil, and the sperm whales, 2,866 short tons—a total oil production of 3,661 tons for this company, whose whaling activities are an adjunct to its extensive and di- versified soap and manufacturing activities. Over 90 percent of this cémpany's output is used in the manufacture of soaps, the remainder (baleen oil) goes into its production of margarine. ab e I = Chilets W ale and Sperm Oil Froduction I9LL-L9 ane vase [otalsespveel [uae Tiare [sao Laet0 [238s Production of the Compania Industrial only—the larger of the two Chilean companies engaged in whaling. 2/ Not available, The smallest company's production is negligible. When this firm at Palcahuano cannot sell its production to the large Valpariso firm for hydrogenation and use in the latter firm's soap factory, the Palcahuano firm sells its production to small soap factories located in the south of Chile. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW AL Egypt RESTRICTS FISHING BY FOREIGNERS: Egyptian fishing in the Red Sea for many years has been in the hands of Greeks who owned or captained the fishing boats, according to a May 9 American consular dispatch from Cairo. Last year the Gov— ernment refused fishing permits to foreigners and the catch dropped by more than half. In addition, the Government also restricted the use of motor fishing boats to favor the small sailing ships owned by Egyptians. Therefore, the price of fish has been going up at an alarming rate. At the beginning of April this year, the Government relaxed many of these restrictions, permitting the motor ships to resume work, and allowing a number of foreigners to use their boats. This has resulted in about 68,750 pounds of fish being delivered to markets in one day, and consequently prices of fish in Cairo have declined somewhat. The Government is not allowing unrestricted operations by foreigners or by large modern fishing vessels, stating that it is still necessary to preserve the industry for Egyptians and to conserve the supply of fish. German Federal Republic NEW GERMAN PROCESS FOR CANNING FISH: A new German mechanical fish-canning process, which is claimed to reduce canning costs up to 35 percent, was reported recently,1/ The following additional information has been obtained on this pro- cess (known as the Hartmann light-ray blanching metnod) from an article, "New Processes in the Canning of Fish," which appeared in the German publication Die Fischwaren and Feinkostindustrie of February 1950. According to the article, researchers investigating the various blanching methods developed in “America, in particular, blanching by the use of high-fre- quency currents (high-frequency heating, infrared rays, and ultraviolet rays), did not go beyond the experimental stage in this field, Following lines of thought similar to those developed by the Americans, the German fish industri- alist Karl Hartmann, Kiel=-Gaarden, and the engineer Pawlowski developed the principle of ultrared light radiation during the past months into a new fish- canning process for canned herring which gives it a taste like that of canned sardines, \ The invention per se and the uniqueness of the Hartmann method is a contin- uously operating blanching process, This principle was applied in practice in accordance with the ray-depth effect of the arc-ray receiver used in medicine, The rays of the invisible spectrum call for a process similar to cooking of the merchandise which, however, works from the inside toward the outside, rather than the opposite, Therefore, the treated fish is not blanched excessively, as indicated by the undamaged skin of the herring, The light bath extracts the superfluous cell water of the fish, thereby causing the desired shrinkage, The processing of the sardine-like product (Oelhartinas) is as follows: After washing, the herrings are scaled and cut the length of the club-size cah, Pickling, which follows, supplies the required salt content of the herring, After drying, the fish--still raw--are packed 1/ See Commercial Fisheries Review, April 1950, p. 62, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, into the containers, Next, the containers are lined up on flat tin boxes, seventeen to the box, and are put into the receiver of the large ray apparatus, A special lid arrangement of perforated tin prevents the fish or cans from dropping out, The contéiners move through the appa- ratus by means of a chain belt, First, the cans pass through the light bath zone where the heat- ing of the her- ring takes place, In this process, the cell water leaves the fish and collects on the bottom of the can, As soon as the contain- ers have passed through the heat zone (the final temperature is approximately 170° C, or 338° F,) the chain belt makes one rotation, This causes the pour- ing of the cell water from the cans into a wide trough, The long traveling distance of 16 meters or 52,2 feet (length of CANS PACKED WITH RAW HERRING ARE LINED UP ON FLAT TIN apparatus) TRAYS (17 CANS TO THE TRAY), AND ARE PUT INTO THE RE- guarantees the CEIVER OF THE LARGE RAY APPARATUS. A SPECIAL CID AR- complete removal RANGEMENT OF PERFORATED TIN PREVENTS THE FISH OR CANS FROM DROPPING OUT WHILE GOING THROUGH THE MACHINE, of the water from the con- tainers, At the end of the chain belt the boxes holding the cans are removed and are arranged: laterally on another belt where the cans are filled with hot oil (70° C. or 158° F,) by means of a special filling machinery, The shrinkage of the fish quarantees that the oil penetrates the entire contents of the can, The cans are sealed without further delay by means of a completely automatic sealing machine (capacity 3,000 cans per hour), put into squirrel cages, and are then conveyed to the autoclave where sterilization takes place, When in operation the light-ray apparatus holds approximately 5,700 cans, It No. 6 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 43 is possible to blanch 50,000 cans during an 8-hour period, The heat- light boxes are operated by 60 kilowatts, a,c., per hour, For the starting of the chain belt a #h.p, motor is sufficient, THE HARTMANN LIGHT-RAY BLANCHING METHOD ENTAILS THE USE OF THE APPARATUS PICTURED ABOVE, WHICH IS 52.5 FEET LONG. It is claimed that the finished product is of excellent quality, The skin is not damaged in any way, The contents are tightly packed, Only very small traces of water remain in the oil, This wateris com- pletely absorbed by the herring during storage, Flavor and aroma are actually similar to that of sardines, The new method of canning calls, however, for the acquisition of rather expensive apparatus, In its favor, on the other hand, is the lowering of production costs due to more effective methods of oper- ation; savings in wages; savings in material through better use of the fish; and more economical distribution of oil, It is hoped that experience with mass production and lower prices for containers will result in lower costs to both the manufacturer and consumer, The Hartmann method is protected by patents, However, a@ monopoly is not sought, In the course of its further development, this method is to be made available to other German fish canneries, NOTE; The article was translated from German by Alfred R, Holfert, Commodity-Industry Econ~ omist, U. S, Department of Commerce, Gold Coast REVInW OF THE FISHERIES: Fish from the sea provides much of the protein in the diet of the inhabitants of the Gold Coast Colony and Ashanti Colony and, even at the height of the fishing seasonthe demand is far from satisfied,an April 17 American consular dispatch from Accra reports, Principal types of fish caught are two species of sardinella caught with gill nets; horse mackerel caught in seines; and tunny, shark, sailfish, and bream caught 4h COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 on lines, Fishing is carried on from native canoes equipped with sails, There are an estimated 50,000 natives engaged in fishing operations along the coast, The Customs tariff of the Gold Coast is nonpreferential, owing to inter- national treaty obligations, Ad valorem rates range from 6-1/4 to 66-2/3 percent with most ad valorem imports dutiable at 15 percent, Imports are controlled by a strict licensing system to preserve dollars, No imports are allowed from hard- currency areas unless the article in question is deemed to be essential and is unobtainable from a soft-currency area, dye Greece SPONGE FISHERY AND MARKET, 1949: Sponge fishing represents approximately 20 percent of the fishing industry in Greece (the total industry producing around $15 million a year, of which sponge fishing brings in about $3 million), and is important to the Greek Government mainly because all sponges are exported, thus providing a source of badly needed foreign exchange. The 1949 Greek sponge-fishing fleet, similar to that of 1948, was two months late in getting under way. The fact that the majority of the sponge-fishing boats did not leave port until around the middle of June 1949 is attributed to Gira belated requirement, on the part of the British, that all Greek sponge fishermen operating in North African waters now under British jurisdiction be able to pre- sent new identification cards different from those required of them the previous year, and (2) delays in obtaining necessary government loans. This delay cost the industry approximately $500,000 in loss of potential harvest. Fishing Fleet and Number Engaged: Approximately 200 fishing boats of all types and Sizes, supported by 65 or 70 auxiliary boats, composed the Greek sponge fishing fleet of 1949. The number of divers and crew members were broken down into the following categories: divers and fishermen, 1,150 to 1,200; sailors, 1,100 to 1,200; aux— iliary boat crews, 330 to 350. The number of boats and men slightly exceed the most recently revised figures issued by the Greek Ministry of National Economy for the 1948 season. Harvest, 1949: The total 1949 sponge catch is reported to be a little over 336,000 pounds (approximately 153 metric tons). Table 1 - Greek Sponge} Production, Quantity | Table 2 = Greek Sponge Production, Quantity By Type By Grades, 1948-49 and Grounds, 1949 Se Pa QBS Trade yp Waters | Cyrenaica | Tunisia Egypt lbs. 176,368 HONGYCOMD cecsscccccvccccccce 88,184 Turkey-cup & Turkey toilet .. Elephant's Ear ,. - - 4,000 - Motalmecwecceceecae 70,000 | 170,000 | 25,000 | 71,000 [336,000 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 45 Prices: The 50 percent devaluation of the Greek drachma in September 1949 is said to have resulted in a reduction in the export price of Greek sponges of around only 20 percent, since Greek sponge producers immediately increased their prices by 30 percent. This change in prices is interpreted by the Ministry as a saving shared between the producer and: the consumer, but he adds that from the standpoint of the Greek national currency, the devaluation of the drachma pro- duced a drop of 15 to 20 percent in the amount of foreign exchange which might nor- mally have been derived from future sales of Greek sponges. Table 3 —- Prices for Honeycomb Sponges by Grade, 1946-49 _(All Prices f.0.b. Greek Port) 1948 @eeeeeeeeeoeooeoe ee 15.00-15.50 19.00-19,.50 eeccvcecccccccsccce 8.00-8.50 10.00-10.50 9.00-9.50 | 9.00-9.50 eeccecerererescvcece 4.00-5.00 6.00-6.50 5.00-6.00 | 5.00-6.00 D and Other ..ccccccerce 2.00-2,50 2.00-2.90 | 1.50-2.00 @eoeseceeseeeovees & 12.00-12.50 14.50-15.00 B @eeveeevoeeeveesesers 6.50-7.00 8.00-8.50 6.00=7.00 Cc and other @e20020000208 0 4,.00-4.50 5.00-5.50 4,.00-4.50 The prices of Turkey—cup, Turkey toilet, zimocca, and elephant's ear normally average between 10 and 12 percent higher than prices for Bengazi honeycomb, vary— ing proportionately according to grade. Exports: Only around 172,000 pounds (80 metric tons) of sponges were ex— ported from Greece during the first 11 months of 1949; the bulk going to the fol- lowing countries listed in order of volume: United States, United Kingdom, Swit— zerlarid, Germany, France, Sweden, Iceland, and Belgium—all other purchasers took less than one metric ton each, Exports of sponges in 1948 totaled 32metric tons, valued at around $717,000. Stocks: There are available stocks from the 1947 sponge harvest of around 4,500 pounds, and close to 66,000 pounds left over from the 1948 sponge catch. Therefore, the 1949 harvest plus the stocks on hand indicate that around 436,500 pounds of all grades and types of sponges were the total stocks on hand at the be— ginning of 1950. : : Qutlook for 1950: Because production costs are high and prewar markets are not yet recovered, and because production by other Mediterranean countries is present- ing aworrisome threat of competition, the Greek sponge producers and exporters are pressing for government assistance in expanding the industry. Government trade experts express the opinion, however, that the condition of the industry could be bettered from within itself and they do not anticipate recommending any form of government subsidy for sponge exports in the foreseeable future. It would appear that if the production costs were lowered, and the fishing fleets could put in full seasons in the sponging areas, Greece could hold its own on the world sponge market in spite of such competition as is developing in the Mediterranean area. 46 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE INDUSTRY: A favorable effect on the mar— keting possibilities of Greek sponges because of the devaluation of the drachma is agreed to be rather dim in that other Mediterranean producers of sponges (Tu- nis, Italy, Dalmatia, and Egypt) have also devalued their currencies by 30 to 40 percent, resulting, so far as is known, in a corresponding drop in prices of their sponges abroad. The Director of Fisheries, Ministry of National Economy, and a Greek merchant consulted agree that the Greek sponge industry is facing a crisis. According to the Ministry's representative, every effort must be made to channel Greek sponges to Central Europe as well as to the United States, and par- ticularly to Germany, which was one of the principal purchasers of Greek sponges prior to World War II. He says that if Germany could take $1 million worth of Greek sponges, the American market would automatically be decongested and a bal— ance between demand and supply would be established. He stresses that provision should be made in the various agreements with Central European countries for an increase in the percentage of sponges to be exported from Greece to those coun— tries so that at least $1 million worth could be diverted to Germany. In addi- tion, exports of sponges are possible, and desirable he says, to the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Italy. Great Britain was the principal importer of Greek sponges prior to World War 11.2/ Consumption in England has dwindled, however, because of its postwar fi- nancial weakness and the imposition of high import duties, and the Ministry im- plies that Greece has lost hope of meeting or exceeding its prewar exports of sponges to the United Kingdom forsome time to come. The Director of Fisheries added that export trade in sponges should be financed by the Bank of Greece in the form of loans at reduced interest rates (credit de campagne) so that exporters may receive the help they need when they need it, and that they will not be forced to pay the prevailing high interest rates on loans contracted on the open market. The Director's final suggestion was that all arrangements for sailing of the fishing fleets should be made far enough in advance of the sailing time to assure their departure at the very beginning of the sponge fishing season. These arrange— ments include the granting of adequate loans from official sources at reasonable rates; timely clarification and execution of all agreements and conditions neces— sary for granting Greek fishermen the rights to harvest sponges in foreign waters traditionally fished by them (Egyptian; beds off the former Italian colonies on the coast of Libya—Cyrenaica, Tripoli—now under British jurisdiction; and French North African waters-—Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia); and timely delivery of parts necessary for boat repair, fishing supplies, and food rations. Most island fisher— men depend for their livelihood entirely upon the proceeds from their sponges, and flour and other fishing supplies must be imported from the mainland. Among the points stressed by the merchant-source were: (a) That the Ministry of National Economy should cease considering sponges as necessities (in other words, that they should be considered as "passive" items and their marketing eligible for govern— ment favor in the form of subsidies and granting of foreign exchange); (b) Pro- ‘TJ This market required that the sponges be bleached, as they were used mainly for pharma ceutical use, bathing, and other household purposes, Since the war, however, the United States has become the principal buyer of Greek sponges, and uses them primarily for in- dustrial purposes; hence, bleaching is not required, The production costs and process- ing time is therefore-reduced, but another economic problem is created in that a con siderable number of workers are thus deprived of their prewar 1 i of the sponge industry. ; : Gok Bella Siie June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 47 ducers must reduce their prices; (c) A way must be found to reduce the costs now burdening exporters, who have to pay as mee as 20 to 25 percent interest on money borrowed by them from the Bank of Greece &/ (In consumer countries the im- porters of Greek sponges should promote sponge sales through wider advertising schemes, stressing the point that "natural sponges are.actually cheaper and cleaner than are artificial sponges."); (e) Fishing vessels should be fitted with suitable gasoline engines, which, if they sail on time, will give longer fishing seasons and by increasing the catch will reduce production costs; (f) American importers should be requested to reduce the prices at which Greek sponges are now offered for sale in the United States, as present retail prices of Greek sponges in the United States are considered exorbitant; (g) Charges of foreign governments for licenses for sponge fishing in their waters should be reduced, a point of illus— tration being the charge of about $11,358 (at predevaluation rate of exchange) per license now levied by the Egyptian government on Greek fishing boats (This charge, plus payment of crews, operation of vessels, and distance traveled, ob-— viously makes the production of Egyptian sponges a rather costly venture). DIFFICULTIES IN FISHING IN FOREIGN WATERS: As yet there are no permanent safeguards of Greece's rights to fish sponges in foreign waters of the Mediter-— ranean. The North African fishing beds now under jurisdiction of the British extend from the Tunisian border to the Egyptian border, but they are centered mainly around Tripoli and Bengazi. Under Turkish domination of Libya, Greeks were allowed "free fishing" here. Under the Italo-Greek treaty of 1926, mainland Greek fishermen were granted 50 percent of the sponge fishing licenses issued by the Italian government, the other 50 percent being granted to residents of the Italian-owned Dodecanese Islands—the residents of which, however, were primarily Greeks. Licenses were issued at a nomi- nal price (or free in exchange for the right of Italian boats to fish sardines in Greekwaters) , and they were not forced to sell to Libyan buyers. During the war there was no sponge fishing by Greek vessels off Tripoli- tania and Cyrenaica. In 1946, a few Greek boats were permitted to harvest sponges in Cyrenaica waters provided (1) the fisher- men carried fishing licenses; (2) the vessels had special li- censes to operate in these for- eign waters after payment of license fees, which varied according to the type of boat; (3) the entire sponge harvest be landed in Cyrenaican ports. Sales to Cy- renaican buyers were not required, but by landing the sponges on foreign soil, a fiction of import was established and an export tax was levied. This tax was set at 1 percent of the value of raw sponges, and 2 percent of the value of pro- cessed sponges. It is said to have usually happened, however, that after the Sponges had been landed, all work done on them aboard the mothership was con— sidered as processing, and the higher rate was always assessed. 2/ The Agricultural Bank of Greece can loan monsy to fishermen at an interest rate of 11 percent, but a merchant is not eligible for such loans, and must borrow from the Bank of Greece at an interest rate of around 25 percent. HONEYCOMB SPONGE FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. 48 : COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 Tt was at this time that a large number of the Greek boats changed their plans, and instead of fishing in the North African waters, where they would have to land their entire catch, they went to the Egyptian waters where, until then, they had been required to land only half their catch. The Egyptians in 1946 re- quired Greek boats fishing in their waters to land their entire catch but waited to enforce this requirement until after the Greeks had completed their sponge fishing season. Tripoli did not allow Greek fishing in its waters until 1948, and it is reported that not more than 50 Greek boats arrived there then. Fees for licenses varied according to the type of boat. The harvest had to be landed at Tripoli, and an export tax of 1 percent was based on the fiction that formal importation had oc- curred. Naturally, the Greek sponge fishermen resent having to pay such fees for the privi- lege of fishing in waters that were, as they say, "tradition— ally free" to them, and they are most eager to have the final ELEPHANT'S EAR SPONGE FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA. disposition of these colonies settled in order that they may more effectively press for recognition of their "rights," and have such rights as they may be granted protected by treaties. Beginning a few years prior to World War II, and continuing after the end of hostilities, the Greek sponge fishermen have been meeting with more and more opposition to their fishing sponges in Egyptian waters, because prior to World War II, the Egyptians began serious plans to exploit (but unsuccessfully) their own sponge beds and to enter on their own account the sponge fishing market. The Egyptian agreement with the Greek fishermen for the 1949 fishing season provided that (1) boats carrying diving equipment and those operated with motors were required to pay $11,358 each for licenses (the money loaned to them by the Greek government); (2) Egyptian boats were allowed to accompany the Greek fishing boats, but no observers were permitted aboard the Greek vessels; and (3) the catch was to be landed for 30 days on Egyptian soil. However, no sponges were bought by Egyptians during the 30-day period (the agreement being that boat captains had to approve the selling prices, and these were approved at the Greek mainland rather than the Egyptian prices). The entire catch was later brought home for export by Greek merchants. Cooperatives: There are only about three important sponge fishing coopera— tives in Greece; one with headquarters in Piraeus; one with headquarters on the Island of Hydra; and the third on Kalymnos Island. The cooperatives are under- stood to maintain treasuries fran which members may borrow money, and to provide other protective services for their participants. Reserve Insurance Fund for Sponge Fisheries: To take care of boat operators, divers, and others who are not members of a sponge fishing cooperative, a Reserve June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 49 Insurance Fund was set up in 1949. While the provisions of this agreement may appear to be a little heavy on the borrower (particularly since the interest rate on loans from the Bankare around 16 percent), it has its advantage in that a sponge fisherman with no collateral may obtain a needed loan from a reliable source, at a rate not considered exhorbitant as compared with interest rates charged by pri- vate money lenders in Greece. Preparing Sponges Aboard the Mothership: Diver's boats are usually caiques, and a "mothership" is usually assigned to small groups of such fishing boats. The mothership, with a crew of sailors and workmen and a captain, provides food and sleeping quarters for the divers, and skins, washes, and stores the sponges as they are brought aboard. On board this mothership, the sponges are trod upon by feet, causing the black, shiny cover of the sponge to be pressed away and the white, milky substance in the sponge to be exuded. The sponges are then strung on wires or ropes and allowed to trail inthe water overnight to clean them. They are then dried in the sun and pressed intobags for storing on the mothership until port is reached. While this is a part of the processing, it is still far, in some cases, from a finished job. On shore sponges must be rid of stones, broken shell, and other foreign matter that have accumulated in thems; they must be trimmed and sorted; some must be bleached, etc. Iceland USES GERMAN SKINNING MACHINE: At present Iceland is using one skinning machine, of German manufacture, for processing fish fillets, an April 18 Ameri- can consular dispatch from Reykjavik reports. TYPE OF GERMAN FISH=SKINNING MACHINE BEING USED IN ICELAND. , The skinning machine, installed in a quick-freezing plant in Hafnarfjordur, has been employed with considerable success. Compared to hand skinning, reports indicate that it skins fillets well, operates faster and more efficiently, and recovers more fish. The machine performs the work of at least five fillet skinners. Since it will prove to be a great savings to the industry if employed 50 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 on a large scale in the country's major quick-freezing plants, Iceland plans to rent several of these units from Germany. USES GERMAN FILLETING MACHINE: Iceland is now leasing and using one fillet— ing machine which was invented and constructed by Rud Baader, owner and manager of the Nordischer Maschinenbau, Lubeck, Germany. , wed - aust y 7 , | ae | ' = > TYPE OF GERMAN FISH-FILLETING MACHINE BEING USED IN ICELAND. As described by the Icelandic Director of State Inspection of Fish, this fish- filleting machine is round, approximately 63 feet in diameter. About 20 fish per minute are filleted, which is sufficient for any freezing plant in Iceland. In a comparison between machine-filleted and hand-filleted fillets, it was found that the machine recovered three percent more fish than hand filleting. Only two men are required to operate the filleting and decapitating machines, which are leased by the manufacturer. When-the machine is in operation, the fish moves horizontally, approximately in a half circle. On the side of the filleting machine is attached a companion machine which cuts off the head of the fish and delivers the fish into the fillet- ing machine. When the fish enters the filleting machine, the size of the fish is automatically measured, and the knives are automatically adjusted according to the size of the fish. The filleting machine cuts the fillets and delivers them directly to another machine, which strips the skin from the fish if they are to be packed without the skin. The filleting machine has not met with any success primarily because Ice- landic fish are large in size and certain major adjustments in the equipment are required. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Bul India MANUFACTURE OF SHARK-LIVER OIL: In order to popularize shark-liver oil manu- factured by the Government of Madras oil factory at Kozhikode (Calicut), the manu- facture of capsules is proposed. It is understood a capsule-making plant for this purpose will be erected at Kozhikode, according to a March 1 American consular re- port from Madras. The conversion of the oil into capsules is said to have a dou- ble benefit--removing the existing fish odor and making it easier to take. Meanwhile, a fairly large quantity of high-potency oil was sent by the Govern- ment to England to be "pressed" into capsules, which will be sent back to India. The Government plans to make an initial distribution of 100,000 English-made cap- sules. a Jamaica STATUS OF THR FISHERIES: Plans to Develop Fisheries: In its endeavor to pro- duce more food fram the sea, the Government of Jamaica in 1949 introduced a scheme for the development of fisheries. The scheme was devised on the basis of various surveys of the fishing potentialities of the Island, states the American Consulate General at Kingston in a March 31 report. The scheme, set out in two parts, falls under the headings of the establish— ment of the Fisheries Division of the Forestry Department and the carrying out of fisheries research. Two separate applications were to be made to the Secretary of State for the Colonies for assistance from Colonial Development and Welfare for the two-part scheme. The first will be for a grant of $47,662 to be spread over a period of six years and four months dating from December 1, 1949, at which time the scheme came into effect. This grant was to be used for the setting up of the Fisheries Divi- Sion, the appointment of a Fisheries Officer, his necessary training abroad, and the transfer during 1950 of the functions performed by the Angling Association of Jamaica on the Government's behalf. The second application was for a grant from the Central Research Allocation under the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts to meet the cost of experiments in fish culture and in the use of fish fences in marine waters. The sum of the Government's contribution to the scheme was placed at $16,800. It was proposed that the first fish farm, along experimental lines, should be a 40-acre plot at Twickenham Park. Government investigations disclosed that while there is no big business in marine fishing, the stocking of swamp land with fish would introduce into Jamai- ca a local industry that would provide much employment and ease the Island of its enormous expenditure for the importation of foodstuffs. The proper stocking of such swamps would produce fish in greater number and size than the open sea. Problems of preservation and distribution would be considerably lessened by the introduction of modern facilities throughout the Island, especially if the farms were distributed in several areas. 52 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 Marine Fisheries: Jamaica is surrounded by a coastal shelf which stretches out to about LOO fathoms and then drops off suddenly to great depths. In the terminology of the local fishermen, the hundred—fathom line where the depth in- creases suddenly is called "The Edge" or "The Drop." From the east end of King- ston harbor up to Pedro Great Bay, the south-east coast has a wide shelf often extending out twenty miles from the shore. Fishing in Jamaica has been confined to this shelf and to the "blue water" immediately beyond the "Edge." The Pedro and Morant Bays are the largest fishing banks. They are half the size of Jamaica and are situated about 40 to 100 miles south of Jamaica. There are important marine fishing centers elsewhere and a multitude of small fishing beaches, The main types of fish caught are king, jack, cross bar, grunts, par— rot, bonito, butterfish, groupers, and snappers. The craft used for fishing consist almost entirely of wooden canoes, some small and some large. There is a limited amount of shark and turtle fishing, the former for livers and meat, and the latter for turtle steaks and turtle soup. A limited liability company, which was recently established, has been under— taking a reasonable amount of deep-sea fishing. A Diesel—engined vessel is used for the purpose. This service has added substantially to the fresh fish supply at Kingston and other Jamaican markets. Fresh-water Fishery: The fresh waters of Jamaica do not provide much food fish. "Mudfish" and "crayfish" (shrimp) are caught in small quantities. There is practically no pond fish culture at present. NOTS: Values converted on the basis of ons Jamaican pound equals U. S. $2, 80. —=—- == Japan AUTHORIZ=SD JAPANESE FISHING AREA EXTENDED FOR TUNA MOTHERSHIP OPERATIONS: The following is the full text of the Memorandum: Authorization is hereby granted for the operation of mothership—type tuna fish-— ing expeditions in the area extending South from the authorized fishing area and bounded by a line extending from 24° N. latitude, 180° longitude, south to 5° N. latitude; thence west to 5° N. latitude, 170° E. longitude; thence south to the Equator; thence west to 140° &. longitude; thence northwesterly to 5° N. latitude, 130° E. longitude; thence north to 20° N. latitude; thence west to 123° E. longitude; thence N. to 24° N. lati- tude, 123° E. longitude. The expeditions authorized in paragraph 1 above will operate under the following conditions: a. No vessel of the expedition will approach closer than three (3) miles to any land not under the adminis— trative control of the Japanese June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 53 MANCHURIA Authorized Japanese Fishing Area c 40 | AON len Llicddddddilitddditcd SAA BONIN ISLANDS 1 * VOLCANO |SLANDS FAQ’ at eS MARIANAS = * ISLANDS FOR INSPECTION | VESSELS MARSHALL 1 SLANOS i Meer CAROLINE |SLANDS ! AUTHOR! ZED JAPANESE FISHING AREA FOR TUNA < MOTHERSHIP OPERATIONS. S GILBERT 1 SLANDS THE HOR! ZONTALLY-LINED STIPPLED BORDER INDICATES THE EXTENT OF THE AUTHOR! ZED JAPANESE FISH- ING AREA. THE BROKEN BLACK LINE INDICATES THE AREA AUTHORIZED FOR JAPANESE INSPECTION VES- SELS. THE DOTTED STIPPLED BORDER |NDICATES THE EXTENSION OF THE JAPANESE FISHING AREA SOUTH- WARD FOR JAPANESE TUNA MOTHERSH|IP OPERATIONS. Government. b. Each participating vessel will be marked and operated in conformity with directives from the Administrator, U. S. Naval Shipping Control Authority for Japanese Merchant Marine. c. The master of each participating ~ mothership will forward a daily radio- gram to the Fisheries Agency, Tokyo, containing the position of his ship at 1200 hours local time on the day the radiogram is dispatched. d. The master of each participating catcher boat will, while in the fish- ing area authorized in paragraph 1 above, report daily to the mother- ship of his fleet the position of his ship at 1200 hours local time. e. The master of each participating catcher boat will, during fishing operations, maintain a navigation and fishing log showing daily catch by number of fish and species, lo- cation of catch, type and amount of gear used, number of sets, and other data of fishing and navigational na- ture which may be specified by the High Commissioner for the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands. Within thirty days after the return COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 D4 of the expedition to Japan, the Japa- for the Allied Powers will accompany each nese Government will submit copies of fleet to insure compliance with the pro- these logs in the English language to visions of this Memorandum and other General Headquarters, Supreme Command- applicable Memoranda and instructions er for the Allied Powers. from General Headquarters, Supreme Com mander for the Allied Powers, f. The Japanese Government will assign . two inspectors to each fleet to insure 5. Direct radio communications between the compliance with the provisions of this motherships of the expedition and Japanese Memorandum and other applicable Memo- coastal radio stations is authorized. randa from General Headquarters, Su- : : preme Commander for the Allied Powers, 6. Direct communication between Natural Re- and applicable laws of the Trust Terri- sources Section, General Headquarters, tories. Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and the Ministry of Agriculture and For- 3. Representatives of the High Commissioner estry, concerning matters within the for the Trust Territories of the Pacific scope of this memorandum is authorized. Islands, who will be agents of the Supreme 7. The Japanese Government will submit a re- 4e pants most fruitful prewar fisheries in the north are still off-limits. panese newspaper Asahi of May 14 declared: Commander for the Allied Powers, may peri- odically board vessels of the expedition to conduct inspections within his area of responsibility. These representatives will be given all possible assistance and accom modetion. A representative of the Supreme Commander port to General Headquarters, Supreme Com— mander for the Allied Powers, by June 1, 1950, containing the names and gross ton- nage of all vessels which will participate in the expedition, and full details of operation and methods of compilation of statistics. The announcement of the authorization of Japanese mothership-type tuna fish- ing into the area extending from the present authorized area south to the Equator was greeted by the Japanese press and officials as an important contribution to Japan's economic recovery, according to a May 19 American Embassy dispatch from Tokyo which reported on press comments. The press comments pointed out that Ja- The Ja- "We hope the Allies will make the northern fishing grounds available to the Japanese as early as possible." aquatic resources. According to SCAP's Public Information Office, the authorization is recog- nition of Japan's constructive efforts to promote the continued productivity of recovery program. \ st ok It was described as a marked contribution to Japan's economic MOTHERSHIP OPERATIONS FOR TUNA: Two experimental operations have been con— ducted from Japan, especially for tuna, using so-called motherships with catcher boats, according to the April 8 Weekly Summary of SCAP's Natural Resources Section. The first tests were carried out by the Taiyo Fishing Company in the summer of 1948; the second, by the Nippon Suisan Company in the winter and spring of 1949. The purpose of both experiments was to determine the economic feasibility of using a mothership and several catcher boats in tuna fishing. It was thought that this method might result in an improvement in the freshness of the fish due to rapid refrigeration and in a corresponding-increase in the quantity of market-— able fish. The Taiyo Fishing Company conducted its experiment from July 24, 1948, through August 28, 1948, off the Bonin Islands in an area between 24° N. latitude and 26° N. latitude and 144° E. longitude and 153925! E, longitude. The fleet consisted of the refrigeration ship Banshu Maru (983 gross metric tons, 800 h.p.), and three June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 55 tuna long-line catcher boats each of 135 gross tons and 200 h.p. The Banshu Maru had a re- frigeration capacity of 40 metric tons daily and Table 1 - Catch Record of Taiyo Fishin Mothership 0 Operation for Tunal/ |Number of [Weight Species Fish Total | Av. Per Fish unas: 2 Company Albacore cccccce 912 a fish-carrying capacity Yellowfin cccece 248 of 500 tons. The catcher Big-eyed ecceccce 124 ’ boats were actually en- Miscellaneous o. 294 (est.) 8,186 gaged in fishing thirty lack marlin ceccece 783 116,626 days. SharkS eececcecccoe 1,059 114,038 Shark livers eccece - 5,029 The Nippon Suisan una Livers eccecee 599 Company's experiment Mortenlimetetetalstere (EEE on took place from February 1/This catch was converted into approximately 305,455 27, 1949, through May 30, pounds of refrigerated products. 1949, off the Bonin Is— lands in the area between 24°01! N. latitude and 27°51! N. latitude and 143°13' E. longitude and 154°50! E. longitude. Although the fleet was similar to that operated by the Taiyo Fishing Company, consisting of the re- frigeration ship Kaiko Maru (2,994 gross metric tons, 1,100 Table 2 - Catch Record of Nippon Suisan Compan: h.p.), and three catcher boats =-yeee= Mothership Operation for Tuna __ averaging 100 gross tons and | Species st _|Number of Fish | _ unas: Yellowfin cccccccce Big-eyed scccccecce Albacore ceeccesccece ort PIBck ececccccce 210 h.p., the tuna—fishing operation was carried on inci- dental to the company's regu- lar whaling operations, there-— fore, it was not a mothership operation in the true sense. The catcher boats were actually engaged in fishing a total of fifty days. Black marlin ceccce Striped " ecccce BOA Del eyalcleicielele\e Neither company's experi- Sailfish eoeceeeece ment was a commercial success. There were four main reasons for this: scellaneous: Spanish mackerel .. Dolphin ccccccccecs Shark e@receccccsoee Wahoo @eeeeoesneeneee Total misc. wos. SS 224,299 HE MOM LO LeU isleisislelleiuln On COs mmunEn Ns | PERaS Das 1. The catch was con— sidered poor in relation to the cost of the Opera tion. 2. Adverse weather conditions interfered with the transfer of fish from the catcher boats to the motherships. 3. Heavy seas on the fishing grounds made operations difficult. 4. The lack of adequate refrigeration aboard the catcher boats made it impossible to keep the fish in prime condition until they could be transferred to the motherships. 56 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 TUNA LANDINGS, 1949: It is estimated that about 51,000 metric tons of tuna were landed in Japan during 1949. Not all prefectures have reported their 1949 landings, therefore, this total is subject to change. The tuna landings consisted of skipjack, 40,000 metric tons; albacore, 8,000; yellowfin, 2,000; and bluefin, 1,000. From this tuna, 173,058 cases of tuna were packed and exported (about 92,000 cases were light meat and about 81,000 cases were white meat). An estimated 80-percent of the exported tuna was sold to United States buyers. In addition, about 1,500 metric tons of tuna were frozen for ex— port to the United States. Japan expects to export about 500,000 cases of 48 half—pound cans of tuna and about 2,900 tons of frozen tuna during 1950. “MK HH FISHERIES PRODUCTION, 1949: Over-all fisheries production in Japan during 1949 was reported to have reached 3.1 million metric tons, according to an April 15 American consular dispatch from Tokyo. This was almost twice the 1945 produc— tion and is indicated to be almost the maximum production practicable within Japan's existing fishing area. This increased production permitted the removal of price and distribution con- trols over all types of fish on April 1, according to a Government announcement. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 57 JAPAN TO REDUCE EAST CHINA SEA TRAWLING FLEET: Under the Law for the Preven- Japanese Government has announced its intention to cancel the licenses for approxi- mately 7 large otter trawlers and 240 medium otter trawlers operating west of 130° E. by June 30, 1950; and the licenses for approximately 4 large otter trawlers and 39 medium otter trawlers operating west of 130° E. by December 31, 1950. The new legislation grants the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry the au- thority to reduce the number of fishing boats to prevent exhaustion of a certain fishery after public hearings have been held and the Central Fisheries Adjustment Council has voiced its opinion on the proposed reduction. The Law also requires the Government to give financial compensation to the owners of vessels eliminated from the fishery, according to the May 6 Weekly Summary of the Natural Resources Section of SCAP. K HK Ke * of any other major nation, reports the April 22 Weekly Summary of SCAP's Natural Resources Section. About 90 percent of the animal proteins in the Japanese diet are supplied by fisheries production. Before the war aquatic products were major items in’ Japanese exports, the most valuable being canned crab meat and canned salmon. Such products as agar agar and dried fish of various kinds were impor- tant also. In the years before World War II (1935-39), most of Japan's production (4,214,000 metric tons) came fran the coastal waters of the four main islands. Since the surrender, Japan's fishing activities have been limited to the area au— thorized by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. In prewar years, this area supplied about 85 percent of Japan's catch; nine percent came from north of the present area and six percent from southern waters and the East China and Yellow seas. In 1949, Japanese production reached about 3,113,000 metric tons. Production of miscellaneous species, excluding sardines and herring, was about 173,000 metric tons greater than before the war, while production of sardines and herring was about 634,000 tons less, primarily as a result of the scarcity of these fish in Japanese coastal waters. Japanese requirements for aquatic products cannot be determined precisely because such requirements depend to a large extent on the price of these prod— ucts compared to the price of other foods and materials. Late in 1949 and early in 1950, production reached a level which satisfied most requirements at price levels set by government controls. This was demonstrated when market prices of most fish dropped to or below the official prices. However, if price decreases continue, the amount which will be used for food can be increased considerably, and it will again become practical to convert the cheaper grades of fish into meal for livestock feed and fertilizer and to oil for various commercial pur- poses. The amount required for these purposes is relatively unlimited if the price is sufficiently low. Requirements of aquatic products for export also are impossible to specify with any precision in that they depend on foreign markets and the price at which Japan can process them for export. Through better handling and preservation facilities, a much larger proportion of tuna, albacore, and sardines can be made available for canning so that the pack can be increased greatly. Production of 58 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 canned crab meat will remain limited to about the present level, unless additional areas to the north are opened to Japanese fishing. Canned salmon will be limited to pink or chum salmon unless northern areas are opened, because no red salmon comes from Japan. Agar agar, as well as other seaweed products, now is available in greater quantities than are being taken by the export market. The quantities of other canned products can be increased should the market justify it. The possibility for increased aquatic production generally has been greatly overestimated by the Japanese, unless sources of supply or fishing methods not now known are discovered. The present fishing area is being exploited almost to the maximum so that, except for sardines and herring, little over-all increase can be expected except through further development and implementation of conser- vation and management programs. Extension of the fishing area to the north and restoration of Japanese fishing there to the prewar level would increase produc=— tion about 370,000 metric tons. Extension to the south at the prewar rate of ex— ploitation would produce only 25,000-50,000 metric tons, but present information indicates that this might be expanded considerably. Extension on the west might add 25,000-50,000 metric tons annually to the catch but it is questionable wheth- er this could be done without overfishing the area. Return of sardines and her— ring to their prewar abundance would make it possible to increase the catch an—- other 630,000 metric tons. The over-all expectation is that in the immediate future Japan will be rel- atively independent in the field of aquatic products. Imports will be limited to luxury or semi-luxury products such as laver and possibly "tai" (sea bream) and dried shrimp, while exports will be principally swordfish, tuna, agar agar, shark fins, dried seaweed, sardines, crab meat, salmon, and vitamin oil. ae x“ + STATUS OF FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY: The following information on general con- ditions in the fisn canning and refrigeration industries in Japan was prepared for the Scientific and Technical Division of SCAP's Economic and Scientific Sec— tion and was summarized in the Weekly Summary of April 8: 1. The level of technology in the fish canning and refriger- ation industries is low compared to that reported in the United States. No improvements have been made in basic processes for about the past 20 years. Equipment in use in the refrigeration industry is generally obsolete. The canning industry, being a later innovation in Japan, has more modern equipment. At present there is a need for the importation of equipment for the refrigeration in- dustry in particular. 2. Some canneries are well designed, but generally the or- ganization is poor and is a detriment to the attainment of high production levels. An excessive amount of hand labor is used in the canning industry in comparison to United States practices. Refrigeration plants are poorly designed, and practical changes are needed in order to speed up the flow of fish through the plants. 3. Plant inspection and control practices are inadequate in most cases. Central laboratories are practically non- June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW existent. Equipment salvage and housekeeping practices are poor compared to United States standards, but do not affect production to an appreciable extent. Safety practices, such as enclosed gears and belting, are wholly inadequate. Canned fish and frozen products intended for export are excellent in regard to appearance. More attention is paid to the appearance of the products than to quality and flavor. Frozen products for domestic use were usu- ally of low grade when distribution and price controls were in effect, since the incentive to improve the qual-— ity was lacking. Byproduct extraction and utilization are high. 0 Production engineers are employed in nearly all plants but are not so effective as they might be owing to lack of knowledge of advanced methods employed in these in- dustries in other countries. Because of the lack of knowledge of modern designing and technological improvements, Japanese operators of the canning and refrigeration industries are doing very little to effect improvement. Nearly all of the new plants constructed are of identical design in building and equipment to those already in operation. Experi- ments are being made in the improvement of design of refrigerated rail cars for the transportation of fish from distant areas to large consuming areas. Investi- gation is being made to design and equip refrigerated trucks for local distribution of fish. Advice and recommendations are given by representatives of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in order to improve techniques. The Japanese Government is en- couraging the formulation of plans to improve techniques and facilities in the refrigeration industry. Techniques in the fishing industry could be improved by: a. Making available more technological publications. b. Redesigning the existing refrigeration plants and equipment. ce. Sending technical personnel abroad to study modern methods and design. d. Establishing adequate plant inspection and control practices. e. Making available the findings and programs of technical research laboratories in other countries and coordinating and disseminating the work of Japanese scientists. f. Esteblishing adequate control laboratories. ge Importing more modern equipment. a9 60 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 JAPANESE FISHERIES LEADERS VISIT UNITED STATES: Two Japanese fisheries leaders are visiting the United States for three months to observe and study administration and research related to the conservation and management of rescurces. Japanese research is being reoriented along these lines in accordance with advice and guid— ance from personnel of General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, according to its April 15 Weekly Summary. The two Japanese specialists now touring the United States, Masao Sogawa and Hiroshi Kasahara, will discuss with American researchers and leaders of the fish- ing industry the various phases of fisheries research, administration, and enforce- ment. Their visit is part of a program authorized by SCAP to permit Japanese lead— ers to obtain first-hand knowledge of United States institutions and administration which can be applied in rebuilding Japan into a democratic nation. Masao Sogawa is Chief of the Production Department of the Fisheries Agency. He is studying the organization and procedures of national and state fishery de— partments for law enforcement and prevention of overexploitation or overfishing or resources. Hiroshi Kasahara isafishery biologist and statistician. The purpose of his visit is to become acquainted with the methods used in collection and analysis of fisheries statistics on production and biology. He is especially interested in those phases of research dealing with fish population studies, determination of depletion of fisheries stocks, and the application of effective conservation meas— ures. CP SEe Ten Se Se Mirae) TRE rare 3 OPENING OF JAPANESE OVERSEAS AGENCIES ANNOUNCED: Japanese Government of- ficials arrived in the United States the first week in May to open agencies in five key American cities for the purpose of promoting trade between the United States and Japan and the handling of citizenship and property problems relating to Japanese residing in the United States. The agencies will be located in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Honolulu, the United States De- partment of State announced on May l. The United States Government two months previous, after consulting with other Far Eastern Commission countries, transmitted through General MacArthur's Headquarters an invitation to the Japanese Government to establish agencies in this country--an invitation which was approved by General MacArthur and accepted by the Japanese Government. The main objectives behind the invitation to es- tablish the agencies were to provide means for making information available to American businessmen on trade opportunities in Japan and on Japanese laws and regulations concerning import-export trade, as well as to permit Japan, which is unusually dependent on overseas trade, to conduct research on market conditions and trade opportunities in the United States. It is believed that the latter function will tend to eliminate instances of underpricing of Japanese exports by giving the Japanese Government and Japanese businessmen a better understand- ing of United States and world market conditions. JAPANESE GOVERNMENT x June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 61 Korea MARINE LANDINGS, 1949: Total marine landings for the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in 1949 amounted to 300,391 metric tons, compared to 286,592 tons in 1948 and 301,952 tons in 1947, accord- ~ Republic of Korea Marine Landings, 1946-49 | ing to an April 3 Seoul joint dis— 19491/ patch from the Department of State eeoee (in metric tons and HCA. Of the total marine land— ings, fish production totaled 246,951 tons; shellfish, 7,319 tons; sea weed, 9,104 tons; and sea animals (spiny lobsters, crabs and whales), 37,017 tons. Fish @eo0e000 300,591 |286,592 | 301,952 | 306,048) 1/November and December data included in this total are preliminary. Outlook: No major increases in the fish catch are currently an- ticipated mainly due to a decline in the number of boats in the fishing fleet. Unless additional boats are forth- coming, it is expected that the fish catch will decline. Fishermen are unable to finance the cost of construction of new boats and equipment under present circum— stances, For this reason, the Economic Cooperation Administration Mission has programmed $2,000,000 during fiscal year 1951 for the purchase of new fishing ves— sels (also see p. 15 of this issue). It is also currently planned that all fish- ery supplies on hand, many of which have been in storage more than six months due to financing difficulties, will be sold directly to the various fishery guilds and associations. See Norway NORWEGIANS URGED TO SEEK MARKETS FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS IN THE UNITED STATES: Through a press interview with the former Norwegian Commercial Attache at San _ Francisco, Norwegian exporters were again urged to spend more time on the attain— ment of an intelligent comprehension of the American market. The former attache pointed out that where products had been adapted to American demand and taste, marketing had been quite successful. He stated that there were good opportuni-— ties for increasing frozen fish sales in the United States, but called attention to the necessity of transporting frozen products on ships with deep-freeze com-— partments » It is also reported that the Norwegian Government has urged the canning in- dustry to unite and seek markets in the United States under one trade name and one jointly-sponsored advertising campaign. Large factories with established markets were accused of refusing to cooperate with smaller factories which seek to enter American markets. The problem of packing Norwegian export sardines in olive oil instead of herring oil, with a resulting increase in price to the consumer, was the subject of a lively press debate with, however, no conclusive results, reports a May 3 American consular dispatch from Oslo. 62 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVILW Vol. 12, No. 6 UBEN FROM FISH AND FISH WASTE: Norwegian chemists have discovered a according to a May 20 report peomeee noes Information Service. Before World War II, the Germans were producing a similar product, but it was not sufficiently pure to compete in the world market with albumin produced from milk, peanuts, coconuts, soy beans, etc. The German product tasted and smelled too much of fish. The pure Norwegian product now achieved is the result of cooperation between two firms—-E. 0. Collett & Co. of Oslo, and Astrup & Co. of Kristiansund. Trial production has been started at the rate of some 600 pounds of dried albumin a day, equal to the egg white contained in the daily output of eggs by 100,000 chickens. The production of one pound of this dried albumin in the form of a dry white pow-— der requires 10 to 12 pounds of fish waste (mostly cod). Production is carried out by a completely chemical—mechanical process. One gram (about one-thirtieth of an ounce) of this powder is sufficient to produce three to four pints of meringue ("cream") which whips and mixes easily. In several respects, the artificial product is claimed to be better than natural egg white, and one pound of it is equivalent to that contained in about 150 chick— en eggs. This product contains 80 to 90 percent pure protein and can be used in bak— ing, in the manufacture of ice cream, puddings, cheese, soup powder, mayonnaise, pharmaceutical products; in paints and varnishes; in the textile industry; as well as in paper, cosmetics, and soap. A price of about $2.50 per pound is indi- cated for the best quality product. For industrial use, a less refined product would be needed and the price would be correspondingly lower. FLOATING HERRING OIL AND MEAL FACTORY A SUCCESS: The first Norwegian float—- ing herring oil and meal factory, which went into operation in January this year, has been a great success according to all reports. The factory has a capacity of some 370 metric tons of herring per each 24-hour period, and 85 men are employed in the factory part of the vessel, states an April 4 American consular dispatch from Oslo. LOFOTEN COD CATCH POOR: The Nor- wegian Lofoten cod catch is expected to be even poorer this year than last. As of March 13 it totaled 11,500 metric tons compared to 17,800 tons for the same period last year. The small catch caused consider- able speculation in fish prices, with producers of salted fish outbidding producers of dried and frozen fish. A ceiling price of 3 cents per pound was imposed. Fish processors agreed to adhere to this price in their purchases. LOFOTEN ISLES, NORWAY. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 63 The Ministry of Fisheries, given authority to formlate regulations on the production and marketing of cod in the Lofoten district, prohibited the salting of cod there at the end of March. However, it is anticipated that some freez— ing plants may be forced to suspend operations in the middle of what is nor- mally their most busy season. A, Roya) rk, kOe % 36 He OH OF PURSE-SEINING FOR COD TRIED: Purse-net fishing was tried this season in the Norwegian Lofoten cod fisheries for the first time on a small scale, reports the Norwegian Information Service. The production for the season, which ended the week of April 22, amounted to 71,839 metric tons, and purse-net fishing accounted for 12 percent of this total. This, according to the Norwegians, proves the su— periority of purse-net fishing for cod. The largest catch in one day by this method was over 1,000 metric tons. NORWAY PLANS TO DEMONSTRATS FISHING METHODS TO FORWIGN COUNTRIES: It is ing vessel completely equipped with trawl nets and lines to demonstrate fishing methods to foreign countries in an attempt to stimulate interest in Norwegian wooden vessels. The Norwegian shipbuilding industry appears to be in a rather serious situa-— tion, reports an April 4 American consular dispatch from Oslo. Only one-half of the shipyards for wooden vessels are operating at the present time and they are employing an average of 6 to 7 men each as compared to the usual average of 20 men. 1 NORWHGIAN ANTARCTIC FLOATING WHALE CANNERY: The 20,000-ton Norwegian tanker Kosmos V returned to Sandefjord after a very successful experiment as a floating whale cannery, according to the May 6 report from the Norwegian Information Serv— ice. No less than 160,000 cans of meat cakes and 40,000 cans of liver paste were canned at sea from freshly—caupht whales, The whole of this amount was canned in 24 working days. The whale meat had to be transported to the Kosmos V from other factory ships. Bad weather sometimes held up.supplies. Because of the limitation imposed by the Norwegian Government on the number of whale refinery ships, Kosmos V was not al- lowed to act as a processing ship for the whales caught by catcher boats. It was dependent on other expeditions for the supply of meat. Experts are of the opinion that in the future canning plants should be installed on the actual refinery ships. 64 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 Republic of the Philippines UNITED STATES VESSEL TRANSFERRED TO PHILIPPINE BUREAU OF FISHERIES: The David Starr Jordan, a research and exploratory vessel of the Philippine Fishery Program of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, was transferred to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries on May 2, 1950. The vessel was accepted by the Acting Director of the Philippine Bureau. This vessel, which was acquired outright by the United States Mission, represents a monetary value of ~82,000 (approximately $41,000) and is equipped with a wide variety of equipment. The vessel is one of a fleet of three vessels that have been exploring Phil— ippine waters for the past two-and-half years in conjunction with the Philippine rehabilitation program of expanding the Philippine fisheries. It is 50-ft. long over-all, has a gross tonnage of 30 tons, is powered with a 125 h.p. Diesel engine, and has had mechanical refrigeration installed in the Philippines. This vessel has been used by the Mission for research and exploration. There is a definite need for the continuation of these functions by the Philippine Bu- reau of Fisheries if the fishing industry of the country is to keep abreast of the development of the Philippines. UNITED STATES FISHERY MISSION PLANS DEPARTURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES: Prior life Service and the return of the personnel to the United States, the Mission is closing its office and laboratory, according to a May 15 announcement by the Administrator of the Program. The Program has been operating in the Philippine Republic for the past three years under the authority of the United States Phil— ippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946. The administrative office will remain open until June 20 for the final set-— tlement of affairs. Disposition of property and effects of the program have been going on for the past month. Approximately $300,000 worth of scientific equip— ment, fishing gear, and other paraphernalia has been transferred to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries in accordance with the law. The Theodore N. Gill, one of the Program's three exploratory and research vessels, departed for the United States May 5. The David Starr Jordan, another of the exploratory vessels, was transferred to the Philippine Bureau of Fisher- ies for its use. The Spencer F. Baird, the flagship of the rehabilitation fleet, returned to the United States on January 10. Union of South Africa MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM: For at least the next two years the South African Division of Fisheries will use the Africana II, a new research vessel completed in January this year, and the two smaller vessels, Schipa and Palinurus, for in- tensive investigations into the pilchard resources off the west coast of Africa, according to the March 1950 issue of The South African Shipping News and Fish- ing Industry Review. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 65 In the past seven years pilchards have become the most important fish in South African waters and over $11,200,000 is now invested in the pilchard proc- essing industry. Since the industry started, scientists have been aware of the urgent need for pilchard research. The Division has now drawn up a comprehensive program covering an area of 710 sq. miles of sea centered on St. Helena Bay. Twice a month the Africana II will sail a "N"-shaped course, starting out to sea and finishing inshore. A network of stations has been marked out along this course and the ship will stop at each of them to observe weather conditions, take water temperatures and samples from varying depths, and make plankton hauls, ~ While the Africana II is working out to sea, the two smaller patrol boats will operate inshore along St. Helena Bay, taking fish samples from the nets of commercial fishing boats, making plankton hauls in the immediate vicinity of a shoal, observing weather conditions, and taking water temperatures. Two officers, one at Lamberts Bay and one at Stompneus Bay, will collect and examine the samples from the boats and, in addition, will twice weekly take 50 fish from five differ-— ent commercial boats and record the weight of each fish, its length, sex, condi- tion of sexual organs, and will examine and record its stomach contents. From the data collected it is hoped to assess the potentialities of the fish- ery, discover where the pilchards spawn and die, why they concentrate in certain areas, and where they can best be fished. The new vessel, Africana II, was launched in October 1949. It is a steam trawler with 1,300 h.p. triple-expansion reciprocating engines, an over-all length of 206 ft., a breadth of 33 ft., a depth of 16.2 ft., and a sailing range of 25 days. It is 882 gross registered metric tons and will carry a com- plement of 10 officers, 4 scientists, and a crew of 21 men. ‘Ey Ugo Aanoualt: Soviet Russia, according to Bremen newspaper reports. Soviet naval units in large numbers are patrolling the Baltic Sea, and no week passes without the cap- ture of fishing trawlers (regardless of nationality) that allegedly sailed the waters within the 12-mile-zone limit. The only purpose for which vessels are per-— mitted to enter Baltic sea ports occasionally is for coaling, states an April 17 American consular dispatch from Bremen. It is believed that the pursuits of Scandinavian and West German fishing vessels is carried out partly for the reason of enforcing respect of the Soviet's newly created 12-mile-zone limit and to keep foreign vessels out of these waters. ath. —> 5 66 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 United Kingdom pas located are being carried out at the British Ministry of enn Fisher- ies Research Station at Lowestoft, reports the April 8 British fishery periodical, The Fishing News. Tests are not yet complete, a Ministry spokesman stated in April, but results so far obtained are said to be promising. At present, only experts using the Hughes apparatus (as the new device is called) can tell what species of fish have been located from the image appearing on the radar screen. However, experiments are continuing in an attempt to discover how the radar image can be more easily interpreted. Success should enable trawler skippers to decide if they can "shoot" for prime fish and if the catch is likely to prove profitable before beginning a drag. Other English manufacturers, expert in radar development, are claiming to have evolved similar devices, but the Ministry states: "Our experts tell us that none of these firms can tell us anything we do not lmow already." The Ministry believes that the new apparatus may be ready for general use by the end of this year. RESULTS OF DECONTROL OF FISH PRICES: Great Britain's price controls on fish were discontinued on April 15, 1950. The immediate results of decontrol were some sensational price increases, in many cases prices more than doubling, reports an April 18 American Embassy dispatch from London. However, members of trade have stated that this is just a temporary situation and: that a more moderate price situ-— ation will prevail shortly when consumers refuse to pay high prices and when more fish are available. The catch in the last few weeks has been adversely affected by stormy weather. Later reports indicate that prices have already receded from their high levels of April 15, and in some cases have even been reported lower than controlled prices. Orage Venezuela SPINY-LOBSTER-FISHING CLOSED SEASON LENGTHENED: The closed season on spiny lobster (Palinarus argus) fishing is fixed as May 15 to September 15 in Venezuela, according to a May 9 American consular report from Caracas. This new closed sea— son was announced by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics of the Ministry of Agri- culture in Gaceta Oficial of May 5, 1950. Since 1947 the closed season has been lengthened from two months to the currently established four-month period. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 67 Venezuelan Fish Production FISHERIES PRODUCTION, 1949: Pro (Marketed or Processed Weight), 1945-491 duction of fishery products in Venezuela dropped from 92,281 metric tons (landed ~. (in metric tons)...sscls.. weight) in 1948 to 75,449 tons (landed 33,968 | 10,237 weight) in 1949, according to the Vene- 39,380 | 13,440 zuelan Development Corporation. The 29,080 | 11,777 drop in 1949 is attributed partly to 22,968 | 13,541 the loss of markets for canned sardines, 15.353 | 13.089 which resulted in the fish canners dras-— tically curtailing their purchases of sardines, reports a May 3 American con- sular dispatch from Caracas. FISHING INDUSTRY IN BRAZIL Fishing in Brazil is little developed as an industry, and is of relatively small economic importance, There is much subsistence fishing, wherever there is water; but fish is imported into all parts of Brazil, both canned and salted, The value of fish caught in Brazil in 1942 amounts to less than one-half of one percent of the Brazilian national inccme for 1942, and to about one-tenth of the valueof U, S, fisheries products in 1939. A Prinitive methodsof fishing prevail throughout the country, The tropical coasts abound with fish, but the varieties are so numerous that large schools of a single species are rarely encountered; thus it is difficult if not imoossible to employ large-scale methods, Im the sub-tropical waters off the southern coasts, roughly from the Federal District to the Uruguayan border, it is possible to use the trawler and purse seine which are found so profitable in the northern oceans, Such an industry would be based on sardines and shrimp, Efforts to develop the fishing industry during the past ‘ten years have been sporadic and, usually, fruitless, ‘The number of motor-powered fishing boats is small and so is the average horsepower of their engines, Few of them have any refrigerating equipment, and fuel is expensive, --Fishery Leaflet 329 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 69 by the interdepartmental trade-agreements organization, Actual granting of conces- sions will depend, of course, upon the results of the negotiations themselves, Negotiations may involve the elimination, reduction, or continuation of pre- ferential tariff treatment for products of Cuba, with regard to any item on either of the published lists which is not the subject of such preferential treatment, _— ™t OS Eighty-first Congress (Second Session) MAY 1950 Listed below are public bills, resolutions, etc., introduced and referred to committees, or passed by the Eighty-First Congress (Second Session) and signed by the President during May 1950, which affect in any way the fisheries and fishing and allied industries. Public bills, resolutions, etc., are mentioned under this section only when introduced and, if passed, when they are signed by the President. PUBLIC BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED AND REFERRED TO COMMITTEES: Senate: S. 3680 (Magnuson) = A bill to provide for the conservation of natural fish resources and for an adequate and balanced flow of fish and fish products in interstate and foreign commerce, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. (This bill has three parts: Price Support, Fisheries Stabilization Corporation Creation, and Marketing Agreements and Orders.) House of Representatives: H. Re 8310 (Miller) - A bill to abolish free transmission of official Government mail matter under the penalty privilege; to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. H. R. 8312 (Nicholson) - A bill to provide for an adjustment ‘of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act according to the needs of the fishing industry; to the Committee on Ways and Means. (This bill adjusts the Federal Unemployment Tax Act of 1939 and provides that fishing vessel payments for a berth shall be considered as payments to an individual, and that taxes paid for a berth shall be apportioned among all employers of the berth's occupants during a calendar year. Also pro- vides for a refund to employers for taxes paid on berth pay- ments, including wages, exceeding $3,000 a year, and retro- active to 1939.) — H. R. 8320 (Cooley) = A bill to encourage the improvement and development of marketing facilities for handling perishable agricultural commodities; to the Committee on Agriculture. (This bill also applies to sea food terminal markets, both combined with other perishable agricultural commodities or COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 solely established for the distribution of sea food. Pro- vides insurance of loans made to private persons, groups, or municipalities for the purpose of establishing terminal marketing facilities of perishable agricultural commodities, and direct loans in cases where these cannot be obtained from a source other than the Federal Government. ‘Sea food in this bill is listed as one of the perishable agricultural commodities. ) H. R. 8349 (Mitchell) - A bill to authorize deductions from the wages of seamen for payment into employee welfare funds; to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. H. Res. 576 (Shelley) - Resolution requesting the Secretary of State to investigate the seizure of five fishing vessels of the United States by the Republic of Mexico; to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. ba EXPLORATORY FISHING EXPEDITION TO THE NORTHERN BERING SEA IN JUNE AND JULY 1949 Commercial fishing for cod has been carried on in southeastern Bering Sea for a number of years, and recently several vessels have been engaged in fishing for king crabs in the waters just north of the Alaska Peninsula, where large populations of crabs were found by the Alaskan King Crab Investigation in 1940 and 1941. A Fish and Wildlife Service exploratory fishing expedition to the northern Bering Sea in June-July 1949 found that king crabs were widely scattered and of a much smaller size than those found to the south. Both the Alaskan and purple species were taken, and although no great quantities were found, it is possible that a more thorough survey might reveal areas of concentration. _ Five species of shrimp were caught, mainly in the waters around St. Lawrence Island and the approaches to Norton Sound. Considering the large mesh of the trawl net used, the numbers of gray shrimp taken may be considered sufficient to justify further investigation with gear more suitable for shrimp fishing. Numerous immature flounders were taken in Norton Sound and in the approaches to the Sound, which was considered evidence of the existence of a population of adult fish in the general area. The waters to the west and south of Nunivak Island produced the best cod and flatfish catches, many drags containing several thousand pounds of marketable fish, including prime lemon, yellowfin, rock and flathead "soles." --Fishery Leaflet 369 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIBW 71 LANDINGS AND RECEIPTS In Millions of Pounds MAINE - LANDINGS NOT INCLUDING IMPORTS MASSACHUSETTS - LANDINGS BOSTON , GLOUCESTER , NEW BEDFORD , & CAPE COD JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. NEW YORK CITY-RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH CHICAGO - RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH SALT-WATER MARKET WHOLESALE MARKET 26 24 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR, APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. GULF - SHRIMP LANDINGS SEATTLE - RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH WHOLESALE MARKET , LANDINGS , & IMPORTS HEADS OFF - FOR ALL USES 12.0 JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR.MAY JUNE JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Thousands of Tons CALIFORNIA - PILCHARD LANDINGS CALIFORNIA- TUNA AND TUNA-LIKE FISH 120 105 JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR.MAY JUNE JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. eecseeee ESTIMATED 72 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 COLD STORAGE HOLDINGS and FREEZINGS of FISHERY PRODUCTS n Millions of Pounds U.S. & ALASKA - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH U.S. & ALASKA - FREEZINGS 180 160 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. NEW ENGLAND - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH NEW YORK CITY - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. CHICAGO - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND ALASKA - = ISH HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH CALIFORNIA - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN F JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW (Be CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS In Thousands of Standard Cases MAINE - SARDINES , ESTIMATED PACK ; UNITED STATES - SHRIMP = sy JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE CALIFORNIA - TUNA AND TUNA-LIKE FISH CALIFORNIA - PILCHARDS 1200 1600 1400 1050) {200 1000 800 600 400 200 eo Spo = JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV, DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE CALIFORNIA - MACKEREL ALASKA - SALMON JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. STANDARD CASES Variety No,Cans Can Designation Net. Wot. SARDINES 100 VA drawn 3 1/4 oz. SHRIMP 48 — 5 oz. TUNA 48 No. 1/2 tuna 7 oz. PILCHARDS 48 No. 1 oval 15 oz. MACKEREL 48 No. 300 15 oz. SALMON 48 l_pound tall 16 oz. = JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG, SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. 7h COMMERCIAL FISHERTES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 PRICES . IMPORTS and BY-PRODUCTS BOSTON - WEIGHTED AVERAGE PRICE MAINE - IMPORTS OF FRESH SEA HERRING ON NEW ENGLAND FISH EXCHANGE IN ¢ PER POUND IN MILLIONS OF POUNDS JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Millions of Pounds U.S. - IMPORTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FILLETS U.S.- IMPORTS OF FRESH AND FROZEN OF GROUND FISH, INCLUDING ROSEFISH SHRIMP FROM MEXICO a nn N JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Millions of Pounds U.S.- IMPORTS OF CANNED TUNA U.S.-IMPORTS OF CANNED SARDINES AND TUNA-LIKE FISH (Include in oil and not in oi! ) O'JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OG, NOV. DEG. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. U.S. & ALASKA - PRODUCTION OF FISH MEAL U.S. & ALASKA - PRODUCTION OF FISH OIL IN THOUSANDS OF TONS IN MILLIONS OF GALLONS JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 75 June 1950 eae Ie a 2 OE gig hg TB a aA an Mle ee hs 2s ess Recent publications of interest to the commercial fishing industry are listed below. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PUBLICATIONS THESE PROCESSED PUBLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FREE FROM THE DIVISION OF |NFORMA- TION, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, WASHINGTON 2S), De Go TYPES OF PUBLICATIONS ARE DESIGNATED AS FOLLOWS: CFS - CURRENT FISHERY STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES AND ALASKA. FL = FISHERY LEAFLETS. SEP.- SEPARATES (REPRINTS) FROM COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW. SSR-FISH. - SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS--FISHERIES (Limi TED DISTRIBUTION). SSR-WILD. - SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS--WILDLIFE (LIMITED DISTRIBUTION). Number Title CFS-536 - Fisheries of the United States and Alaska, 1947 ast aia WA) oPs.639 Manufactured Fishery Products, al Anmal Summary, CFS-540 - Fish Meal and 0i1, March 1950, CFS-541 - Maine Landings, February 1950, i CES-542 - Texas Landings, March 1950, 4 p. C¥S-543 - Massachusetts Landings, by Ports, 1949 pane Summary, 16 p. CPS-544 - Maine Landings, 1949 Annual Suomary, Spee Massachusetts Landings, January 1950, 1D De ha i Maine Landings, March 1950, 4 p. - The Codfish Industry in Northern Portugal, 24 De Sep.-249 - The Japanese Long-Line Fishery for Tunas, SSR-Fish. No. 13—The Rational kxploitation of the Sea Fisheries with Particular Refer- by Dr. G. P. Baerends, Biologist of the Netherlands Institute for Fishery Re- search, 102 p., illus., March 1950. (Trans— lated from the Dutch, Paper No. 36 of the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Agri- culture, Fishery and Food Supply, The Hague, Netherlands, July 1947). This paper is a comprehensive analysis of the vast amount of research work which has been done on the North Sea fishery—the most seri- ously exploited fishery in the world. Since this fishery is one which may serve as an example of what to expect in the fisheries off the American east coast, where similar species are being increas- ingly sought, this English translation was edited and released by the Fish and Wild- life Service. The original work which the author has drawn on for his analysis all antedates World War II. SSR-Fish. No. 16--Three Papers on the Stocks of Tuna in Japanese Waters, by Morisaburo | Tauchi, 15) pes April 1950. A ti translation from Jap— anese of the following three papers: "On the Stock of Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel);" "On the Stock of the Yellowfin Tuna Neothunnus macropterus (Temminck & Schlegel);" and "On the Stock of the Albacore, Germo germo (Lacepede) # The first paper, which is a study on the stock of black tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and for which the catch records for each body-weight class were utilized as bases, reports that the study showed that sur-— vival rate was .30 for young fish, but .75 for the adults, while the fishing rate was -55 for the youngs but .10 for the adults. The second paper is a study on the stock of yellowfin tuna based on the catch records given for each body-length and body-weight classes, If the natural mortality rate is assumed to be .20, the paper points out that the survival rate is known to be .75 for young fish but .57 for the adults, while COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW the fishing rate is knowm to be .06 for the young but .29 for the adults. The third paper is a study on the stock of albacore on the basis of catch records classified according to the body length and body weight. Survival rate was es— timated to be about .66, while fishing rate was about .18, according to this paper. SSR-Fish. No.17—Report of Investigations of Skipjack and Tuna Resources, 19 pi, April 1950. A translation from Japanese. A number of skipjack studies were made dur— ing 1947 by the Nakamura Research Staff of the Japanese Fisheries Experimental Station. Part I of this publication is a study of the catch fram the waters off Omaezaki. Part II consists of data on the fishing grounds of the Satsunan Area which were collected at Aburatsu. SSR-Fish. No. 18—-Spawning Grounds of Tuna and Skipjack, April 1950. A translation fran Japanese. This paper consists of two parts: A symposium on the investigation of tuna and skipjack spawning grounds; and A contribution to the study of tuna spawning grounds by Kenzo Ikebe. illus., April 1950. A translation from Japanese. This report consists of three papers: (1) An outline of studies of the Plecostei (Tuna and Skipjack) in 1925; (2) The larval and juvenile stages of the Plecostei; and (3) Observations on the skipjack fishing grounds. SSR-Fish. No. 21--Age Determination of Fish (Pre- liminary Report 1), by Hiroaki Aikawa and Masuo Kato, 22 p., illus., April 1950. A translation from Japanese. Describes how the ages of black tuna (Thunnus orientalis, Temminck & Schlegel), yellowfin tuna (Neo- thunnus macropterus, Temminck & Schlegel) 5 ( S albacore (Germo germo, Lacepede), and skip- Vol. 12, No. 6 jack (Katsuwonus vagans, Lesson) were de- termined. SSR-Fish. No. 23—The Food Habits of Yellowfin Tuna NEOTHUNNUS MACROPTERUS (Schlegel) from the Celebes Sea, by Hiroshi Nakamura, 8 p., illus., April 1950. A translation from Japanese. This is a report of the study of the food habits of the yellowfin tuna taken by the Japanese research vessel Shonan Maru of the Taiwan Government—General Fisheries Experiment Station in the course of exploratory fishing in the Celebes Sea. Collections of stomachs were made at two different times—-in February 1933 and.from July to September 1934. According to the author, the conclusion can be reached from this study: "that through a study of the food of the yellowfin tuna it is possible to gain some knowledge concerning the mi- grations and population fluctuations of a part of the fauna of the Celebes Sea." SSR-Fish. No. 24—A Study of the Mackerels, Cybiids, and Tunas, by Kamakichi Kishinouye, 14 p., May 1950. A translation from Japanese. A study of tunas and bonitos started in 1912 and reported upon in 1915. As a result of this study, the author reports: "there are two species of mackerel, five species of cybiids, two species of Oriental bonito, five species of tuna, and four species of bonito, a total of ten genera and 18 species, which occur in Japanese waters, and that these may be suitably divided into three families, the Scombridae, Cybiidae, and Thunnidae." SSR-Wild. No. 4—Experiments in the Marking of Seals and Sea-Lions, by Victor B. Scheffer, 33 p., illus., April 1950. Experiments in the marking of seals, sea—lions, and fur seals in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Antarctic regions are reviewed in this paper for study purposes. Results of cer— tain studies -of the northern fur seal, es— pecially the series from 1940 to 1949 car— ried out by Government agents on the Pribi- of Islands, Alaska, are also discussed. * * K * IN THE REVIEW, Observations on Gonad Development, Spawning and Setting of Oysters and Starfish in Long Island Sound, Bulletin No. 2, vol. 14, June 6, 1950, 2 p., mimeo., free. (Available upon request from the Fishery Biological Laboratory, Fish and Wildlife Service, Milford, Conn.) -First of this year's series of special bulle- tins issued periodically each oyster sea- son for information of oyster growers. The bulletins will discuss the accumulation of spawn in oysters during the prespawning and spawning periods, beginning of spawn— ing of the oyster population at different depths of Long Island Sound, numbers of oyster larvae found in samples, occurrence of first oyster set, and intensity of oys- ter set at different sections of the Sound during the summer. Similar observations will also be made on starfish. June 1950 THE FOLLOWING SERVICE PUBLICATIONS ARE TENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, WASHINGTON 25, D. C. On the Effectiveness of Spermatozoa of the Pink Salmon (ONCORHYNCHUS GORBUSCHA) at Varying Distances from Point of Dispersal, by Richard F. Shuman, Fish- ery Bulletin 50 (From Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Vol— ume 51), 5 pe, printed, 10 cents. ARTICLES BY FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE "Spawning of Oysters at Low Temperatures," by Victor L. Loosanoff and Harry C. Davis, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 77 FOR SALE AND ARE AVAILABLE ONLY FROM THE SUPERIN- Description of a Projection Device for Use in Age Science, May 12, 1950, vol. 111, no. 2889, pp. 521-2. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington 5, D. C., single copies of periodical 25 cents. This is a report on observations on mass spawning of oysters (Ostrea vir- ginica) at a comparatively low tempera— ture made at the Fish and Wildlife Serv— ice Milford Laboratory. port that their laboratory observations The authors re- indicate that by conditioning oysters for a long period at a temperature just high enough for maturation of the gonads it’ is possible to induce spawning without an increase in temperature, thus bringing together, or to virtually the same level, the temperatures needed for ripening of gonads and for spawning. "On Interspecific Hybridization in Ostrea," by Harry C. Davis, Science, May 12, 1950, vol. 111, no. 2889, p. 522. (See pre- vious review for address and price of x eK Determination from Fish Scales, by Kenneth H. Mosher, Fishery Bulletin 54 (From Fish- ery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Serv— ice, Volume 51), 3 p., printed, illus., 10 cents. AUTHORS IN OTHER PUBLICATIONS periodical.) In view of numerous at- tempts to introduce the Japanese oyster (Ostrea gigas) to the Atlantic Coast, it is important to determine whether this species will cross with the native oyster (Ostrea virginica). The study reported upon in this article was to determine whether the hybrid larvae would continue to develop normally and would finally metamorphose by the methods now standard at the Fish and Wildlife Service Milford Laboratory for rearing larvae to meta- morphosis. Crosses of 0. virginica eggs with QO. lurida were also tried, but the experiments were necessarily confined to attempts to fertilize 0. virginica eggs with 0. lurida spermatozoa, because many individuals of the latter species, in addition to being larviparous, are also hermaphroditic, and one cannot, therefore, be certain of exclusion of their sperma- tozoa. The general conclusion of the study was that no evidence of successful fertilization or of development was ob- served in the crosses attempted with the species of oysters used in the study. MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS THESE PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE BE OBTAINED FROM THE AGENCIES ISSUING THEM. "Atlantic Seals Surveyed-from the Air," article, Trade News, April 1950, vol. 2, no. 10, pp. 11-2, processed, illus. partment of Fisheries, Ottawa, Canada. Canadian De- Contains a description of the first aerial photographic survey of the herds of mi- gratory Arctic seals riding the ice-fields in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the east coast of Newfoundland conducted by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada UT USUALLY MAY FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, — through its Atlantic Biological Station at St. Andrews, N. B. Concern over the condi- tion and possible depletion of the seal herds and the possible effects of sealing on the supply for native people in the Arctic led to this research program on the numbers, move- ments, and biology of the seal herds. This aerial photographic survey, conducted during the winter of 1949-50, was an experimental attempt to obtain information which could COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. -125°No.6 enable an estimate to be made of the num— bers of harp seals inthe whelping patches on the ice fields. Detailed examination of the photographs has not yet been com— pleted, but the method appears to be pramising, and indications are that esti- mates of the sizes of the seal herds will be quite encouraging--showing a popula-— tion well up in the hundreds of thou- sands. The Bakong Trolling Lure, 3 p., illus., pro- cessed. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries, Manila, 1949. Among the more effective trolling baits tried in the experimental fishing operations of the Philippine Fishery Program of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been a lure made fram a native plant (bakong) that has been demonstrated to have certain unique ad- vantages for this purpose. This leaf— let describes how to make a bakong lure, and the materials needed. California Sharks and Rays, by Phil M. Roedel and Wm. Ellis Ripley, Fish Bulletin No. 75, 88 p., illus., printed. Bureau of Marine Fisheries, Division of Fish and Game, San Francisco, Calif., 1950. Pur-— pose of this bulletin is to answer the recurring questions about sharks and rays and the fishery for them in California, and to provide a guide to the species known from California. The section which discusses the California shark fishery includes a description of the various types of fishing methods—gill nets, otter trawls, harpooning, and hook and line. Among the important sharks discussed are soupfin, dogfish, basking shark, and bonito shark. This booklet also contains common and scientific names, a key to the species known from California, and des- criptions and illustrations. Canning Technology, by A. J. Howard, 287 p., illus., printed, $8.00. J. & A. Churchill Ltd., 104 Gloucester Place, W1, London, England, 1949. This book not only de- scribes the methods and processes used in the food canning industry, but also pro- vides an account of the fundamental con- siderations upon which modern canning tech- nology is based. Although fishery pro- ducts are not covered specifically in any one section, this book should serve as an excellent reference text for food-canning student and processor. The broad scope of the book is indicated by the following chapter headings: Historical Introduc- tion; The Manufacture of Tin Plate; Cor- rosion Phenomena; Can Manufacture; Some General Considerations in Zstablishing a Cannery; The Examination and Preparation of Raw Materials for Canning; Heat Steri- lization; Filling, Exhausting, Closing, and Processing; Miscellaneous Operations; Metals in Canned Foods; Spoilage in Canned Foods, and its Prevention; Some Recent De- velopments. Extensive references are given at the end of each chapter. Eighth Annual Report of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (To the Congress of the United States and to the Governors and Legis— lators of the Fifteen Compacting States), 48 p., printed. Atlantic States Marine Fish- eries Commission, 11 West Prospect Ave., Mt. Vernon, N. Y., 1950. In addition to report— ing the highlights of the Commission's work during 1949, this report goes into details régerding the various programs in the vari- ous Sections. Under the North Atlantic sec- tion of the report, problems are discussed regarding lobsters, striped bass, haddock, clams, Atlantic salmon, Massachusetts shell- fish survey, Maine herring fishery, sea scallops, yellowtail, dams on the Connecti- cut River, and the smelt fishery in Maine and New Hampshire. The Middle Atlantic sec— tion deals with striped bass, blue crab, fluke, shad in the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, the Delaware Bay situation, and disposal of acid waste at sea. Shad, blue crab research, hydrographic study, the Chesapeake Bay Au-— thority, and fluctuations in abundance of fish in Chesapeake Bay are discussed under the Chesapeake Bay section. Under the South Atlantic section, the report describes pro- grams on shrimp, research for sport fishing, new laboratory developments in the area, and the Miami Fisheries Institute. Other pro- blems covered by the Commission are inter-— state comity and state jurisdiction, catch statistics, channel bass, the Reciprocal Warden Act, shellfish production, pollution in relation to the sheil fisheries, fish— .eries education, Gulf and Pacific Coast de- velopments, international treaties, amend— ment to the Atlantic States Marine Fish- eries Compact, Cammission on the Reorgani- zation of the Executive Branch of the Govern- ment, and fisheries research. Included is a discussion and listing of state legisla- tion needed in 1950-51. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Supple- mentary Announcement), (Negotiations Begin-— ning September 1950 Under the Trade Agree- ment Act of 1934 as Amended and Extended), Department of State Publication 3854, Com-— mercial Policy Series 129, 18 p., processed, 10 cents. Department of State, Washington, D.C. (For sale by Superintendent of Docu- ments, Washington 25, D. C.) This publica- tion contains a supplementary notice of the United States' intention to negotiate, in addition to the 17 countries previously named, with six additional countries. Al- so included is a supplementary list of pro- ducts to be considered at the trade-agree— ment negotiations to be held at Torquay, England, beginning September 28, 1950. In addition to the fishery products previously June 1950 announced, this supplementary list con- tains other fishery products. General Coverage of the Wage and Hour Pro- visions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, As Amended (Title 29, Chapter V, Code of Federal Regula- tions, Part 776, Subpart A--General), Interpretative Bulletin, 46 p., pro- cessed. Wage and Hour and Public Con- tracts Divisions, U. S. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C., May 1950. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, brings within the general coverage of its wage and hours pro— visions every employee who is "engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce." What employees are so engaged must be ascertained in the light of the definitions of "com- merce," "goods," and "produced" which are set forth in the Act as amended by the Fair Labor Standards Amend— ments of 1949, giving due regard to authoritative interpretations by the courts and to the legislative history of the Act, as amended. Interpreta— tions of the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division with respect to this general coverage are given in this pub-— lication to provide "a practical guide to employers and employees as to how the office representing the public interest in its enforcement will seek to apply it." These interpretations, with respect to the general coverage of the wage and hours provisions of the Act, indicate the construction of the law which the Administrator believes to be correct and which will guide him in the performance of his administrative duties under the Act unless and until he is otherwise directed by authori- tative decisions of the courts or con- cludes, upon re-examination of an in- terpretation, that it is incorrect. Greece—-A Businessman's Manual and Directory on Trading with Greece, American Edition, 145 p., printed. Prepared by the For- eign Trade Administration, Ministry of National Economy, Athens, Greece, Janu- ary 1950. (Available from the E¢tonomic Cooperation Administration, Washington, 25, D. Ce) A publication designed to facilitate the further development of trade relationships between the busi- nessmen of Greece and the United States. Covers government organizations con- cerned with foreign trade, banking serv-— ices and practices, transport and com— munication facilities, foreign suppliers representation in Greece, government purchasing agencies and procedures, and foreign trade procedures and practices. Included is a directory of importers and manufacturers. Importers of fishing equipment, fish oils, and food stuffs COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 719 (including fishery products) are included, as well as a list of sponge exporters. Sum- maries of economic infermation, together with general data, and wrade regulations and resumes of export and import procedures are to be found in this book. This is the second publication prepared at the request of ECA's Office of Small Business designed to assist American business firms. The ; first one issued, Italian Importers of U.S. Commodities, is also available from ECA. Inshore Flounder Dragging, by F. D. McCracken and W. R. Martin, Circular, General Series, No. 17, 4 p., printed, illus. Atlantic Biological Station, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, St. Andrews, N. B., Canada, April 1950. Describes the winter flounder fishery of the Maritimes—a new industry with potentialities for further develop— ment, according to the authors. Informa- tion on fishing methods—hand line, spear, and weir, aS well as otter trawling or dragging is given. A discussion of the ad— vantages of flounder dragging and consid— eration of objections to flounder dragging is also included. Explains the exploratory inshore flounder investigations carried on by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. The authors state that the good market de- mand, the development of new fishing methods, the discovery of new concentrations of flounders and the results of biological in- vestigations all show that the potential inshore flounder fishery is as yet only poorly developed. ‘ Japanese Fishing Fleet Statistics, 1948, by Sara D. Presby, Preliminary Study No. 38, 26 p., illus., processed. Natural Resources Sec— tion, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, Tokyo, May 16, 1950. (Reports may be purchased in photostat or microfilm fram the Office of Technical Services, U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington 25, D. Ce) This is a preliminary study prepared from the Japanese Fisheries Agency publication, are divided into two general classifications: powered and nonpowered. Then there is a further subdivision by type of fishery. Statistics on the total fishing fleet by type of fishery, by prefectures, and by fishing vessels of five gross tons or more on tidal waters are given, as well as a comparison of fishing vessels and reported catch. Sketches of a whale catcher boat, sailing trawler, fish carrier, sardine purse-seine vessel, tuna and skipjack vessel, otter trawler, bull trawler, row boat, small motorboat, and Antarctic whaling factory ship are included. Livestock Wealth of Pakistan, Marketing Series, 73 p., printed, (in English). Cooperation & Marketing Adviser, Government of Pakistan, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 THESE PUBLICATIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, Karachi, 1949. Contains a chapter which discusses the production of fisheries products in Pakistan, and gives all available catch and mar— keting information. The Marketing of Virginia Seafood; Volume 1, pp. 1-83, Volume 2, pp. 84-155; processed. Prepared for Committee on Fisheries and Committee on Markets and Marketing by Charles L. Quittmeyer. The Advisory Council on the Virginia Economy, March 1950. A study which gives a general picture of the mar- keting structure of Virginia seafood products, some of the problems -involved, some suggested marketing opportunities, and fields for further study. Dis— cusses markets, supply, distribution, costs and prices, and sales promotion. According to the author, profitable merchandising and promotion of Virgin- ia sea food in the future will probably depend more and more on how closely the distribution of the Virginia product can be adapted to modern retail meth- ods of intensive distribution of rea- sonably-priced foods. Mass distri- bution of food products is facilitated by packaging, standardization, and the use of brands, with the accruing ad- vantages of ease of handling, storing, and promoting. If Virginia seafoods are to meet these requirements, con- tinues the author, they must be further processed by curing, canning, wrap- Ping, bottling, quick-freezing, and packaging. Since palatability is the most important characteristic of most sea=food products, quick freezing and freezing to preserve flavor and fresh- ness are the keys to consumer demand for Virginia's fisheries products. "Neue Wege in der Fischkonservierung" (New Fish Canning Machinery), article, Die Fischwaren-und Feinkostindustrie, Feb-— ruary 1950, no. 2, pp. 53-54, printed, illus., in German. Elbe-Weser—Verlag, Dr. Seyfarth & Co., Bremerhaven, Ger- many. Describes the new fish canning machinery developed by Karl Hartmann K. G., Kiel, Germany. The canning machinery described takes open cans containing washed, salted, and cleaned fish, and cooks, dehydrates and oil- impregnates the fish in the cans. The cooking of the fish is done by infra- red rays rather than by steam or smoke. In addition, the machines seal, sterilize, and label the cans. Machinery is still in the process of development. Operation of the Trade Agreements Program (Second Report, April 1948-March 1949), Report No. 163, Second Series, 85 p., printed, 25 cents. United States Tariff Commission, Washington, D. C., 1950. (For sale by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Washington 25, D. C.) This is a re- port prepared in conformity with Executive Order 10004 issued October 5, 1948. It discusses the developments respecting the general agreement on tariffs and trade, initi- ation of trade-agreement negotiations in 1948, changes or proposed changes in tariffs of foreign countries affecting the operation of the trade agreements program, nontariff import controls of foreign countries with which the United States has trade agree- ments, and action by the United States re- garding import controls. Although fishery products are not specifically mentioned, it will be of interest to those concerned with the imports and exports of fishéry products. Department of Fisheries) State of Washing— ton, Seattle, Washington. (In order that only pertinent sections of the regulations may be furnished, inquirers are requested to specify the type of gear and specific area of the State of particular interest to them, and whether the commercial or non-commercial regulations are desired.) The new regulations affect all branches of the food fish and shellfish fisheries of the State of Washington. This new Order wholly replaces previous General Or— ders No. 189 and 190. Regulations are, in general, listed by area and by fishery. A Report on the Capture, Transportation and Mar- keting of Live Spiny Lobster in the Philip- “pines, by Harry B. Hinkle, 36 p., processed. Philippine Fishery Program, Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Manila, R. P., April 1950. Summarizes extensive experiments carried out by the American Mission during the past year and a half in an effort to determine if it would be possible to es-— tablish a lobster fishery in the Philippines. Attempts were made to capture spiny lobsters by the tech-— niques employed in other parts of the world, but none of them would work in the Philippines. Most of the spiny lobsters were taken by Filipino divers using only their hands or a small net. Republic of the Philippines Import Control Law (Republic Act 426), 18 p., pro-— cessed, free. Office of International Trade, U. S. Department of Commerce, Washington 25, D. C., June 1950. This is the full text of the Import Control Law signed by the President of the Philippines on May 22 which provides for a reduction in the Philippine im- ports of certain specific commodities (including fishery and allied products), sets import quotas, and requires ship— June 1950 pers to the Philippines to obtain im- port licenses for the importation of any commodity. terest to Sports Anglers of the At- lantic Coast (Hearings before the Subcommittee on the Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Highty-First Con- gress, Second Session, January 25, 1950, on H. R. 986), 39 pe, printed. Available only from the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries until exhausted. This publication contains the statements presented at the hear- ings on H. R. 986. This is a bill au- thorizing and directing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake a continuing study of species of fish of particular interest to sports anglers of the Atlantic Coast, with respect to the biology, propa- gation, catch records, and abundance of such species to the end that such Serv- ice may recommend to the several states of the Atlantic Coast through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission appro- priate measures for increasing the abun- dance of such species and promoting the wisest utilization thereof. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 81 Third Biennial Report (Louisiana), 1948-49, 372 Pe, illus., printed. Department of Wild Life and Fisheries, New Orleans, La., 1950. A portion of this publication contains re— ports on Louisiana's fresh- and salt-water fisheries, the Division of Fish and Game, and the Division of Oysters and Water Bottoms. Activities and conditions in the comercial fresh— and salt-water fish and shrimp in- dustry of Louisiana are covered for fiscal years 1947-48 and 1918-49, and in some in- stances for the calendar years 1948 and 1949. Data on production and values (in some instances) are reported for fresh- and salt-water fish and shellfish, together with comparative data. In addition to a biologi- cal research report on oysters, a report on the effect of the 1950 opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Mississippi Sound is also included. United States Canned Crabmeat Production and Im- ports from U.S.S.R., by M. We Wallar, Foods and Related Agricultural Products, World Trade in Commodities, May 1950, vol. VIII, part 6-7-8, sup. no. ll, 3 p., processed. Office of International Trade, Department of Commerce, Washington 25, D. C. A dis- cussion of the United States imports of crab meat by countries. Imports by coun- tries for 1946 through 1949, compared with the 1937-39 average, are also given. FISHERY MOTION PICTURE The following motion picture is available only from the source given in listing. Food for Thought, 16 mm. color and sound, running timel4minutes. Produced by the Fish and Wildlife Service, June 1950. This film deals with the school— lunch program and the use of fish in planning menus. Basic purpose of this new movie is to develop an increased appreciation of the fact that well-prepared and attractively served fish tempts appetites and aids in achieving a nutritional balance in children's diets. While specifically directed to school-lunch man- agers, it is also appropriate for showing to PTA groups, housewives, civic organi- gations, and to school classes at all levels. Most of the sequences were filmed in New York State, with the school sequences being made at Hartsdale Junior High 82 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 12, No. 6 A SCENE FROM THE FILM FOOD FOR THOUGHT. SCHOOL LUNCH MANAGER AND STUDENT GROUP PLANNING MENUS FOR THEIR SCHOOL LUNCHES AT THE HARTSDALE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, HARTSDALE, N. Y. School, Hartsdale, N. Y. Fillet— ing and packaging scenes were shot at Gloucester, Mass. Prints of this film are being loaned on a long-term basis to public film libraries in over 35 states. It can also be borrowed directly from the DIVISION OF INFORMATION, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, WASH- INGTON 25, D. C. Requests for booking the film should bemade as far in advance as possible. Requests will be handled in or- der of receipt. Each request should indicate clearly the address to which the shipment is to be made, Shipments are usually made by express, the borrower paying transportation charges both ways, but there is no charge for the use of the film. This new movie is avail- able for telecasting. Appli- cations for television show- ings should be addressed to the Branch of Canmercial Fish— eries, Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice, Washington 25, D.C. EDIBLE FISH IN THE PERSIAN GULF The only important fish processing plant in Southern Iran is the Government—-owned canning factory at Bandar Abbas. This plant was con- structed in 1940 by a Danish company for the Iranian Government and be- gan operations in 1941. It is a portable plant made of asbestos and is said to have a capacity of five tons of fish per eight-hour shift. Un- der present management, however, the plant is canning only sardines, of which the average annual production is only about 50 to 60 metric tons. The sardines canned in this plant are packed in olive oil produced in Iran. --Fishery Leaflet 304 June 1950 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW CONTENTS, CONTINUED FOREIGN (CONTD.): EGYPT: RESTRICTS FISHING BY FOREIGNERS ......-.-- GERMAN FEDERAL REPUBLIC: NEW GERMAN PROCESS FOR CANNING FISH ...e+0 GOLD COAST: REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES .....0-8 GREECE: SPONGE FISHERY AND MARKET, | CELAND: USES GERMAN SKINNING MACHINE .... USES GERMAN FILLETING MACHINE ... INDIA: MANUFACTURE OF SHARK-LIVER OIL . JAMAICA: STATUS OF THE FISHERIES ...ecesevece JAPAN: : AUTHORIZED JAPANESE FISHING AREA EXTENDED FOR TUNA MOTHERSHIP OPERAT! ONS MOTHERSHIP OPERATIONS FOR TUNA TUNA LANDINGS, 1949 ... FISHERIES PRODUCTION, A Ainiso GAESG JAPAN TO REDUCE EAST CHINA SEA TRAWLING EAE Eatgieietetctetsteieteteroistalsiersleivialetetule’ afeiaiaicfelelni= et sie ROLE OF AQUATIC PRODUCTION IN FOOD AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF JAPAN cesecesevecerececs STATUS OF FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY ....+-e-e-s JAPANESE FISHERIES LEADERS VISIT U. S. oe. OPENING OF JAPANESE OVERSEAS AGENCIES ANNOUNCED ......2+6 KOREA: MARINE LANDINGS, NORWAY: NORWEGIANS URGED TO SEEK MARKETS FOR F1ISH- ERY PRODUCTS IN THE UNITED STATES ..c-eee ALBUMIN FROM F!SH AND FISH WASTE ..e-eseee FLOATING HERRING O}L AND=MEAL FACTORY A SUCCESS patel eiaiaialaterel-fpieleltva'e orl elsielefess LOFOTEN COD CATCH POOR ...-s-cseeeeeees PURSE-SEINING FOR COD TRIED ... sae Ane NORWAY PLANS TO DEMONSTRATE FISHING METH- ODS TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES ..... 1949 ...c.eeaee sos esesere eee ces cecee eee eer ere res eeererore 1949 ec cerereravnrererone PAGE 41 Al 43 44 FOREIGN (CONTD.): NORWAY (CONTD.): NORWEGIAN ANTARCTIC FLOATING WHALE CANNERY REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES: UNITED STATES VESSEL TRANSFERRED TO PHIL- |PPINE BUREAU OF FISHERIES .....2.0seeere UNITED STATES FISHERY MISSION PLANS DE- PARTURE FROM THE PHILIPPINES UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA: MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM ...+-e+eee- U5 Ss Sa fod ENFORCEMENT OF 12~MILE ZONE OFF THE BALTIC FNS seodtnodcvcnoadood UNITED KINGDOM: BRITISH DEVELOPING NEW RADAR DEVICE WHICH ‘INDICATES SPECIES OF FISH ..e-e-e-e- RESULTS OF DECONTROL OF FISH PRICES VENEZUELA: SPINY-LOBSTER-FISHING CLOSED SEASON LENGTHENED ...c.cserccccecerescseres FISHERIES PRODUCTION, 1949 .....0.-- FEDERAL ACTIONS: ..sesevee INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE ON TRADE AGREE- MENTS: SUPPLEMENTARY NOTICE NEGOT 1! AT1 ONS see orecrorere eee eestor esos ccere seceee eres ON TRADE-AGREEMENT sete terse eres ences erersserene EIGHTY-FIRST CONGRESS (SECOND SESSIO') 5 MN? NERO oe) dn cebobancoodooogddDNeDeDsoOoN GRHARIES gac0dc0d0b G0 b00bo00banDGOUOdDG0NROONS LANDINGS AND RECEIPTS .. COLD STORAGE HOLDINGS ERY PRODUCTS ..cecrereesesnssarerereroeese CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS cooverceescrcrovcee PRICES, |MPORTS AND BYPRODUCTS . RECENT FISHERY PUBLICATIONS: .2.ss0+0 esos FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PUBLICATIONS core ARTICLES BY FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AUTHORS IN OTHER PUBLICATIONS ......- MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS .....-+-06 FISHERY MOTION PICTURE ... AND FREEZINGS OF FISH- FISHING INDUSTRY OF THE GULF OF ADEN (ARABIA) For many centuries along the southern coast of Arabia, whose shores are washed by the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, fish- ing has been a casual industry, one whose production methods are most primitive, but whose potentialities are believed great. There are none of the intense production methods which characterize this industry in the United States or the Scandinavian countries--powered vessels, packing houses, fish reduction plants--but rather, primarily, there is seen being utilized the primitive canoe, some very small dhows, and hand equipment. Actual production figures have never been compiled, but it is known that while most of the fish caught is used for local con- sumption, many shipments of dried and salted fish are sent irregularly into the hinterlands, to Ceylon and India, and to the British Somaliland coast. ~-Fishery Leaflet 328 Processing -- Miscellaneous Service Division Wlustrator -- Gustaf T. Sundstrom 78721 83 PAGE 63 64 64 64 65 Compositors -- Jean Zalevsky , Betty Cady, 78 Carolyn’ Wood WAM | 1 MILI 088 IAAT 18 1147 THE CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB INDUSTRY A description of the crab industry in the Chesapeake Bay area is to be found in Fishery Leaflet 558, The Chesapeake Bay Crab Industry. This 13-page leaflet, which supersedes Separate 191 (a reprint from Commercial Fisheries Review, December 1947, pages 1-9), is divided into three parts: methods of capture, marketing, and canning and by- products. The various methods of capturing blue crabs are ds- scribed and include the dip net, push net,crab scrape, crab fyke, ; crab haul seine, crab pot, crab : dredge, and the trotline. The section on marketing discusses the buy boat, the shedding house, and the crab-picking house. The canning and byproducts sec- tion gives some information on the extent of canning and the byproducts produced by the crab industry. In his introduction, the author states that the crab industry of the Chesapeake Bay area, though one of the youngest seafood industries on the Atlantic Coast, ranks high in importance. For a free copy of Fishery Leaflet 358 write directly to the Di- vision of Information, U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, Washington 25, D. C. EQGTD °H $48G0u G46‘@ - OS/L - BMNW WIog STOT °ON 2}usIeg SSSNISNS WVIDISsSO ‘D ‘dc ‘Se NOLONIHSYM SSDIANSS 3SING1M ANY HSI4 YOIMSLN] S3HL AO LNAWLYVd3IG SALVLS GSLINN OOES "BOVLSOd AO LNAWAVd GIOAY OL 3SN BLVAINd HOS ALIVNAd