PE Se Y Ln mo ¥ =} Lar i m4 me >) | = 4 AY Y65X HYDE iJ qi lb IBDN oN Fe sAeS Higalny ck ete COMM ERCIAL Zaz 22 2=. =F APRIL 1954 FISH and WILDLIFE SERVICE United States Department of the Interior W ashington, D.C. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DOUGLAS McKAY, SECRETARY COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW A review of developments and news of the fishery industries prepared in the BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE JOHN L. FARLEY, DIRECTOR F. F. Johnson, Associate Editor O'Brien, Assistant Editors A. W. Anderson, Editor J. Pileggi and J. J. Mailed free to members of the fishery and alliedindustries. Address correspondence and requests to Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C. Publication of material from sources outside the Service is not an endorsement. The Service is not responsible for the accuracy of facts, views, or opinions contained in material from outside sources. Although the contents of this publicationhave not been copyrighted and maybe reprinted freely, refer- ence to the source will be appreciated. The printing of this publicationhas been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, Novem- ber 5, 1952. the: CONTENTS Cover: Trays of cooked fish sticks in a Gloucester (Mass.) plant ready for the pack- ing table. Frozen precooked fish sticks are sweeping the country. It is a new trend in the merchandising of fishery products. (See p. 29.) Page Relative Productivity and Value of the Fisheries of the United States and Alaska, 1951, By Bob Finley........ 1 gee aee ed Page Page RESEARCH IN SERVICE LABORATORIES: ......... 12 TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS (Contd.): Progress on Projects, March 1954............ 12 Sport Fishing License Sales Continue to Climb. 27 Vitamin Content and Nutritive Value of Fishery Tri-State Fisheries Commission;:.......... 28 IBYDEOCUCtSS = ihe pey iat sinetecoant one nni'e islote touens se ener ear 12 Maryland’s Recommendation for Tri-State Federal Specification for Fishery Products ..... 12 Fisheries Commission Research. ,....... 28 Freezing Fish at Sea - New England......... 5 ey Fish Stick Production, 1953:.......... 29 Composition of Fish........... terownatc 12 U. S. Fish Stick Production Shows Phenomenal Study of Pharmaceutical and Other Tndusrriall Growthiin 1953 oa a scaeve aa eee ave ne srslenene 29 Products from Salmon Eggs .............- 12 U. S. Foreign Trade in Edible RRSHeny Products, TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS:........ F 15 November! 1953)2 5 in .cetesis sy cheat oenecane 30 Additions to the Fleet of U. S, Fishing Vessels . 15 Virginia: California: James River has Good Oyster Spat Season... 30 Yellowtail Tagged By Yellowfin (Cruise 54-Y-1).. 15 Washington: Cans--Shipments for Fishery Products, 1953 .... 16 State Sets Minimum Net Mesh Regulation ... 30 Federal Purchases of Fishery Products ...... 16 Wholesale Prices: Foreign-Flag Vessels Cannot Land Tuna Catch or Rebruaryel Sot nenar-eieh netic teeieiciicheneie 31 High-Seas CargoinU.S...... Syenatiohereiteneneteleneareellt Changes in Specifications of Certain Items Frozen Food Packers Convention:,......... 18 Included in Wholesale Fish Index. .... Sco oS Frozen Food (Including Fishery Products) Eyal INORG. goonnanoneond 3-4/0 Geo Seb lotntec . 84 lems )Discussedieeiey arent che isielicterenerene D060 18 International: Frozen Foods Outlook Very Good! Acc cn oreo 18 International North Pacific Fisheries The Retailer Speaks to the Frozen Food Packers. 19 Commission: German Electrical-Fishing Vessel Arrives in First Meeting at Washington........... 34 United States............ ES ERE Ooo 20 International Pacific Halibut Commission: Maryland: ' Pacific Coast Halibut Fishery Regulations Chesapeake Bay Oyster Production Light ...... 21 for 1954;Proposed)ys jie sce cle 4 ss eek 35 Ghincoteaque!Bay/Survey soc )cmsiem eo eee eee 21 World Marine-Oil Production, 1953 ....... 86 Effects of Oil Pollution on Marine Organisms ... 22 Food and Agriculture Organization: New England: Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council Meets in Fish Sticks and Ocean Perch Fillets Move Well . 23 Bangkok 35: sf) bccpsvacoiar ess) = safe e ae sa ot North Carolina: Report on Seventh Session of Gonference bo (a Fisheries Production, July-December 1953..... 24 Iceland-Poland Trade Agreement Includes Menhaden Fishery in Carteret County, 1953/54... 24 Fishery Products ..... aieneeeWelecvep an sits 39 Scallop Season Extended .............0005 25 Australia: Gear and Navigation Courses for Fishermen . 25 Consumption of Fishery Products ......., 40 Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations: Canada: Tuna Investigation ....... Rolads'ote or ounon 25 High Tariffs Hinder Purchase of Foreign Pacific Whale Increase Seen.............-+2- 26 ViSSEIS) We mia tray uate eke ekeecareeheiety nec eel 41 Salt Tablet Reported to Eliminate Struvite in Colombia: ; Ganned'Sealhood * * * * * * * * * April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 3 The catch of menhaden off the Atlantic and Gulf States during 1951 broke all previous records--1,127,065,000 pounds, valued at almost 13 million dollars ex-ves- sel. The catch was far greater than that of any other species taken by United States and Alaska fishermen, The Atlantic Coast catch of ocean perch in 1951 totaled 258,320,000 pounds--an increase of 24 percent as compared with the previous year. There were no major tieups during the year in the ocean-perch fishery. Shrimp production in the United States and Alaska during 1951 amountedto over 224 million pounds, valued at nearly 52 million dollars ex-vessel. Compared with the previous year, the 1951 shrimp catch increased 17 percent in quantity and 19 percent in value. The shrimp industry in 1951 continued to expand throughout the Gulf as the popularity of this shellfish rose to an all-time high. Table 3 - Relative Quantity and Value of the Fisheries Production in the United States and Alaska by Species, Various Years* Catch Landed Value Percentage of Totalfor: ] ie -JPercentage of Totalfor Rank Species Quantity |U.S. &U.S. & Alaska ank Species Value |U.S. &|U.S. & Alaska Alaska |(Cumulative) ai IL _|Alaska | (Cumulative) 1,000 Lbs.| % % 1,000 $/ % % 1 |Menhaden ........ 1,127,065) 25.5 25.5 1h | Sallrnonwer-ver-lerevereters -| 52,509) 14.5 14.5 2 ||SEYbIN coogoasooG 374,225) 8.5 34.0 Zien STI pry feelers 51, 862] 14.4 28.9 3} |fetikeoewercl cososouca 328,894) 7.5 41.5 8 |MHE sancogdoon006 47, 887) 13.3 42.2 4 |Tuna...... Sooboas 319, 748 7.2 48.7 45 Oy StevSieyysye verses 29,070 8.0 50.2 5 |Ocean perch (Atl.). 258, 320 B50) 54.6 5 Hlounders)....... .|| 135,253 3.7 Be}5 ) 6) |Shrimp).-...5...-. 224, 316 Bol Be), 2 6 |Menhaden ........ 12, 983 3.6 Bile) 7 |Herring, sea......| 154,321 Sow) 63.2 7 |Oceanperch (Atl.) .| 12,597 Bo 61.0 G jisetloee p sosoanced 154,103 3.5 66.7 8 |Haddock ......... 11, 968 3.3 64.3 Q) (CES o5o0cenon0d00 148,113 3.4 70.1 Oia Clam sierra its BLE) Be 67.5 10 |Whiting........... 120, 076 2.7 72.8 UO (Cres coso00000050 9, 768 2.7 70.2 11 |Flounders ..... o09 118,417 alt 15,8 11 |Lobsters (northern) 9,379 2.6 72.8 12 |Jack mackerel .... 89, 838 2.0 77.5 12 |Scallops, sea..... 8,324 2583 75.1 13 |Oysters ........ a0 72,990 4 719.2 13a Bil chardeerirr re cool! U5 OES 2.0 ieee 14 NKCOCl asoboanconodn 59,591 1.4 80.6 14s | Halli utererenetatetene cls = 6, 886 19) 79.0 15 |Alewives ......... 57, 697 1.3 81.9 15 |Catfish & bullheads 5, 858 1.6 80.6 16 |Mackerel......... 49, 266 ilgal 83.0 IG (Seek sacdcaccoo00s 4,151 2 81.8 AY(i | Ee] T oUt ecrepspeeteletclcr re 48,056 1.1 84.1 Tf [WINE Gooooaccu =| 3, 962: iaal 82.9 UG j{olewaey Soogacoacus 43,385 1.0 85.1 18 uffalofish ....... 3,556 1.0 83.9 UG) |IVanlless aooctbaoaacc 39, 163 of) &6.0 19 |Scup (porgy) ......| 2,994 .8 84.7 20 |Scup (porgy) ...... 36, 689 .8 86.8 PAO) | Niinerishele" So q000bboe 2,903 .8 85.5 Pal KCERA) og050005 8 87.6 21 |Mackerel ..... Sol) eel) a, 86.2 22 6 88.2 22 |Yellow pike 2,152 6 23 .6 88.8 23 |Seabass, black(AtL)}/ 2,115 .6 24 6 89.4 24 |Herring, sea ..... 2,106 6 25 |Rockfishes ....... 6 90.0 25 |Jack mackerel ....| 2,016 6 26 |Mussel shells..... A) 90.5 23 (CAND) soocodanoodd 2,007 .6 An eels Sassogaden 5 91.0 27 |Snapper, red ..... 1, 863 Bt) 28 4 91.4 2s} |e! soacacnccea0a WEE) Se) 29 S000 4 SS ZG) (Cowl) Gossenssodos 1,690 5) 30 |Seabass, black (Atl. 4 92.2 30 |Rockfishes ....... 1, 409 4 4 6 31 |Seatrout, spotted .| 1,392 4 58) 9 32 |Scallops, bay ..... 1, 348 4 3 52 33 |Whitefish, common 4 3 5 34 |Striped bass ...... 4 2 i 35 |Lake trout........ 23 2 9 36) |Sablefiish) <.-)-)-y1 .3 <2 oi 37 |Croaker ......... .3 2 .3 38 |Yellow perch ..... 3 2 m5 39 |Pollock ....... Boe 3 .2 a }40 |Herring, lake .3 .2 58) Sheepshead ...... ~2 22 al Spanish mackerel . .2 2 3 Lobsters, spiny .2 2 a) }44 |Groupers ........ 2 ~2 7 G8) NSE Soocadgobood00G 2 2 oe) }46 |Butterfish ....... 2 oil 0 47 |Alewives ..... bod 2 1 1 #48 |Seatrout, gray ... 2 oil 2 #49 |Bluefish ......... .2 1 -3 50 |Blue pike ........ .2 .0 = |All other (2.0.0... B .0 Total ..... 0 P* Data are for 1951, except that the Mississippi River area data are for 1950. 4 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 The 1951 catch of salmon in the Pacific Coast States and Alaska was up almost 46 million pounds over the previous year. The increase was due mainly to a good run of pink salmon in Southeastern Alaska and Puget Sound. The Pacific Coast pilchard catch during 1951 amounted to nearly 329 million pounds, valued at over 7 million dollars ex-vessel. This was a decrease of 54 per- cent in quantity and 40 percent in value as compared with the previous year. The catch of Pacific mackerel on the Pacific Coast declined from over 133 million pounds in 1950 to less than 89 million pounds during 1951, Tunaand tunalike fish production on the Pacific Coast amounted to nearly 320 million pounds in 1951, This was substantial- ly below the previous year when arec- ord 390 million pounds were landed. Landings of tuna were very light dur- ing the latter part of 1951 as the fish- Fig. 4 - Ocean perch (Atlantic) in recent years displaced haddock : : 5 : ing fleet was tied up much of the time hi d one leading food fish landed on the United States Atlantic WEGENER GR A Wig: Gnas Pa Gamned tuna. The industry reported that a considerable portion of the domestic tuna market had been taken over by imported fish. The catch of sea herring during 1951 amounted to over 154 million pounds, com- pared with nearly 364 million pounds the previous year. Failures in the Alaska and New England herring fisheries were responsible for this marked decrease. LEADING FISHING PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES San Pedro, California, continued to be the nation's leading fishing port both as to volume and landed value, with landings of over 513 million pounds, valued at nearly $31 million ex-vessel. Gloucester, Massachusetts, was in second place as tovol- ume, with landings of approx- imately 260 million pounds. San Diego, California, with : i landings of nearly 174 mil- th eat lion pounds was in third place .\ wo hs he on the basis of volume. Bos- ton, Massachusetts, with over 171 million pounds, occupied fourth place with respect to volume of landings, but third place in value. With respect to landed value, San Diego, California, was second with landings valued at nearly $26 million, while Gloucester was in fourth place with fishery PEE at a . landings valued at approxi- Fig. 5 - Sardine purse seiners docked at San Pedro, Calif. _Terminal Island mately $13 million ex-vessel. near this port is the largest fish-canning center in the United States. UTILIZATION OF U. S, AND ALASKA CATCH It is estimated that the 1951 catch was marketed as follows: 1,715 million pounds (round-weight basis) as fresh and frozen products; 1,326 million pounds were used April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 5 for canning; 1,289 million pounds were utilized for bait and byproducts; and 84 mil- lion pounds for cured products, The pack of canned fishery products in the United States and Alaska in 1951 amounted to over 801 million pounds, valued at slightly more than $301 million to Table 4 - Relative Quantity and Value of the Fisheries of the Atlantic Coast by Species, 1951* ] aa Sit Catch nis Le, Landed Value oe im oar Percentage of Total for: Percentage of Total for: Quantity |U.S. &|Atlantic}Atlantic Coast}|Rank Species Value |U.S. &|Atlantic] Atlantic Coast (Cumulative) . (Cumulative) a fo 1,000 % a ts 5 36.4 Oystersiircderllorterel-y 23, 896 6.6 do 17.1 5. : 48.6 Ocean perch -.| 12,597 3.5 9. aL 3. ls 55.9 Haddock -| 11, 968 3.3 8. .7 2. 5. 61.6 Clams 10, 825 3.0 Uo oe! 2. 4, 66.3 Flounders 9, 752 2.7 lo 4 Flounders ... is 3. 69.7 Lobsters (northern). 9,379 2.6 6. oil Herring, sea ibs 3. M29) Scallops, sea .. . 8,324 22:3 6. oil Alewives .... i, 2. 75.6 Menhaden : 2.3 5. 9 1. 2. 78.1 Shrimp .... 2.1 5. -2 it, 2: 80.5 Crabs, blue 68} 3. .6 ite ae |} kL KE) Soceasanbc00006 5 1.0 2. -2 1. -1 ~—«j_:«12:=«|Scup (porgy) ....... 2,985 8 2. 81.3 1. ~4 | 13) ||Whiting: 207.2... 2,903 8 2. 83.4 1. .6 Sea bass, black ..... 2,115 6 its 84.9 1. ot || 2B) IGEN) Geasecdacoaose 1, 636 BE) 1. 86.1 : 88.6 || 16 |Mackerel ......... 1, 487 4 1. 87.2 SOOM else | MULLetiererarereletctolyelelete 1, 458 .4 1. 88.2 Cae ||| aE) eel Cooucsosag0006 1, 298 4 5 89.1 90.9 Scallops, bay ...... 1,176 3 89.9 ON |) AD ORES? pocodoodend 1,051 3 90.7 Hake, white ....... ° O al Herring, sea ...... 1, 006 3 91.4 Butterfish ......... . 3 9.27 Ce | | EL OLLOC Karrerereretetetererate 1, 002 .3 92.1 so0c090Qd00000 93.0 onooG0d0KdD0000 819 -2 927, aocoDaDDGS 93.4 i ooneos009 801 12 93.3 Sea trout, gray .... O . 93.7 Sea trout, gray ..... 767 od 93.8 All other) -- 7.0.5. h A 3 NO) |} > AND NEO BG ounodcoo 8,695 2.4 100.0 aoogncenon 0 at -.---..-- 1139, 941| 38.8 100.0. the packers, This was a decrease of 17 percent in volume and 9 percent in value as compared with 1950. These decreases resulted principally from smaller packs of tuna, California sardines (pilchards), and Maine sardines, The 1951 production of fishery byproducts in the United States and Alaska was valued at over $69 million--9 percent less than in the previous year. Frozen fish production in 1951 was the largest in history, amounting to 325.5 million pounds, Of this amount, 255.7 million pounds consisted of fish and 69.8 million pounds of shellfish. The United States and Alaska average inventory of fish- ery stocks for any one month in 1951 was 136.6 million pounds, exceeding the previ- ous year's record end-of-month average by 8.3 million pounds. TRENDS IN PRODUCTION AND LANDED VALUE The trends in production, landed value, and ex-vessel average prices are shown in table 2, Although the total production has not varied greatly during the past ten years, the landed value of the catch has increased nearly 250 percent. The relative rank of the various fisheries of the United States and Alaska is presentedin table 3. Approximately 155,000 fishermen and 87,000 vessels and boats were employed in producing the 4,414,045,000 pounds of fish and shellfish and other aquatic products. Ten species (or groups of species classified together as a single fishery) ac- counted for 72.8 percent of the total catch and 58.7 percent of the total landed value. The ten species leading in value accounted for 70.2 percent of the total value and 64.5 percent of the total volume. Menhaden, which led all other fish in respect to volume, was sixth in value, while salmon was second in volume but first in value, Pilchard ranked third in volume but thirteenth in value. Shrimp followed salmon for second place in value and sixth in volume, Tuna was third in value and fourth in vol- ume. Only 1 of the first 50 items ranked in the same position with respect to both volume and value--haddock was in eighth place in both categories. 6 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 16, No. 4 Of the 207 items listed in the catch records for 1951, 50 accounted for 96.3 percent of the total production. The same number of items accounted for 96.5 per- cent of the total landed value. The relative position of the first 50 items in volume and value is shown in table 3. ANALYSIS OF CATCH BY AREAS AND STATES Considering the catch by sections, the fisheries of the Atlantic Coast in 1951 produced 2,113,572,000 pounds of fishery products, valued at $139,941,000 ex-ves- sel--or 47.9 percent of the volume and 38.8 percent of the value of the domestic Table 5 - Relative Quantity and Value of the ‘Fisheries of the Pacific Coast b i 1 Catch a anded Value Percentage of Total for: Percentage of Total for: coal Species Quantity Species Value |U.S. &|Pacific| Pacific sa) Alaska|Coast | (Cumulative 1,000Lbs.| % : % To A 1 |Salmon ..... 374,223) 8.5 25.4 4 1 iSalmon\ <<). E 14.5] 38.4 38.4 2 |Pilchard.... 328,894| 7.4 22.3 ot! |40EF, soeccgce 47,697) 13.2 of) 73.3 8} |/HE, neocon 317, 210 7.2 Zi) ne 3 |Pilchard ..... 7, 248 2.0 78.6 4 |Jack mackerel 89, 838 2.0 6.1 .3 4 |Halibut ...... 6, 788 1.9 83.6 5 jHerring, sea 87,109 2.0 aye te) 52 BY Cray 5ea0000 3,905 1.1 86.4 6 |Halibut ..... 47, 623 1.1 3.2 4 6 |Flounders.... 3, 418 .9 88.9 7 |Flounders .. 46,019 1.0 3.1 a5) 7 |Jack mackerel 6 .4 8 |Mackerel ... 33,518 8 2.3 .8 8 |Oysters...... 6 -8 Sin | Carabsmemeerice 31, 361 atl Boab =o) 9 |Rockfishes ... 4 .8 10 |Rockfishes .. 25, 345 -6 1.7 6 Herring, sea . at atl —j___—— Sablefish.... 14,018 08) 1.0 .6 Sablefish ..... .3 .6 2a SQuideerrm eer 12, 383 a8 8 4 Mackerel a2 dc) lS} (eC! ceooshes 9,568 72 .6 .0 Clam'siirerrterre we .8 14 |Oysters .... 8, 710 2 .6 .6 Lingcod ...... <2 <2 15 |Anchovies .. 6,955 oil A) oil (Gel sooocnsas sil .6 16 |Lingcod .... 6,679 ou a) .6 Yellowtail oil ak) 17 |Yellowtail .. 4,670 1 .3 8) Abalone ...... oll +2 18 |Smelt ...... 3,175 oll «2 1 Sea bass, white 1 5) iS) ellewe) s5a566 3,071 1 2 .3 Barracuda sil 8 20 |Grayfish .... 2,604 oll ot of) Smelt ........ oll oil — |All other ... 21, 890 ob) 1.5 -0 All other ..... -7 -0 _|_Total_... |1, 474, 863] 33.4 | 100.0 -0 Total ..... fisheries. The menhaden fishery, leading in production in this area with 36.4 per- cent of the total catch, ranked eighth in value. Ocean perch was in second place in both volume and value. Oysters ranked ninth in production but first in value, while haddock was third in both volume and value. Table 4 indicates the relative position in volume and value of the 25 leading species which together represent 93.7 percent of the production and 93.8 percent of the value of the Atlantic Coast fisheries. The fisheries of the Atlantic Coast are much more diversified than those of the Pacific Coast. On the East Coast, the leading 19 species accounted for approximately the same quantity as do only eight species on the West Coast. In 1951 the fisheries of the Pacific Coast States and Alaska yielded 1,474,863,000 pounds of fishery products, valued at $136,664,000 ex-vessel. This represented 33. 4 percent of the volume and 37.8 percent of the value of the total domestic catch. Catch _ J Landed Value Percentage of Total for: ___ Table 6 Relative Quantity and Value of Ibe Fisheries of the Gulf Const Species Oysters Catfish & bullheads Snapper, red .... Spanish mackerel Groupers Sea trout, spotted All other Sea trout, spotted Crabs Spanish mackerel. PREP EMwWon SIIRDROSCONANDOE e 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (0) olw * Includes west coast of Florida, April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 7 The salmon fishery led in both production and value with 25.4 percent of the total production and 38,4 percent of the total value. The pilchard fishery was in second place with 22.3 percent of the production but in third place with only 5.3 percent of the total value. The catch of tuna ranked third in volume with 21.5 percent but sec- ond in value with 34.9 percent. Collectively, these three species accounted for 69.2 percent of the total Pacific Coast catch and 78.6 percent of the total value. Table 5 lists the relative positions of the 20 largest and the 20 most valuable Pacific Coast fisheries, which comprise 98.5 percent of the total volume and 98.1 percent of the total value of the fisheries on the West Coast. The fisheries of the Gulf Coast, including the West Coast of Florida, during 1951 produced 649,668,000 pounds of fishery products, valued at $63,623,000 ex-ves- sel. This represents 14.7 percent of the volume and 17.6 percent of the value of Pn ell sie A WISTARS- = ae Fig. 6 - ‘‘Shrimp Boats’’ of popular-song fame in port at Brownsville, Texas--one of the important shrimp ports in the Gulf of Mexico. the U. S. and Alaska fisheries for that year. The menhaden fishery led all others in volume with 55.1 percent of the Gulf catch, but as to value was only in second place and represented only 7.7 percent of the total value. Shrimp, which was sec- ond in volume, ranked first in value. Mullet and crabs were third and fourth in vol- ume. Oysters and mullet ranked third and fourth in value. Table 6 indicates the relative position of the 10 largest and the 10 most valuable Gulf Coast fisheries, which comprised 97.5 percent of the total volume and 96.5 percent of the total value. The catch and values shown for fishery products in the Great Lakes and in the Mississippi River Areas are for 1951 and 1950, respectively. During these years this area produced 175,942,000 pounds of fish, shellfish, and other aquatic products, valued at $20,768,000. This represented 4.0 percent of the total domestic catch and 5.8 percent of the total landed value. On the basis of volume, carp was the leading 8 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 species of fish produced in this area with 18.1 percent of the total production for the Great Lakes and Mississippi River; buffalofish (14.2 percent) and mussel shells (13.1 percent) were in second and third positions, respectively. With regard to "Table 7 - Relative Quantity and Value of the Fisheries of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River by Species, Various Years* Catch pe Landed Value ars Saat Percentage of Total for: ] i] Percentage of Total for: Rank Species Quantity |U. S.&|]Lakes & | Lakes & Miss. Rank Species Value |U. S.&|Lakes& | Lakes & Miss. R. | Alaska|Miss. R.| (Cumulative) Alaska] Miss. R.| (Cumulative) _ 1,000Lbs:| % a % 1,000$) a i {CEVA cossocosces 31, 968 ot 18.1 18.1 1 |Catfish& bullheads| 3,609) 1.0 17.4 17.4 2 |Buffalofish ...... 25,013 .6 14,2 32.3 2 |Buffalofish ...... 1.0 16.7 34.1 3 |Mussel shells ...| 23,062 58) 16}, 3 45.4 3 |Yellow pike ..... 6 10.4 44.5 4 |Herring, lake ...| 20,177 .5 11.5 56.9 GQ \ers§) shocooococs 5 9.0 53.5 5 |Catfish& bullheads| 16,031 4 9.1 66.0 B) [fo osoco05cas0 5 8.1 61.6 ( [OMI soosscenacs 10,529 -2 6.0 72.0 6 |Whitefish,com «4 6.3 67.9 7 |Sheepshead ..... 10, 241 «2 5.8 77.8 7 |Lake trout ...... .3 6.0 73.9 8 |Yellow pike ..... 7, 087 ar 4.0 81.8 8 |Yellow perch .... 3 4.9 78.8 9 Yellow perch ....| 4,494 sil 2.6 84.4 9 |Herring, lake.... 23 4.7 83.5 NO |BeAea osocsnasc5 3, 624 oil 2.1 86.5 10 |Sheepshead ..... 854 2 4.1 87.6 — |All other 23, 716 || ni) 13.5 100.0 _| - |All other ....... 2,579 alti 12.4 100.0 Total {175, 942 4.0 100.0 | 100.0 Motalliaweretstrs 20,768] 5.8 | 100.0 100.0 ig Data are for 1951, except that the Mississippi River area data are for 1950, value, catfish and bullheads led all other species with 17.4 percent of the total, and in the second and third positions were buffalofish with 16.7 percent and yellow pike with 10.4 percent, respectively. Lake trout, which led all other species in value for many years was in seventh place with 6.0 percent of the total value. Although the per-pound value of lake trout has risen steadily in recent years, the production has dropped markedly. This has been caused partially by the depredation of the = Relative Quantity and Value of the Fisheries of the United States and Alaska by States, Various Years*' Catch I Landed Value | Percentage of Totalfor Percentage of Total for: Rank Quantity U. S. & Alaska Rank 5 So E a Alaska| (Cumulative) i 0 (J 2 $ 1 |California 0 i a .o 1 E 2 |Massachusetts . 14, 33},,8) 2 3 |Alaska ....... CE 43.1 3 4 |Louisiana..... 7. 50.8 4 By Wiese, 55 o500 6. 56.8 5 6 Bis 62.3 6 Hom | Maineirr rere it 5. 67.4 7 G} \pmleysickt 6655000 4, 2). 8 9 |Delaware ..... 4, 76.1 9 10 Bo 19.7 10 11 3. all 12 |New York ..... 3 2 13 3s «2 14S Rexa'siys ere ererclai 2. 4 North Carolina. 15 |Maryland ..... ie a8) Mississippi ... 16 |Oregon ....... 1 ait OMI 505000000 17 |Rhode Island .. ls 2 18 | Wisconsin 38) 19 |Michigan ..... -o || 19 |Michigan-..... 20 |Alabama...... .0 21 |Tennessee .... Ae) Wisconsin PP OVW) soouodgace 9 Georgia ...... 23 |South Carolina 58) South Carolina 24 |Minnesota .7 ‘Minnesota 25 |Georgia ...... 70° i) 25> /Ankansas) 22... 26 |Arkansas ..... .3 27 |Connecticut ... .6 28 |Illinois ....... 5a) || PAGS OUD) Goon ooe 29 |South Dakota .. 30 |Kentucky ..... oe aul OWE odoanbou5 32 |Oklahoma..... 33 | Pennsylvania 34 |Missouri ..... 35 |New Hampshire 36 |Indiana ....... 89 SNGVEU 5 oes cccn 4,414, 045} 100.0 100.0 %* Data are for 1951, except that the Mississippi River area data are for 1950. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW April 1954 “OS6T 10j aie BlEp Bade JOATY IdGISSISSIW Ai 1eY1 Idaoxe ‘TCT 1Oj aie e1eq * “aya ‘YySTJTTeUS pue YSTJ 19}eM-7TeS TeIOL io sl] io *SICOK S noTieA ‘saroads Aq eyseTy pue Sajeig poru anjteA popuey - - | 7'e6 | OZ ‘LEs} 930 “USTFTTeYUS pue UST] 19}eM-jTeS [Te}OL, te POO OD SEXEBYS) TH A/ > = 0‘00T | 0‘00T ‘ ieee TEINS Cae 186 “LT Seheine age DINDS L Té o*00T |e'T Pog neo D002 SENS [Uy 5 €°€ 9PL ‘BT “toss eas ‘sdoTTe0g 9 6Z 1°86 f° ‘t+ Sutds ‘s10ysqoT 8 9°R 96 ‘SZ (uzeyjza0Uu) s19a4sqoT S &Z 0°86 Thal ‘t+ £eq ‘sdorpeog L {hth SBE ‘EP cae ue ULE TS), Pb BT 6°96 L°9 "ress eas ‘sdotteos 9 0°€T 066 ‘ZL stresses sraqzskO g 1 z06 9° * (uzayyzou) Ss194sqoT S 2 ‘9% Ell ‘8PT ee eS AE) z 6 oq 3° teeereeeeeees gqurg 55 AoN8 RG || 008028800000 cineear ; 5 non eee vee tees eee ees SuTETD ¢ SST SMU BTAOUE b'S9 chez eT Ee z JajeM-j}TeS : : aN DAGH) OUD: Bie ow ay 7030 aie v 0 8 $09 "PS9 ‘| Sipe cepa ssn aie TE TO WL, eee aan = 7 reer | cet aay Ty. = & 4 5 teeeeeees pag foxey Oc EOI Tee TBIOL 7 A Ber iperjodarinon ese ae OEOOT teeeeeeees gauj0 TT 2 Zz I seeeees sseq pada 8h 0°96 eee e ete e eee ystyjentg, Te Zz T sees kead noa4 Rag LP 9°S6 feas “ynoz} vag og z z sreee* poosury oF 766 se eeeeeees SoaTMoTY 62 B 2 + sees gataoyouy A 8°76 coteeeess ysTprayne 82 z z "1+ * pea ‘reddeug aa 5c be teee tees nests gods ie 2 7 22+ ee sell gaadnoas as 8 pan0GoDD0O preTtents) 62 Z P 600000000 smapacronts) i 9 “C6 *** TatTayoeUul ystueds cz c Zz * Tera yoeuL ystuedg 6E Bogs teeeeteeees. 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L ul yueYy WOTED Aout JO Satioystq Toye M-11eS JO anteA pue Ajtjuen aaTepou - 6 eTGeL 10 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 lake trout in the Great Lakes by the sea lamprey. Table 7 shows the relative posi- tions of the leading species with regard to both volume and value. California led the various states and Alaska in both catch and value with 19.5 percent of the total domestic production and 18.5 percent of the total landed value. Massachusetts ranked second in both categories with 14.4 percent of the total vol- ume and 13.0 percent of the total value. In third position in both volume and value was Alaska with 9.2 percent of the total catch and 10.9 percent of the total value. RANK IN VOLUME RANK IN VALUE WHITING Fig. 7 - Pictorial representation of rank in volume and rank in value of leading species of fish and shellfish landed in the United States and Alaska. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 11 Louisiana was in fourth place in both volume (7.7 percent) and value (7.9 percent). Collectively, these three states and Alaska produced 50.8 percent of the total do- mestic commercial catch and accounted for 50.3 percent of the total landed value. The relative positions of the various states and Alaska are listed in table 8. ANALYSIS OF SALT-WATER AND FRESH-WATER FISHERIES Salt-water sources produced the bulk of the commercial fisheries catch of the United States and Alaska, yielding 4,218,580,000 pounds or 95.6 percent of the total commercial catch, and accounting for $337,120,000 or 93.4 percent of the total landed value. Mostof the leading varieties listed in table 3 were salt-water species. Table 10 - Relative Quantity and Value of Fresh-Water Fisheries of the United States and Alaska, Various Years* = Catch s ___Landed Value _ ran al a in Eaushiee, L Percentage of Total tor: Pons Frest] Tad ba Percentage of Total for: . Ss. | Fresh- , ; U.S. |Fresh-]Fresh-water| U. S. | Fresh- P > Eb h-|Fresh-water | & water Species Quantity & water Fish & water Specice were & Ratee pene Alaska] fish fit fish (Cumulative) Alaska| fish Alaskal_ fish (cumulative) Fresh-water fish: |1,000Lbs. % A % Fresh-water fish: [{,000$/ % ra % 21 1 Carpiceidesieisieleisisl> 35, 429 8 2m.1 21.1 15 1 (Catfish & bullheads | 5, 858 1.6] 25.3 25.3 22 2 Catfish & bullheads 27, 371 6 16.3 37.4 18 2 Buffalofish ...... 3, 556 1.0] 15.4 40.7 24 3 Buffalofish ....... 25, 790 6 15.3 52.7 22 3 [Yellow pike ...... 2,152 .6 9.3 50.0 28 4 Herring, lake ..... 20,177 4 12.0 64.7 26 4 £99) BGSG000000000 2, 007 58) 8.7 58.7 35 5 Sheepshead ....... 10, 987 2 6.5 71.2 29 5 Mls) sa5d090000G0 1,690 +5 7.3 66.0 37 6 Om). oood09000000 10, 529 2 6.3 77.5 33 6 hitefish, common 1,318 at 5.7 71.7 43 rt Yellow pike ...... 7, 087 2 4.2 81.7 35 7 Lake trout ....... 3 5.4 77.1 - 8 Yellow perch 5 4,708 oil 2.8 84.5 38 8 Yellow perch 3 4.5 81.6 - 9 Smelt ..... 6 3,624 oil 2.1 86.6 40 9 |Herring, lake 00 3 4.2 85.8 = 10 Suckers 3, 291 oil 2.0 88.6 41 10 Sheepshead ...... 2 4.0 89.8 = - All other . 19, 246 5 11.4 100, 0 50 11 [Blue pike ........ 2 2.7 92.5 | potall ieperraleeverat-re 168, 239 1c 3.8 [100.0 100.0 - - @inSe agsooood [ha 2 5. 7.5 100.0 Reocnowater aoe 090000009 ie 6.4 {100.0 100.0 _ shellfish, etc.: resh-water 26 1 Mussel shells 15 .5 84.7 84.7 shellfish, etc.: S = All other .... 3 n 1 15.3 100.0 > 1 ussel shells .... 380 1] 66.0 66.0 WWE socdeocone 2,226 |. 6 {100.0 | 100.0 - S JAllvother 00)... 196 1| 34.0 34.0 Faget Taare Motalereeeerne ey 2 [100.0 sit 100. 0 fish and shellfish, otalfresh water CS socevocds000 195, 465 4.4 = = fish and shellfish, 123 - - [¥Data are for 1951, except that the Mississippi River area data are for 1950. EEE Pe oe = Fresh-water items among the leading species in production were carp (35,429,000 pounds), catfish and bullheads (27,371,000 pounds), and buffalofish (25,790,000 pounds), and these species ranked 21st, 22nd, and 24th in volume, respectively (table 3). In value, catfish and bullheads led all other fresh-water species with $5,858,000, but was in 15th place among all items listed in table 3; while buffalofish, in 18th place in table 3, was the second most valuable fresh-water species bringing $3,556,000 ex-vessel. Inthe shellfish group, shrimp, crabs, and oysters were the most im- portant in volume, followed by clams and lobsters. In value, shrimp, oysters, and clams were the three leading items, with the most important fresh-water item, mussel shells, far down in the value column, Tables 9 and 10 divide the United States and Alaska catch into fresh-water and salt-water groupings by species. 12 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 16, No. 4 wy RESEARCH YIN SERVICE LABORATORIES VQ LLP POP iy i el re ea arin Progress on Projects, March 1954 sults seemed to indicate that the two methods of drying the solubles had no effect on the nutritive value of the protein, (College Park) KK OK OK FEDERAL SPECIFICATION FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS: The Federal specifi- (Copies of Federal Specifications and the Index of Federal Specifications and Standards may be obtained upon application accompanied by check, money order, cash or Government Printing Office coupons, to the General Services Administra- tion, Business Service Center, Region 3, 7th and D Streets SW., Washington 25, D. C. This office will also honor deposit account numbers issued by the Govern- ment Printing Office. Prices may be obtained from the Index of Federal Specifica- tions and Standards, or from the GSA Regicnal Offices. Single copies of the canned salmon specification and other product specifications required for bidding purposes are available without charge at the GSA Regional Offices in Boston, New York, At- lanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Mo.; Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, D. C.) (Washington, D. C.) OOK Ok OK FREEZING FISH AT SEA--NEW ENGLAND: The contract for repair of the Service's research trawler Delaware recently damaged by fire was awarded to a firm in East Boston, Mass. The vessel was drydocked during the latter part of the month and reconstruction work has already begun. It is expected that the repair work will be completed by the early part of June. (Boston) ORK RO Proximate Composition of the Edible Portio COMPOSITION OF FISH: The of 20 Whitefish proximate analysis was completed of 20 whitefish (Coregonus sp.) caught DenGent during January in Birch Lake (near Ws |oano | Tas Fairbanks), Alaska. The results are 18.1 shown in the table. Mod OK KK iS STUDY OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND OTHER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS FROM SALMON EGGS: This phase of the project is concerned with the fatty acids of salmon-egg oils. The objective is to April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 13 better characterize the fatty-acid content of the egg oil from pink salmon (Q. gor- buscha) with particular emphasis on the more highly unsaturated fractions and also determine commercial outlets or products for which the fractions would be suitable. Due to the complexity of the mixture of acids present in natural fats, no single method is universally applicable to their separation. In addition, any operation in- volved in the identification of the component acid fractions that induces oxidation, polymerization, or possibly isomerization, has been regarded with question, There- fore, the experimental procedures were selected with these conditions in mind and were conducted under as mild conditions as possible. The oil was prepared as follows: The salmon eggs were ground then passed through a screen to remove the shells. The screened mass was mixed with two vol- Table 1 - Fractional Crystallization from Acetone* of the Fatty Acid Methyl Esters of Oil from Pink-Salmon Eggs Fraction mes Fraction insoluble at -209 F. ....cccecceccccccce Fraction soluble at -20° F. but insoluble at -50° F. Fraction soluble at -50° F. but insoluble at -83° F. EPACHION Ole ays BSS Is po ooonooeo onnooooMuG * 450 gm. of the methyl esters were dissolved in 4 1. of acetone. umes of warm 2-percent salt solution to obtain a mixture with a temperature of 95° F, to 100° F. “The mixture was allowed to stand for two hours at 95° F. to 100° F.; filtered through a 50-mesh copper screen; and finally centrifuged to separate the oil. A 390-gram sample of this oil was taken for the preparation of the methyl esters of the fatty acids. A yield of 358 grams of fatty acid methyl esters was obtained. The mixed esters were Separated into four groups by fractional crystallization from acetone at low temperature, The yield and iodine value of each fraction is sum- marized in table 1. The individual groups separated by fractional crystallization at low temperature were further separated by fractional distillation under reduced pressure. The sa- Table 2 - Composition* of the Fractions Separated by Crystallization from Acetone Fraction insoluble |Fraction solubleat -20°F. but insoluble at -50° F. Percentage Weight INI WaNL ESERIES “Go goGg00DG00000000 Methyl tetradecenate ......ccccces Methyl hexadecenate ...csecceeece WMicwawl CIEENO S006 0500000000d000C Residue (unanalyzed) .....cccccvece *Calculated according to the method described in Hilditch, ‘‘The Chemical Constitution of Natural Fats.”’ ponification number and iodine value was determined of each of these fractions ob- tained by vacuum distillation, From these values, the composition was calculated of the groups obtained by fractional crystallization from acetone at -20° F, and -50° F, (table 2). . 14 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 An effort is also being made to determine the composition of the fraction crys- tallized from acetone at -83° F. and of the filtrate. The molecular weights and iodine values of these fractions are summarized in table 3. able 3 - Composition of the Fractions Separated by Crystallization from Acetone Iodine Fraction Soluble at -50° F. but Tede tion Goluhle nueaonrm | Value Insoluble at -83° F. Percentage Weight] Molecular Weight Percemmge W eight} Molecular Weight 0-80 18.4 aE 279 3. 255 80-168 aed 278-284 168-300 18.9 298-306 300-340 41.1 317-341 Residue GC 16,2 362 (Ketchikan) SALMON IS IN GOOD SUPPLY Salmon, one of America's favorite foods, is plentiful and moderately priced this spring season, says the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Salmon well deserves its popularity. Its color makes an attractive plate, its flaky meat has its own delicious flavor, and it is high in the important nutrients that we need every day--principally protein, miner- als, and vitamins. Although most of the salmon are caught during the summer andfall, some are taken during the spring. They are available to consumers throughout the w, year by various methods of preserva- * tion, The traditional preserving meth- ods are canning, smoking, and salting. However, inthe last few years increas- ingly large quantities of salmon are fro- zen and marketedas steaks and fillets. Homemakers should look for frozen salmon in their local markets. Baking or broiling probably are the favorite ways to cook salmon steaks, whether fresh or frozen, although they can be boiled or poached as well. Here is one favorite recipe tested by the Service's home economists: BROILED SALMON EPICUREAN 2 pounds salmon steaks Dash of pepper 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves 3 tablespoons salad oil Sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt and pepper. Add rosemary and vinegar to the salad oil; shake well, and let stand at room temperature for an hour or longer; strain, Dip fish in oil mixture, and place ona preheated, greased broiler pan about 2 inches from the heat. Broil 5 to 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Baste with oil, andturn carefully. Brush other side with oil, and cook 5 to 8 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve immediately. Serves 6. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 15 = IRENDS == AND = Additions to the Fleet of U. S. Fishing Vessels In December 1953, 57 vessels of 5 net tons and over received their first docu- ments as fishing craft--28 more than in December 1952. Florida west coast led with 14 vessels, followed by Louisiana with 9 vessels, and Virginia and Florida east coast with 7 vessels each, During the year 1953 a total of 729 vessels were documented for the first time as fishing vessels, compared with 675 vessels in 1952, Of the total vessels docu- mented in 1953, 495 were built in 1953, 70 in 1952, and the remainder (164) in years prior to 1952. Vessels Obtaining Their Docu- ments as Fishing Craft, 1936 to 1953 Inclusive Year 729 | 1944 Vessels Obtaining Their First Documents as Fish- ing Craft, December 1953 and Comparisons | December | 1953] 1952 Section New England. 36 | 36 Middle Atlantic. 26 34 | 45 Chesapeake.... 65 36 81 outh Atlantic . %* Partly estimated. Note: Vessels have been assigned to the various sections on the basis of their home port. California YELLOWTAIL TAGGED BY "YELLOWFIN" (Cruise 54-Y-1): A total of 132 yel- lowtail was tagged with vinylite tubing tags having monofilament nylon cores for fas- tening by the California Department of Fish and Game's research vessel Yellowfin on a two-week cruise completed at Los Angeles on January 17. The cruise was made in the area along the coast of Baja California from Cedros Island to Pt. Abreojos, and the area known as the 13-fathom spot to the eastward of Uncle Sam Bank. Experiments were also carried out with the blanket net under varied conditions on various fishes, with emphasis on the sardines, anchovies, Pacific mackerel, and jack mackerel. A total of 24 light stations were occupied at which 52 sets were made with the blanket net. Of the 24 stations occupied, 14 yielded sardines, 8 Pacific mackerel, 16 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 and 2 jack mackerel. Approximately 8,000 sardines were taken. The largest num- ber of sardines taken in a single set was approximately 2,200. In general, the blanket net proved successful as a means of sampling fish at- tracted to a light, and also as a method of catching bait. The net worked quite well under the various conditions of wind and sea, provided it was set on the windward side of the vessel. During the trip additional weight was added to the center of the lead line and to the center of the bag. This aided in pulling the net down more quick- ly and evenly. Samples of Pacific and jack mackerel were collected along the coast of Baja California and data gathered for food and maturity studies, age composition, and racial studies. Including daytime stations, Pacific mackerel were found at 9 of 35 locations and approximately 335 individuals were collected. From these a total of 85 were saved for future study. In general the species appeared to be relatively abundant throughout the survey area. pe Cans--Shipments for Fishery Products, 1953 Total shipments of metal cans for fish and sea food during 1953 amounted to 103,501 short tons of steel (based on the amount of steel consumed in the manufacture of cans), compared to 107,856 short tons in 1952 and 105,704 short tons in 1951. The decline in " SB 1953 was probably due to smaller packs of Maine sardines and Cal- S ifornia pilchards. Note; Statistics cover all commercial and captive plants known to be producing metal cans. Reported in base boxes of steel consumed in the manufacture of cans, the data for fishery products are converted to tons of steel by using the factor: 23.0 base boxes of steel equal one short ton of steel. bill Federal Purchases of Fishery Products PURCHASES OF FRESH AND FROZEN FISH BY DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY: December 1953: Fresh and frozen fishery products purchases for the military feeding of the U. S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force by the Army Quar- termaster Corps in December 1953 amounted to 1,361,536 pounds, valued at $601,920 (table 1). This was a decrease of 22.8 percent in quantity and 28.3 percent in value as compared with November purchases. However, December purchases were 22.7 percent greater in quantity, but 4.6 percent less in valuethan a year earlier due to the much higher prices in December 1952, Table 1 - Purchases of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products by Department of the Army (December and the 12 Months of 1953 and 1952) QUANTITY VALUE December 1953 1952 1953 1952 1953 | 1952 1953 1952 Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. $ Be $ $ 361, 536|1, 109, 663/26, 769, 073/32, 275, 567/601, 920 |630, 940]11, 857, 012/15,049,599 Army Quartermaster Corps purchases of fresh and frozen fish in 1952 amounted to 26,769,073 pounds (valued at $11,857,012)--a decrease of 17.1 percent in quantity and 21,2 percent in value as compared with 1952, and 15.1 percent lower in quantity and 13.1 percent less in value than in 1951. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 17 Prices paid for fresh and frozen fishery products by the Department of the Army in 1953 averaged 44.3 cents per pound as compared with 46.6 cents in 1952 and 43.2 cents in 1950. January 1954: The Army Quartermaster Corps in January 1954 purchased 1,328,499 pounds (valued at $597,452) of fresh and frozen fishery products-- 2.4 percent less in quantity and 0.7 per- cent less in value than purchases in December 1953 (table 2), When com- pared with a year earlier, January purchases were down 14.7 percent in quantity and 28.9 percent in value. Table 2 - Purchases of Fresh and Froze Fishery Products by Department of the Army (Januar 1954 and 1953) pound was paid by the Department of page Paes Ceo ie 1, 328, 4991, 558, 1 172 097, 452/1 oat 996 the Army for fishery products purchased in January 1954, compared with 53.9 cents per pound in January 1953, Prices dur- ing the early part of 1953 were higher than for any period in the past few years. An average price of 45.0 cents per In addition to the purchases of fresh and frozen fishery products indicated a- bove, the Armed Forces generally make some local purchases which are not in- cluded in the above figures. Therefore, actual purchases are somewhat higher than indicated, but it is not possible to obtain data on the local purchases made by mili- tary installations throughout the country. Foreign-Flag Vessels Cannot Land Tuna Catch or High-Seas Cargo in U. S. In order to determine if there was a loophole in the regulations forbidding land- ings of fish by foreign-flag fishing vessels, the Service asked the Commissioner of Customs whether a foreign-flag vessel could land its catch of tuna taken on board on the high seas (1) at a port in the United States for transshipment in bond through the United States, or (2) at a foreign Trade Zone in the United States. Ina letter dated February 4, 1954, the Bureau of Customs replied as follows: "Unless it is a vessel which fulfills the conditions of section 4. 96 (g) of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR 4.96(g)), relating to certain foreign vessels which arrive in the United States in distress, a foreign-flag ves- sel is prohibited by section 4311 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (46 U.S.C. 251), whether documented as a cargo vessel or otherwise, from landing at a port of the United States its catch or cargo of tunataken on board on the high seas, regardless of the ultimate disposition intended to be made thereof. The prohibition applies as well to foreign-trade zones in the United States.' This inquiry was made to obtain clarification of the provisions of the law men- tioned with respect to whether such landings in a port of the United States could be transshipped in bond through the United States to another country, or whether such landings could be made at a foreign Trade Zone in the United States. In the latter case ultimate disposition might have involved reshipment back to the country of the vessel, transshipment in bond through the United States, reshipment via a United States vessel to a port of the United States, or processing sufficiently in the foreign Trade Zone to permit entry into the United States, 18 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 Frozen Food Packers Convention FROZEN FOOD (INCLUDING FISHERY PRODUCTS) PROBLEMS DISCUSSED: Several thousand delegates representing all segments of the frozen foods industry recently attended the four-day (January 31-February 3) convention of the National Association of Frozen Food Packers in New York City. The convention agenda was said to be the most ambitious ever staged for the industry. More than 2,000 conventioneers ate a luncheon at the convention consisting en- tirely of prepared frozen foods, the first time it has been possible to stage such an event. Among the fishery products sampled were: fish hors d'oeuvres, fish sticks, fried breaded fantail shrimp, deviled crab in shells, breaded white fish, rainbow trout, swordfish, and frog legs. Because of the tremendous importance of frozen fishery products, many of the items discussed at the convention were of direct interest to the fishing industry. Also, because of the increased competition that is developing within the frozenfoods industry, many of the discussions may have a direct bearing on the future economic progress of the frozen fish and shellfish industry. The sessions offered studies on better market knowledge, private and brand- name labeling, grading of foods, transportation, research, prepared frozen foods, warehousing, raw-material procurement, food brokerage and distribution, product handling at the retail level, and packaging. Delegates represented packers, rail and motor carriers, food brokers, distributors, supermarket and chain store oper- ators, warehousemen, suppliers, cooperatives and voluntary buying groups, and in- dependent retailers. Among the convention highlights was the first report made on a recent Govern- ment study of handling frozen foods at the retail level. This study, conducted in cooperation with a group of supermarket organ- izations, was made to determine how retail food stores could increase labor productivity and re- duce costs through improved methods, equipment, materials, and layout of frozen food departments. Other topics discussed at the convention in- cluded size and weight of packages, physical handling and marking goods at retail, grading, market research, methods of display, trends in distribution, personnel and store-operating meth- ods, warehousing, and transportation of frozen foods by rail and motor carriers. FROZEN FOODS OUTLOOK VERY GOOD: The general theme of the convention was that 1954 already shows signs of being a most auspicious year for the frozen foods industry. It is estimated that per-capita consumption of frozen foods during 1953 advanced 10 to 15 percent over the previous year, and 1954 should show a sim- ilar growth. Prepared frozen foods made from a combination of products, and ready to be warmed and eaten, have the greatest sales potential in the frozen foods industry. More than 30 percent of frozen-food sales on the West Coast are for prepared prod- ucts, and a similar development is expected in the East, In a panel discussion of the future of prepared frozen foods, a featured speaker stated that prepared products have the greatest possibilities for retailers. The speaker warned, however, that it was up to the packers to merchandise the new prod- ucts to the consumer before introducing them, "It is not enough to have the retailer stock the new items in his display cases, Mrs. Consumer must be presold by ad- vertising and merchandising, " April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 19 A New England frozen-food distributor said that only 10 percent of the popula- tion has tasted prepared frozen foods and 2 percent has accounted for most of the sales. He claimed that prepared frozen products now are equal to, or superior to, canned or fresh counterparts, both in quality and price, and have the added quality of convenience, A representative of the National Association of Refrigerated Warehouses dis- closed that space for perishable foods in refrigerated warehouses is currently in- creasing at the rate of 7 to 8 million cubic feet annually. Since the end of World War II, total cubic footage for perishable foods has increased to 450 million cubic feet from 390 million in 1945, The speaker further pointed out that 50 percent of the nation's refrigerated warehouses now have mechanical materials-handling equip- ment to keep frozen foods moving quickly off the loading platform and that many warehouses no longer are satisfied with maintaining zero temperatures and are go- ing to levels of 20 degrees below zero. packers were given an opportunity to hear the retailers' side of "merchandising fro- zen foods.'' The following ''do's and don'ts'' for frozen-food packers were stressed by one retail grocers! representative from the Pacific Coast: "Continued study for improved quality and new varieties is most im- portant to the continued progress of the industry. "Attractive and practical packaging for more consumer eye appealand quality protection can best be handled at packer level. Also, casing of product in line with distributor organization surveys for proper number of units to minimize costly break-ups, and for proper case sizes for palleti- zation and mechanical handling. "Packers could well afford to work together to standardize on the most logical package size--the size for each product that will fill the greatest consumer need. "We look to packers to continue research for new products with vol- ume potential. New items add life to the industry, and buyers like them despite appearance to the contrary. "Packers and their sales organizations are welcome also because of the sales and merchandising help supplied at both headquarters and retail level, A word of caution--please be certain the men sent to the field are well trained and that they have something to offer besides a visit. We look to packers and their representatives to supply a sound ad- vertising program that will cause consumers to look for that label in the cabinet, In most cases, this means a program designed for the market- ing area involved and aimed at a rifle-shot not shot-gun blast target. "Don't force a lower profit structure on retailers.... "Have ample product to back up advertising and deals. Mystery can be rather intriguing, but not when it is The Case of the Missing Case. "It is our thought that this industry--all phases--can best learn to- gether through an exchange of ideas. We depend on the advice of those experienced in their fields, and we seek your suggestions; but, we ask for and appreciate the privilege of a continued exchange of ideas and experiences. " 20 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 Frozen fishery products were mentioned prominently at this important meeting of packers, distributors, retailers, and consumers, and considerable interest was shown in the wide variety of fish and shellfish displayed at the convention, The consensus of opinion among the conventioneers seemed to be that fishery products have a great future--provided they meet the challenge that is developing in the other competitive food lines. S77 German Electrical-Fishing Vessel Arrives in United States The German electrical-fishing vessel R-96 has arrived in the United States, reports the December 26 issue of The Fishing News, a British fishery magazine. RUBBER LIFE RAFT An artist’s conception of how the electrical-fishing experiments were conducted at sea. P' The vessel will commence electro-fishing during the early part of 1954, (Editor's note: It is reported that the R-96 will operate in a fishery off the Middle Atlantic Coast.) In a recent interview, Dr. P. F. Meyer of the Fishery Institute of Hamburg said: 'Our experiments in regard to ocean fishery by means of electro-anaesthesia have been concluded. Scientifically the problem has been solved. Practical exper- iences are still to be harvested. That will cost a lot of money and demand quite some time. Our financial situation prevents us from carrying this side of the mat- ter to a conclusion ourselves. For this reason the R-96 has gone to American hands, and right now the electro ship has crossed the Atlantic for U. S. A. "The Americans have been accurately informed of our scientific results, methods, and procedure, and we--who have for years worked intensively on these experi- ments--need not be present at the final practical fishery. ",. The problem has been solved, but on the background of the technical gear with which the fisheries are experimenting today, miracles should not be expected," April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 21 Electrical fishing caused much anxiety in several countries where an extinction of fish stocks is feared, but the German scientists pointed out that when the new methods are applied it would be possible to spare the fry in a higher degree than before. By varying the impulse-figure and tension it is possible to catch fish of de- fined sizes and species. The whole thing is arranged by turning a few handles and pressing various buttons. : Note: See Commercial Fisheries Review, October 1952, pp. 62 and 75; June 1952, p. 39; October 1951, p. 25; January 1951, p. 53; and December 1950, p. 36. Also Fishery Leaflet 348 (German Commercial Electrical Fishing Device). Maryland CHESAPEAKE BAY OYSTER PRODUCTION LIGHT: Chesapeake Bay oyster- men are finding oysters scarce this season, according to the Maryland Tidewater News (January 1954) of the Department of Research and Education. Oysters are about 30 percent less plentiful than they were at the same time last year. OK KR OK CHINCOTEAGUE BAY SURVEY: The ecological and economic survey of the Chincoteague Bay area, started in the fall of 1951 by special legislative action, is still in progress. Hydrographic observations were conducted in an intensive man- ner until June 1953, when the number of stations was reduced as it had been decided that fewer stations would provide sufficient data to supplement those collected, to serve as checks on general conditions, and to indicate changes of a major nature should they occur. The hydrographic data dur- ing the second year of study followed the gen- eral pattern already established and appear to be reasonably conclusive for the purposes of this study. However, there is a lack of infor- mation regarding currents in Chincoteague Bay. This deficiency is due to the difficulty experi- enced in measuring currents of such low velo- city as those concerned with in that area, It is expected, however, that such measurements will be attempted during the season ahead, ac- cording to the January 1954 Maryland Tidewater News of the Department of Research and Educa- tion. Observations have been made on the setting of fouling organisms in the area and it has been found that there is one in particular which isa very serious pest. This is a tube-building ser- pulid worm which can in the period of a few weeks cover shells over with the crust of its burrows which in turn precludes any possibility of a spatfall on the shells. Certain other foul- ing organisms have serious implication, but not to the degree of this worm. Observations on fouling are being continued so that the setting pattern of the organisms involved may be more adequately established. The oyster drill is known to be a problem in the Chincoteague area, where it does much damage to oysters planted, and set as well. 22 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 No specific study has been done on this pest but it is expected that an attempt will be made to determine some control measures. During the past two years 22,000 bushels of shells and about 1,000 bushels of brood stock oysters were planted in seaside waters. Plantings were made at sev- eral different points in an effort to locate potential seed areas. The brood stock did well in all cases except one, at which point they were sanded over during a heavy storm. The shell plantings were in some cases complete failures but in other locations they gave results in varying degrees of success. The set ranged from none to 892 spat per bushel. In general the shells planted in the deeper parts of the Bay became covered with a thick coat of fouling organisms, one location be- ing an exception. The fouling occurred in a period of only a few weeks and was pre- dominantly the already mentioned serpulid worms. Heavy fouling did not occur on the shells planted intertidally, on which bottom conditions for spat survival were good. Ina location where shells were planted in deep water near a great concen- tration of planted oysters, the set was fairly abundant and resulted in a nice bed of commercial seed. All other deep-water plantings were failures, apparently due to lack of brood stock close at hand. The average catch on intertidal shells was 262 spat per bushel. Considering both the shallow and the deep-water shell plantings, there appears to be some reason to expect that seed oysters can be produced in the seaside waters. One of the major problems that confronts. those who would produce seed oysters in the Chincoteague Bay is the lack of adult brood oysters pretty generally over the Bay. To obtain satisfactory sets of seed it is necessary to have a great number of brood oysters nearby to provide the needed vast quantities of larval oysters. The mortality of larvae and spat is very great and consequently tremendous numbers of them are essential to insure survival. Near most of the experimental shell beds a few hundred bushels of adult oysters were planted as brood stock but, as it develop- ed, the numbers were not sufficient to provide a satisfactory set, in some cases no spat whatsoever being realized. The planted oysters from which no set was ob- tained have been made available by the Department of Tidewater Fisheries to the commercial watermen since it was fairly conclusively shown that their setting po- tential was negative and they would serve no further biological purpose. Further study is to be given to those bottoms that have shown some promise of such oyster production since the greatest immediate need of the seaside industry is a source of seed oysters. In addition to the already cited studies of oyster problems, there are projects in progress on the determination of satisfactory seed from other coastal regions, and the study of oyster growth along the seaside. In addition, parasites of oysters are being investigated. Up to this time the area has been found to be comparatively free of them. The hard-clam population is being surveyed to determine whether or not damage is being done by the dredging operation now being carried on. The blue crab also is being studied in an attempt to determine its migration pattern and the size ranges in the adults, the seaside crabs seeming to be a population distinctfrom others along the coast. The planktonic forms, that is the microscopic plants and animals of the area, are being observed and catalogued since they constitute the basic foods of the commercial forms of sea food. In addition to these studies, sev- eral others of a more academic nature are under way. The work has its headquar- ters at a small field laboratory located at Public Landing on the Chincoteague Bay. % OK OR KK search and Education reviewed the effects of oil pollution on marine animals, a recent release from that Agency states. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW : 23 How effective it is in killing animals or rendering their habitat unsuitable is not well documented in scientific writings. Two very careful fishery research biol- ogists of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, however, summarized most of the U. S. and foreign works that deal with oil pollution and its effect on marine life. They conducted some very unique experiments that are described below, Oils and oil substances discharged into Bay waters do not remain floating inde- finitely, for they are readily absorbed by clay, silt, and other suspended matter in the water, Agitation of the water by currents and wave action helps the settling of the oil-saturated material to the bottom, but the oil slick is not securely fixed and may be carried to distant places. That is why oily substances are frequently seen on beaches, sides of boats, and on nets of fishermen, often far removed from the source. Injury caused to ducks and other aquatic birds by oil floating on the sur- face is well known. One Rutgers University scientist stated, ''Oilis, gallon for gallon, as thrown out, the most destructive to aquatic life of all the foreign sub- stances now entering our coastal waters. "' The toxicity of oil in sea water has been shown experimentally to be due to wa- ter-soluble substances extracted from oil, but in most instances only when present in sufficient concentration. Scientists have found that various fishes and marine in- vertebrates are quickly killed by these toxins when studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions. They assume, therefore, that the same mechanism operates under natural conditions, andthat mortalities in the presence of huge oil pollution concentrations must be due to the poisonous elements that go into solution with water. One aspect of the study by the research biologists was tofinda way of eliminating oil slicks where larval oysters and clams occurred. These immature stages of mollusks were killed easily by their habit of swimming close to the surface, From their studies they concluded that dusting the surface with carbonized sand (a very fine grade sand coated with carbon) was a highly efficient method of removing oil from the surface, The oil becomes bound to the sand and sinks immediately. This does not prevent it from being harmful, but it does have the major advantage of lo- calizing the pollution, thereby preventing it from spreading to other potential fish and shellfish areas. So many problems of control present themselves that, in the final analysis, the solution of oil pollution is one of prevention rather than control, New England FISH STICKS AND OCEAN PERCH FILLETS MOVE WELL: Increased produc- tion of fish sticks and a rising demand for ocean perch fillets characterized the more important fishery trends in New England during this February. Landings of ocean perch almost doubled those of a year ago, but the price and demand continued to in- crease, the Service's representative at Gloucester reports. It was believed that heavy utilization of imported frozen cod fillets for fish sticks tended to decrease the supply of cod fillets on the market and thus increase the demand for ocean perch fil- lets. The production of fish sticks was still on the increase as many plants oper- ating at full capacity were not able to keep pace with the demand, 24 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 North Carolina FISHERIES PRODUCTION, JULY-DECEMBER 1953: A report on North Caro- lina's commercial fisheries operations for the latter half of 1953 was presented at a meeting of the Board of Conser- ee ee _ vation by the Assistant Fisheries ; Commissioner, It was pointed out that the North Carolina shrimp catch dur- ing the latter part of 1953 was bet- ter than that of any like period in the State's history, according to the report (see table). The quality » of the shrimp was good andprices very good. However, the food fin- fish catch was about 5 million pounds less, due mostly to the di- version of fishing effort from fin- fish to shrimp. But the value of the food finfish catch was as good as a year earlier. The oyster season was better than expected, although there was a drop of something like 17,000 tubs from the corresponding period North Carolina shrimp trawlers of last year, The hurricanes in Au- gust killed a tremendous quantity of oysters, including those on the State-planted bottoms. Price and quality of oys- ters this season were above normal. This was a poor season for clams because most of the fishermen were engaged in shrimp fishing. Clams were imported from Long Island Sound in 1953 in order for the larger clam dealers to meet their contracts. North Carolina Commercial Fisheries Production July-December 1953 Statistics given for crabs are not complete. However, it is believed that it was a normal year. Shellfish: Shrimp, heads-off] lbs. Production of scallops dur-| Clams.......... bu. ing this period was far greater Crabs, soft ..... than that of any recent year. The price of scallops was dis- appointing, but the quality was very good. ee ee eee During November and Dec- ember, and especially during the latter month, tremendous schools of menhaden were off the North Carolina coast, If it wasn't for the unfavorable weather that pre- vailed, the catch would have exceeded very greatly any catch during a similar period in the history of the industry. 3K OK OK Ok MENHADEN FISHERY IN CARTERET COUNTY, 1953/54: The menhaden indus- try in Carteret County closed down operations in mid-January 1954 after processing April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 25 142,000,000 fish since early in November 1953. During the 1952/53 season the catch amounted to 108,550,000 menhaden. The 1951/52 season produced 140,080,000 fish, the Service's Fishery Marketing Specialist in that State reports. Five firms processed menhaden into dry scrap and oil in Carteret County dur- ing the past season. One company again plans to resume production in May or June. Full-scale operations for all firms usually begin in November. SCALLOP SEASON EXTENDED: On January 18 scallop fishing was reopened in North Carolina on a five-day-a-week basis. Scallop fishing is permitted Mondays through Fridays, daytime only, until further notice. Heretofore, since the opening of the season on December 1, scallop fishing was permitted on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays only. The law permits taking scallops on Mondays and Wednesdays, but permits the Commissioner to allow other open days. The extension of the sea- son was due to an abundance of scallops and earlier bad fishing weather. GEAR AND NAVIGATION COURSES FOR FISHERMEN: The North Carolina Division of Commercial Fisheries, in conjunction with the Institute of Fisheries Research, Morehead City, is preparing to set up a demonstration net loft to teach fishermen of North Carolina how to make their own nets and accessories. In addi- tion to instruction in the making and handling of gear, the fishermen will receive a short course in navigation and safety at sea. 2 Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations TUNA INVESTIGATIONS: For analbacore survey north and east of Hawaii the Service's Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations (POFI) research vessels Hugh M. Smith and Jonn R. Manning were prepared in December, The survey was to con- sist of studies of the ocean current system paralleled by trolling and long-line fish- ing operations. It was to cover a two-million-square-mile area and was being un- dertaken jointly with the California Department of Fish and Game whose vessel N. B. Scofield was to cover the easterly portion of the survey area. A well known West Coast halibut and tuna fisherman completed preparations by the end of December for an early January departure of the commercial vessels North American and Alrita to the mid-Pacific yellowfin tuna grounds discovered by POFI. These vessels were scheduled to fish in the general vicinity of Christmas Island and make at least two trips each. A POFTI biologist sailed aboard the North American to record the fishing activities and collect scientific data on the tunas caught, Another POFI representative joined the vessel North Star, a freezership char- tered by a California cannery in Seattle the end of December for a trip to American Samoa. The freezership is to be operated in conjunction with the Pago Pago tuna cannery and will receive long-line caught tuna from seven Japanese catcher boats. The POFI observer will make scientific observations on the tuna caught and willkeep detailed records of the daily catch of each long-line fishing boat, Information on the tunas in this region is almost entirely lacking and this expedition is expected to fur- nish valuable information on the tuna resources in the vicinity of Samoa. an ~ “SS 26 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 Pacific Whale Increase Seen A Pacific gray whale census being conducted at Point Loma, Calif., indicates this year's count will exceed 1,000 whales as compared with 850 last year, the Secretary of the Interior an- nounced on February 1. The census is being conducted by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice in cooperation withthe U. S. National Park Service as these giant sea mammals pass south- ward along the California coast in their annual winter migration. California Gray Whale (Rhachianectes glaucus) The whales move each winter from the far north to the lagoons of lower Cali- fornia to breed. In the course of the migration they sweep close to the Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma and the monument serves as a vantage point for the census. Interest in the gray whale stems from its past economic prominence and the decimation it suffered at the hands of the whaling industry in the late 1800's and again in the 1920's. The herd's ranks are swelling and the species is expected to regain economic importance with the help of protective regulations. Because whales inhabit the open sea and often visit waters adjacent to more than one country, their capture is regulated by international agreements. The gray whale of the Pacific annually finds its way to waters off Mexico, Canada, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as well as the United States, Salt Tablet Reported to Eliminate Struvite in Canned Sea Food A special salt tablet marketed by a firm in St. Louis is reported as being a means of eliminating struvite in canned sea food, Struvite crystals form when fish and shellfish have been processed by heat. While these crystals are tasteless and odorless, they have a gritty texture when eaten in canned food. They resemble glass fragments and have been mistaken as such by consumers. They are harmless and are formed of magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate. The basic compounds used in the tablets are ordinary sodium chloride and sodium hexametaphosphate, the Oyster Institute of North America states. The allotment of funds for the purchase of a research vessel to combat the "red tide'' was announced on February 16 by Secretary of the Interior McKay. The "red tide'' plague has periodically killed millions of fish in waters off the west coast of Florida. The vessel, to be operated by the Fish and Wildlife Service, will be based at Fort Myers, Florida, and will cost approximately $50,000 equipped, and oper- ating funds will come to about $10,000. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 27 The new vessel will allow a more intensive study of the causes of ''red tide" and will help in the effort to control the menace. At infrequent and sporadic intervals over the past 100 years there have been mass mortalities of fish on the central west coast of Florida, caused by swarming of a microscopic organism called Gymnodinium brevis. Such episodes occur only in this part of the Gulf of Mexico. They also occur elsewhere in the world, nearly always in the same places. They are always caused by certain species of a class of organisms called dinoflagellates (having attributes of both plants and animals) which give off substances poisonous to fish and other marine animals, Both com- mercial and sports fishing are adversely affected during the fish kills although no permanent decrease in fish abundance has been noted. Long periods can elapse without red tides. No outbreaks were recorded be- tween 1916 and 1946. Outbreaks have occurred with abnormal frequency since 1946. Between November 1946 and March 1947 dead fish and discolored water extended 125 miles from Naples, Fla., on the south to Clearwater, Fla., onthe north, and seaward about 20 miles. A smaller red tide occurred briefly in November 1952, Another appeared in September 1953. After the large outbreak of 1946/47, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service com- menced biological studies to learn the principles underlying the causes of these blooms, with the aim of developing control or preventive measures, The studiesto date indicate that the blooms seem to occur after periods of heavy rain followed by light winds blowing toward the shore. The water, enriched by land drainage, is held along the coast, thus developing conditions suitable for rapid reproduction of the microorganisms. As fish are killed, their decaying bodies are believed to re- lease nutrients to the waters, These nutrients nourish the bloom and serve to in- tensify it. Sport Fishing License Sales Continue to Climb Fresh-water fishing continued its upward trend of popularity during the year ended June 30, 1953, with the record sale of 17,652,478 anglers' licenses, Secretary of the Interior McKay was advised by J. L. Farley, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. The gross revenue derived by the 48 States from these license sales a- mounted to $35,602,903. Compared with the previous year when 17,127,896 fishing li- censes were sold by the various States for $33,609,539, the 1952/53 season totals represent an increase of 524,582 in licenses and $1,993,364 in revenue. Nonresident fishermen pur- chased 2,518,396 licenses in fiscal year 1953, an increase of 210,171 over the 2,308,225 of the previous year. States which attracted the greatest number of out-of-state anglers were Wisconsin with 301,250 nonresident license sales; Mich- igan, 297,727; Minnesota, 289,332; and Tennessee, 231,330. A sport fisherman's catch. 28 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW -Vol. 16, No. 4 In the number of licenses issued, Michigan yielded first place (for the first time since fiscal year 1948) to California which headed the list with 1,158,465, Mich- FISHING LICENSES SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES--July 1, 1952, to June 30, 1953 —, | State | Resident Non-Resident | Total Licenses Anglers! Fees Alabama 195, 904 17, 84 213, 750 249, 673 Arizona 82,384 43, 963 126, 347 335, 305 Arkansas 271, 625 118, 811 390, 436 725,256 California 1, 143, 037 15, 428 1, 158, 465 3,475, 705 Colorado 277,593 92,555 370, 148 749, 746 Connecticut 97,491 4,308 101, 799 353, 096 Delaware 8,787 1, 682 10, 469 23,599 Florida 219, 678 99,099 318, 777 934, 992 Georgia 381,893 5,452 387, 345 251,446 Idaho 173, 228 60, 764 233,992 632, 885 Dlinois 807,209 21,956 829, 165 883, 323 Indiana 517, 187 32, 341 549, 528 613, 817 Iowa 336, 682 14,019 350, 701 502,240 Kansas 270, 467 5,495 275, 962 425, 625 Kentucky 359,551 84, 385 443, 936 804, 826 [Louisiana 89,159 13,556 402, 715 134, 892 Maine 130,535 67, 807 198, 342 604, 601 Maryland 93, 434 19, 479 112, 913 205, 855 (Massachusetts 202, 673 6,610 209,283 603, 637 Michigan 848, 660 297, 727 1, 146, 387 2,218, 908 [Minnesota 633, 386 289, 332 922, 718 2,283, 316 Mississippi 123, 180 50,075 173, 255 261, 924 Missouri 580, 851 49, 604 630, 455 1, 308, 417 Montana 178, 800 32, 648 211, 448 386, 440 Nebraska 199, 522 9, 390 208, 912 322, 061 Nevada 23,314 23, 646 46, 960 166,571 [New Hampshire 77, 668 45,270 122, 938 396, 153 New Jersey 135, 322 10,258 145,580 542,951 INew Mexico 67, 746 39, 780 107, 526 359,472 INew York 759, 688 38, 603 798,291 1, 789, 335 [North Carolina 280, 664 49, 168 329, 732 562, 436 North Dakota 72, 989 860 73, 849 39, 075 Ohio 744, 888 41,110 785,998 1,558,055 (Oklahoma 357, 314 53,131 410, 445 867, 384 (Oregon 278,283 24,440 302, 723 1,122,579 Pennsylvania 732, 005 25, 620 757, 625 1,567,570 Rhode Island 21,855 414 22,269 41, 822 jouth Carolina 255,429 10, 463 265, 892 335,025 Bow Dakota 98, 161 26, 067 124, 228 297, 317 Tennessee 560, 041 231, 330 791, 371 755,292 Texas 369, 366 6, 651 376, 017 623, 427 Utah 135, 678 5,833 141,511 358,508 \Vermont 71, 883 33,351 105,234 218,510 |Virginia 388, 967 4,247 393,214 527, 768 |Washington 435,879 23,812 459, 691 1,071, 908 |West Virginia 209, 222 10, 939 220, 161 408, 814 |Wisconsin 710,563 301,250 1,011, 813 Z, 056, 118 [Wyoming 124, 341 57, 821 182, 162 645, 228 TOTALS 15, 134, 182 2,518, 396 17, 652, 478 $35, 602, 903 Note: Includes general and special licenses, permits, and stamps, and the gross cost to anglers. The cost of combina- tion licenses has been evenly split between the fishing and hunting tabulations. a project under the Dingell-Johnson sport-fish restoration program, igan was in second place with 1,146,387, while Wisconsin held third place with 1,011,813. Alaska reports the sale of 54,732 fishing licenses, which brought in a revenue of $102,347. Resident licenses numbered 36,227; nonresident, 18,505. the previous year the sale of 43,495 fishing licenses (29,826 resident; 13,669 nonresident) brought $74,938. One-half of the revenue received from fishing and hunting license sales inAlaska is required by law to go into''mis- cellaneous receipts" of the United States Treasury; the remainder is credited to the Territorial school fund. In In the Territory of Hawaii, according to the Board of Commis- sioners of Agriculture and For- estry, 2,617 fresh-water game fishing licenses were purchased in fiscal year 1953 at a cost of $6,268. This represents an in- crease of more than four times over the figures reported for 1952 when 627 licenses were sold for $1,517. The increase is due in large part to the stocking of cer- tain areas with bluegill sunfish, Fishing li- censes in Hawaii, however, are required for the taking of introduced fresh-water game species only. number of licenses sold gives an incomplete measurement of the degree of sport fishing activity in Hawaii. i: Note: Also see Commercial Fisheries Review, February 1953, p. 35; March 1952, p. 28; April 1951, p. 30. Se As the bulk of the fishermen ply their sport in salt water, the Tri-State Fisheries Commission MARYLAND'S RECOMMENDATION FOR TRI-STATE FISHERIES COMMISSION RESEARCH: The Governor of Maryland has indicated that because of limited State funds available such research work as needs to be done on migratory fishes by the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory for the Tri-State Fisheries Commission shouldbe carried on with existing facilities. of the states of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, The Tri-State Fisheries Commission is made up The Governor indicated that he favored the project recommended by the Tri-State group, but expressed the hope that the Chesapeake Bay Institute (Johns Hopkins University), the Department of Tidewater Fisheries, and the Department of Research and Education might pool their resources, personnel, and facilities to do the job. April 1954 * COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 29 The Tri-State Commission held a series of meetings during the summer and fall of 1953 in an effort to clarify the position of the respective states on the declines in the fisheries, especially the croaker and sea trout, and to develop a common pro- gram of study to get data on which to base management programs. The movement in question came from a legislative move in Virginia followed by like action on part of the assemblies of North Carolina and Maryland. It was the unanimous recommendation of the Tri-State Commission that a total of $120,074 should be requested for the over-all study to cover coastal and inland waters from Delaware to South Carolina. Maryland's share (26 percent) was placed at $31, 700, Virginia's (54 percent) at $64,400, and North Carolina's (20 percent) at $25,000. These prorated costs were based on the values of the fisheriesin the re- spective states, reportsthe January Maryland Tidewater News of the Department of Research and Education, Note: Also see Commercial Fisheries Review, November 1953, p. 31. KS Fish Stick Production, 1953 U. S, FISH STICK PRODUCTION SHOWS PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN 19 The United States produdtion of breaded precooked fish sticks in 1953 totaled . 16, 000 pounds, valued at $4,042,600. Production in 1952 was negligible. Most of the fish sticks are packaged and frozen, The development and rapid expansion of the fish-stick industry was an outstand- ing event in the fisheries of the United States during 1953. Consumer acceptance of U. S. Production of Breaded Precooked GENS! TASTY OEOCRUCHS WIENS) Io) Inlet Mnene Wen lia Fish Sticks, 1953 (By Months) |__Month ae uantit the year firms were having difficulty keep- ing up with their orders. Production dur- ing the first quarter of 1953 got off toa Lbs. good start, but dropped considerably dur- January ........| 115,000 89,000) ing the second quarter. In July, however, February .......| 133,000 79, 800) there wasa marked increase in production, March ......+..; 148,000 88, 800! with this upward climb accelerating through- April ......000. 34, 900 21,100} out the remainder of the year. INEST Sug oUCR ORES macy OO 13, 700 JUNE weeecceccee 30, 800 20, 200 During 1953 fish sticks were manufac- July seececeeree| 312,500) 166,900! tured from both imported and domestic fish August .esceeee-) 357, 600 191, 300) fillets, anda major portion of the produc- September ......| 681,600 374, 600) tion during the year was made from codand October ......../1,186, 000 583, 600) other groundfish fillets. By early 1954 the (November ......|1,429, 400 801, 900 number of plants producing fish sticks had increased several fold, and such species as salmon, halibut, whiting, and Pacific rock- fishes were being used. 1,631, 200 7, 262, 000 | 4,042, 600 Note: In addition to breaded precooked fish sticks, a small amount of frozen breaded uncooked fish sticks was produced. Since many areas of the United States have not been reached by this new product, there is little doubt that production will increase markedly during 1954. If the De- cember 1953 production rate continues throughout 1954, the production of fish sticks in the United States for the year should reach well in excess of 30 million pounds. Although the production of all the firms which produced fish sticks during 1953 is not included in the table shown below, the figures shown account for the bulk of the production, 30 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 U. S. Foreign Trade in Edible Fishery Products, November 1953 United States imports of fresh, frozen, and processed fish and shellfish during November 1953 totaled 61 million pounds (valued at $16.4 million), according to the November 1953 United States Foreign Trade, a Department of Commerce publi- United States Foreign Trade in Edible Fishery Products, November 1953 With Comparisons pli ibid November 1953 November 1952 _Year 1952 uantit Imports: Fish and shellfish: fresh, frozen, and processedl/...... Exports: Fish and shellfish: processed 1/ only (excluding fresh and frozen) .....e. 1/Includes pastes, sauces, clam chowder and juice, and other specialties. cation (see table). This was a decrease of 4.4 percent in quantity and 1.8 percent in value as compared with October imports of almost 64 million pounds (valued at $16.7 million). November 1953 imports were down 2.6 percent in quantity and 3.0 percent in value from a year earlier. United States exports of processed fish and shellfish (excluding fresh and frozen) in November 1953 amounted to almost 2.6 million pounds (valued at $0.9 million), lower by 20 percent in quantity from October exports, but higher by 13 percent in value. Compared with November 1952, exports were down 67,4 percent in quantity and 50 percent in value. Virginia JAMES RIVER HAS GOOD OYSTER SPAT SEASON: The James River, Virginia, seed oyster area experienced a good strike of spat during the 1953 summer spawn- ing season, and especially so on Horsehead Bar, scientists of the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory reported. The 1953 spatfall on the seed beds was good although the bio- logists indicated that the new set was not as great as that of 1949 when an unusual abundance of young oysters was realized, The James River seed beds rank as super- ior along the coast in the quantity and quality of seed oysters produced, as well as in the vast acreage of bottom in seed production. a Washington of 43 inches between knots for the State of Washington's offshore trawling fleet was established in January by the Washington Department of Fisheries. Trawlers oper- ating out of Washington ports must convert cod ends to the new size by January 1, 1955, and the body of the net by January 1, 1956. Nets being used at present by the fleet have a mesh as small as 3 inches between knots. STATE SETS MINIMUM NET MESH REGULATION: A minimum net mesh size ee a ner ee ee April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 31 California trawlers have been under the new net mesh size for several years and Oregon established deadlines for use of other sizes very recently. The general provisions of the Washington State regulations referring to unlaw- ful methods reads: "It shall be unlawful in the commercial bottom fishery to use or possess otter trawl gear with meshes of less than 43 inches between knots, This regula- tion shall become effective for cod ends January 1, 1955, and for the remainder of the trawl net January 1, 1956,"' Under definitions of fish- ing gear for all areas, the Washington State regulations read: "Otter trawl shall be de- fined as a bag-shaped trawl net with floats along the upper edge of the mouth and with a lead line forming the lower edge thereof, and which uti- lizes iron-weighted otter frames or otter doors when operated, and with minimum mesh size of 43 inches in a food fishery or 13 inches in the shrimpfish- ery. Hog-ring type cod ends shall measure not more than 20 meshes in length or 100 meshes in circumference and shall be constructed of manila or hemp rope not more than 3/8's of an inch in diameter; meshes shall measure not less than 6 inches between rings or wires when wet. Double cod ends shall contain meshes not less than 5 inches between knots, and the double section shall measure not more than 30 meshes in length or more than 100 meshes in circumference; the double bags must be constructed of cotton web of not more than 120-thread construction, and tied to the rib lines so the knots and meshes coincide the full length of the double layer. Chafing gear shall cover not more than the last 120 meshes of the net and bag com- bined and not more than one-half of their circumference, and shall not be fastened to the net or bag at the trailing edge. Not more than eight rib lines may be used," A typical Pacific Coast otter trawler Wholesale Prices, February 1954 Wholesale prices for edible fishery products dropped from January to February because demand was reported generally light. Also, February prices were down slightly from a year earlier. The over-all edible fish and shellfish (fresh, frozen, and canned) wholesale index for February 1954 was 107.2 percent of the 1947-49 average (see table)--6.0 percent less than the January index and 0.7 percent below a year earlier. The greatest decline (11.3 percent) from January to February was in the drawn, dressed, or whole finfish subgroup index attributed principally to heavy offshore haddock landings at Boston and light demand. Also contributing to the drop in this subgroup were lower prices for Western halibut at New York (down 1.1 percent); all other February prices for items in this subgroup were higher than in January. Compared to a year earlier, prices for this subgroup were 3.8 percent higher, but among the individual items the trend was mixed. 32 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 The over-all February average index for the fresh processed fish and shellfish subgroup was down 8.8 percent from January, due to lower prices for all items. The largest decline was for shrimp (11.4 percent) be- cause the market for this product weakened to some ex- tent; haddock fillet prices were down 4.9 percent; shuck- ed oysters were down 7.2 per- cent. While for this subgroup prices this February were 6.2 percent less than a year earlier, there were some marked differences among the individual products; had- dock fillets prices were 23.8 eee icc : bn " percent higher, shrimpprices Loading a truck at Boston fish pier with barrels of iced haddock for the fresh- were 19.0 percent lower 2 and fish market, oysters sold2.6percenthigher,. In the frozen processed fish and shellfish subgroup, February prices were up only slightly (0.4 percent) from January. However, there were considerably greater Table 1 - Wholesale Average Prices and Indexes for Edible Fish and Shellfish, February 1954 and Comparisons Point of betee Avg. Prices1/ Indexes Pricing | Unit ($) zi 1947-49=100 5 ; b 5 Dec. | Feb. 1953 | 1953 Group, Subgroup, and Item Specification 109.4 | 108.0 Fire EG GRRE on Ua MAT GT NE Saw eT a : : Braet auckogs /131.3 | 120.8 | Haddock, Ige., offshore, drawn, fresh . .. . h 5 : Halibut, West., 20/80 lbs., drsd., fresh or froz. |New York 1b. oil 31 Salmon, king, lge. & med., drsd., fresh or froz. |New York lb. Ol 49 Whitefish, L. Superior, drawn, fresh. . . .. Chicago lb. 61 61 Whitefish, L. Erie pound or gill net,rnd.,fresh .|New York 1b. 74 .65 Lake trout, domestic, No. 1, drawn, fresh . . .| Chicago lb. .64 .61 Yellow pike, L. Michigan, rnd., fresh ..... New York lb. .60 50 Fillets, haddock, sml., skins on, 20-1b. tins . .| Boston lb, .39 41 136.1 | 107.2 Shrimp, lge. (26-30 count), headless, fresh OTfroZenits jeter uae ee fine elena New York lb. 64 -72 114.2 114.4 | 124.9 Oysters, shucked, standards ......... Norfolk gal. 4,88 5.25 126.8 | 117.5 Processed, Frozen (Fish & Shellfish): .......... Sis Le a Fillets: Flounder (yellowtail), skinless, 1-1b. DRGs 25 bar coe ere sere et eran lizs Boston lb. 40} 2/.42 Haddock, sml.,skins on, 1-1b, pkg.3/. |Boston lb, 34] 2/.33 Ocean perch, skins on, 1-1b. pkg. 3/ . {Gloucester | 1b. .29| 2/.28 Shrimp, lge.(26-30 count), 5-lb, pkg. . .. . |Chicago 1b. .68 12 Salmon, pink, No, 1 tall (16 oz.), 48 cans/cs. . Tuna, It, meat, chunk, No. 1/2 tuna (6-1/2 02z.), S3icans/.Cs!4/A-a i aa a sen enna ve 102.4|2/102.4 eee oi feet foie: _ieltiels te) Jel tewiel felne. 1/Represent average prices for one day (Monday or Tuesday) during the week in which the 15th of the month occurs. 2/Revised. '3/Specifications revised, Pricing in future will be on 1-1b, consumer fixed-weight packages instead of 10-1b, cello-pack since the former are increasing in importance on the market. 4/Specifications revised. Pricing in future will be on chunk style instead of solid-pack style since the former style pack is increasing in importance on the market, 5/Since California sardines have practically disappeared from the market, prices for that product have been eliminated from the index and the weight of that group will be moved by Maine sardines, NOTE: Although some slight changes in pricing specifications have been made, the indexes computed on the basis of the new commodity specifications are directly comparable to the indexes derived from the old commodity specifications, =. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 33 changes in the individual items; increases of 9,2 and 3.7 percent were noted for haddock and ocean perch fillets, respectively; and flounder fillets and shrimp de- creased 4,9 and 5.3 percent, respectively. Compared to a year earlier, consider- ably higher prices for frozen haddock fillets were almost offset by lower prices for frozen flounder and ocean perch fillets, and shrimp. There were no changes in the prices for the canned fishery products included in the index, although the market for canned fish was very good. But compared with a year earlier, tuna prices were up 11.9 percent, Maine sardine prices were 6.6 percent higher, while pink salmon prices were down 10.0 percent. CHANGES IN SPECIFICATIONS OF CERTAIN ITEMS INCLUDED IN WHOLE- SALE FISH INDEX: Beginning with January 1954, certain changes were made in certain items used in computing the wholesale indexes for edible fish and shellfish. Footnotes in table 1 explain the items for which specifications have been changed. A break has taken place in the absolute price series of those items which have undergone a change in specification. For those items for which the specifications have been changed (table 2) 1954 prices are not comparable with prices quoted for earlier periods since a break in the price series usually takes the form of a change in the reporting sample, a modification in the specifications, or a change in the unit of quotation. However, the price relatives or indexes for each individual commodity affected are adjusted so that they are continuous and comparable. The subgroup and group indexes are also continuous and comparable, Table 2 - Major Changes in Specifications of Fishery Products, January 1954 (Absolute price series are discontinuous, but price relatives or indexes are adjusted to form continuous series) Specification Chan Item Specification Processed, Frozen (Fish & Shellfish): Fillets: Flounder (yellowtail), skinless, 10-lb. pkg. Haddock, sml, skins on, 10-lb. cello-pack Ocean perch, skins on, 10-lb. cello-pack { e 1-lb. consumer package 1-lb. consumer package 1-lb, consumer package, Boston, Mass. Chunk style, 64-oz. can. Pricing for this item eliminated. Weight for- merly assigned to this code has been added to Maine sardines. Weight of this group will be mov- ed by Maine sardines. Canned Fishery Products: Tuna, lt. meat, solid pack, No. $ tuna(70z.), 48cans/cs. [ Sardines, Calif., tom. pack, No. 1 oval (15 oz.), 48 cans/cs. co 34 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 16, No. 4 International INTERNATIONAL NORTH PACIFIC FISHERIES COMMISSION FIRST MEETING AT WASHINGTON: The International North Pacific Fisheries Commission opened its first meeting in Washington on February 1, 1954, a State Department press release states. The Commission was established pursuant to a Convention between Canada, Japan, and the United States, signed in Tokyo on May 9, 1952. The Convention is the first international agreement made by Japan as a sov- ereign nation after the war. It is concerned with the conservation of the high seas fishery resources of the North Pacific Ocean. The Canadian Commissioners are Stewart Bates, Deputy Minister of Fisheries of Canada; John Murdoch Buchanan, President, British Columbia Packers, Ltd. ; James Cameron, Pender Harbour, B.C.; and Roger Thompson Hager, President, The Canadian Fishing Company, Ltd. The Canadian group is led by J. Watson MacNaught, the Parliamentary Assistant to Canada's Minister of Fisheries. The Japanese Commissioners are Ryuji Takeuchi, Minister Plenipotentiary, Charge d'Affaires ad interim of Japan, Washington, D.C.; Iwa Fujita, Vice Chair- man, Japan Fisheries Association, Chairman, Japan Whaling Association; and Kyuhei Suzuki, President, Japan Marine Products Company, Ltd. The United States Commissioners are Edward W. Allen, Attorney of Seattle, Washington; Milton E. Brooding, Director of Industry Relations, California Packing Corporation, San Francisco, California; and John L. Farley, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C. This first meeting was organizational in nature, and the Commissioners were concerned with the development of operational machinery to enable them to put into effect the provisions of the Convention, Early in the meeting the Commission elected the following officers who will serve for a term of one year: Chairman - Stewart Bates of Canada Vice Chairman -Iwa Fujita of Japan Secretary - Edward W, Allen of the United States These officers and the other Commissioners discussed such organizational mat- ters as the selection of an Executive Director and staff, selection of a headquarters site, rules of procedure, financial regulations, and budgets. The scientific purposes of the Convention are of prime importance and involve problems of great complexity. The scientific advisers to the Commission, among whom are some of the foremost experts in the field of fishery conservation in Canada, Japan, and the United States, have begun discussions of the research problems which may come before the Commission, The Commission on February 5 decidedtolocate its headquarters for the time being at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. The Commission accepted the offer of these temporary facilities from the University of British Colum- April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 35 bia. Similar offers from the Japanese Government, the Canadian Government's fishery research station at Nanaimo, B.C., and the University of Washington at Seattle were declined with the thanks of the Commission, a February 5 release from the State Department reports. The Commission's headquarters will be located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the area with which it is concerned, close to several Canadian and United States fishing ports of first importance. The headquarters will also be close to several major marine research institutions studying the fisheries of the North Pacific Ocean, These are the Canadian Government's research station at Nanaimo, B.C.; the In- ternational Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission at New Westminster, B.C.; the International Pacific Halibut Commission in Seattle; the Fisheries Research Insti- tute of the University of Washington in Seattle; and the Pacific Salmon Investigations of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Seattle. After the Commission discussed and completed its organizational structure, it turned its attention to the consideration of the broad aspects of its responsibilities in the field of research. Rules of procedure were adopted and two important stand- ing committees established. A Standing Committee on Finance and Administration, consisting of one Commissioner and one Adviser each from Canada, Japan, and the United States, were set up to advise the Commission on financial and administrative matters. A Standing Committee on Biology and Research, consisting of one Com- missioner and two scientists each from Canada, Japan, and the United States, was also established to advise the Commission on the research problems laid before it in the provisions of the International Convention for the High Seas Fisheries of the North Pacific Ocean. The scientific advisers to the several commissioners met continually during the week, discussing the fishery research problems of the North Pacific Ocean, the re- search programs which each of the three countries now has in being, and research methods and facilities which might assist the Commission in its work, INTERNATIONAL PACIFIC HALIBUT COMMISSION PACIFIC COAST HALIBUT FISHERY REGULATIONS FOR 1954 PROPOSED: The general fishing regulations adopted for the 1954 season by the Interna- tional Pacific Halibut Commission at its annual meeting in January at Seattle, Wash. The regulations are not effective until promulgated by the Canadian and United States Gov- ernments. In 1953 the season open- ed on May 17, in 1952 on May 14, and in 1951 and 1950 on May 1. Halibut The Commission after a review of the significant evidence submitted by its staff, considers it possible to take a further step toward attaining ''maximum sustained yield,"' It proposes increasing the catch limits in certain of the fishing areas in the North Pacific, and adjusting the fishing seasons to permit certain of the stocks of halibut to be fished later in the season than has been the case for the past several years. In the main season in Area 2, the Commission is recommending to the two Governments an increase of one million pounds over the 1953 season, In addition, extending the fishing season to later in the summer will permit a further increase in the total 1954 catch. Accordingly, the general fishing regulations for the 1954 season adopted by the Commission for recommendation to the Canadian and United States Governments are as follows: 36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 1. Changes in boundaries of the fishing areas to be: Former Areas 2A, 2B, and 2C are to be incorporated as one area, i,e., Area 2. The existing Area 4 (the Bering Sea) © is to be incorporated into Area 3B. The northern boundary of Area 1A will be Hecate Head instead of Cape Blanco. 2. Catch limits for the 1954 season to be: Area 2--26,500,000 pounds (1953 catch limit was 25,500,000 pounds); Area 3--28,000,000 pounds (same as in 1953); no catch limits to be established for Areas 1A, 1B, and 3B. 3. The opening date for halibut fishing in all areas established by the Commission to be May 16. 4, Area 1B will close when the catch limit for Area 2 (26,500,000 pounds) will have been reached, Area 3B will close when the catch limit of Area 3A (28,000,000 pounds) willhave been reached. 5, In addition to the above open seasons, based on the attainment of the catch limits for Areas 2 and 3A, further fishing seasons will be allowed as follows: Area 2 to be reopened on August 1 for a period of 8 days. Area 3A and 3B to reopen on August 1 for a period of 10 days. Area 3B to again be reopened on August 15 for a period of 25 days. Area 1 to open on May 16 and remain open until the final closure date of Area 3B, i.e., September 9. 6. Notices of closure during the first open fishing season to be 10 days for Area 2 and 18 days for Area 3A. The new Halibut Convention between Canada and the United States specifically obligates the Commission to endeavor to establish ''maximum sustained yield.'' In addition, the new North Pacific Fisheries Convention between Japan, Canada, and the United States covering the fishing of the north Pacific Ocean throws new serious responsibilities on the International Pacific Halibut Commission. q It is understood that Canada, in recognition of the importance of the situationand the economic soundness of the halibut fishery program, is prepared to grant the nec- essary increase in appropriation in order to carry out this essential work. During the meeting the Commission dealt with organizational and administrative matters, reviewed the results of last year's investigations and regulations, and ap- proved an investigational program for 1954, It also held conferences with represent- atives of the halibut industry to exchange information and to discuss matters related to regulations. WORLD MARINE-OIL PRODUCTION, 1953 The world output of marine oils in 1953, estimated at 890,000 tons, was roughly 10 percent smaller than in 1952 (see table), The estimated production, the smallest since 1950, was 16 percent below the prewar level although half again as large as the 1945-49 volume, according to the January 25 Foreign Crops and Markets of the De- partment of Agriculture, -Oil Production, 1953 (Estimated) with Comparisons 19sal) | 19522) 19512/ |19502/ 54. u eee ae Seen a OOOKShortitons World Marine Commodity Whale oil ....ceccceeceeen Sperm-whale oil ......¢e. Fish (including liver) oil .. Total e@eeeeeceaeee2e0208208 @ 1/Preliminary, _2/Revised. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 37 Whale-oil production in 1953 was down from 1952 mainly because of the reduced whale catch during the Antarctic pelagic (open sea) season. The reduced outturn of sperm oil reflects the low prices for oil in relation to production costs that tended to discourage sperm whaling. Fish-oil production in 1953 was downprimarily because indicated production in Norway, the world's major producing country, was reduced. However, in the United States the output was greater than in 1952, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION INDO-PACIFIC FISHERIES COUNCIL MEETS IN BANGKOK: The role of plankton in fishery development was one of a number of topics discussed at the Fifth Meet- ing of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries in Bangkok, Thailand, January 22-February 5, 1954. Others included fish cul- ture, various problems related to marine fisheries, the seaweed industry, and the need to set up a regional cen- ter for training master fishermen. Hormones Suggested as Stimulant for Spawning in Indo-Pacific Ponds: Sex hormones may be used to stim- ulate spawning of carp. Certain species of carp fromIndia and China refuse to spawn in confined waters, and sex hormones may be used to stimulate spawning, the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council was told at this meeting. A Food and Agriculture Organization program is to breed more fish in order to increase the supply of protein-rich food for hungry thousands in Asia. In Brazil, it was reported, fisheries experts have achieved some success in us- ing sex hormones on another species of fish. Delegates from Japan and India | re- ported similar experiments in their countries, but said it was still too early "todraw any conclusions from the results,' The Fisheries Council also discussed another suggestion for making the best use of fish ponds, Some fish feed on the surface, others on the bottom; some on vegeta- tion and others on animal matter. An FAO expert has proposed that various species of fish with these different characteristics should be put in the same pond--so long as they lived peacefully together. In this way the resources of the pond would be used to the fullest extent. The Amazing Tilapia: A popular fish in Southeast Asia is the amazing tilapia. Under good conditions one pair of matured tilapia may produce as many as 10,000 fish in one year. Moreover, it takes only about four months for the young fingerlings to grow to a good size for the table. Tilapia originally came from the tropical waters of South Africa, states a pamphlet by an FAO expert. About 20 years ago, a few tilapia were introduced into Indonesia where they grew so fast and reproduced so quickly that the Indonesian Government has paid great attention to their culture, Since World War II, this fish has provided thousands of tons of good-quality protein food every year. About three years ago, the Royal Thai Fisheries Department imported a few tilapia from Penang, and two years ago, another 200 were imported from Singapore. Again, tilapia boomed. Now, the FAO expert has helped the Government of Thailand build 16 new fish ponds and remodel 10 others in experiments with the fast-breeding tilapia and in the distribution of fingerlings to farmers for stocking rice paddies, ponds, and swamps. 38 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 The FAO expert says that tilapia live well in many kinds of water, require no particular feed, and that their meat is "firm and delicious with few bones, and ex- cellent for fresh consumption," Another interesting fish experiment reported by the FAO recently from the Southeast Asia region was in Indonesia. There, it was thought that ponds could be freed of malarial parasites by combining two species of fish, and that production would be increased by 4.4 million pounds a year. Training School Proposed for Fishermen; At the Bangkok Indo-Pacific Fisher- ies Council meeting, it was suggested that the Council set up a regional training school for master fishermen, as a step towards increased mechanization of the fish- ing industry. Shrimp in the Far East; Shrimp boats and shrimp also entered the Council's discussions, It appears that shrimp prefer to live over muddy bottoms and that in the Far East almost all "shrimping" is carried out inshore. The result is that the shrimp boats are obstructed by the mud, It was suggested that devices developed in Australia and the United States to deal with this problem might help out in the Far East. The Meeting was opened by Field-Marshall Phin Chunahavan, Minister of Agri- culture and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. The meeting was attended by 13 delegates, 9 alternates, 16 advisers, and 5 ob- servers (one of whom was acting in a dual capacity)--a total of 43. The countries represented were: Australia, Burma, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Pakistan, Thailand, United Kingdom (for Federation of Ma- laya, Singapore, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Hong Kong), United States, and Vietnam. At the Fifth Meeting, Technical Committee I (Hydrology and Biology) consisted of three panels: Panel "A" - Inland Fisheries; Panel 'B" - Sea Fisheries; and Panel "Cc" - General Biology, Hydrology and Miscellaneous Fisheries. Technical Com- mittee II (Technology) was divided into three panels also: Panel "A" - Craft and Gear; Panel 'B" - Food Technology; and Panel "C" - Socio-Economics, Marketing and Statistics. Some of the resolutions of general interest adopted by the Council were: RESOLUTION NO, 2: In view of the fact that great changes have occurred in faunal distributions throughout the world's seas, as evidenced espe- cially by changes in the abundance of sardine-like fishes in many areas, including the Mediterranean, the Pacific andIndian Oceans, as well as changes in the distribution of the cod-like and tuna-like fishes, and others, in the Atlantic and elsewhere; and since the causal factors associated with these faunal changes with the changes in hydrological and meteorological conditions is little understood at present, The Council Resolves: (1) That Member Governments be invited to give consideration to these matters as being of major significance in relation to world fisheries produc- tion, (2) That Member Governments be requested to ex- plore means by which evidence of such faunal changes and phenomena related thereto might be fully documented. (3) That the Fisheries Division of FAO be request- ed to explore the possibilities of obtaining similar information from Governments and organizations outside the immediate zones of interest of the Indo- Pacific Fisheries Council. RESOLUTION NO. 3: In view of the intensity of national programmes for the development of both primary and secondary industries, and as the un- wise discharge of waste products into rivers, es- tuaries and bays appears frequently to have result- ed in serious damage to commercial fish stocks by pollution of the water or by other deleterious changes in the aquatic environment. The Council Resolves: That the attention of Member Governments be drawn to the information on this subject already assembled by the Council; That Member Governments be requested to ex- plore ways and means for the further study of ac- tual extent of damage which may be caused to fish populations by industrial or other pollution and suitable remedial action, and further, That the advice of competent workers as to methods for avoiding or overcoming such damage should be given consideration when plans for urban, rural and industrial development are under review. April 1954 Further, the Council is aware that certain rec- ommendations on this subject were made by the FAO Regional Meeting on Land Utilization in Trop- ical Areas of Asia and the Far East and the Is- lands of the Pacific convened by the Food and Ag- riculture Organization of the United Nations in Ceylon, 1951, and suggests that Member Govern- ments may consider it desirable to bring the views of the Council to the attention of national Land U- tilization Committees where these exist. RESOLUTION NO. 4: The Council feels greatly concerned about the possible adverse effects on the inland fisheries of the Indo-Pacific Area of water development projects and endorses the ac- tive policy pursued by the Executive Committee in cooperating with the Flood Control Bureau of ECAFE of the United Nations in the matter of fish- eries requirements in connection with multi-pur- pose river basin development. In view of the fact that insufficient information regarding the biology of riverine fisheries of the Indo-Pacific Region is available and that some of the fisheries measures such as fish ladders which are in use in Western countries have often been found to be unsuitable to the rivers of this area, The Council Resolves: That the attention of Member Governments be drawn to the urgent need for conserving and ex- ploiting the fishery resources associated with riv- er basin projects by rectifying the adverse effects on the resources caused by dams and other ob- COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 39 structions through preventive, remedial, andre- storatory measures and developing fish production in the reservoirs and ancillary waters, To achieve this the fishery requirements relat- ing to each dam should be determined by careful survey and experimentation by senior fishery bi- ologists and engineers, without the indiscriminate adopting of conventional fish ladders and other measures, the suitability of which to Asiatic con- ditions is questionable, and the findings arising from the investigations should be implemented. RESOLUTION NO, 7: As mechanized gear is being introduced into many countries of the Indo- Pacific area and the absence of suitably trained personnel for operating this gear is proving aseri- ous handicap to fishery projects requiring the use of powered vessels, the Council is of the opinion that there is an urgent need for the provision of suitable facilities within the area to provide the necessary trained personnel, Therefore the Council Resolves: That the Food and Agriculture Organization be requested to take urgent steps for the establish- ment within the Indo-Pacific area of center (s) for training in mechanized fishing on a sub-regional basis, when possible taking advantage of the facil- ities existing in certain countries and when neces- sary seeking close cooperation with other interna- tional or intergovernmental agencies, The Sixth Meeting of the Council is scheduled for October 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. It was resolved that only one symposium be held in connection with the Sixth Meet- ing and that the subject be on the various aspects of the shrimp fisheries, including trawling in deep and shallow waters, life history, and shrimp-paste manufacture. It was also suggested that, wherever possible, models of gear and samples of prod- ucts be exhibited by authors. ICELAND-POLAND TRADE AGREEMENT INCLUDES FISHERY PRODUCTS A trade agreement between Iceland and Poland, involving fishery products, was signed in Reykjavik on January 27, extending the 1949 payments agreement to cover calendar year 1954. The commodity list for 1954 is considerably expanded and diversified as com- pared to 1953. Icelandic exports of salted and frozen herring valued at £225,000 (US$630,000) in 1953 were considered equivalent to 2,360 metric tons of frozen her- ring and 1,500 metric tons of salted herring. These quantities were increased for 1954 to 3,000 metric tons of frozen herring and 1, 000 metric tons of salted herring, The quantity of Icelandic fish meal exports remain the same--2,000 metric tons. Three new fishery products items were included in the list of Iceland's exports: (1) medicinal cod liver oil--1,300 metric tons; (2) industrial oil (fish oil)--500 met- ric tons; and (3) frozen fish fillets--no quantity specified. Poland's list of commodities for export to Iceland does not include any fishery products, the U. S. Legation at Reykjavik reported on February 3. 40 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 Australia CONSUMPTION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS: The total Australian fish catch dur- ing 1952/53, (July-June) was 73.0 million pounds landed weight, about 14.1 percent or 9.0 million pounds more than in 1951/52. Imports of fish and shellfish amounted to 9.7 million pounds as compared with 16.8 million pounds the previous year; and exports were negligible as usual. Canning production was between 3 and 4 percent larger. No information is available on frozen fish inventories, but frozen fish are expensive to store and it is believed that changes in these stocks are of minor im- portance. It seems probable that per-capita supplies of fresh fish were about the same in 1952/53 as in 1951/52, and that the present more liberal import policy will result in larger imports and slightly larger per-capita supplies during 1953/54 (see table), Australia's Available Supplies of Fishery Products (Edible Weight), 1951/52-1953/54 1953/541/ | 1952/532/ | 1951/52 Pounds per capita). ... IDSA IGN so q4oobAD msievenecenelclstencueroueterensKonenens Shrelilifilslire cy avesevaetemetatn ce helovetere Taker epabeteitevetvevencicrsxever Cured fish (smoked and salted) ............ Canned fish and shellfish: IDNA Sooodousoccauocuodoso0cg0cUUDDG IaaOOHHES! Go oaocococ boon OKC DOD OMOOOONDOS e208 ee 6 0 oe 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ee 8 8 8 8 8 8 oo 2/Estimated, 1/Forecast, Production of crustacea (crayfish, shrimp, and crabs) was 8.6 percent larger in 1952/53 than a year earlier and aggregated 19.9 mil- lion pounds. Oyster production was 19 per- cent larger. Imports were negligible, but ex- ports increased by 24 percent and totaled 4.2 million pounds. Per-capita supplies were probably about 2 percent larger. Little change is expected during the 1953/54 season. Imports of canned fish and fish pastes were about 73 percent smaller during 1952/53 than the previous year, due primarily to im- port controls. Stocks were undoubtedly drawn down, but it appeared probable that per- capita consumption of imported canned fish fell by almost 50 percent during the year. Imports in 1953/54 are about a third greater than a year earlier at the moment, and some recovery in consumption was expected during the current year. Production of canned fish in Australia was 3.4 percent greater during 1952/53, while exports were 3 percent less, Per-capita con- sumption probably increased by 3 or 4 per- cent. Cannery operations in 1953/54 are at a lower level than a year ago, and no increase in per-capita supplies of domestically-canned fish is expected. Australian trawler, Imports of smoked fish, which are about 15 times greater than domestic pro- duction, were 1 percent less in 1952/53 than a year earlier, while production in- creased by almost 50 percent. Exports were of little importance. Per-capita sup- April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 41 plies of smoked fish were apparently slightly lower, but would still be about 1.0 pound. Imports were lighter during the first of the 1953/54 year, anda drop to 0.9 pound per person during 1953/54 seems probable, according to the American Embassy at Sydney. Canada HIGH TARIFFS HINDER PURCHASE OF FOREIGN VESSELS: Dutch shipyard owners have been trying to interest Canadian firms in new fishing vessels, but the 25-percent Canadian customs duty on foreign vessels makes the price situation dif - ficult, a bulletin from the Fisheries Council of-Canada states. Canadian shipyards have maintained pressure for such protection. When the St. Lawrence seaway opens up, it is likely that they will seek even greater concessions to counter competition from the vessels of other nations which will then have access to additional Canadian ports. It is believed that such additional protection to Canadian shipyards, if grant- ed, would bear heavily on the Canadian fishing industry. The Fisheries Council of Canada points out that in order for the Canadian fish- ing industry to remain competitive with other nations, it is becoming more impor- tant that they have an equal opportunity of purchasing the vessels they need wherever they can be obtained at a reasonable cost. This is particularly true in the case of the larger vessels. ''Costs of construction in Canada in many areas have reached the point where the return on investment does not justify the expense. Customs duties on foreign-built vessels practically limits construction to the United Kingdom. "Given an opportunity, the shipyards of other countries could do some business in Canada. This would help to provide such countries with Canadian dollars, many of which would be spent to increasing Canadian exports, '' states the Council. However, prior to 1953 imports of new trawlers from countries other than the United Kingdom were banned entirely. A four-year ban on imports of new trawlers from countries other than the United Kingdom was lifted by the Canadian Govern- ment early in 1953. At that time the Minister of Fisheries also announced that Can- ada's used trawler policy was also being revised to allow all members of the Gen- eral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to participate in concessions previously grant - ed to Great Britain and the United States. The most important aspects of the measures, officials said at the time, affected purchases of new trawlers. Fishing licenses, previously only granted on new trawl- ers built in Canada or Great Britain, are now granted on new trawlers built in any GATT country. Commonwealth-built and registered trawlers enter Canada duty free. Thechange in licensing policy does not affect the advantage enjoyed by those purchasing Com- monwealth-built and registered trawlers, according to the Minister of Fisheries. When imported, these ships are entitled to duty-free entry. However, there isstill a tariff duty of 25 percent ad valorem on a trawler imported from a most-favored- nation country. The policy announced early in 1953 provides that: (a) New trawlers may be imported from the United Kingdom or any most- favored-nation country. (b) For each keel laid in Canada, a used trawler may be imported from the United Kingdom or any most-favored-nation country. (c) Where only one trawler is required by the applicant, a used trawler may be importedfrom the United Kingdom or any most-favored-nation country. 42 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol, 16, No. 4 Colombia FOREIGN-VESSEL FISHING LEGISLATION DELAYED: Pending fishing legis- lation before the Colombian Government, which would permit fishing in Colombian waters by foreign vessels for domestic consumption or exporting the catch by ob- taining a Colombian export license, is being delayed due to opposition by smalllocal fishing companies, This delay has impeded efforts of a Colombian fish-canning firm to obtain the services of a purse seiner from a company in the United States, reports a January 14 U. S. consular dispatch from Barranquilla, Ecuador CONTRACT PROPOSED BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND FIRM OWNED BY U.S. . CITIZEN; On December 13, 1953, the Quito newspaper Combate published the text of a proposed contract be- tween the Government of Ecuador and a company formed in July un- der the managership of a United States citizen. This firm has been operating under a provisional per- mit since that time, purchasing fish from local fishermen at the port of Manta. The proposed con- tract is understood to have been approved by the Minister of Econ- omy already and it is therefore ex- pected that it will be promulgated in the Official Register in the near future, reports a December 17 U. S. Embassy dispatch from Quito. Under the proposed contract the firm will be granted fishing rights in Ecuadoran territorial waters, both continental and insular, for "all maritime species.'’ The com- pany may use ''freezerships, fish- ing boats, and any other type of ship and fishing equipment, " including foreign flag boats. Foreign flag boats may be used, however, for A woman dressing ‘sierra’’ on the beach, Gills and viscera are re- only the first two years of the con- moved and deep cuts along the fish from the collar bone to the tailare tract and must thereafter be trans- made for wet salting. Viscera and gills are left on the beach for the ferred to Ecuadoran registry. It birds, goats, dogs, or pigs. F might be noted that the contract as now drafted would appear to permit the use of purse-seining equipment, even though the company evidently plans to use bait boats since the article dealing with the exon- eration of equipment from import duties specifies 500 fishing rods among other items. atin The company plans to install a freezing plant on shore after the first year of op- eration of the contract and also to install a plant for the processing and canning of fishery products by the end of the fourth year of operation. The company is liable to a fine of 200,000 sucres (U.S. $13,000) if it fails to live up to the contract, andthe contract obliges the company to invest a minimum of 500,000 sucres (U.S. $33,000) annually during the first two years of the contract. The contract will run for 10years. The company has voluntarily bound itself to pay to the Ecuadoran Government one per- April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 43 cent of its net profits during the first five years following ''the period in which it obtains commercial production" and to pay to the State two percent of such net prof- its in the following years. % OK OK Ok FISHERY INSTITUTE FORMED: A National Fishery Institute (Instituto Nacional de Pesca) is being formed in Ecuador for the purpose of studying, protecting, and stimulating the Ecuadoran fishery industry, a January 20 U. S. Embassy dispatch from Quito reports, The membership will apparently be composed of representa- tives of the Sociedad Nacional de Galapagos of the American-owned Industria Ecua- toriana Productora de Alimentos (INEPACA) and a fishermen's union. The organ- ization's activities will be financed by members! dues and by any other income which may be obtained, 2 France 23.3 pounds as compared with 22.9 pounds in 1951/52 and the prewar period. The sea fisheries of France in 1952/53 (July-June) produced a total of 315,203 metric tons of salt-water finfish (excludes a production of about 50,000 tons of salt cod) and 13,862 tons of shellfish, according to a December 16 dispatch from the U. S. Embassy at Paris. In the previous year (1951/52), production totaled 306,168 met- ric tons of salt-water finfish and 10,168 tons of shellfish. Imports of salt-water fish and shellfish into France (including the Saar) during 1952/53 totaled 58,136 metric tons, while exports amounted to 30,746 tons, Im- ported marine fats and oil for the same period amounted to 17,965 metric tons and exports totaled 1,269 tons, Paris and its environs constitute the major concentration of population and food consumption in France. Complete statistics on receipts of fishery products at Paris are not available. An idea of the amount can be obtained at the Paris central market of Les Halles where arrivals of 88,622 metric tons of fishery products were reported for 1952/53, somewhat more than the 85,974 tons which were reported in 1951/52 (direct receipts by wholesalers and retailers not located in Les Halles are not in- cluded), Grae German Federal Republic FIRM SEEKS TO LAND FISH CATCHES AT UNITED STATES PORTS: The Con- sulate General in Bremen, West Germany, recently received a request from a Brem- erhaven fishing firm seeking assistance in exploring the possibility of landing fish caught on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland at United States ports. The firm is aware of United States restrictions on landings by foreign vessels, but it inquires if the possibility exists of using a U. S. firm to charter its vessels and thereby landing as U. S. flag vessels, The firm operates a fleet of 51 modern trawlers from the ports of Bremer- haven and Cuxhaven, The largest of these trawlers fish for groundfish and halibut on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland between January and April. They havea 44 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 capacity of about 600,000 pounds each, It is the catch from this fishery that the firm seeks to land directly at United States ports. A 590-ton German steam trawler (capacity, 275 metric tons). According to the firm's president, it is 51 percent owned by a British-United States firm, The firm claims to be the largest fishing enterprise in Western Ger- many, with its own fishing fleet, fish-processing and reduction plants, and a chain of 228 retail fish shops throughout Germany. * OK KK compared to the 265-27 pounds in 1951 and during the late 1930's, reports the Fish Trades Gazette, a British fishery magazine, The highest consumption was during 1948 and 1949, when the average was 33 pounds per person each year. The general improvement in the food situation since World War II explains the drop in fish con- sumption over the recent four years. Meat, meat products, and other staple foods have become more plentiful and cheaper. The consumption of salt-water fish is a comparatively recent innovation inlarge parts of Germany. At the beginning of the century it was consumed only in coastal areas but spread to other parts through the years, Although the present level of consumption is expected to remain steady in the immediate future, fishing interests are hoping to increase their turnover with larger deliveries to the Russian Zone of Germany. Up to now East Germany has not encouraged these "imports." Sales to East Germany in 1952 amounted to only 12,000 metric tons, a 33-percent decline from 1951. Postwar German recovery is reflected also in the growing catches made possi- ble by the gradual rebuilding of the fishing fleet. In 1946, only 265,000 metric tons of fish were landed by German vessels; in 1948 it was nearly half as much again; while by 1950 a total of 525,000 tons had been reached. The catches for 1951 and 1952--654,000 and 638,000 tons, respectively--are only a little below the prewar to- tal of 687,000 tons, Total supplies, including imported fish and landings by foreign vessels, in 1952 amounted to 747,000 metric tons and sold ex-vessel for over US$44.8 million. Fish-meal manufacturers have been buying about one-sixth of the total landings. German fish exports amounted to 22,000 metric tons in 1952, compared with 10,000 in 1951. This is a substantial increase from 1948 when there were practically no exports. Fish imports in 1952 totaled 96,000 metric tons, 13 percent of the total landings. This is a sharp drop from the 1951 imports, and well below the 287,000 tons imported in 1948, Note: See Commercial Fisheries Review, September 1953, p. 24. % OK ok ok Ok April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 45 WHALING FLEET WON'T PARTICIPATE IN 1953/54 SEASON: The German whaling expedition, which had earlier planned to sail with the 1953/54 Antarctic fleet, could not be overhauled and equipped in time to participate, a U. S. consular dispatch of December 17 from Hamburg states. The de- lay has been caused by itsinability until recent- ly to dispose of its excess whale oil stocks which had accumulated from the last two years! catches. The bulk of this, however, was finally sold at a price between L72 and £73 (US$202- 205) per metric ton, for the manufacture of mar- garine, The German whaling fleet consists of a factoryship, the 13,019 ton Olympic Challenger (the former U.S, tanker Herman F, Whiton) and 16 catcher boats Che cluding about 10 converted British corvettes) all manned by German seamen with Norwegian-born gunners. The Olympic Challenger and the 16 whalers are at pres- ent laid up for repairs and overhauling, This fleet operates under the Panamanian flag. Greenland REVISED TRADE REGULATIONS AFFECT FISHERIES: Regulations governing 292 of November 11, 1953, issued by the Greenland Department of the Danish Prime Minister's Office. The new decree results from improved supervision and administrative methods in the development of Greenland in recent years, aU. S. Embassy dispatch from Copenhagen reports. The more important amendments relating th fisheries are as follows: (a) Prohibits trawling in Greenland territorial waters, except for the catching of shrimp, herring, and "angmagssat" 4+ (b) The extension of the licensing requirement to other than resident Danish nationals shall in the future also apply to the land territory with respect to trapping and hunting, and to reloading fish, and storage thereof in Green- land territorial waters and land territory respectively, This extension of the licensing requirements does not curtail the rights already accorded to Danish, Icelandic, and other foreign vessels with respect to navigation in East Greenland waters, by virtue of Royal Announcement of July 5, 1924. (c) Imposes a fee on fish catches licensed under (b) for reloading and storage, which fee shall be due the Greenland Price Regulation and Trade Conditions Adjustment Fund, if the fish are not sold through the central Greenland sales organization (at the present time The Royal Greenland Commerce), 1/A local dwarf herring used as bait for line fishing. Hong Kong FISHERIES REVIEW, 1952: Total landings of fresh and salted fishery products in Hong Kong during 1952 amounted to 34,448 metric tons, valued at HK$38,517,862 (US$6,7 41,000) to the wholesaler, an April 14 U. S. consular dispatch from Hong Kong states (see table), This is an increase of 14 percent in quantity when compared 46 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 with 1951, but 2 percent less in value. However, it was considered a successful year for the local fishing community as the industry supplied the Colony with suffi- cient fish, Hong Kong Landings of Fishery Products and Value to the Wholesaler, 1950-52 Shea Fresh Fish Salt Dried Fish Quantit Wholesale Value Wholesale Value Metric Metric Tons HK$ US$ Tons HK$ US$ 1952 | 26,381 30,980,434 | 5,422,000 8,067 | 7,537,428 | 1,319,000 1951 | 22,138 30,424,549 | 5,325,000 8,017 | 8,687,688 | 1,520,000 1950 16,425 4 3,875,000 16,304 13,873,411 2,202,000 1/Product weight. There was a similar price drop for both fresh and salt-dried fish. While fresh fish landings continued to rise in 1952, the salted fish catch remained constant. As Kwong Hoi trawler from west coast of Kwangtung. Shrimp trawler. exports to Kwangtung continue to be restricted, salt fish was used for local con- sumption. The increasing mechanization of the fishing fleet has also reduced the necessity for salting fish on the homeward voyage of the fishing junk. A new mech- anized drying process has also been worked out which is a marked improvement on the present method of drying the fish along the wayside exposed to the sun. A Fish drying vessel. Tubs on top are for steaming nets. Small traps used for keeping small fish. Toward the end of the year the Government permitted a Japanese company to send trawlers into Hong Kong and land fish up to 3,000 piculs (400,000 pounds) a month. There has also been considerable production of fresh-water fish from local ponds and the Fisheries Division exported HK$85,000 (US$14,900) worth of fish fry to Malaya, Thailand, and Formosa during 1952. The local oyster beds yielded about 95 metric tons of dried oysters and 24 metric tons of oyster sauce which is intended primarily for the American market. A Fisheries Research Unit was set up in Sep- tember at Hong Kong University. This Unit, which has a 60-foot vessel at its dis- April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 47 posal, is expected to improve the catches made in surrounding waters and contrib- ute in general to fisheries research in the Pacific area. Fish produced in the Colony are sold through the facilities of the Fish Market- ing Organization. The fish are brought by junk to the four wholesale markets oper- ated by the Organization, which also provides low-interest credit facilities to the fishermen to enable them to finance the maintenance and mechanization of their junks. One credit society has been started among the Taipo purse-seine fishermen. Note: Values converted on the basis of HK$5.71 = US$1 for 1952 and 1951; and HK$6.30 = US$1 for 1950. ae Italy INTERNATIONAL MARITIME EXHIBITION: An International Maritime Exhibi- tion will be held in Naples, Italy, from May 15 to October 15, 1954, under the spon- sorship of the Italian Ministry of Merchant Marine. The exhibition is designed to show the development of fishing as well as shipping, and the possibilities of further progress in each industry. Of the eight sections into which the exhibition is organ- ized, two deal with navigation, and one each with port organization, shipbuilding, the human factor in shipping, sea sports, fishing, and miscellaneous matters. The Fishing Section will involve the following: 1, Ocean fishing 5. Biological Institutes and Oceano- 2. Fishing in the Mediterranean, Red, graphic researches and Baltic Seas 6, Construction of fishing vessels 3. Coastwise fishing 7, Engineering on fishing vessels 4, Special fishing: 8, Fishing equipment (a) Whale catching OF Cores Pres industries and fish (b) Tuna fishing BE alshers (c) Oyster breeding iG Canning and salting industries (d) Coral fishing Fish markets 12, Fishery byproducts Full information on participation inthe International Maritime Exhibition may be obtained by directing an inquiry toDr. E. Ortona, ItalianEmbassy, Washington, D.C. 2 Japan CANNED TUNA IN BRINE PRICES INCREASED: The Tokyo Canned Tuna Sales There are indications that the f.0.b. Japan price of frozen tuna may shortly be increased by $10.00 per ton, OR OK OK FISH MEAL DEODORIZED: A process for removing fishy odor from fish meal has been patented in Japan, Chemical Abstracts (March 25, 1953) reports, Saturated alcoholic iodine solution (4.2 ml.) is mixed with 10 g. glacial acetic acid, the solution diluted to 300 ml. with water and added to 1 kg. (2.2 1b.) of fish meal. After leaving overnight in a sealed container, the meal is dried to obtain a product free from fish odor. OK Ok OK 48 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 REVIEW OF THE INLAND SEA FISHERIES: The Inland Sea region represents one of the most intensely fished areas of Japan, a May 25 U. S. Embassy dispatch from Tokyo states. This region, bound by 3 of the 4 main islands of Japan, has long been noted as a historic site of innumerable fishermen operating small-scale fisheries, Situated among the is- lands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and the lower end of Honshu, it is dotted by many small islands and connect- ed to the Pacific Ocean by twochan- nels, The area is noted as asource of prime fishery products for the nearby large consuming areas of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya, and other small communities of this highly industrial section, Its fish- eries are composed of migratory species from the offshore waters, and of less migratory species con- fined chiefly to the Inland Sea re- gion itself. It is a relatively im- portant area for shellfish, espe- Small fishing village (Mera) near the mouth of Tokyo Bay. Typical cially oysters and clams. The com- small handpowered fishing craft used by Japanese fishermen in the plex system of fishing rights and coastal fisheries are shown on the beach, privileges, many dating back tothe feudal era, the legal jurisdiction of 11 prefectures facing this Inland Sea, and the interprefectural conflicts and dis- putes over fishing present a difficult problem in the administration of Japan's in- shore and coastal fisheries, The administration, economy, and conservation of the Inland Sea region, although unique in some respects, reflect a few of the general conditions in many Japanese coastal fishing villages. The Inland Sea region fisher- ies comprise: (a) 198,000 fishermen (b) 400,000,000 pounds annual catch (c) 3,196 fishing rights (d) 27 Sea-Area Adjustment Commissions (e) 700 fisheries coopera- tives, with a member- ship of 110,000 and assets of ¥521,469,991 (US$1,450,000) (f) 18 fisheries federations iter : = with assets of : ¥325,769,643 (US$905, 000) Drying fish (Mackerel-scad) on bamboo racks--small fishing village This report is based on afield (Mera) near the mouth of Tokyo Bay. trip from March 23 to 27, 1953, for the purpose of spot checking fishing conditions in the region. Visits were made to several fishing villages, and inter- views held with fishermen, fisheries cooperative officials, and officers of the pre- fectural Government fisheries. Detailed information was obtained on three repre- sentative fishing communities: Jigozen and Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture (Hon- shu), and Yoshiwa, Kagewa Prefecture (Shikoku), April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 49 Fishermen in the small communities of the Inland Sea region are concerned over the continued decreasing catch of fish, especially the average catch per fisherman, additional competition from returning repatriates, and uncertain local and national government aids. A general opinion apparently prevails that nothing much can or will be done about depletion of some of the fish stocks from over- fishing. The problem is recog- nized, often vaguely, as one which involves not only practical conser- vation measures but equally com- plex questions of economics and sociology. A steady decline inthe catch obviously affects the fisher- man, his family, and the commun- ity of which he is a part. The biggest problem is over- fishing. According to the fisher- men, the answer is propagation of shellfish and seaweeds. These non-migratory fisheries resources can be stacked out, planted, cultivated, har- vested, and managed much like farmland. Administration can be much more effec- tive. Conservation measures and regulations for increasing the stocks of some fish are difficult to apply in a complex area such as the Inland Sea. The concentration on propagation of shellfish and other forms of aquatic life which can be adapted to the "farm method" appears to be a sensible approach to at least a part of the fish- ermen's problem, Typical small Japanese fishing boat used for set-net fishing in coastal waters. With regard to the rehabilitation of "repatriates,'' progressive steps are being taken in some areas, especially in Kagawa Prefecture. As more repatriates return, and resume or engage in fishing for the first time, the problem of "too many fisher- men and too little fish'' is intensified. The policy actively being enacted inKagawa Prefecture gives material support in the resettlement of repatriates in fishing areas less crowded than the Inland Sea. General conclusions based on the observations made during the Inland Sea trip follow: 1, Fishermen and their families constitute a sig- nificant part of the population of many of the com- munities in the Inland Sea (10 to 45 percent). The fisherman-family averages five individuals, with an average of two fisherment/ per family. Gross annual income per fisherman-family (based entire- ly on proceeds from fishing) ranges from ¥155,000 to ¥260,000 (US$430-720); gross annual income per fisherman is from ¥77, 500 to ¥130,000(US$215-360), 2. Outgo of gross income is principally for living expenses (50 to 55 percent), with food (rice) the leading item (30 percent). The remainder of the income is divided between cost of fishing materials (35 to 47 percent) and local and national taxes (1 to 10 percent). 3. Generally speaking, there is no unemployment in the usual sense. Most fishermen in the Inland Sea region, as elsewhere in Japan, continue tofish even though their efforts often result in poor catches, financial loss, and increasing debt. The part-time fisherman usually engages in farming. When the catch is exceptionally poor, some fisher- men may turn to odd jobs or any type of manualla- bor for daily or other brief periods. 1/“Fisherman"’ is defined, according to the Cooperative Law, as one who engages in fishing 30 to 90 days over a period of 1 year. 4, Production in two of the three communities sur- veyed is higher than the prewar level, amounting to 83 and 43 percent. This is attributed to empha- sis on the production of shellfish and a larger num- ber of fishermen with a greater total catch (but less catch per fisherman as compared to that be- fore the war). The decrease in catch in the third community is charged to overfishing."' The cur- rent increase in fisherman as compared to the pre- war period ranges from 18 to 50 percent, depend- ing on locality. The principal reason is the arrival of the repatriates. Fishing supplies (nets, rope, petroleum) were reported in sufficient quantity, but fishermen are not in a financial position to pur- chase their full requirements. Prices of fishing materials in 1952, when prices were decontrolled, were in most cases higher than the controlled prices of 1951, but somewhat below the black mar- ket prices of the price-control period, A consid- erable percentage of net, rope, and other products was purchased through the black market when prices were controlled. Hence the fishermen feel prices have declined in comparison with 1951. 5. Financing is an ever-present problem with large or small fishermen in Japan, and especially 50 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW with the small fishermen who characterize the In- land Sea fisheries. Most of these fishermen are dependent on their local cooperatives or private individuals for loans or credit to meet operational and other expenses. In borrowing from coopera- tives, assistance is usually in the form of nets and other supplies, the cost of which is deducted from the catch when landed at the cooperative's dock. In the areas sampled during the field trip, fisher- men (collectively) borrowed from 12 to 100 percent of the total merchandise needed for their mostim- portant seasonal fishing. Approximately 50 per- cent or more was borrowed from the local coop- erative, the remainder from local private individ- uals. Interest rates rangedfrom 11 to approxi- mately 15 percent per annum on loans from the co- operative. Loans from private individuals in the small fishing villages are dependent on the friendly relationship and long acquaintance between the bor- rower and the lender. Fishermen often borrow from one another even though at times the amounts involved are pitifully small. 6. Marketing of the catch in the areas visited is mostly local (80 to 100 percent). However, the Inland Sea region provides substantial fishery prod- ucts to the large consuming areas of Kobe and Osaka. All local sales are on a cash basis; remit- Vol. 16, No. 4 tances on consignments to the Osaka and Kobe mar- kets are usually within 7 days, indicating prompt — payment for shipments sold in these large whole- sale markets. 7. Fishery Reforms, in the form of fisheries co- operatives and redistribution of fishing rights, are of considerable interest to fishermen of the Inland Sea. The area has approximately 700 fisheries cooperatives with 110,000 members, and assets valued at approximately ¥521,000,000(US$1, 450,000). There are 18 fisheries federations, with a mem- bership of 796 cooperatives (cooperatives may be members of more than one federation), and assets totaling ¥325,800,000 (US$905,000). Some of the principal problems facing the cooperatives are: (a) the need for merging small-membership coop- eratives into larger units--this would provide a more substantial financial position of advantage in procuring loans and other financial assistance; (b) better administrative management and personnel training for this purpose; (c) more assistance and guidance from Federal sources in the development and implementation of programs for better health and welfare of fishermen and their families; and (d) assistance in better marketing (handling and distribution) of catches. JAPANESE GOVERNMENT Republic of Korea TERRITORIAL LIMITS BILL: A bill which passed the Republic of Korea Nation- al Assembly on December 1, 1953, defined the territorial limits similar to that now recognized as the "Rhee Line," The bill, which has not been promulgated into law yet, is referred to as the "Fishery Resources Protection Law" and reads as follows: “art. 1. For the protection offishery resources the area delimited as follows by boundary lines linking the Korean peninsula and its adjacent is- lands are designated_to be jurisdictional waters (hereinafter so referred to). "a. The line starting from the peak of the Ham- yong mountain in Kyonghung-gun, Hamkyong Pukto, extending to 42°15! north latitude, 130°45' east longitude. "b, The line starting from 42°15' north latitude 130°45! east longitude to 38° north latitude, 132°50! east longitude. "co, The line starting from 38° north latitude, 132°50' east longitude extending to 35° north lati- tude, 130° east longitude. "d. The line starting from 35° north latitude, 130° east longitude extending to 34°40' north lati- tude, 129°10' east longitude. "e, The line starting from 34°40! north lati- tude, 129910! east longitude, extending to 32° north latitude, 127° east longitude. “f#, The line starting from 32° north latitude, 127° east longitude extending to 32° north latitude, 124° east longitude. "gs. The line starting from 32° north latitude, 124° east longitude extending to 39°45! north lati- tude, 124° east longitude. "h, The line starting from 39°45! north latitude, 124° east longitude extending to the western tip of Maan Island (Shindo archipelago in Yongch'ongun, Pyongam Pukto). "i. The line starting from the western tip of Maan Island extending north to the Manchurian boundary. "art. 2. Those persons desiring to carry on fishing operations within the jurisdictional waters must have permission from the Minister concerned for such operations. "art, 3, Trespassers of the foregoing Article will be subjected to imprisonment with or without hard labor up to 3 years of a fine amounting to a maximum of 500,000 hwan, plus confiscation of fish- ing boat, equipment, and the entire haul of fishand items produced therefrom. “art, 4, The investigation of criminal cases created by a violation of the foregoing Article will be conducted by navy officers and men, or other officials so designated by the President, who are on duty aboard a navy patrol boat. If itis deemed necessary to conduct a more complete investiga- tion, an offending fishing boat will be directed to proceed to port. If suspected of trespassing under Article 2, even a boat with a military pass can be ordered to halt, and can be searched, inspected or otherwise. April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 51 APPENDIX "all licenses acquired and held as of February "The law will be effective from the date of pro- 19, 1952 are considered valid under this law. mulgation,"' OK Ok ok Ok UNKRA REPORT ON RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM: The Agent General of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) said January 16 in a press conference at Seoul that "an effective start" has been made toward assisting the Re- public of Korea to rebuild its destroyed economy. He noted that a considerable por- tion of the Agency's 1953 expenditures was for long-range projects now under way which will be completed in 1954 or later. Among these are a $1,400,000 fisheries program, and a $500,000 allocation for procuring fishing boats. Vp. Mexico REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES, 1953: Landings, January-June: The total land- ings of fish and shellfish in Mexico during the first six months of 1953 amounted to 47,739 metric tons, valued at 138.2 million pesos (US$16.0 million), reports a U.S. Embassy dispatch from Mexico (table 1), The total catch for the entire year 1952 Table 1 - Mexican Landings of Fish and Shellfish, January-June 1953 and Comparisons Jan, -June 1953 12 Months 1952 12 Months 1951 Value Quantity Value Quantity Species Million] Metric Metric US$ Tons Tons Abulon (abalone) .... - 1,220 = 2,782 a Albacora (albacore) . 0.1 - 4,167 1.3 4,335 12.9 Atun (tuna) ........ 52.9 6.1 41,194 8.9 47,726 129.9 Barrilete (tuna) 4.2 of) 10,349 Batt 12,492 31.2 AEE soocs0doo0o0a000 1.3 oll 3,654 ial 1,266 3.1 AGUSAY waletetere tev efeless vores 1/ - 1,023 - 1,423 1/ Mackerel, Pacific 1/ - 410 - 1,895 1/ IMIEK® cosococcagad0e 1/ - iL ss} - 1,595 1/ IMIOSEYETE. 5 oscgnce00 “1.8 1,806 3 1,609 2.7 oa Robalo (Gulf pike)... 4.2 Be) 2,489 6.3 oll Sardines ........... 1.0 2 18,700 3.0 3 SERA ooogododn000K 1.7 1,951 3.1 4 Lobster, spiny 00 12 876 2.2 23 OMmSIAS Googgda0000 2.7 5,485 Dat ol SJ¥elieys) o50000000000 8.0 22,323 4,9 BD) Miscellaneous ...... Wed. 13,601 5.3 0 Total ..... oWatoVe¥e 8.2 252 Bu 1/Value included in miscellaneous, amounted to 114,707 metric tons, valued at 189 million pesos (US$21.9 million), and in 1951 landings totaled 140,548 metric tons, valued at 292.2 million pesos (US$33.7 million), (It is generally admitted that considerably more fish and shellfish are landed but not officially reported, therefore, the above figures are probably toolow. ) Leading Species: The most important fish landed in Mexico is atun (tuna), Dur- ing recent years the catch of atun has varied from 41,000 to 49,000 metric tons, with a record of 84,000 tons in 1950. But the atun catch declined to 41,000 tons in 1952, The catch during the first half of 1953 was about 19,000 tons--slightly lower than the 1952 rate. 52 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 The second most important species is shrimp. The 1951 catch established a record of 22,300 metric tons, but declined to 18,300 in 1952 and to 7,900 during the first half of 1953. The shrimp catch along the coast of Guaymas in the north part. of the Gulf of California was sharply reduced in the 1952/53 season. Trawlersfrom that area had to go far south off the coast of southern Mexico to get shrimp. The catch in the fall of 1953, however, was reported to be somewhat improved. Shrimp fishing off the coast of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico continued to be relatively good. Sardine was the third most important item in 1952, but the catch has declined sharply. The sardine fishing area is in the Pacific off the north coast of Baja Cali- fornia. A similar sharp reduction occurred in sardine fishing off the United States coast. (A considerable discrepancy exists in the Government's data on sardines for 1952. Thecatchwas shown originally asonly 2,375 metric tons, but the quantity used for canning in 1952 as reported by Marina is 9,275 tons. Reports indicate that the five canning plants handled 13,021 metric tons of sardines in 1952 and will handle 10,569 metric tons in 1953. Probably the latter figures as to the quantity canned are more nearly correct and to this extent the data on total fish catch as shown in table 1 are too low.) Canning: Table 2 shows the quantity of fish used for canning in 1951 and 1952, The volume for 1953 is expected to be about the same as that in 1952. Only five Table 2 - Mexican Canned Fishery Products Production, 1952 and 1951 Quantit 1952 1951 1952 1951 Metric 1,000 Metric Tons - waters ste 9,275 Mackerel, Pacific 1,542 Abulon (abalone) . 1,067 Barrileta (tuna) 599 14 Atun (tuna) ...... 203 62 13 Rae see Ren ea ee een An ane items are listed as being canned, but it is known that some shrimp also are canned although no data are available. The production of canned sardines (all sold on the domestic market) was by far the most important item in 1951, but declined sharply in 1952 as the result of the reduced catch. Canned mackerel, the second most im- portant item in 1951, also declined sharply. Canned abulon decreased appreciably. Foreign Trade: Mexico exports 40 to 70 times more fishery products than it imports. The value of these exports during recent years has accounted for 5 to 10 percent of Mexico's total exports (table 3). Table 3 - Mexican Foreign Trade in Fishery Products, 1950, 1951, 1952 and 10 Months 1953 Metric} Metric |Metric Tons Tons | Tons Pesos 10 Mos, 1953 .. 1,010 1/ 66,331 T/ NEBR ooo Sac 1,880 262, 219]30,314| 262,906}30,394 1,385 | 89,823] 89,823 314,911/36,406)315,848/36,514 200 |135,014/135,646 399, 204]46,151/401,114/46,372 1/ Not available. Exports declined from 1950 through 1952, but in 1953 probably will be at about the same level as in 1952. The most important export item is fresh fish, which ac- counted for about 77 percent of the weight and about 60 percent of the value of all April 1954 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 53 fishery products exports (table 4), Second in importance was frozen shrimp, which accounted for about 33 percent of the total value. Next were canned abulon, (about 5 percent) and cooked spiny lobster meat (about 1 percent). Table 4 - Mexican Exports of Fishery Products, 1951, 1952, and First 10 Months 1953 -| Quantit Value Ss 1952 1951 10 Mos. 1953 1952 1951 1,000 | 1,000] 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 US$ Pesos | US$ Pesos US$ In natural state, unprepared: IIGIAIES ohoovocucoc00ueGdKdK 64.6 45 5.2 73 8.4 WODSEETS) eiejeleis\elslelole(alvieieiei=/ele = = = Bos = 2 2 Turtles wecccecccccecsnnncs 133 265 4.0 60 6.9 59 6.8 Prepared: Mishifillets: oo ccc ces L 187 176 38.3 248 28.7 63 Use Fish, fresh ...cccccccccccce 51,244 | 61,216 15,888.4/162,698| 18,809.0) 180,987 20,923.3 Fish, dry, salted, smoked .. 157 78 47 5.4 Lobster, spiny, cooked .... 461 617 3,329 384.9 Bropilegs w..cs. cece. 900006 7 1/ - CrustaceaS ..eccccccccccsee dried Shrimp (fresh ... frozen .. Mollusks .......... creta cities iets 1,385.6] 11,018 : 5 eecercscecceosecesece Grand Total Less than 1 metric ton. : Exports of each of these products during the first ten months of 1953 were at a rate about equal to that in 1952. Higher prices for shrimp, however, will estab- lish a new record in value of shrimp exports in 1953. Nearly all of the exports in 1951 and 1952 were to the United States. Principal exports to other countries were small quantitites of dry, salted, or smoked fish, canned crab meat, and about 4 percent of the exports of canned abulone. Imports, although relatively small, rose sharply in 1952 but declined in 1953. Imports consist largely of dried codfish from Norway and other dried, salted or smoked fish from Portugal, Norway, France, and Spain. These two categories ac- counted for about 95 percent of the quantity imported. Imports from the United States consisted of only small quantities of fresh fish and some salmon and caviar, Prices: Shrimp prices to fishermen at Mazatlan were reported as 12.00 pesos per kilo (63 U.S. cents per pound) for white and red shrimp, and 11.00 pesos (58 U.S. cents per pound) for brown shrimp. At Topolobampo, Sinaloa, an average of 4.00 pesos per kilo (21 U.S. cents per pound) is paid for all sizes of canal shrimp. At Tampico ocean shrimp were quoted at 5.00 pesos (26 U.S. cents per pound), and lagoon shrimp at 2.23 pesos per kilo (12 U.S. cents per pound). Prices for fish to boat owners at the two Gulf ports of Matamoros and Tampico were reported as follows: Species Matamoros US$ Red snapper ...ce-06 555 OWEN tValaistoets. achata-ste 439 Pike (robalo)........ 427 Sheepshead ........ s CrOAKer) il. s, sveneiensyeie re 208 Cathishrrernieronieerse 347 CENT) coooodca000000 B Drumheadvercwteielorecle i grub PS cn es 116 54 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 16, No. 4 Frozen shrimp delivered to the United States were reported by Mazatlan as averaging US$0.95 per pound. The breakdown of cost involved in shipping frozen shrimp to the United States are reported by one Mazatlan plant as follows: U.S. cents _per pound Cost of shrimp. c000000 55.0 Freezing and packing . 90 6.3 Boxes and markers ....... 0 2.0 Freight charges to New York 6.5 Icing car, trucking, and customs agent at Nogales 0.7 Insurance ....-seseeesseees 0.9 Export tax ..... gdo000008 500 5.0 Sales commission inU. S. .. 9.9 85.5 Prices for fresh fish refrigerated for export to the United States along the north Gulf coast are reported as follows: . Tampico Matamonce Mexican au, grprice outst Species Brownsville, Texas U.S. cents per pound _ Red snapper ........<.. 20-30 RobalO recs « vss ae 17-27 Sea trots civetecsrenercisvercvene 18-35 Sheepshead .........0.6 = Croakers ....... BM vakeaais 12-18 Cattrish sees Sao bowl 16-21 (CAND soooo o000000 656000 3 Mauls Chart 1 - Fishery Landings for Selected States ... Chart 2 - Landings for Selected Fisheries....... Chart 3 - Cold-Storage Holdings and Freezings of Fishery Products .......-...+-c+2e2ee0e- Chart 4 - Receipts and Cold-Storage Holdings of Fishery Products at Principal Distribution GEMS poodcougdodnaguodn do sn og anos mle Chart 5 - Fish Meal and Oil Production, United States and Alaska .........-2--.-:++e2035% Chart 6 - Canned Packs of Selected Fishery ProductSieeeeie ire cen ieeen nonin aeron 0 Chart 7 - U.S. Fishery Products Imports..... RECENT FISHERY PUBLICATIONS:........... Fish and Wildlife Service Publications....... Miscellaneous Publications.......-....-.+-. Illustrator--Gustaf T. Sundstrom Compositors--Jean Zalevsky, Betty Coakley, and Kathlyn Brophy 2 ok Ok Ok ok Photograph Credits: Page by page, the following list gives the source or pho- tographer for each photograph in this issue. Photographs on pages not mentioned were obtained from the Service's file and the photographers are unknown. Cover page, pp. 4, 32--J. Pileggi; pp. 1, fig. 1, 14--G. T. Sundstrom; p. 7--E. A. Macklow;p. 42--Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy; p. 44--Nordsee Zeitung, Bremerhaven, Germany; p. 46--T. Goray- dowski and Assistants, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department, Kowloon, Hong Kong; p. 48--S. Shapiro; p. 56--Norway Fisheries and Fish Processing. INT.—DUP. SEC., WASH., D.C.59419 IAC 3 9088 01018 | UTILIZATION OF ALASKAN SALMON CANNERY WASTE Utilization of Alaskan Salmon Cannery Waste, Part Iand II, SSR: Fisheries No. 109, is the result of extensive work by the Service's Branch of Commercial Fisheries Pacific Coast and Alaska Investigations at Ketchikan, Alaska, and Se- attle, Washington. PartIcov- ers progress to 1947 and dis- closes that the waste portion of salmonin Alaska canneries amounts to about one-third of the weight ofthe fish. In prac- tically all Alaska cannery loca- tions, except in Ketchikan, this waste is dumped at sea. Itis SeekeRER estimated that well in excess PORTIONS of 100 million pounds of waste Pine is discardedannually. In Ket- ae chikan, where there is a heavy concentration of canneries close to the city, the waste is rendered into fish meal and oil. Utilization of this salmon waste is hampered by a num- ber of conditions: location, "outside" personnel, short sea- son and frequent gluts, perish- able nature of waste, high op- erating costs, and transporta- tion delays due to labor diffi- culties. MILT (MALE) Illustration of Canned and Discarded Portions of a Male Pink Salmon. Experiments with the salmon cannery waste were divided into two parts: (1) a survival experiment to establishthe presence or absence of the anti-anemia factors in salmon meals; and (2) growth evaluations of five salmon waste products. Both phases were conducted by using blueback salmon fingerlings (Oncorhynchus nerka). Results of these experiments are reported in detail in Part I. Part II discloses that the investigation indicates that the whole pink salmon waste should be ground or shredded to breakup the head and collar section. The digestionretort shouldbe equipped with efficient agitators. The ground material, together with an equal quantity of water containing 13 percent sodium hydroxide by weight, should be heated as rapidly as possible to 190°-200° F. and heldat that temperature, with agitation, until the meaty parts are completely digested, and then a few minutes longer--the total digestion period being approximately 50 minutes. The digested mixture must be allowed to stand for approximately 15 minutes to allow bonesto settle and oil to rise. The toplayer canthenbe drained off and passed througha centrifuge. The liquor shouldnot be drained through the bottom of the retort because the oil layer tendsto absorb onthe solids which have settled to the bottom of the vessel. Copies of C. F. S. No. 915 are available upon request from the Division of Information, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington 25, D. Cy iN 634 | |