Lik Os A4YESX F-1 shes =A hie ed sed || sEASONS GREET Vol. 14, No.12 DECEMBER 1952 FISH and WILDLIFE SERVICE United States Department of the Interior W ashington, D.C. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE OscaR L. CHAPMAN, SECRETARY ALBERT M. Day, DIRECTOR COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW A review of developments and news of the fishery industries prepared in the BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES A. W. Anderson, Editor R. T. Whiteleather, Associate Editor J. Pileggt and J. J. O'Brien, Assistant Editors Mailed free to members of the fishery and allied industries. Address correspond- ence and requests to the: 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 publication have not been copyrighted and may be re- printed freely, reference to the source will be appreciated. The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, November 5, 1952. CONTENTS COVER: OLD-FASHIONED SEASON'S GREETINGS TO ALL OUR READERS. PAGE A MINIMUM NET=MESH SIZE FOR THE NEW ENGLAND HADDOCK FISHERY, BY HERBERT W. GRAHAM ...... 1 FURTHER EXPERIMENTS ON THE ESCAPE OF UNDERSIZED HADDOCK THROUGH OTTER TRAWLS, BY JOHN R. GIP RancieyarercretereiavetorevetoralonsreverctshelelenctonerclolsverckotvolenelcuatelionevalelencisinicrsterenstelotevcverscevelercloneterelvetercicnsteVoitTen hema’, -_e ke Kk PAGE PAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE LABORATORIES: ....-... 13 )FOREIGN (CONTD.): PROGRESS ON PROJECTS, NOVEMBER 1952 .,.. 13 BRAZIL: TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS: ..creceeseeereoee 16 MORE SWEDISH VESSELS TO FISH FOR ADDITIONS TO THE FLEET OF U. S. FISHING ERWv4hlL scopocccco0n0000bcO00KD0D00000, S) VESSELS cuddsococadscabaocodd0cccccD0000., IS CANADA: FEDERAL PURCHASES OF FISHERY PRODUCTS .. 16 EASTERN ARCTIC FISHERIES RESEARCH oe. 31 GULF'S DEAD FISH SITUATION BEING STUDIED 17 CHILE: GULF STATES MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION 17 FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT PLANNED ecc.0e.0 32 NEW FISH MEAL GROWTH FACTOR DISCOVERED . 19 DENMARK: PACIFIC OCEANIC FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS: EXPANSION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS EXPORTS HUGH M. SMITH OBSERVES SKIPJACK SCHOOLS TO U. S. BELIEVED POSSIBLE weccscceece 32 (ERUISEMNO Siitiz)\ eeaeeiereereberciotere ecto cinco. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: HUGH M. SMITH FINDS RICH TUNA RESOURCES TERRITORIAL WATERS ESTABLISHED BY NEW EXTEND ALONG EQUATOR FAR TO EAST OF BAW Maloietelclolalole) slojelsielalelelelelelelolelelclelalelieleletenmrsS PAID (GRWISE Ms 18) sooccscccsdec00 ZO ECUADOR: CAVALIER! AND JOHN R. MANNING EXPLORE FISHING BY FOREIGN FLAG VESSELS FOR TUN SsoodsocadsceusdoncHodc0do0000 ZI ASSOCIATED WITH NATIONAL COMPANIES , 34 SCOUTING METHODS FOR SKIPJACK TUNA EL SALVADOR: STUDIED BY CHARLES H. GILBERT (CRUISE FOREIGN BAIT=FISHING REGULATIONS NOs 3 AND FLICK NOs WP s6ecccccdodo00 ZZ PREDII|GTIEDIN. olerei<)c\c10\s\ole/elolalelolelelolelsie/lalele/ oS 4: FREEZING TECHNIQUE FOR PRESERVING POINT I|V FISHERIES MISSION AGREEMENT PHOSPHATE SAMPLES TESTED BY CHARLES H.j EXTENSION) IREQUESTIED) <\clcleleleielele ciel) clelels SO Cites (GwSE MO. 4) 6osdccqnus0c0s0 22 FRANCE: METAL CANS - SHIPMENTS FOR FISHERY PROD- INSPECTION PROCEDURES LIBERAL! ZED FOR UcrS), SEP VENEER 1SE2 coansdbocndonc0c00 §=S CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS IMPORTS .o6«e 35 WHOLESALE AND RETAIL PRICES: | CELAND: WHOLESALE PRICES, OCTOBER 1952 ...ce+-- 23 NEW NOTE SENT TO GREAT BRITAIN ON RETAIL PRICES, OCTOBER 1952 ..scocscsee 24 EXTENSION OF TERRITORIAL WATERS .cee 36 UNITED STATES & ALASKA 1952 FISHERIES 1952 WHALING SEASON SUCCESSFUL ..+0e.4 38 PRODUCTION SLO TBI Gagsosocccscno000 2S) INDIA: FOREIGN. coocso00d000nD000G00000D0D0000000 5 DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES RECOMMENDED 38 INTERNATIONAL: JAMAICA: CONFERENCE ON EUROPEAN FISHERIES FISHERIES PROGRAM oecosccec-cccrcscrece 39 COOPERATION saoo65060n00000DGD000000000. Ze JAPAN: FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANI ZATION: TUNA STOCKS AND EXPORTS TO THE UNITED COUNGIIEEMEETStsteletelelalcielsielelelele/clelelolelelcio clei t/, STATES, 1952-53 ccccwcescecsccoceccss 40 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC: GOVERNMENT FINANCES CONSTRUCTION OF NEW LABELING REQUIREMENTS FOR DRIED OR TEN LARGE TUNA BOATS ccocecsecceeccce 41 SALTED FISH ANNOUNCED .cvccorcrseecvoe 29 POST=TREATY EXPANSION OF FISHERIES WHALE= AND FISH=-O1L PRODUCTION, 1951/52 28 ACTIVITIES cccecccccccevccccceesecece 41 AUSTRALIA: STATISTICS ON THE FISHING FLEET, 1951 42 MODIFICATION OF DANISH SEINE FISHING ..2 29 CONTENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 69 it al ee COMMERCIAL Fi December 1952 Washington 25, D.C. Vol.14,No.12 A MINIMUM NET-MESH SIZE FOR THE NEW ENGLAND HADDOCK FISHERY By Herbert W. Graham* INTRODUCTION Haddock support the most valuable fishery in New England today. The average annual landings over the last ten years have been about 150 million pounds, with anex-vessel value of $12,000,000. About 67 percent of this quantity istaken from the rich Georges Bank area lying off Cape Cod. The method by which these fish are taken today is very wasteful. The gear in common use for catching haddock on Georges Bank is the otter trawl. These nets are made with a small mesh which retains undersized fish. The small haddock have little or no market value and are discarded at sea in a dead or dying condition. The destruction of baby haddock is sometimes tremendous, and annually amounts to 5 million pounds or 15 million individual fish. The fishing industry and govern- ment have been greatly concerned about this wasteful practice for many years and have repeatedly called for the protection of these young fish. INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION Since the fishing banks in question lie in international waters, it was not possible to bring them under regulation until the organization of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. With the activation of this body all countries fishing in the northwest Atlantic have agreed to abide by any regu- lations promulgated upon the recommendation of the Commission. The United States Commissioners have appointed an industry advisory committee which advises these Commissioners as to the problems of the United States fishing industry and reviews all recommendations of the Commission which pertain to the areas in which United States vessels fish. At the request of the industry, the United States Government presented the haddock problem to the Commission at its First Annual Meeting held in Washington in April 1951. The Commission considered the problem and at its Second Annual Meeting held at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in July 1952, recommended that the baby haddock on Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine be saved by limiting the sizeof mesh used in otter-trawl nets. The United States has promulgated a regulation to im- plement this recommendation. Canada is expected to follow. SAVING SMALL FISH Taking small fish is generally assumed to be a wasteful practice. However, nature is sometimes so prolific that the loss of a considerable proportion of the young of a population does not seriously affect the continued abundance of the species, There is always the possibility that man can make considerable inroads into a population without seriously jeopardizing replacement. A scientific study of the dynamics of a population is necessary before the effects of such inroadscan * CHIEF, NORTH ATLANTIC FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS, BRANCH OF FISHERY BIOLOGY, U.S. FISH AND WILD- LIFE SERVICE, WOODS HOLE, MASS. 2 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Voll. 14, No. 12 be predicted. To make such a study it is necessary to know the fecundity of a species, the growth rate, and the mortality rates, as well as other aspects of the biology of the species. Such a study of the Georges Bank haddock population has been made by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the results have been reviewed by the scien- tific advisers to the Commission. The results of these studies indicate that the Georges Bank stock probably can withstand present fishing pressure indefinitely but that the production from this stock could be substantially increased if the smaller fish were not taken. It was found that the best age at which to begin catching these fish is three years. The present age of first capture is somewhat under 13 years. Thus, a considerably larger-mesh net than the one now in use is required to obtain the maximum sustained yield from the Georges Bank haddock. INITIAL EFFECT An abrupt change in age of first capture to age three would inflict a hard- ship on the industry as considerable quantities of two- and three-year-old haddock are now marketed. There is at present a good market for haddock as small as 14 pounds. Fish weighing between 13 and 23 pounds are classified as "scrod" haddock and bring a lower price than fish weighing over 23 pounds which are classified as "large" haddock. According to an agreement among the members of the New England Fish Exchange, haddock under 13 pounds are not to be sold. However, fish under that size are sometimes landed, especially when there is a scarcity of largersizes. At the end of their second year haddock average slightly less than one pound (about 0.9 pounds) in weight. None of these should be taken. At the end of their third year they average slightly less than two pounds (about 1.9 pounds) and all are of marketable size. It is obvious that limiting the catch to sizes over 1.9 pounds (three-year-old fish) would lower the landings during the early phase of the regulation. MINIMIZING INITIAL EFFECT It was the desire of the Commission that the first step in regulating the Georges Bank haddock fishery should be to require the use of a net with a mesh size which would allow a maximum proportion of unmarketable-sized haddock to es— cape with minimal effect on the catch of marketable-sized fish. In thisconnection we are confronted with the fact that no net is perfectly selective. No net has been designed that will release all fish under a certain size and retain all fish over that size. The selectivity of nets is designated by the 50-percent point. This is the size of fish of which 50 percent are retained by the net. Increasing percentages of the larger sizes are retained, while decreasing percentages of the smallersizes are retained. The selectivity chosen to satisfy the requirements of the Commis- sion has a 50-percent point at about 1.1 pounds. With a mesh of this selectivity some fish of unmarketable size will still be taken, but this cannot be vrevented if we are to avoid a serious reduction in landings during the first year or two of the regulation. The actual reduction in landings the first year of regulation will dependupon the size of the haddock available on the banks during that year. If the fish are running larger than average, the regulation will have very little effect on land- ings. If the fishery is depending largely upon small scrod, as it was during the summer of 1952, the effect will be greater. Indications are that the sizes of had- dock available on Georges Bank in the coming year will be about the same as in 1951. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 3 If this is the case, the initial effects of the use of the new mesh (having 50- percent selection at 1.1 pounds) would be to reduce landings (in pounds) about 13 percent if the market accepted fish as small as some of those landed during 1952, FIGURE 1 = INDICATES HOW THE PRESSURE GAUGE WILL BE USED TO MEASURE THE INSIDE DIMENSIONS OF MESH UNDER A PRESSURE OF 12 POUNDS. A PRESSURE OF 12 POUNDS BRINGS THE NOTCH IN THE INDICATOR TO THE NOTCH IN THE PLATE. 4 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 The reduction in landings of fish of 14 pounds and over, however, would be only about 5 percent. If the size of fish during the first year of regulation isclose to the average for the past 20 years, the initial-reduction in landings of fish of 13 pounds and over would be expected to be only about 3 percent. The new mesh will advance the age of first capture to about 23% years rather than 3 years and so will not produce the maximum ultimate benefit. It should, however, result in an ultimate increase in landings of about 35 percent. The full effect of the new mesh will not be realized for several years. ASSESSING THE EFFECT OF THE REGULATION It is the Commission's expressed desire that the effect of this regulation be carefully measured. Scientific evidence of the benefits of the first step must be presented before any further increase in the mesh size of nets will be recom- mended. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists will make a continuous study of the fishery and the Commission will review the situation annually. Modifica- tions in the regulation will be recommended whenever they appear desirable on the basis of any new evidence which may be found. In order to measure the effect of the regulation it will be necessary tohave the cooperation of the fishing industry. A number of vessels must continue to fish with small-mesh nets in order to provide biologists with a measure of the abundance of two-year-old fish in the banks. The success of spawning varies so much from year to year due to natural causes that considerable variations in sub- sequent annual landings result. Therefore, the effect of the regulation cannot be determined by a comparison of the landings in the years immediately preceding and immediately following the use of the large-mesh nets. The best test of the regu- lation will be the comparison of the yields of individual year classes before and after regulation. As a result of the intensive study of the Georges Bank haddock fishery over the past 20 years, we now have records of the relative strengths of each incoming year class and the total pounds of fish which each contributed to the landings. If the regulation has the predicted effect, an entering year class of a given strength should produce more pounds of landed fish than did any incom- ing year class of equal strength before regulation. In order to make this comparison it is necessary to measure the incoming year classes after regulation in the same manner in which they are measured now. The present measure consists of computing the average catch per day of a selected group of trawlers. The youngest haddock that can be measured adequately are two-year olds, since one-year olds are not landed in sufficient numbers. Not all of the two-year olds are landed, but so long as the size of mesh remains constant this does not matter as the abundance index is only relative. However, if themesh size is increased, the measure of abundance of two-years olds will no longer be compar= able. For this reason it is necessdry that some vessels continue to fish nets with the old mesh. The Fish and Wildlife Service has called upon the industry to. select six boats for this purpose. These boats will be licensed to use small-meshed nets and will comprise a "study group" to supply the information necessary for es- tablishing the strength of each incoming year class. The information on the yield of these year classes can be obtained from samples of the catch of the rest of the fleet. SIZE OF MESH The Commission has recommended the use of nets with a minimum inside opening of 4% inches when in use. This dimension is measured by inserting a flat gauge into the mesh under a pressure of 12 pounds (figure 1). It is the size of this December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 5 inside opening which determines the selectivity of the net. Any mesh regulation must be based on this dimension. Unfortunately this is not the measurement which is used in the trade, Net manufacturers use the dimension "between knot centers." The relation between the two measurements is not constant but depends upon the size of twine and number of strands used. The use of large twine results in larger knots which increase the difference between the two dimensions. Doubling the twine has the same effect. Using the net also changes the relation between the two measurements. When a new net is immersed in water the twine shrinks. As the net is used, however, the knots tighten and the inside dimension increases. This continues for some time or until very heavy catches are hauled aboard when the knots may tighten to their maximum and the internal opening thereafter remains fairly constant. Since in present fishing practices the after part of the cod end of the net is subjected to greater strains than the forward part, the openings of the meshes are usually larger in the after part after use, To obtain 50-percent selection of haddock at 1.1 pounds, it is necessary to use a cod end with an average inside dimension of 44 inches. The meshes may be somewhat smaller in the forward part and somewhat larger in the after part. Experiments have been conducted on board commercial trawlers during normal fishing operations on Georges Bank in order to determine the size of mesh which will, after use, have an inside dimension of 43% inches. These experiments show that a cod end of 54-inch mesh (measured between knot centers, new) constructed of 50-yard, 4 thread, double-manila twine will, after use and when wet, have an average inside mesh dimension of 43 inches, provided it is used in normal fishing operations during which moderately heavy catches of fish are taken, The results also showed that bellies of trawls of 5-inch mesh (measured be- tween knot centers) constructed of 75-yard, 4-thread single twine will, after use and when wet, have an average inside dimension of 42 inches. Bellies of 54-inch mesh (measured between knot centers) constructed of 60-yard, 4-thread, single twine, will under the same conditions have a somewhat larger inside dimension. The regulation prescribes only the size of the internal mesh opening. Various sizes of mesh as measured between knot centers can be used to produce the 43-inch inside measurement depending upon the size of twine. The experiments reported above can be used as a guide in the manufacture of a net which will meet the re- quirements of the regulation. NOTE: WEIGHT OF TWINE EXPRESSED IN NUMBER OF YARDS PER POUND. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY BOWMAN, A. HERRINGTON, WILLIAM Cy 1928. THE QUALITATIVE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT FISHING 1932, CONSERVATION OF IMMATURE FISH IN OTTER TRAWLING. GEARS ON THE STOCK OF THE MARKETABLE SPECIES. TRANS. AMER. FISH. SOC., VOL. 62, PP. 57-63, CONS. PERM, INTERNAT. EXPLOR. MER., RAP. PROC.- i VERB., VOL. 52, PP. 227-238. 1935. MODIFICATIONS IN GEAR TO CURTAIL THE DESTRUC- TION OF UNDERSIZED FISH IN OTTER TRAWLING. CLARK, JOHN R. BUREAU OF FISHERIES, U. S. DEPT. OF COMMERCE 1952, EXPERIMENTS ON THE ESCAPE OF UNDERSIZED HADDOCK INVESTIGATIONAL REPORT NO, 24, 48 PP. i THROUGH OTTER TRAWLS. U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE , SERVICE, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, VOL. 14, 1936, DECLINE IN HADDOCK ABUNDANCE ON GEORGES BANK NO. 9 (SEPT. 1952), PP. 1-7. AND A PRACTICAL REMEDY. BUREAU OF FISHERIES, U. S. DEPT. OF COMMERCE, FISHERY CIRCULAR NO. DAVIS, F. Me 23, 22 PP. 1934, MESH EXPERIMENTS WITH TRAWLS, 1928-1933, MINIS= TRY AGRIC, AND FISH., FISH. INVEST., SER. II, 1941. A CRISIS IN THE HADDOCK FISHERY. FISH AND WILD- VOL. 14, NO. 1, 56 PP. LIFE SERVICE, U. S. DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR, FISHERY CIRCULAR NO, 4, 14 PP, FULTON, T, WEMYSS : 1921, REPORT ON HERRING TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS, FISH. 1944, FACTORS CONTROLLING POPULATION SIZE. TRANS. BD., SCOTLAND, SCI. INVEST.-, 1921, NO. II, NINTH NORTH AMER. WILDLIFE CONF,, 1944, 363 PP. PP. 250-263. NEEDLER, A. PARRISH, B. RUSSELL COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY (CONTD. ) We He THE MIGRATIONS OF HADDOCK AND THE INTERRELAT|ON= SHIPS OF HADDOCK POPULATIONS IN NORTH AMERICAN WATERS. CONTR. CANAD. BIOL. FISH., Ne So, VOL. 6, NO. 10, PP. 243-313. 1930, B. AND POPE, J. Ao FURTHER RESULTS ON THE EFFECTS OF USING SMALL~= MESH COVERS: EFFECTS ON THE CATCHES OF THE ESCAPE SIZES OF FISH. PAPER PRESENTED AT 1951 MEETING OF INT. COUNCIL EXP. SEA, MIMEOGRAPHED, 12) PRs 1951. S. AND EDSER, T. THE RELATION BETWEEN COD-END MESH AND SIZE OF FISH CAUGHT. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS WITH THE TROUSER TRAWL. JOUR. CONS., CONS, PERM. INTERNAT. EXPLOR. MER., VOL. 1, NO. 1, PPe 39- 54. [5 1926. SCHROEDER, WILLIAM C. RESULTS OF HADDOCK TAGGING IN THE GULF OF MAINE FROM 1923 TO 1932. SEARS FOUNDATION: JOUR. MARINE RES., VOL. 5, NO. 1, JUNE 1942, PP. 1- 19. 1942, SCHUCK, HOWARD A. RELATIONSHIP OF CATCH TO CHANGES IN POPULATION S!ZE OF NEW ENGLAND HADDOCK. AMER. STAT. 1949, 1951. ASSN: BIOMETRICS, VOL. 5, NO. 3 (SEPT. 1949), PP. 213-231. STUDIES OF GEORGES BANK HADDOCK, PART 1: LAND= NGS BY POUNDS, NUMBERS, AND SIZES OF FISH. U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, FISHERY BULLE- TIN, 66, VOL. 52. PP. 151-176. 1951. AND ARNOLD, EDGAR L. JRe COMPARISON OF HADDOCK FROM GEORGES AND BROWNS BANKS. UeS. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, FISH= ERY BULLETIN 67, VOL. 52, PP. 177-185. THOMPSON, HAROLD 1939. THE OCCURRENCE AND BIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF HADDOCK IN THE NEWFOUNDLAND AREA. NEWFOUNDLAND DEPT. NAT. RESOURCES, RESEARCH BULLETIN NO. 6, PP. i- Sih TODD, R. A. 1911. COVERED NET EXPERIMENTS. NORTH SEA FISH. INVEST. COMM, 1906-1908, THIRD REPORT. (SOUTHERN AREA) ON FISHERY AND HYDROGRAPHICAL INVESTIGA~ TIONS IN THE NORTH SEA AND ADJACENT WATERS. MAR. BIOL. ASSOC., UNITED KINGDOM, PP. 177-206. VLADYKOV, VADIM D. 1935, HADDOCK RACES ALONG THE NORTH AMERICAN COAST. BIOL. BD. CAN. PROG. REPORT, NO. 14, PP. 3-7. Grae ARE SALMON SUPERSENSITIVE During research of the salmon run in Stamp River, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a man was walking barefooted in the water 20 feet above RED OR SOCKEYE SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS NERKA). the salmonladder. Itwas no- ticedat once that the number of salmon traveling upstream was reduced, Other trials showed the same result. One} observer held his hand in the} water for one minute above the place where the counting of the fish took place. An in- stant reduction in the number of fish going upstream was noticed--from 34 fish in 10 minutes dowm to 4 fish in 10 minutes. One hour later the same experiment was repeated with the same result, states thse October 1952 issue | of Svenska Vastkustifiskaren, a Swedish trade periodical. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 4 FURTHER EXPERIMENTS ON THE ESCAPE OF UNDERSIZED HADDOCK THROUGH OTTER TRAWLS By John R. Clark* INTRODUCTION The results of the first of a series of recent experiments on the escape of haddock through otter-trawl meshes were reported in the September issue of this journal, In that series of experiments, nets with cod ends of 4/_ and 53-inch mesh (between knot centers, new) were tested on two trips of the otter trawler Michigan in June (1952). This report presents results of experiments with cod ends of 52 and 62-inch (between knot centers) mesh aboard another trawler later in the year. METHODS The experiments were conducted on a regular fishing trip of the large otter trawler Wisconsin (fig. 1) from October 14 to 23 on Georges Bank. The procedure followed was essentially the same as used on the Michigan cruises. A 52-inch (between knot centers) cod end was used on a standard No. 41 otter trawl with a belly of 5-inch (between knot centers) mesh throughout. A 62-inch THE OTTER TRAWLER WISCONSIN. (between knot centers) cod end was used on a Standard 14 Iceland trawl with a belly of 54-inch (between knot centers) mesh throughout. Both cod ends were con- structed of 50-yard, 4-thread, double twine. The 5-inch belly used on the No, 41 trawl was constructed of 75-yard, 4-thread, single twine; the 54-inch belly used on the Iceland trawl was constructed of 60-yard, 4-thread, single twine. The cod ends were covered with a bag of 14-inch, 24-thread cotton shrimp net- ting to catch the escaped fish. Results from the previous cruises had shown that # FISHERY RESEARCH BIOLOGIST, NORTH ATLANTIC FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS, BRANCH OF FISHERY BIOLOGY, U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, WOODS HOLE, MASSACHUSETTS. NOTE: WEIGHT OF TWINE 1S EXPRESSED 1N NUMBER OF YARDS PER POUND. 8 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 the cover did not have any effect on the selectivity of the cod end under normal conditions. The meshes of the cod ends and bellies were measured frequently throughout the course of the experiments to determine any changes in size of mesh Cals 2))o Measurements were made with a flat wedge-shaped gauge in- serted under a pressure of 12 pounds into the meshes of the net while wet and after use, according to the recommenda— tions of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. The catches from the cod end and cover of each observed tow were kept entirely sepa- rateand all haddock fromcover and cod end were. measured. Certain phases of the opera- tions at sea are shown in fig- ures 3 to 6. RESULTS EFFECT OF USE ON MESH SIZE: Of great importance in applying the results of exper- iments on the selective action of meshes is knowledge of the relation between mesh size in new nets and used nets. Also of importance is the effect of continued use on mesh size. The results of the Michigan experiments showed that mesh size increases with continued use and that the amount of in- crease depends on the size of the catches. It was alsoshown that the after part of the cod end stretched more than the FIG. 2 - IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE MESHES OF THE EXPERIMEN- forward part. TAL COD END IT WAS NECESSARY TO CRAWL INSIDE THE COVER. Table 1 — Sizes of Mesh (Inside Measurements) in a 52~Inch (Between Knot Centers) 8 Cod End after Use. Part of Cod End Measured Approximate When QUA CR ia Gane el Average for Measured st (after) | 2nd | 3rd __| 4th (forward)| Entire Cod End After December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 9 Similar results were found for the cod ends tested on the Wisconsin cruise. These results are summarized for the 52-inch cod end in table 1 and for the 63- Table 2— Sizes of Mesh (Inside Measurements) in a 63-Inch (Between Knot Centers) Cod End after Use. Part of Cod End Measured Approximate ORV AGER erent Average for forward)| Sntire Cod End When Measured After 2 tows 4-7/8 4-3/4 4-3/4 4-3/4 After 6 tows 4-7/8 4-3/4 4=3/h, 4-3/4, After 9 tows 5-1/8 4-3/4 4-5/8 4-3/4 inch cod end in table 2. The average inside measurement of the 54-inch mesh in- creased rather regularly from 4! to 4% inches throughout the cruise, After the 57th tow, the after meshes averaged 4 inch larger than the forward meshes. The largest catch during these 57 tows was about 4,300 pounds. The 62-inch cod end was used only a few times and consequently showed very little change in average mesh size. The inside dimensions of the after quarter increased i inch after the first two tows and there was only 2 inch difference between the after and forward quarters of the cod end after 9 tows. The largest catch taken was 2,000 pounds. Tne 5-inch belly used on the No. 41 trawl measured 42 inches (inside dimen- sion) after 43 tows. The 54-inch belly on the Iceland trawl was used for only FIG. 3 - A FULL COVER FLOATS ALONGSIDE THE VESSEL. 10 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 9 tows, when it also measured 42 inches inside. These nine tows were not suffi- cient usage to stretch the belly meshes fully. Another factor tending to equal- ize the internal mesh size of the two bellies was the use of heavier twine in the 53- inch belly (60 yard, 4 thread). Heavier twine with consequent larger knots reduces the in- ternal size in relation to the knot center size. ESCAPE OF FISH THROUGH THE MESH: The selection of sizes of haddock with the 52- inch cod end is shown intable 3. The results presented are for eight tows in which a total of 4,117 haddock of 20 em. (8 inches) and largerwere taken, Almost all fish under 0.6 pounds escaped, while al- most all over 1.6 pounds were retained in the cod end. The 50-percent selection point came at about 37.3 cm. (14.7 inches). Haddock of this length weigh about 1 pound. The selective action of the 63-inch mesh is shown in table 4. A total of 2,632 fish over 20 cm. (8 inches) were taken in six tows. With Table 4 - Selectivity of the 43-Inch Inside Dimensions) Cod End Percentage| Retained in Cod End utted| Lengthl/| Fish in Fish in| T eight Cover | Cod End C No. o2 - 0.0 3 0.0 313) 0.0 26 13.5 0.0 of Soil 1.8 1.0 Joh » o 6.5 1.3 209 8 19.4 1.6 2.6 1.0 27.0 2.0 202 1.3 47.0 23 3 1.6 (ton 2.8 2.0 85.7 302 2.3 9703 3.3 2.8 98.9 403 302 (0) 50 3.8 (0) 506 4.3 (0) 604 5.0 0) o2 6 fo) 1/ S\ZE GROUPS BY 3=CM. INTERVALS. DUE TO THE METHOD OF RECORDING FISH LENGTHS TO THE LOWER FULL CENTIMETER (E.G. ALL LENGTHS FROM 21.0 CM. TO 21.9 CM. ARE RE- CORDED AS 21 CM.), AN ADJUSTMENT OF +0.5 CM. MUST BE MADE TO EACH LISTED GROUP LENGTH TO OBTAIN THE TRUE MID=POINT OF THE GROUP. 2/ 2.54 CM. EQUAL 1 INCH. S1ZE GROUPS BY 3-CM. INTERVALS. DUE TO THE METHOD OF RECORDING FISH LENGTHS TO THE LOWER FULL CENTIMETER (E.G. ALL LENGTHS FROM 21.0 CM. TO 21.9 CM. ARE RE- CORDED AS 21 CM.), AN ADJUSTMENT OF +0.5 CM. MUST BE MADE TO EACH LISTED GROUP LENGTH TO OBTAIN THE TRUE M1D-POINT OF THE GROUP. 2/ 2.54 CM. EQUAL 1 INCH. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW iL this net practically all fish under 0.8 pounds escaped while almost all over 2.0 pounds were retained, This cod end had a 50-percent selection point at 40.0 cm. (15.7 inches) of 1.4 pounds. FIG. S = DRESSING DOWN THE CATCH. The 50-percent selection points for the mesh sizes tested on both the Michi- gan and Wisconsin trips are shown in figure 7. All four-points line up quitewell with each other and fit well to the theoretical line developed by Beverton and Holt. With such consistency in results one can predict with confidence the selec- tive action of cod-end meshes of other sizes. The fact that the results with the Iceland trawl conform so well with those of the No. 41 trawls indicates that the type of gear has little effect on the se- lective action of the meshes. 2 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Wells Why WoO, 12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1. Variations in the inside dimensions of two sizes of cod-end meshes were studied and found to agree with results of our previous experiments. FIG. 6 = MENDING THE GEAR. 2. The selective actions of cod ends of 54-inch and 63-inch mesh were deter— mined and found to be consistent with that of the other sizes tested previously. 3. A cod end of 5 inch mesh (measured between knot centers, new) constructed of 50-yard, 4-thread, double-manila twinewill, after use and when wet, have an average inside mesh dimension of 43 inches provided it is used for 20 or more tows in normal fishing operations during which moderately heavy catches of fish are taken. as SS join Bla ON S as ew Ni— aI- 1 43 4. Such a mesh would allow most ofthe haddock now discarded at sea to escape but would retain most of the marketable-size haddock. INTERNAL MESH SIZE (IN) S w. Bla oly w wo Cory ACKNOWLEDGMENT 3 4 3 6 7 3B 3 40 The cooperation of the New England pa _ fishing industry is gratefullyacknowledged. FIG. 7 - THE SO-PERCENT SELECTION, POINT FoR We are again especially grateful to Mr. Ben EACH MESH SIZE (TO THE NEAREST TS INCH) Larson for the use of the Wisconsin and to TESTED ON THE MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN. THE . p . eT SRT DOTTED LINE 1S) THE|THEORETICAM RELATIONS) jcabva.@ John Stimberts jand) Uke eae SHIP BETWEEN MESH SIZE AND 50-PERCENT for offering their fullest cooperation. SELECTION DEVELOPED BY BEVERTON AND HOLT. Captain Westerbeke of the Westerbeke Fish- ing Gear Company, Inc. of Boston again assisted in the design and preparation of the special gear used in these experiments. The following assistants participated in the collection and analysis of the data: Sterling L. Cogswell, Robert R. Marak, and James W. McKee. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 13 RESEARCH YIN SERVICE LABORATORIES Progress on Projects, November 1952 R&FRIGHRATION: Freezing Fish at Sea, Defrosting, Filleting, and Refreezing the Fillets: Several generalizations on salt penetration in brine-frozen fish have been made on the results of this month's and earlier work: 1. Using the freezing process employed on the research trawler Delaware, the penetration of salt into the meat of brine- frozen (23-percent salt solution) whole fish increases di- rectly with the brine temperature and immersion time. Pen- etration of salt into the meat, however, is not a serious factor provided the fish are not held in the brine longer than four hours and the brine temperature does not exceed 10° F, 2. Salt penetration continues after the fish have been frozen and are left in the refrigerated brine. 5. Whole fish frozen in brine containing slush ice showed some penetration of salt into the meat. This test was carried out to determine whether or not salt will penetrate into the meat of whole fish frozen in a brine which is held at its freezing point. Apparently, penetration of salt oc- curred because the brine in contact with the warm fish was momentarily raised above the freezing point. 4, Coating the fish with a marine-plant gel reduced penetra- tion of salt during the brine-freezing process. This prac- tice is not recommended, however, since large-scale use of such preparations would dilute and contaminate the refrig- erated brine. (Boston) x * K * OX Freezing and Storing Alaska Shrimp and Dungeness Crab: Seven experimental packs of frozen Dungeness crab meat were prepared to study the effect of low storage tem- peratures (-20° F,.) and improved packaging methods. Approximately 65 pounds of crab meat were Obtained from a local packer to prepare the packs. The Dungeness crabs were caught outside the three-mile limit in Hecate Straits and transported to the Ketchikan cannery by the fishing boat. The crabs were kept alive aboardship by hold- ing in circulating sea water. At the processing plant, the crabs were butchered and the sections containing the edible portion were cooked in boiling fresh water for a- bout 20 minutes. The cooked sections were cooled in cold running water. The meat was removed, air-cooled, washed in brine to remove any shell, washed in fresh water to remove salt, then allowed to drain. At this point, crab meat was taken and pre- pared as experimental lots. Samples were packed in cans and in polyethylene con- tainers. Some samples in cans were packed under vacuum; other samples were flooded with 2-percent brine; and others were treated with ascorbic acid. 14 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIUW Vol. 14, No. 12 Organoleptic examination of the test samples after two weeks' storage revealed no Significant differences in the quality of the meat--all were rated very good. The samples containing added ascorbic acid did, however, seem to be a little flat in flavor. * OK OK OK OK Freezing Shrimp at Sea--Gulf States Area: Shrimp, which were brine- and air- frozen in the Gulf of Mexico area were examined organoleptically after six months of storage at 0° F. The following samples were under test: Air-frozen Shrimp: Shrimp tails were packed in 1- and 5-pound waxed cartons and frozen at -20° F. Shrimp were glazed aft- er freezing and stored at 0° F. Samples were prepared aboard- ship and ashore. Brine-frozen Shrimp: Shrimp tails were frozen aboard the ves- sel by immersing them in 85-degree brine (sodium-chloride solution) at 5° F. for 15 minutes. Frozen shrimp were then drained, packed in l- and 5=-pound cartons, and the cartons stored at 0° F. Refrozen Shrimp: Whole shrimp were brine-frozen aboardship as indicated above. Frozen shrimp were thawed ashore by immersing in fresh water at 60° F. for 15 minutes. The heads were removed from the defrosted whole shrimp and the tails packaged and refrozen in the same manner as the air-frozen shrimp. In all samples some dehydration of the meats occurred in those shrimp located near the corners and edges of the carton. Those shrimp located in other portions of the carton and in the center of the package seemed to be well protected from de- hydration and were of good color, texture, and flavor after thawing and cooking. Those shrimp which showed dehydration were discolored, tough, and off-flavored. In the brine-frozen shrimp these adverse changes, which accompanied dehydration, were noticeably greater than in the air-frozen shrimp, presumably due to the salt absorb- ed by or adhering to the shrimp. The taste panel found no evidence of excessive saltiness of the brine-frozen shrimp. Apparently the method of packaging is an important factor in the keeping quality of frozen shrimp. The refreezing process seemed to be quite satisfactory since the thawed shrimp tails could be packaged compactly in the cartons. The refrozen shrimp were actually slightly superior in quality to the plain brine-frozen shrimp because of this fact. There was no evidence that refreezing the shrimp, in accordance with the process described above, caused any change in the normal texture of the shrimp. Refrozen shrimp (prepared from shrimp brine-frozen at sea) retained the fresh sea flavor to a greater extent than did the shrimp samples prepared from commercial- ly-caught and iced shrimp. The appearance of the refrozen shrimp in the package was far superior to the commercial shrimp because of the complete absence of black-spot discoloration in shrimp frozen at sea. (Ketchikan) OK OK OK Ok NUTRITION: Chemical and Physical Properties of Fish and Shellfish Proteins: An examination was made of the samples of fast- and slow-frozen rockfish fillets after 12 weeks of storage at 0° F. The rockfish were filleted about 48 hours after they were caught. The fillets were cut into about 80-gram pieces, which were then packed December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVI“W 15 in half-pound cans and sealed at atmospheric pressure. The lot was divided into two groups. The first group was fast frozen by immersing the cans in an ethyl al- cohol-dry ice bath. The second group was slow frozen by placing the cans in an in- sulated box which was held at 0° F. (approximately 104 hours were required to hard freeze the pieces of fish). Both groups were stored at 0° F. The results of tests on drip are as follows: iy eS st Fast-Frozen Slow-Frozen Amount of drip (percent) seccccccccsceces 2.8 3.8 Skolaleles hol hess (WN) BoadodouGdNHOOLe 10.9 10.8 Nitrogen in drip (mg. ver gm. of Grip) .. 15.9 ee * * K K BYPRODUCTS: Vitamin Content and Nutritive Value of Fishery Byproducts: Vita- min Bjp assays were completed on 23 samples of menhaden meal and one of blue-crab meal. The vitamin Byo content of the samples of menhaden meal ranged from 0.064to 0.26 micrograms per gram of meal, as received. The average was 0.15. * * * * * ANALYSIS AND COMPOSITION: Composition and Cold-Storage Life of Fresh-wWater Fish: The proximate composition of 10 additional individual samples of bullhead (Ameiurus melas) was determined, These fish were caught in August 1952 in Lake Benton, Minn. The data are presented in the following table: Composition of Edible Portion of Bullhead Sample Fillet Proximate Composition of Edible Portion Number Length Weight | Yield Protein Centimeters Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 7 2000 24.4 80.9 16.6 TO 8 25.0 15.8 Slee 16.4 1.0 9 26.9 18.3 83.1 0.85 15.8 1.0 10 2029 16.7 81.4 0.87 16.6 dll ie 25.9 18.9 82.3 1.0 16.5 1.0 a 26.0 14.4 S268 12 Isyqat 1.0 13 27.0 20.0 81.5 BESS) 16.5 1.0 14 25.0 25.0 81.0 Ib 16.4 1.0 25.5 12.3 sii5 aly 16.5 aleal 26.9 18.6 Slo 0.94 15.8 1.0 * * KK * PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION: Tuna Survey--Technological Phase: Packing oper- ations of tuna canning plants on the West Coast were surveyed. The survey is being continued on the East Coast. Sample vacks of tuna in oil and in brine were prepared. A technologist from the Ketchikan Laboratory was detailed to Seattle to conduct spe- cial tests on texture of canned domestic and imported canned tuna. (Seattle) Tiel sews 16 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 ———— RENDS 3a DEVELOPMENTS Additions to the Fleet of U. S. Fishing Vessels First documents as fishing craft were received during September 1952 by 51 vessels of 5 net tons and over--2 less than in September 1951. Louisiana led with 12 vessels, followed by Florida west coast with 6 vessels, and Virginiawith 5 vessels. g - and Oct. 1952 9 Mos. Ending 10 Mos. Ending Section September | with September | October with October Tota 1951 ier! Ee Ee an ee eam eee Lee | Vessels Obtaining Their First Documents as Fishing Craft, Sep SB HGOOO AO OME nO Nl wl Ue wct Jul E 5000000000000000006 ew England ....... 2 1 aL iddle Atlantic ...| - ale 2 8 8 2 7 11 12 5 ity/ ala 5 3 9 2 3 5 2 82 64 4 lL 86 65 ae - = i EOE i eS 1 i een ee a a I a 70) NOTE: VESSELS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE VARIOUS SECTIONS ON THE BASIS OF THEIR HOME PORT. A total of 48 vessels of 5 net tons and over received their first documents as fishing craft during October 1952--5 more than in October 1951. Florida east coast led with 10 vessels, followed by Maryland with 7 vessels, and Texas and Florida west coast with 6 vessels each, the Bureau of Customs of the Treasury De- partment announced. e Federal Purchases of Fishery Products Purchases of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products by Department of the Army October and the First Ten Months, 1952 and 1951 Ve AS au ae Q January-October October January—October I en an (ei ee eas lbs. dbs. lbs. Ei $ $ 3 5260, 165]29,113,339|27,845,614 |1,500,691| 1,545, 701/13, 315, 720}11, 639, O81 ,009, 618 December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW lye of fresh and frozen fishery products for the military feeding of the U. S. Army, Navy, Marine Corp, and Air Force (see table). This was a decrease of 16.4 per- cent in quantity and 4.4 percent in value as compared with purchases in September, and decreases of 7.7 percent in quantity and3.0 percent in value from October 1951. Purchases during January-—October this year rose 4.5 percent in quantity and 14.4 percent- in value, compared with the corresponding period in 1951. The av- erage cost per pound for all fresh and frozen fishery products was 45.7 centsfor the first ten months this year and 41.8 cents for the same period last year. Gulf’s Dead Fish Situation Being Studied The great masses of dead fish reported blanketing the waters off the west coast of Florida are the result of a natural phenomenon which occurs periodical- ly in many parts of the world, the Director of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice explained in a mid-November news release. Weather and water conditions com- bine, the Director said, to support enormous numbers of minute organisms called dinoflagellates which are believed to be responsible for killing the fish. Answering the challenge of this plague, known in marine circles as the "Red Tide" because of an accompanying discoloration of the water, the Service is dis— patching its research vessel, the Alaska, from its base at Galveston, Texas, to survey the areas affected. Having anticipated the outbreak, all was in readiness before the infection struck. On board the vessel will be a staff of marine biolo- gists and chemists assembled by the Service's Branch of Fishery Biology. The Alaska is a 100-foot océanographic research craft equipped with a sea- going laboratory, devices for measuring the concentration of chemicals essential to the growth of these organisms, and instruments for recording temperatures and salinities. The equipment is capable of operations from the surface of the water to depths as great as three miles under the sea. The Service has been studying "Red Tide" intensively ever since outbreaks in 1946 and 1947 killed an estimated half-billion fish off the Gulf Coast. The Alas— ka expedition plans to collect samples of the organisms for chemical analysis a- board the vessel and for shipment to laboratories in New York, Galveston, and Beaufort (North Carolina) where they will be cultured. The Coast Guard is cooperating by flying scientists on a survey over the af- fected area. Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission THIRD ANNUAL MEETING: The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission held its third annual meeting, October 16-17 at Brownsville, Texas. Representatives from the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas attended the meeting; there was no representative from Mississippi. Also in attendance were representatives of the Federal Government. Reports were submitted on the various projects of in- terest to the Commission. 18 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Review of Activities: The Commission's Secretary-Treasurer gave this brief resume of activities in the Gulf area: All of the Gulf States are working toward the maintenance of oyster produc- tion at a high level through biological research and reef development. Texas is compiling valuable data on the speckled sea trout, red drum (red- fish), black drum, and flounder. Louisiana, in addition to its oyster program, 7 is expected to start investigations on a number of the finfishes of com= mercial and sports interest. Missis- Sippi has already undertaken a floun- der program and work will soon start on the life history of the speckled sea trout. A survey of the water bot- anes OSU a toms was undertaken last summer. Ala- ; bama is to start taxonomical work on z : = the finfishes in the near future and an oceanographic survey of Mobile Bay and Alabama's Mississippi Sound is in pros- pect. Florida has developed valuable data on the growth rates, spawning periods, sizes, and other information concerning the mullet in the area from Apalachee Bay west to the Alabama line. Technological work involving refrigerated holding and transport of shrimp is another Florida project. MEXICO. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Biological Laboratory at Pensacola is continuing its study of the genetics of the oyster and the enemies of the oyster. In the Gulf proper, one Branch of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is carrying on programs in exploratory fishing, gear development, freezing shrimpat sea, and a trash-fish study. Another Branchis covering the Gulf in a program of fishery biology with all its ramifications, even including the chemical constit- uency of the waters. An oceanographic survey of the Gulf is being made by the Texas A&M Depart- ment of Oceanography with the U. S. Navy sponsoring the programs. Work on the life history and habits of shrimp is indicated for the coming year. It is understood that data compiled over a period of years will soon be made available by the Fish and Wildlife Service and this information is expected to indicate what further investigations are necessary. Such work will undoubted- ly be a joint state and federal project. A program designed to bring about better conservation of the marine fisheries through educational procedure is an aim of the Commission. Due to the lack of sufficient information the program cannot become effective in the immediate fu- ture. Attention was given last year to the making of an oceanographic survey of the inshore waters of the Gulf. Such a program, suggested to be a joint state and federal project, has been acted upon favorably by the Commission and the Fish and Wildlife Service, and doubtless will be undertaken when funds and personnel become available. Working from a digest of the fishery laws of the several states, the Commis- sion's attorneys and biologists met at Pensacola in July of this year, and certain recommendations came out of the meeting which are being studied by the Commission. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 19 Recommendations and Resolutions: The recommendation of Commission scien- tists for a uniform closed season for the oyster fishery from May 15 through the end of September each year,as a means of increasing poundage production, wasdes— ignated a subject for further study. A resolution to proper state authorities was adopted requesting investigation of the oyster fishery to determine causes of general decline in production. The following resolutions were adopted by the Commission: ",... that the reporting of statistical data in regard to the salt water fisheries by its member states is of prime importance; and be it further "RESOLVED that the proper authorities of each of the compacted states be re- quested to furnish statistical information in regard to their marine fishery products on a minimum standard as prescribed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice and that the state officials be advised that the secretary of the Commission is being instructed to coordinate this work between the states and the Fish and Wildlife Service. "WHEREAS the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is concerned with the development and proper utilization of the fisheries of the Gulf Coast States; and "WHEREAS it appears likely that at some future time the Congress of the United States will give consideration to legislation relating to the diversion of funds for use in various categories of fisheries work, such as are presented in H. R. 6862—Kennedy (82nd. Congress); now therefore be it "RESOLVED that the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is opposed to such legislation as would make federal funds available for the purpose of purchasing surplus fishery products; and be it further "RESOLVED that this Commission favors legislation which would result in a direct and recurring allocation to the Department of the Interior of a portion of the monies derived from duties collected on imported fishery products provided such funds are used in the conduct of an educational program designed exclusively to gain a wider acceptance of products of the American fisheries and thus assist in the development of such fisheries, and for providing such complete and current statistical records as are considered necessary to the proper management of the fisheries; and further, that the Congressional Delegations of the states of Ala- bama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas be advisedof this action on the part of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission." The next regular meeting of the Commission will be held at or in the vicin- ity of Mobile, Alabama, on April 17, 1953. eg New Fish Meal Growth Factor Discovered What may prove to be a new vitamin has been discovered at the U. S. Depart— ment of Agriculture's poultry nutrition laboratory at the Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md., an August 11 news release from that agency reports. A concentrate prepared from fish solubles was found to contain a factor that pro- motes rapid growth in young growing chicks, even when fed all the known nutrients. 20 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 This new finding was announced on August 12 at the annual meeting of the Poultry Science Association at Storrs, Conn., by R. J. Lillie, Henry Menge, C. A. Denton, J. R. Sizemore, and H. R. Bird, poultry scientists of the Bureau of An- imal Industry. The new factor is found in fish solubles, fish meal, and meat meal. These appear to be the only important sources among commonly-used feedstuffs. These an- imal byproducts have been generally recommended for use in feeds for growing chickens even though, in recent years, it has been possible to supply all the known nutrients without them. Results of the Beltsville experiments justify the use of animal byproducts, but a search for other likely sources has revealed that the factor is made by certain microorganisms that might be suitable for commer- cial development. The effect of the new factor is more pronounced on the growth of males than on that of females and more pronounced on the growth of a fast-growing strain of chickens than on that of a slow-growing strain. On the basis of this information the Beltsville workers devised a 4-week test to measure quantities of the unknown factor in feeds, using New Hampshire males of a fast-growing strain. Although the effort of the unknown factor can be observed in 4-week-cld chickens, it is still greater in 10-week-cld birds. The practical importance of this research is indicated by the average weights of two lots of 10—week-cld New Hamsphire male chickens. The group fed a diet con- posed of corn, soybean meal, and alfalfa meal, plus the known vitamins and miner- als and an antibiotic, averaged 3.0 pounds. The group fed the same diet plus 5- percent fish meal averaged 3.4 pounds. Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations "HUGH M. SMITH" OBSERVES SKIPJACK SCHOOLS (CRUISE NO. 17): Hydrographic con- ditions prevailing near the end of the local skipjack fishery season in the vicin- ity of the Hawaiian Islands were studied by the Service's Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations (POFI) research vessel Hugh M. Smith on a cruise completed in Sep— tember. A network of stations surrounding the main islands was visited and both plankton as well as hydrographic material was collected. Systematic observations of skipjack schools revealed a paucity of fish when compared with last year. %m- phasis to the studies was added when the local skipjack fishery proved to be very poor this year as contrasted with an excellent season last year. Considerable ef- fort was applied towards activating the skipjack study program in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands. soe He He Ht HAWAII (CRUISE NO. 18): Results of experimental fishing by the Hugh M. Smith cor- roborated earlier indications that the band of rich tuna resources along the e- quator extend continuously far to the east of Hawaii's longitude, perhaps all the way to the American coast. However, the tuna were only one-fourth as plentifulon these easterly grounds as they are in waters directly south of Hawaii. After a 47-day cruise, this research vessel of the Service's Pacific Oceanic fishery in- vestigations returned to Honolulu on November 22. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 21 Experimental long-line fishing and hydrographic work were carried out 2,000 miles southeast of Hawaii along two sections crossing the equator at 120° and 130° W. longitude with the object of determining the abundance of tuna in that area at this season of the year. Plankton samples, water temperatures, and chemical a- nalysesof the sea water were used to study factors believed to be related to the presence of tuna. Fifteen long-line fishing stations along 120° W. between 10° N. latitude and 10° S. latitude indicated a low abundance of deep-swimming tuna (average tuna catch was 2.11 fish per hundred hooks). The distribution of the catches along the line did not form any pattern that could be related to variations in the environment. Theresults of the 11 stations on 130° W. between 5° S. and 9° N. were essentially the same as along 120° W. (average tuna catch was 1.95 fish per hundred hooks). Surface temperatures along both lines were in the low eighties in the coun- tercurrent. On the equator, surface temperatures of around 73° F. were encoun- tered. This drop was not gradual, rather being accomplished by two zones of rapid temperature change on both lines. The more northern zone was located at about 5° N. and the second at about 2° N. The temperature change at each point was about 3° F. Along 120° the temperature change at 2° N. was very abrupt, being accomplished over 100 yards of sea surface. The change zone was charac- terized by a narrow band of confused seas extending E. and W. as far as the eye could see. This zone was re-examined about 20 hours after the first encounter and had moved about 20 odd miles south of its previous location. The cruise is important to fill out the knowledge regarding the limits and variability of the rich new tuna fishing grounds discovered last year by POFI research vessels about1,200 miles south of Hawaii. ce Sty Save ache aie "CAVALIERI" AND "JOHN R. MANNING" EXPLORE FOR TUNA: The Cavalieri returned from a commercial venture to the equatorial Pacific in September. An estimated total of 47 tons of tuna and 4 tons of marlin and shark were landed by the vessel. While the Cavalieri catch was not as great as expected, it did return with a ca- pacity load. The vessel's brine wells were full and one dry box also was utilized for brine preservation of tuna. The other dry box carried the 4 tons of shark and marlin sold on the Honolulu market. Fishing was carried on for 31 days, but dur- ing the first 8 days was according to a preconceived plan to provide biological data and was not always in the most advantageous location. The daily catch during the 23 days of commercial fishing varied from a low of about one ton to a high of over 3 tons. Abundant fish were located the last four days, during which time10.1 tuna per 100 hooks per day were captured. Fishing at this rate would have loaded the boat in 18 days, but hold capacity, fuel, fresh water, and food prevented the Cavalieri from remaining longer on the fishing grounds and taking greater advan-— tage of the abundant tuna. John R. Manning: This research vessel returned to Honolulu late in September. Fishing a ee 140° and 150° W. longitude, yellowfin catches were only moderately good. Special studies of comparing night and day catches as well as listing the time of day when the fish were caught occupied a portion of the cruise period. From the standpoint of contributing to the basic knowledge of the adundance and distribution of yellowfin tuna, the almost simultaneous cruises of the John R. Manning and the Cavalieri were most successful. KH HE 22 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 in the central Hawaiian area was carried out by the Charles H. Gilbert. This vesselof the Service's Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations was accompanied by a U.S. Navy Flying Boat onthis cruise, whicn was completed November 14. The prosecution of many of the ob-— jectives was severely limited by trade winds of fresh gale force, the apparent seasonal scarcity of fish, and vessel-design shortcomings. However, bait- catching and holding operations were quite successful on the cruise. SKIPUJACK TUNA Electro-narcosis tests on small bonefish, barracuda, puffer, and half-beaks indicated a wide range of variation between species, sizes, and individuals. The aerial survey results suggested the feasibility of surveys by plane but under bet— ter weather conditions than encountered by the Charles H. Gilbert on this cruise. HHH UK FREEZING TECHNIQUE FOR PRESERVING PHOSPHATE SAMPLES TESTED BY "CHARLES H. Gilbert. Some samples were frozen for analysis to test the validity of a freez- ing technique for preservation of phosphate. Other samples collected were to be used to determine the rate of change of phosphate concentration over a period of a few hours after sampling. Initial analysis for phosphate was made immediately after samples were collected. Samples in plastic bags were simultaneously placed in an alcohol bath for freezing. The vessel returned to port on November 20. oe Metal Cans - Shipments for Fishery Products, September 1952 Total shipments of metal cans for fish and sea food for September this year amounted to 11,295 short tons of steel (based on the amount of steel consumed in the manufacture of cans), an increase of 12 percent when compared with the corresponding month in 1951. This is based on a November 24 report issued by the Bureau of the Census. For the first nine months of this year, metal-can shipments for fishery products totaled 85,582 short tons of steel as compared with 78,971 short tons of steel during January-September 1951. 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. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 23 Wholesale and Retail Prices WHOLESALE PRICES, OCTOBER 1952: Prices for edible fishery products during October were lower than the previous month and for the same month of 1951. Al- though production was at about the same level as in September, a decline in de- mand was responsible for the lower prices. The edible fish and shellfish (fresh, frozen, and canned) wholesale index for October was 101.6 percent of the 1947-49 average (see table 1)--6.0 percent lower than in September and 2.6 percent below October 1951, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor reports. Table 1 - Wholesule Average Prices and Revised Indexes For Edible Fish and Shellfish, October 1952, with Comparative Data Point of Average Prices Indexes Pricing Unit. (s) 1947-49 = 100 1 eeBacrisnt 99.8 104.3 102.2 109.0 101.8 [114.3 | Group, Subgroup, and Item Specification FISH AND SHELLFISH Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products: .sssesscccore Drawn, Dressed, or whole Finfish: ..0..e.... Haddock, large, offshore, drawn, fresh .... Halibut, Western 20/80 lbs., dressed, fresh or frozen ..... Salron, king, lge. & dressed, fresh Or FFOZEN sessccssssese Score cece rscceseee . Whitefish, mostly Lake Superior, drawn (dressed), fresh ....ece. eeccccccccveccces [Chicago Whitefish, mostly Lake Erie pound or ¢ill net, round, fresh ..... aialelevisiccisiele ecccccce Lake trout, domestic mostly No. 1 drawn (dressed), fresh ..... occ cccccccccccccesee [chicago Yellow pike, mostly Michigan (Lakes Michigan & Huron), round, fresh ........e. |NewYork City Processed, Fresh (Fish and Shellfish): s.esccccceccecens Fillets, haddock, small, skins on, 20-1b, tins |Boston Shrimp, lge. (26-30)count), headless, fresh or frozen ..... ee cece ecccccccccecccccccces (NeW YOrk City 94.9 88.5 77.9 Oysters, chucked, standards ...... 2+» [Norfolk area [ga 123.7 123.7 123.7 Processed, Frozen (Fish and Shellfish): .............. is visleistaielsfaisialvisiyieicielsiers eecccccce . 103.6 107.6 Fillets: Flounder (yellowtail), skinless, 10-1b. package ....seeseeceesese [BOStON Haddock, small 10-1b. cello-pack J Ocean perch (rosefish), 10=1b. Cello-pack o...ee.esseeeseeesees [Gloucester Shrimp, lge. (26-30 count), 5-1b. package .. {Chicago Canned Fishery Products: ....ccsssecccccccece oe eeceesccccesecess Salmon, pink, No. 1 tall (16 oz.), 48 cans PET CASO eocceeesssccccccccececceesssees +-- [Seattle Tuna, light meat, solid pack, No. 4 tuna (7 oz.), 48 cans per case ..ccccccccccccce - [Los Angeles Sardines (pilchards), California, tomato pack No. 1 oval (15 oz.); 48 cans per case |" w Sardines, Maine, keyless oil, No. } drawn oz.), 100 cans per case ........... [New York Cit, MONDAY OR TUESDAY, IF AVAILABLE) DURING WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 13. 1/ REPRESENT AVERAGE PRICES FOR ONE DAY From September to October the products included in the drawn, dressed, or whole finfish subgroup showed some marked price differences. The ex-vessel price for large offshore haddock in October was slightly higher than a month earlier in spite of the heavier production reported at Boston. Salmon prices at New York City weakened considerably during the period and were substantially lower than in October 1951. The large drop in halibut prices at New York City was caused by fluctuations in fresh halibut--some very small shipments of fresh West Coast hali- but, which was in good demand, caused prices to rise considerably from August to September and then drop somewhat from September to October. However, prices for frozen West Coast halibut in October remained fairly steady with only some slight fluctuations, Whitefish prices at New York City and Chicago and yellow pike prices at New York City during October declined from the very high September levels when the Hebraic holidays caused prices to rise abnormally. Because the more desirable sizes of lake trout were available at Chicago in October, prices for this variety were above those quoted in September. Drawn, dressed, or whole finfish prices as a group in October were 13.5 percent below the previous month and 2.2 percent lower than in October 1951, Processed fresh fish and shellfish prices in October were 3.7 percent lower than in September and 2.3 percent above October 1951, The general decrease in 2h COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 demand adversely affected haddock fillets and shrimp. However, compared with October 1951, shrimp prices at New York were 14.6 percent higher, but prices for fresh haddock fillets at Boston were 24 percent lower, Shucked oyster prices have remained steady for the past 12 months. October prices for frozen processed fish and shellfish products were slight- ly weaker. Shrimp prices at Chicago during the month dropped 7.7 percent below September, but were still 12.4 percent higher than in October 1951, Frozen fil- lets of flounder, haddock, and ocean perch in October 1952 all sold substantially below the same month a year earlier. All items in the canned fishery products subgroup held steady at September prices with the exception of Maine sardines which increased 11.7 percent from September to October. Although the pack of Maine sardines this season was sub- stantially higher than in 1951, it did not meet expectations nor the 1950 pack. Compared with October 1951, prices for Maine sardines were 16.8 percent lower and pink salmon 14.3 percent less. On the other hand, prices were higher for canned tuna by 13.7 percent and for California sardines by 38.8 percent. This season's sardine fishery in California seems a complete failure and not even a fair pack is expected. RETAIL PRICES, OCTOBER 1952: Retail prices of all foods purchased by moder- ate-income urban families dropped (0.3 percent) from September 15 to October 15, but were higher (1.4 percent) than during the same period a year ago. This was the second straight month that these prices declined and is contrary to the trend of the past few years when prices rose at this time of year. Prices of all fin- fish (fresh, frozen, and canned) also declined (0.4 percent) from the previous month and were lower (4.3 percent) than a year earlier. Table 2 - Adjusted Retail Price Indexes for Foods and Finfish, October 15, 1952, with Comparative Data WIN ROCKS soocodccoodce (MERE) S IOO All finfish (fresh, frozen, and canned) .. do. Fresh and frozen MAMAS ooogocac0dg0ee Canned salmon: pink .. Retail prices for fresh and frozen finfish from September 15 to October 15 increased 0,2 percent, a normal increase for this time of year, but were 0.& per- cent lower than in mid-October 1951, Canned pink salmon prices continued downward and were 1,5 percent lower than in mid-September and 10.6 percent below mid—Octo- ber 1951. The canned pink salmon prices have declined continuously each month. since June 1951. able 3 - Average Retail Prices and Price Ranges of Individual Finfish Products, October 15, 1952 UNE EED aS RA EES: Range of Prices Product Unit Oct. 15, 1952 |Oct. 15, 1952|Sept. 15, 1952 Frozen Finfish Fillets: Ocean perch’ .......... 1b. 29-69 45.7 4506 Haddock2/ ...cscccecsece ib. 29-75 50.7 50.4 anned Finfish: 16-0z. can 39-89 PRICED IN 46 CITIES OUT OF 56. B/PRICED IN 47 CITIES OUT OF 56. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 25 Frozen ocean perch fillets retailed at an average of 45.7 cents and frozen haddock fillets at an average of 50.7 cents per pound in mid-October this year. During the same period a year earlier, retail prices for frozen ocean perch fil- lets averaged 46.1 cents and frozen haddock fillets averaged 50.5 cents per pound. In mid-October canned pink salmon retailed at an average of 54.1 cents per 16-02. can, compared with 62.9 cents per can in mid-October a year ago. @ Sm, o e United States & Alaska 1952 Fisheries Production Below 1951 CATCH: The estimated catch of fish and shellfish in the United States and Alaska during 1952 declined slightly in both quantity and value from that of 1951. The 1952 catch was estimated at 4.3 billion pounds, with an ex-vessel value of $335 million. This was approximately 100 million pounds and $10 million less than the previous year. The decline in catch was due to smaller landings of California pilchard, Alaska herring, salmon, and ocean perch. Pilchard production was the lowest it has been since it first became a major fishery. The decreases in these four im- portant fisheries during 1952 were only partially offset by increased landings of menhaden and Maine herring. The 1952 menhaden catch of 1.3 billion pounds estab- lished a new production record for this fishery. CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS: The 1952 pack of canned fishery products was ex- pected to be slightly less than the previous year's 800 million pounds, Smaller packs of canned California sardines and salmon were almost offset by larger packs of Maine sardines, Pacific mackerel, and jack mackerel, and record packs of tuna and anchovies. Because the domestic catch of tuna in 1952 was about the same as in 1951 and considerably less than in 1950, the record pack of tuna was attributed to increased imports of frozen tuna for canning. Boo WHALE MEAT FOR BABIES Doctors at the University of Rochester announced that whale meat may become a nursery food for certain allergic babies, according to a Chicago press report. The University reports that processed whale meat appears to be a"milk" food that may be used for infants who are allergic to all other subdstitutes for mothers' milk. 26 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 - FOREIGN International CONFERENCE ON EUROPEAN FISHERIES COOPERATION Problems concerning the European fisheries were to be discussed at a pri- vate conference scheduled to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, in October, reports the September 1952 World Fish Trade, a fishery periodical. Actual difficulties experienced by the European fisheries are further- ing the idea of a European Union for cooperation as faras possible, accord- ing to reports. Although the interests POPULATION - 306,000, 000 of all parties concerned do not abso=- lutely coincide and many obstacles will still have to be overcome, there are many avenues of possible cooperation, according to the announcement of the meeting. WESTERN EUROPE Fish and herring advertising in 1952/53 for thedifferent countries in Europe was scheduled for discussion at the conference. Also, the question of freezing and cold-storage facilities was to receive special attention with the object of furthering the construc- tion of these facilities, as well as refrigerated transportation and ves-— sels. The advertising programwas to be the main subject of the conference with a view to increasing the consumption of fishery products. It is estimated that if an advertising plan for one year could be agreed upon and backed by the various countries concerned, new markets for fishery products would be developed. It is pointed out that as long as the various countries are occupied in only com- peting against each other, refusing any form of cooperation, the result will be overproduction and low prices. Invitations to the conference were to go to some of the leading men from the countries interested in this first conference. After all the details have been agreed upon, it was planned to work through the European Council in Strasbourgas the central authority. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 27 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION COUNCIL MEETS: One of the high points of the recent session of the Food and Agriculture Council that met from June 9-14, 1952, was a statement from United States Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan and President Truman on the urgent need for immediate action by member countries of FAO to increase food and agricultural production. The statement was made by Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Knox T. Hutchinson, who headed the United States Delegation to the Council Session. The delegates of the 18 countries who are members of the Council were reminded of the pledge made by the 67 members of FAO at the last Conference in December 1951. They pledged to do all that they can to achieve the world objective of increasing food production at a rate of 1 to 2 percent greater than the rate of population increase. Emergency Food Reserve Discussed: The U.S. statement on the need for im- mediate action to increase food production provided a good setting for the dis- cussion of the proposal for setting up an emergency food reserve to be made available to member countries threatened or affected by serious food shortage or famine. This proposal, which was put forward by the rep- resentative of India at last fall's FAO Conference, was first discussed in FAO's Committee on Commodity Problems, which met before the Council. In both dis- cussions the majority of the representatives felt that the many complex questions and thorny problems which the proposal raises should be thoroughly examined be- fore any decisions could be made. Therefore, the Coun- cil agreed that a Working Party of five experts should be appointed; two from countries that are primarily exporters of agricultural commodities, two from countries that are primarily importers, and one from a country whose export and import interests are about equal. The selection of the countries is to be made by the Director-General. The Working Party is to con- sider the many questions and problems raised in the paper presented to the Coun- cil by the FAO staff and in the discussions of the Council and the Committee on Commodity Problems, and report to the next session of the Council. Technical Assistance Program: Sir Herbert Broadley, Deputy Director-General of FAO, gave a report on FAO's technical assistance work and the animating spirit that it has given the organization, as well as some of the problems it has brought upe Described were the arrangements for coordination of UN technical assistance programs through the Technical Assistance Board, and for coordination of FAO's programs with U.S. technical assistance. The financing of FAO's program wasdis— cussed. The total expenditure and obligations during 1952 was estimated at near- ly US$8,000,000, almost four times the expenditure and commitments for technical assistance in 1951. Sir Herbert said:..."whatever we spend we must sooner or later meet the to- tal commitments into which we have entered (from the beginning of the program to the end of 1952) of US$17,000,000.... Some ofthat liabilitywill not arise for settlement until 1953, but in that year new requests will have still further in- creased our total liabilities, far outstripping our additional resources in 1953 if contributions to the Technical Assistance Fund are maintained at the present level and we continue to receive only our present share." FAO's share of the UN 28 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Technical Assistance Fund in the first period, ending December 31, 1951, was US$4,500,000. "Our automatic allocation in 1952 was US#2,900,000 (29 percent of the first US$10,000,000 of the US#19,000,000 contributed by all countries for 1952). To this," Sir Herbert went on, "we have already received an additional US#1,333,000. We may receive some further allocation (from the Technical Assist- ance Board). However, we cannot expect to receive during the whole of 1952 much more than US$4,500,000, which, together with the amount to which we were entitled in 1951, gives us total resources for the first twoyears of US#9,000,000. The point has now been reached," Sir Herbert continued, "that if we cannot assume that the technical assistance program is a continuing and developing program, and that the contributing countries will maintain and increase their contribu- tions over a longperiod, we shall soon be faced with the problem of having to refuse further requests from Member countries. This would be disastrous, bearing in mind the long-term objectives of the program." "The number of experts actually in the field or on their way to the field now exceeds 200. A further 91 are in process of being recruited, briefed, and generally prepared fortheir assignments. There are in addition, 201 vacancies (un- der agreements actually signed) for which we are now scouring the world for suit- able technicians," said Sir Herbert. "The experts we are sending overseas are drawn from 41 different countries...we can draw upon the whole world for our ex= perts. The number of fellowships provided in agreements signed, about to be sign- ed, or likely to be signed on the basis of firm requests, is now 482. Of these, 134 have already been awarded, and the selected candidates are now studying in no less than 27 different countries." World Food and Agriculture Situation: The FAO staff presented a competent report on the world food and agriculture situation. It showed that production of food and agricultural products had increased by about 2 percent in 1951/52 over the previous year. Production last year was therefore 10 percent greater than it was just before the last war. Fish production continued to increase. ele Argentine Republic NEW LABELING REQUIREMENTS FOR DRIED OR SALTED FISH ANNOUNCED: All dried or salted fish imported into Argentina must be supplied with marks or stamps clearly showing the Spanish name of the species, the country of origin, and the name of the Argentine importer or distributor. These new labeling requirements were es- tablished by an Argentine Government Decree published May 6, 1952. The same imformation must be shown on the package when this fish is sold in retail packages or boxes not exceeding 5 kg. (11 pounds), reports the September 1952 World Fish Trade. KHHK HE WHALE- AND FISH-OIL PRODUCTION, 1951/52: The total production of whale oil in Argentina during the 1951/52 season amounted to 6,790 metric tons, almost equal to the amount produced the previous season, reports the September 1952 World Fish Trade. This production has not yet been sold but the major part is expected - tome find a market in Germany. The total production of spermaceti oil amounted to 785 metric tons in 1951/52. Only one Argentine company from South Georgia partici- pated in whalingthis season; and it lost one of its seven vessels. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 29 Only 13 metric tons of shark-liver oil were produced in 1951 as compared with an average annual production of about 200 metric tons in previous years. Approximately 1,219 metric tons of fish oil were produced in 1951/52 as com- pared with about 1,000metric tons in 1950/51. This oil is taken mostly from the sabalo, a fresh-water fish, and the increased catch of this species has made it necessaryfor the au- thorities to limit this fisheryduring the com ing three years. Therefore, the production can- not be expected to exceed 1,100 metric tonsin & the 1952/53 season. Considerable stocks are is SM 9 4 available for export; 1951 total exports amounted to 485 metric tons. Approximately 2,400 metric tons of seal oil were produced in 1951/52 as a- gainst 2,000 metric tons the previous season. SSS Australia MODIFICATION OF DANISH SEINE FISHING: When Danish seine-net fishing was introduced in Australia about 1923, much difficulty was experienced in handling the gear due principally to the strong current and depth of the water fished, CURR ENT AUSTRALIAN MODIFICATION AND USE OF DANISH SEINE. reports the September 1952 Australian Fisheries Newsletter. The Danish seine employs a large bag net which is hauled along the bottom by one boat to an an- chored or drifting buoy. After much experimenting with the Danish seine, it was discovered about 1931 that the anchored buoy to which the initial end of the seine rope is attached had 30 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 to be discarded and a floating buoy substituted. By setting the gear against and hauling with the current, a greater area of ground is fished by the net and more fish are taken. This method of handling the gear had another advantage-- the vessel requires no steering and holds its position in relation to the direc- tion of tow (see figure). ; Seine-net boats in Australia by common consent turn to port when shooting their gear. This prevents confusion when a number of boats are working in close proximity, as each knows what the other is doing and takes suitable action to prevent fouling gear. The following brief notes detail the operation of a Dan- ish seine in Australia. The ropes are coiled, half on each side of the vessel, starboard ropes for- ward and port ropes aft on their respective sides. The net is placed on the stern and laid down so as to run out clear. The cod end is laid some distance forward on the starboard side. A spreader, with bridle and swivel, is attached to each end of the net. To the port swivel is shackled the forward end of the port rope, and to the starboard swivel the after end of the starboard rope. To the upper end of the port rope is attached the dan buoy and flagpole. When all this has been done and the cod end tied, the net is ready to shoot. After deciding the ground to be fished, either from compass bearings, trans- it mark ashore, or in thick weather the distance run from a given point, the vessel is turned so as to have the wind 4 points on the port bow, and flagpole and dan buoy are passed over. The vessel is kept at full speed. If 14 coils of rope are beingused, the course is altered 8 points to port until 4 coils have run out. The flag buoy is kept abeam. Half a coil from the net, the engine is operated at slow speed. When the net is out and clear away, the engine is oper- ated at full speed again, still keeping the buoy abeam for 3 coils when course must be again altered 8 points to port until flag and buoy will be right ahead. This can be done in fog or rain if the compass is used correctly. After picking up the buoy, both ropes are taken to the winch and heaved a- way at about 60 feet per minute, the main engine turning just fast enough to move the vessel very slowly ahead. When about 3 coils have been hauled, the winch is operated at full speed. Care must be taken to have the ropes level at all times or no fish willbe caught. Brazil MORE SWEDISH VESSELS TO FISH FOR BRAZIL: Sometime in mid-October, three where they will fish under a one-year contract with the Brazilian Government, according to an article in the October 13 issue of Goteborgs Handels-och Sjofart— stidning and as reported by an American consular dispatch. These vessels trace’ Carla, and Oberon) are from the port of Hono, Sweden, and are not the first Swed- ish vessels to fish under contract out of Brazil. Some Swedish,vessels are now successfully fishing out of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Reported depleted inshore fishing areas in the North Sea is one of the factors that prompted these Swedish fishermen to go to Brazil. Some of the fishermen are bringing their families to South America during their stay in Brazil. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 31 A fishermen who returned to Sweden from Brazil reports that fish off Brazil are quite small, as a rule weighing from 1 to 43 pounds each. Although quite different from those caught in the North Sea, they are considered "very tasty." A few mackerel and hake were also caught. Trawling is the method used to catch the fish, and the bottom is generally quite good, but there are the usual losses of gear nevertheless. Canada EASTERN ARCTIC FISHERIES RESEARCH: A scientific field party, sponsored by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada, left Moncton, N.B., late in June for Frobisher Bay on the southeast tip of Baffin Island, reports the June 1952Trade News of the Canadian Department of Fisheries. This group will continue the Board's investigations into the fishery resources of the Eastern Arctic, first begun in 1948 and carried out each summer since. These studies and investiga- tions are designed to bring about a greater knowledge of the physical and bio- logical oceanography of the Eastern Arctic as well as the marine resources which may be developed by the Eskimos. This year studies will be made in Frobisher Bay and along the east coast of Baffin Island to Cumberland Sound, as far north as Pangnirtung. The information obtained from these yearly visits to Canada's little-known northeastern Arctic areas constitutes one of the most important phases of the Eoards's Arctic investigations. Stud- ies this year will include physical and chemical oceanography, experimental fishing, the collection of plankton, benthos and littoral fauna for both taxonomic and bionomic purposes, and work on sea mammals where possible. Flankton are the minute organisms drifting on or near the surface of the water; benthos are the minute plants and animals living at or near the bot- tom; and littoral fauna belong to the shorelines. The research vessel Calanus in 1951 operated from Ungava Bay to Fro- bisher Bay on the southeast end of Baffin Island, and most of last sam- mer's work was done in Frobisher Bay. During late June and early July a cruise was made to George River and Adlorilik Fjord, on the east side of Ungava Bay, to complete work begun there in 1950. Before the move was made to Frobisher Bay, an oceanographic "Section" of four stations was made between George River and Akpatok, to fill a gap in the oceanographic work of former seasons. 32 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 At the completion of the 195linvestigations, the research ketch was beached at Frobisher Bay. From this work it was indicated that the probability of use- ful fish existing in Frobisher Bay (other than the arctic char in the rivers) was quite small, although cod exists in numbers in Ojac Lake at the head of Ney Chan- nel. Fishing operations in September 1952 were scheduled to make certain of the actual size of the populations. Investigations, particularly with respect to At- lantic cod and shrimp, are to be carried out also at Resolution Island. The studies last year made clear that at present there is little need for any marine fishery in the region, even were such a fishery possible. The stock of sea mammals is ample for native use because seals and walrus are being hunted very little in summer at present, partly because of the great scarcity of native-owned boats, and partly because the native population has quickly acquired the habit of staying at the airbase and taking whatever employment is available. During August 1951, when the Calanus crisscrossed the waters of Frobisher Bay and enter- ed numerous small inlets and harbors, not a single native boat, kayak, or Eskimo was seen except at the base itself. Chile FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT PLANNED: A permanent commission was created in Chile to guide and coordinate the various official and semiofficial fisheries institu- tions in the country, and to make suggestions for increasing the production of fish, spiny lobster (crawfish), and other related products, fresh as well as pre- served, and to improve and facilitate the distribution of these products. This commission was created by a decree dated April 14, 1952, issued by the Chilean Ministry of Commerce. It is reported that the Chilean Government plans to purchase in Norway a fishing vessel with echo-sounding equipment. Also, a number of fishing associations are to be formed along the Chilean coast in an attempt to solve the problem caused by a meat shortage by encouraging the consumption of sea foods, according to the September 1952 World Fish Trade. “ly Denmark EXPANSION OF FISHERY PRODUCTS EXFORTS TO U.S. BELIEVED FOSSIBLE: Exports of terially increased, according to the Danish Minister of Fisheries in a press in- terview on his return to Copenhagen from a short visit to the United States. The visit was made to explore the possibilities for increasing Danish sales of fish- ery products in the United States market, reports an October 29 dispatch from the American Embassy in Copenhagen. However, it was emphasized that exports must be organized in such a manner as to insure regular deliveries, and packing methods must be standardized and a- dapted to United States tastes and requirements. The Minister further stated that he would recommend the appropriation of Government funds for the assignment of a Fisheries Attache to the United States, and that he would discuss the planning of suitable export promotion activities December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 33 with Danish representatives of the fishing industry and trade as soon as he has completed preparation of a report on the results of his study. Official Danish trade statistics reveal a steady and material increase in Danish exports of fishery products to the United States in recent years. Frozen trout and fish fillets and canned fish exports to the United States the first eight months of 1952 amounted to 9,700,000 kroner (US$#1,401,700) as compared to 4,700,000 kroner (US$679, 200) for the same period in 1951. Detailed statistics by type of products are available only on an annual basis (see table). However, preliminary data for the first six months this year indicate that frozen cod fillets represented the largest individual item followed by frozen brook trout, canned fish (principally brisling sardines), and frozen plaice fillets. Value of Danish Fishery Products Exports to U.S., 1949-51 rozen Fish: US$ Kroner US$ Kroner Brook trout .... | 3,600,000. 2,700,000 5 1,400,000 Cod fillets ....| 400,000 700,000 ; 500,000 Plaice fillets . | 3,900,000 700,000 ’ 600,000 Other fish 900,000 | 130,100] 800,000 ; 1,00, 000 1,800,000 | 260,100] 400,000 ; 300,000 3, 200, 000 NOTE: VALUES CONVERTED ON THE BASIS OF 1 KRONER EQUAiS 14.45 U.S. CENTS. Dominican Republic TERRITORIAL WATERS ESTABLISHED BY NEW LAW: The delimitation of the territor- ial waters of the Dominican Republic are contained in Law No. 3342, dated Julyl13, 1952. This new law was published in the Gaceta Oficial No. 7447, dated July 19, 1952, the American Embassy at Ciudad Trujillo announced. The law establishes the territorial waters of the Republic as a zone of three nautical miles from a line halfway between low tide and high tide, with special exceptions outlined in the law. These exceptions are concerned mostly with the straits and waters embraced by certain capes and islands belonging to the Repub- lic, and historical bays, such as Samana, Ocoa, and Nieba over which the state claims full sovereignty without regard to distance from shore. With respect to the Bay of Manzanillo, which borders both the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the President asserted in his message to the Senate proposing the legislation that, in the absence of a treaty with Haiti on the subject, the rule of international law and equity would continue to be observed as it has up to this time. Article 4 of the law establishes a supplementary contiguous zone to a dis- tance of 12 nautical miles. Within this contiguous zone, the Dominican Republic declares that it exercises jurisdiction and the necessary control to prevent in- fractions of the sanitary, fiscal, and customs laws of the Republic and for the protection and conservation of fish and other marine species. Article 5 reserves the right to exploit such natural resources and wealth as may be found on the floor of the ocean or subsoil resources in the contiguous zone and to erect any buildings or other installations necessary to such exploitation. 3h COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Article 8 anticipates any possible change in international law and usage by declaring that the territorial jurisdiction indicated represents the minimum aspirations of the Republic and does not represent an unalterable position with respect to any "progressive" tendencies of international law which might materi- alize in this regard. This new legislation appears to be merely the codifying and giving legal effect to what has always been the Dominican Republic's practice with regard to jurisdiction over neighboring waters in order to conform to the practice of other nations and international law. 39, Ecuador FISHING BY FOREIGN FLAG VESSELS ASSOCIATED WITH NATIONAL COMPANIES: The Ecuadoran Government ordered the suspension beginning November 10 of fishing op-— erations of all national companies, including American flag vessels associated with these companies, reports the American Embassy at Quito. The Ecuadoran Ministry of Economy reported that the suspension did not ap- ply to United States vessels fishing in the Galapagos area with valid permits. The suspension which applied to foreign flag vessels associated with nation= al companies was lifted November 15, enabling these vessels to leave or resume fishing. New fishing regulations are being prepared by the Ministry of Economy. These apparently will apply largely to operations in continental coastal waters of for- eign flag vessels associated with Ecuadoran national fishing companies. The ten- tative draft of the new regulations includes specific requirements to be met in such operations and prohibits purse seining within 10 miles of the Ecuadoran coast. Gee El Salvador FOREIGN BAIT-FISHING REGULATIONS PREDICTED: "The Government of the Republic has recommended to the Ministries of Economy, Defense and Finance the preparation of projects of law through which fishing undertaken by foreign ships in territor- ial waters, including the establishment of closed periods and the charging of taxes applicable to non-national ships, will be regulated as is the case in other American countries, notably, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru," states a news item in the October 23 issue of La Nacion, a newspaper published in San Salvador. "As soon as these projects of law are ready, the Executive Power will submit them to the consideration of the Honorable Legislative Assembly. "The preparation of such projects is due to the fact that for some time North American ships and ships of other nationalities have been fishing for an- chovetas in the Gulf of Fonseca in Salvadoran waters, which are subsequently used as bait for tuna fishing. These ships have been operating without control and without paying taxes of any type. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 35 "Upon deciding to regulate fishing in our territorial waters, the Government of the Republic does so with the intention of defending the economic and indus- trial interests of the country and protecting the fisheries resources of the Sal- vadoran maritime littoral." viB cay cap rs? tay POINT IV FISHERIES MISSION AGREEMENT EXTENSION REQUESTED: The El Salvador Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested an extension of one year for the Point IV Fisheries Mission Agreement between that country and the United States, an- nounced the American Embassy in San Salvador in an August 7 dispatch. A United States fisheries expert has been active in El Salvador since August 18, 1951, which was the effective date of the one-year agreement. After a number of delays encountered by the Salvadoran Government in acquiring the fishing boat and other equipment with which to conduct a fishing survey, fisheries investiga- tions began in March 1952, and have continued vigorously. Great interest has been aroused in the Ministries of Economics, Agriculture, and Labor, and also among several private-interest elements within the country, by the promising results tentatively indicated for establishment of a fish-pro- cessing and distribution industry in El Salvador. Press reactions and expres= sions of opinion among local people, both governmental officials and private indi- viduals, have been uniformly and increasingly favorable. Interest has also been expressed by a number of local businessmen in the establishment of a preserving and distribution system for fish products in the country. Further interest has been aroused by a system of distribution among charitable and penal institutions within the country of the catch obtained during the investigatory operations. An ample market appears to exist in El Salvador for fish products, which are urgently needed to supplement the customary low-protein diet of most lower-income groups. France INSPECTION PROCEDURES LIBERALIZED FOR CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS IMPORTS: The ee that the French Government has decided to make more flexible the procedure ini- tially provided for inspecting imports of canned fishery products. The notifica- tion states that: "The competent organizations will only have to commit themselves with respect to a certain number of essential points: (a) The wholesomeness of the manufactured products; (b) The absence from the manufactured products of any chemical sub- stance (such as coloring matter and preservative) other than ordinary salt; (c) The presence on the cans of the following data stated inFrench: (1) Country of manufacture. This information must be clearly stamped on each can containing the goods in sunken or raised Roman 36 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 letters at least four millimeters high, in the center ofthe cover or bottom and on a portion not bearing any printing. The same in- formation must be placed in adhesive lettering on the cases and crates used for shipments; (2) The names of the fish and other marine fauna accordingto the French nomenclature; (3) The capacity of the container in cubic centimeters or milliliters and the net weight of the contents in grams; (4) The name of the manufacturer or distributer. The certificate form will be prepared according to a simple formula and will be transmitted to the Department of State as soon asit is received by the Embassy. NOTE: SEE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, OCTOBER 1951 5 Po Gabo a= Iceland NEW NOTE SENT TO GREAT BRITAIN ON EXTENSION OF TERRITORIAL WATERS Recently Icelandic fishing trawlers have been prevented from landing their catches at Hull and Grimsby, England, by British trawler interests in retaliation for Iceland's recent claims to increased territorial waters, reports an October 21 dispatch from the American Fmbassy in London. A note, dated October 11, 1952, and delivered by the Icelandic Legation in London to the British Government, pleads for ces- sation of such retaliatory action. The matter has been referred to the British Cabinet for attention and Ministershave declined to answer questions in Parlia- ment on the subject for the time being. The retaliatory action by the British trawler interests was based on the con- tention that the extension of Iceland's territorial waters has curtailed British fishing operations off Iceland. full text of the note follows: llth October, 1952 Icelandic Legation, London. Sir, Acting under instructions from my Government I have the honour to submit to you the following: 2. Recently the Icelandic Government and Her Majesty's Government have exchanged Notes concern- ing the fisheries limits off the coasts of Iceland, the latest views of Her Majesty's Government being stated in their Note dated 18th. June, 1952. 3. In this Note there are indeed important |CELAND'S RUGGED COAST. The points on which the two Governments hold divergent opinions. 4. Thus the Icelandic Government considerthat the discussions in London between Minister Olafur Thors and representatives of Her Majesty's Govern- ment differ in substance and nature from their de- scription in the United Kingdom Note and that the United Kingdom authorities cannot justly complain that they had not been notified of the action tobe taken. 5. Further the Icelandic Government holds other views than those of Her Majesty's Government as regards the authority for the base line drawn across Faxabay. December 1952 6. Finally, the Icelandic Government entirely disagree with Her Majesty's Government's contention that the three mile limit is prescribed by Interna- tional Law and that it cannot be altered by unilat- eral action. 7. The Icelandic Government did not, however, consider it necessary to make these remarks the sub- stance of a special note, as they had already pre- viously explained their views-in this respect, which still remain unchanged, and as, moreover, the latest Note of Her Majesty's Government did not in itself really contain any additional views in this connec- tion, being a restatement of views already express- ed. In the circumstances it was to be expected that a further exchange of views, which would be published simultaneously, would only tend to in- crease the discontent on both sides, 8. The following conclusion of the United Kingdom Note did not either call for a separate reply: "...eeIn the circumstances Her Majesty's Government , while noting with satisfaction that the Icelandic Government intend to ap- ply the new territorial limits for fisheries purposes only, and while noting also that the restrictions in force do not discrimin- ate against fishing vessels of any partic- ular nation, feel obliged to place on rec- ord that they reserve the right to claim compensation from the Icelandic Government for any interference with British fishing vessels in waters which in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government are high seas." The two Governments hold indeed entirely dif- ferent opinions as to whether Her Majesty's Govern- ment can make any claim for compensation in this connection. The Icelandic Government, however, can clearly not have an objection to a reservation of this kind on the part of Her Majesty's Government, which is in conformity with a universally recog- nised principle. The Icelandic Government could still less raise any objection to the reservation as the very fact of making such a reservation seem— ed to imply the recognition of the principle that in case of a dispute it would be settled in a law- ful manner, as practised between individuals and nations respecting law and order, although the Ice- landic Government hoped that the United Kingdom would, on due consideration, agree to the Icelandic views so that no such dispute would arise. 9. Therefore the disappointment of the Ice- landic Government is the greater now when it appears to be a fact that British trawler owners intend to take the law into their own hands and impose their will to exclude Icelandic trawlers from United King- dom markets; the intention obviously being that the strong should bring pressure to bear upon the weak in order to force him to yield. 10. The fact is, that the trade between Ice- land and the United Kingdom is statistically much more favourable to the United Kingdom than to Ice- land. During recent year (1947 - July 1952) the United Kingdom imports from Iceland amounted to Kr. 602.699.000 whereas the Icelandic imports from the United Kingdom amounted to Kr. 959.490.000 during the same period. Nevertheless it would be of very little importance to the United Kingdom to lose their exports to Iceland, whereas the exports of COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 37 the small Icelandic nation to the United Kingdomare a considerable part of its entire export trade. If the Icelandic nation is deprived of its market pos- sibilities in the United Kingdom her economic sys- tem might very easily be paralyzed. ll. The adoption of such harsh measures would be understandable if the Icelandic nation had been shown to have proceeded illegally against the United Kingdom and refused to submit to a lawful procedure in the solution of the dispute. Any such contention would be entirely without foundation. All that the Icelandic people have done is to apply the rules of International Law, as they understand them in order to protect their interests. 12. It must therefore be considered an un- friendly act, if, without law and order, such harsh methods as the exclusion from markets are to be ap- plied for the purpose of forcing the Icelandic peo- ple from endeavoring to obtain what they consider to be their right. It is certain that although this would severely affect a considerable part of the population the entire Icelandic nation would be united in encountering such an action. 13. The Icelandic people find it understand- able that the fate of such a small nation may not be generally understood or appreciated in the United Kingdom. Experience, however, shows that Iceland can be of great importance to the United Kingdom; thus Iceland, i.a. after having been urged to do so by the United Kingdom, has joined an organization which is intended to secure mutual defence and pre- vent Iceland froin becoming again, owing to its lack of defence, a similar danger to the British people as considered by them in the Spring of 1940. It is unnecessary to recall in this connection other ex- amples of Anglo-Icelandic co-operation in interna- tional affairs which the Icelandic Government has always considered to be most cordial, and it is in- deed one of the main pillars of the foreign policy of Iceland to maintain and promote the friendly relations between the two countries. 14. It would be a severe blow to the belief of the Icelandic people in the good relations be- tween the democratic nations and in a better world with increasing co-operation between the free na- tions - and also to those who want to base the for- eign policy of Iceland on this belief - if the peo- ple of the United Kingdom, which in the mind of the Icelandic nation always have been the leading nation of democracy and liberty, should now resort to com- mercial oppression against the Icelandic people when they are defending the very basis of their survival. 15. The Icelandic people therefore find it very difficult to understand that the United King- dom should in fact react in such a way to Iceland's most vital interest, which is the conservation of the fishing grounds, The points in dispute are of insignificant importance to the United Kingdom as compared to Iceland, and although they may cause a temporary loss, the conservation of the Icelandic fishing grounds is bound to be beneficial to them in the future. 16. The prohibition against trawling in the disputed areas does not affect the Icelandic people less than the peoples of the United Kingdom and other countries. The same applies to prohibition against seine-netting which severely affects the fishermen of various districts of Iceland, where 38 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 other means of livelihood are limited. Neverthe- that the friendship of Her Majesty's Government will less, the people of Iceland are convinced that the prove strong enough to accept the points of view of present sacrifices will prove to be worth while be- | the Icelandic Government, and that they at least cause the fish stocks in Icelandic waters will in- will prevent the adoption of oppressive measures in crease in the future also in areas where Icelandic this matter of vital interest to the Icelandic peo- and foreign trawling is permitted. Other nations ple. as well as the Icelandic will directly benefit from the increased fish stocks off Iceland through great-— I have the honour to be, er catches later on, besides which experience has with the highest consideration, shown that in time of danger it may happen that the Sir, United Kingdom will not receive supplies from Your most obedient humble Servant, sources other than Iceland and indeed at such times in the past, the entire Icelandic catches, with the exception of domestic requirements, have been sent to the United Kingdom, sometimes at the gravest risk to the Icelandic fisherman. The Right Honourable Anthony Eden, M.C., M.P., 17. The Icelandic Government will therefore Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, as long as possible entertain the confident hope Foreign Office, Whitehall, S.W.1. NOTE: ALSO SEE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, SEPTEMBER 1952, PP. 34-5. HH KEK 1952 WHALING SEASON SUCCESSFUL: The Icelandic 1952 whaling season (May 25- September 16), yielded a total of 265 whales as compared with 339 in 1951, states an American consular dispatch. Although the catch was not as large this year as it was last year, the 1952 season was considered very successful. Because of unfavorable whale-oil prices, emphasis this year was placed upon whale meat for the domestic market and for export, particularly to England. Domestic consumption of whale meat has greatly increased, partly because of its low cost, and partly because of the scarcity of lamb on the domestic market. me India DEVELOPMENT OF FISHERIES RECOMMENDED: The scientific development of its fisheries can remedy to a large extent India's food shortage, according to a re- port by the Indian Government's agricultural marketing adviser. A large variety of edible fish is found in the country's seas, estuaries, and backwaters, and with proper development and scientific control, the fishing industry can make a substantial addition to the country's food resources. The report emphasizes the value of fish in balancing a diet which consists largely of rice and little else, states the October 18 issue of The Fishing News, published in London. Some of the difficulties confronting India's fishing industry are scattered fishing centers, and primitive methods of catching, preserving, transporting, and marketing. The proportion of sea fish consumed fresh is only about 32 percent, and the other 68 percent reaches the consumer as dried or salted. The report recommends the formation of multi-purpose cooperative societies (grouped round fish-curing yards) for disposal of the collective catches and to produce a better quality of preserved fish. In recent years, efforts made inthis direction by the Fisheries Departments in Bombay, Madras, and Orissa States have yielded encouraging results. Previous to 1947, the issue price of salt in government fish-curing yards was about half the cost of bazaar salt, and the fishermen had an incentive to do December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW By all the curing in the yards. Since then, when the salt duty was abolished, there has been very little difference between prices, with the result that a consider- able amount of curing takes place in the fishermen's own households or in pri - vate curing yards under most unhygienic conditions. To check this undesirable trend, the report suggests that the sale of salt at curing yards be subsidized. bl ial oa Jamaica FISHERIES PROGRAM: In 1950 and 1951, the government of Jamaica, through the Fisheries Division of the Forestry Department, continued its program which aims to produce more food from the Caribbean sea and from fish farms, states a Junel0O American corsular report from Kingston. Planes to Observe Bluefin Tuna Migrations: Airplanes operating between Jamaica and Cuba may be used in the near future to carry out observations of the migratory habits of a variety of fish, believed to exist at certain times of the year in the Caribbean around Jamaica, The bluefin tuna, an important game and food fish weighing up to 1,000 pounds, is known to be off the coast of the Bahamas in June each year and off Nova Scotia in August. A survey of bluefin tuna to add to what is known of the migratory belt of these fish was conducted on the north coast of Jamaica for 12 days late in 1951. The time of the bluefin's migration to Caribbean waters was not determined, but it was thought that by reason of the characteristics of equatorial currents and the presence in the Caribbean of the species of fishupon which the bluefin feeds, it might be found in the Caribbean in February and March. Fish Farming: As a result of experiments in fish farming, the potentialities of a new and useful industry to Jamaica were forseen in 1951. It was demonstrated that abundant fish can be produced in comparatively small ponds at low cost. Near Spanish Town 4 large and 2 small ponds teem with thousands of speckled grey Afri- can perch (Tilapia) and the orange-colored world-popular carp. This experiment, which costs only a little over £5,000 (US$13,900) a year,is to convince the island's farmers that they can produce fish at low cost in any part of the country and in compact space. The smaller ponds are only 1/16 of an acre in size and do not run to a maximum depth of more than four feet. Jamaica could not establish a fish canning industry dependent on sea fish a= lone (apart from the expense of catching the latter). However, with sufficient farmers producing varieties of fish in appreciable quantity, a large fish indus- try would be possible. Cattle farmers, particularly, were being urged to go in for fish farming as a complementary industry. The cattle provide excellent fertilizer for the ponds and increase tneir biological content, while fish meal (made from the entrails) is considered splendid cattle food. Several farmers accepted fish from the Govern- ment ponds and commenced fish production on their own during 1950 and 1951. It was estimated that if the Government would spend another 43,000 (US$#8,340) a year on the experiment for equipment, staff, and more transport, fish could be supplied to every farmer in the Island who desired it. It was pointed out that fish crops mature every four months. ese aaa ae 40 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Japan TUNA STOCKS AND EXPORTS TO THE UNITED STATES 1952-53: Canned Tuna: The and exports to the United States. Compiled by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry with the cooperation of the Japanese Fisheries Agency and cooperative interest of the Council on Tuna Exports, these were reported in an August 6 dispatch from the American Embassy in Tokyo. Te aoe Be ia Total dife selves Cnael ene Aya 563,440 669,560 290,000 370,000 Packed April l-July 15, 1952 .....-..-. 30000000 5 Stocks on hand July 15-31, 1 660 Exports by months (1952) 3/ Meret, G.0'50000000000000060000000000000C 93,673 WER? coo0Kd00000000000000 ddo0d0c000G000 69 , 312 AMIN Goodun00K00000 BAC RAO acetaietele 28 , 36h Tully; hserators aides ostre lerane: eis. aoe Gass wiht’ 109, 425 Total’ April-duly) 1952)... 52-02 een Role ZOTe MeTSINaeH 300, 77h 1/ CONSIST OF 48 7=OZ. CANS. 2/ APPROXIMATE. 3/ PRINCIPALLY AUTHORIZATIONS ISSUED AT TOKYO. AUTHORIZATIONS |SSUED OUTSIDE OF TOKYO AMOUNT TO ABOUT 1 PERCENT OF TOKYO FIGURE. Japanese Government Plan on Flow of Exports of Canned Tuna to the United States 1952 Cases Apre-JUne .eccoceee 12,820 uly=Sept. ceccece- 27,180 126,850 OlsiGo So ooncoccd 10,000 - 1) 3} WJane—iiarch ...cceoe - Against the quota of 1,000,000 cases of canned tuna, the industry has taken the following actions as of July 31, 1952 (approximations): Packed since April 1, 1952 ..... 670,000 cases Exported since April 1, 1952 ... 300,000 U) Stocks as of July 31, 1952 ..... 370,000 ut NOTE: 100,000 CASES WILL BE EXPORTED IN AUGUST. Frozen Tuna: Frozen albacore tuna exports to the United States, including authorizations to August 1, 1952: Short Tons Noll (GeSseodadedob6 dodo bo d0Od00000 1,079 MalyauelstolelorerotelehelciolelKetclelololalelaKelellelehelers 1,231 HIN GooddsocdddGooO FD GOOG UGb000 56 6,590 Surly GIE2O)) | epeos evens ros sievereveteus atenctorsy 1,989 MOjcallemeretetersteveheketalehehetelevelelelelolerenelcie 10,889 Caney Gn HBA Milne en LHS SLR NPTTIEINCIC) T/ APRIL Ve 1952 TO MARCH Sit 1953. ORIGINAL QUOTA WAS 12,000 TONS BUT LATER WAS INCREASED TO 18,000 TONS. oe ci iS ir oS December 1952 GOVERNMENT FINANCES CONSTRUCTION COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Al Government fi- nancial assistance is being obtained for the construction of 10 large Japanese TYPICAL JAPANESE MOTHERSHIP USED EXPEDITION. IN MID=PACIFIC TUNA tuna boats, ranging from 240 to 370 gross tonseach, reports an October 2l1dis- patch for the American Em- bassy at Tokyo. The a- mount of aid is estimated at ¥392,000,000 (approxi- mately US$1,100,000). The new boats are ex= pected to operate in dis- tant tuna areas, east and southeast of the present fishing grounds which in- clude the region of the U.S. Trust Territory and Pacific equatorial waters. This latter area of the Pacific is considered good for tuna fishing; it was recently explored by the Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service based at Honolulu. POST-TREATY EXPANSION OF FISHERIES shown marked activity in expanding into were restricted by the "MacArthur Line" lowing World War II, reports an August Tokyo. ing summary of an article in ACTIVITIES: areas in which Japanese fishing boats during the period of the Occupation fol- 11 dispatch from the American Embassy at General comment on these Post-Treaty activities is given in the follow- the Japanese newspaper Nihon Kaizai ; tt Japanese fisheries have of July 25: Japan's Fishery Industry Remarkably Active Since Removal of MacArthur Restrictions During the past five months since the MacArthur fishery restrictions were removed on April 25, Ja- pan's fishery industry has shown remarkable activi- ties. During the period, Japan's deep-sea fishery has gradually expanded the sphere of its activities. Fishing for salmon and trout, and whaling in the northern seas were resumed. The fishing for tuna by motherships in the seas south of the equator was also begun, and new fishing grounds for tuna were explored in the seas south of Hawaii. The sphere of drag-net fishing in Western waters was expanded, Advances were made in the South China Sea. Fishing circles are now planning operation of crab factory- ships in Bristol Bay and fish-meal factoryships in the northern waters starting next year. Although restrictions on fishing grounds have been removed, fishing in the Northern seas and in the East ChinaSea cannot be carried out as freelyas desired, because the diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and Communist China have not been ful- ly restored, but there is no doubt that the removal of MacArthur restrictions has greatly encouraged the fishing industry of Japan. Following are the fishing activities since April 25 outside the MacArthur Line: Drag-net fishing in the western waters receiv- ed the hardest blow by the MacArthur restrictions, with the fishing grounds reduced to one-third of the prewar level. Taking into account the depth of the seas and the density of fish shoals, it is consider- ed that the value of the fishing grounds was reduced to one-fifth. Moreover, owing to the great increase in the number of fishing boats since the war's end, the fishing grounds were utterly devastated and man- agement grew more and more difficult. Therefore, since 1948 fishery circleshad beentrying to secure an extension of the MacArthur Line, but no extension was granted on account of the international situa- tion. However, the MacArthur restrictions were at last lifted on April 25. As a result of this, the total amount of catch by trawling in May 1952 showed an increase of 28 percent and an increase of 42per— cent for drag-net fishing as compared with the cor- responding month of last year. (Catch in May 1951 may have been influenced by the tie-up of the fleet for a general inspection by the Government on reg- 42 istration papers and navigational equipment of boats comprising the East China Sea fleet.) The number of working days also increased by 30 percent. However, the percentage of profits has not increased at the same rate on account of the market price of fish. Fishing circles, however, see difficulties a- head due to. the following factors: (1) Since the Peace Treaty was signed, four fishing boats have already been seized by Communist China. (Note: Japanese Fisheries Agency reports five boats seized.) Therefore, although the Mac- Arthur restrictions have been removed, a certain a— mount of risk and insecurity remains. (2) Some sort of international protective meas- ure will become necessary, because, unlike in the prewar times, Japan will not be the only country to fish in those fishing grounds. (3) Although Japan is now in a position to fish in the South China Sea, these waters are too far from the ports of operationand, moreover, they are under the sphere of influence of Communist China. Shoals of bonito and tuna migrate, and for this reason, the fishing boats must have mobility. In this sense the MacArthur restrictions were a great obstacle. In 1950 special fishing areas were desig- nated by the Gen. MecArthur line, and fishing of tuna by motherships in the waters as far as to the equator was allowed, but it wasn't a profitable prop- osition. However, with the removal of the MacArthur re- strictions, fishing other than by motherships from the Southern Islands down to the equator is nowper- mitted. The Nihon Suisan and the Taiyo Fisheries x Kx STATISTICS ON THE FISHING FLEET 1951: 974,318 gross tons--comprised the largest part of the fleet. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Company are using motherships in the waters around the Celebes, the Sunda Straits, and the Solomon Is- lands. Furthermore, they are fishing in the Hawai- ian waters by using large-size tuna catchers. (Note: Japanese Fisheries Agency reports no Japanese boats are operating in or near the Hawaiian waters.) It is said they are hauling in these waters three times as much as within the restricted fishing grounds. The Taiyo Fishery Company, Nihon Suisan, andthe Nichiro Fisheries Company begen to fish in the north- ern seas in May, employing a total of 50 ships. How- ever, owing to the fact that the fishing groundswere strange to them, they could not obtain satisfactory results. It was only after July when the fishing grounds were extended that they could make both ends meet. They are going to discontinue fishing there at the end of July. (Note: One fleet returned to Japan at the end of July. The two other fleets are expected to terminate fishing in the middle of Au- gust.) This year's fishing operation was only ex- perimental, and it is generally considered that the operation in these waters can be placed on a pay- ing basis, if improvements are made in fishing equipment. However, as diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union have not yet been restored, they cannot approach the Kamchatka waters where large catches are available. (Note: Salmon fishing by this expedition was done in a region off lower Kamchatka and the Northern Kuriles. Japanese fish- ing boats were reported to have continued their fishing to 70 or more miles off the coast in this region. ) Whaling in the North (Pacific) Sea was resum- ed from July and will be continued until September. Fishing circles are of the opinion that some diffi- culties will occur before crab factoryships and fish-meal factory boats are officially allowed to operate (in the North Pacific). ee At the end of 1951 the Japanese fish- Wooden vessels--472,212 craft and Non-powered boats without engines (all wooden) represented 73 percent of the total fleet and 26 percent of the total tonnage. Table 2 gives a breakdown by gear and fishery of the vessels in tidal waters (offshore) and shows that the pole-and-line fishery (excluding tuna and bonito fishery) lead all types of fisheries in number of boats--118,922, and gross tonnage 137,940. Miscellaneous drag-net fishing (sail and engine-powered trawlers excluding steam trawlers) was second with 46,573 boats and 120,665 gross tons. The tuna and bonito fishery ranked low in number of boats--1,698 but third in tonnage--103,978. In comparison with 1950, the 1951 fleet decreased by 7,184 vessels and 46,165 tons. dium trawlers, miscellaneous drag net, tuna and bonito, and coastal whaling. Fisheries contributing to this decrease included the small and me- The small decrease in number and tonnage of boats in 1951 compared to 1950 may have been affected mostly by the Government's program to reduce the number of small draggers in inshore waters. A significant increase occurred in the Antarctic whaling fleets by the replacement of two motherships by larger vessels, more catch- er boats, and the addition of a third whaling fleet. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 43 Table 1 - Japanese Fishing Fleet As of the End of 1951 all Vessels on Non-Tidal No. : Waters BILGe le Se a. ooden ... MOA sec. Vessels on Tidal waters Siteed ..« 944] 210,363 Wooden ...[126,352]655,542 Total ..{127,296|865,90 TOTAL peel ac. 9441210, 363 Wooden ...{127,785|657, 663 Grand Total}128 ,729 |868 ,026 479 370} 1,001,191) 480,340}1,230,846 Table 2 - Japanese Vessels on Tidal Waters (Offshore) by Gear and Fisher Ie Oesy al 1950 Powered Non-Powered Total Shellfish & Aquatic Plant Collecting .. - Drag Net «-.. una & Bonito Fish Carrier for Antarctic Whaling . | . Fishery orts Fishing Vessel JAPANESE GOVERNMENT Ah, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Mexico GUAYMAS SHRIMP INDUSTRY IMPERILED BY LACK OF GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE: No Guaymas (on the West Coast) as of September 30, 1952, reports an American Consu- late dispatch. Last season the Mexican west coast shrimp operators were granted a loan of five million pesos (US$578,000). Reliable sources have expressed fear thet the Mexican Government may move to foreclose low producers in Guaymas, and impound their boats. Also, it is reported that Financiera Nacional is interested in a shrimp-freezing plant at Mazatlan (also on the West Coast), and if the boats are impounded they may be ordered delivered to this plant by the loan-making agency. GOVERNMENT PLANS IMPROVEMENTS FOR FISHERIES: A special commission of the ee Oe the Pacific Coast. It is planned to present this project for Congressional ap- proval and at the same time request modifications in current fishing laws. Two methods of operation of the proposed fleets are receiving serious con- sideration: (1) the Mexican Government to have full control of the fleets and fishing activities, and bring catches to markets throughout the Republic; (2) the subsidizing of a number of fishing firms by Financiera Nacional (a semi-offical finance agency), which would operate the fleets under Government supervision and control. Considerable enthusiasm has been shown by fishermen regarding the Navy Department's project. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 45 Mexico is planning to increase the number of commercial fishing schools operating in the country to provide more qualified technical personnel for the industry. It is felt that this move will also aid in assuring adequate exploita- tion of the country's marine resources. The Commerical Fishing Division of the Navy Department will supervise the schools, which will supplement existing fa- cilities in Veracruz and Guaymas. In two years, sardine and tuna fishing in Mexican territorial waters, and especially in coastal waters off Lower California, will become a thing of the past, according to a pessimistic report issued by the Bureau of Fishing of the Navy Department. It is pointed out that catches now do not exceed 8 metric tons daily, whereas seven months or so ago it was possible to obtain 400 tons ineight hours. Officials of the Bureau insist that inroads made by foreign fishing craft are the cause of the decline. Officials of the fishing industry association state that the situation could yet be saved if drastic measures were taken at once to prohibit full-scale operations, so that the fish stocks can recuperate. According to a recent report, consumption of fish in Mexico hardly reaches 750 grams (a little more that 13 pounds) per person annually. It is noted that there are sufficient supplies to provide more than 30 kilos (66 pounds) per per- son, and the problem now is how to get the public to accept more fish in their diet and to see that the existing monopoly does not withhold supplies for export. The report charged that more than 60 percent of fish caught in Mexican wa- ters are taken by foreign craft. Since Mexican fishermen lack adequate and properly-equipped fleets, they have been at the mercy of a group of ship outfitters who have given supplies and craft and, in exchange, have purchased catches at prices to suit their own con- venience. On the other hand, prices to the public have shown wide fluctuations. Speculators have been known to create false scarcities and to rig the price of common red snapper as high as 10 pesos a kilo (approx. 523 U.S. cents per pound) after paying fishermen 2 pesos per kilo ( approx. 103 U.S. cents per pound), and sometimes even less. First moves to free Mexico's fishermen from monopolies appear to be under way. Private fishermen have asserted that they can supply retail markets with all the fish they require at government-fixed prices, according to the October 18 issue of The Fishing News, a British fishery periodical. FISH EXPORTS EARN U.S. DOLLARS: The Norwegian fishing industry earned more than US$8 , 000, 000 in dollar exchange in the first 6 months of 1952, reports an American consular dispatch. This could have paid for almost 10 percent of Nor- way's entire imports from the United States in 1951. The dollar earnings were about equal to Norway's total 1951 imports from the United States of cotton manu- factures, finished steel products, office appliances, agricultural machinery, scientific and professional instruments, and edible and inedible animal products. Fishery products exported to the United States in the first half of 1952 in- cluded 2,900 metric tons of frozen fillets, 4,900 tons of canned fish, 27,000tons of fish meal, and 212,000 gallons of cod-liver oil. 46 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Fishery products exports to all countries in this 6-month period, in terms of U.S. dollars, amounted to US$54,500,000--slightly above the highest annual U.S. exports of fishery products of US$52,800,000 reached in 1947 and consider- ably in excess of such exports in any subsequent year. Exports of fish from Norway to Brazil, amounting to the equivalent of US$9, 300,000, consisted entirely of salted air-dried cod (klipfish), for which there is little demand in the United States. The United Kingdom was the third largest foreign customer of Norway's fisheries during this 6-month period, tak- ing products valued at the equivalent of US$7,900,000. At least 35 other for- eign countries participated in this trade. Sweden LIFE-SAVING UNDERWEAR CLOTHING DEMONSTRATED: Life-saving underwear cloth- eS OE enburg, Sweden. It consists of ordinary heavy underwear with the front and back lined with a thin layer of kapoc and en- closed in a special new watertight cloth. =e The wearer has the same freedom of move- ment as with common underwear, and he is able to float if he falls overboard. Tests have shown that this clothing can keep its floating ability in water for almost a week, according to the October S= 1952 issue of Svenska Vastkustifiskaren, a Swedish trade periodical. An English fisherman wearing this life-saving underwear clothing demonstrat— ed its floating ability by jumping into the water fully dressed in oilskins ("sou'- wester") and hip boots. He is reported to have floated so comfortably that hewas even able to lie on his back and read a magazine. Zags tee United Kingdom 2 {SS eee eee ————————— eee ports of Hull and Grimsby, an Icelandic consular official at Grimsby has formed a company to undertake the discharge of fish by Icelandic trawlers in the United Kingdom. The object of the new Icelandic company would be to act as agents in Great Britain to take care of and be responsible for the fish catches of Icelandic vessels. It is understood that application has been made to the National Dock Labour Board for the new company to be placed on the register of employers of la- bor at Grimsby, reports the American Embassy in London in a November 6 dispatch. Whether this action will bring about the threatened strike of British trawler owners in that port is debatable since the shortage of fish supplies at Grimsby has led to fears of unemployment and higher prices when frozen fish supplies have been depleted. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 47 Recently Icelandic fishing trawlers have been prevented from landing their catches at hull and Grimsby, England, because of retaliatory action taken by British trawler interests against Iceland's extension of its territorial waters. British trawler owners contend that this action by Iceland has curtailed British fishing operations off Iceland. The British Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries reported that the quantity f fish caught in Icelandic waters and landed in British ports by British vessels for comparative periods of 1950, 1951, and 1952, had decreased markedly in the period which followed the implementation of the new Icelandic territorial regula- tions on May 15, 1952 (see table). Fish Caught in Icelandic Waters by British Fishing Vessels and Landed in Great Britain (Quantity and Value) May-September 1950 ......| 209,119,000 May-September 1951 ......{188,241,000 May-September 1952 ....../154,166,000 3,325,872 3, 46h, 262 2,951,997 A British member of Farliament recently criticized both factions for their obduracy and foresaw that should trade be diverted to other ports it would work a hardship on the port of Grimsby. It is clear that the British Government is treating the matter with a sense of urgency because high-level Icelandic-British talks are continuing, accordingto a report from the British Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Bee Fe IE SUBSIDY TO FISHERIES: The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries announced that a total of £2,207,996 (US#6,182,000) had been paid as subsidy to the near and middle-water sections of the white-fish industry in Great Britain during the 25 months from July 31, 1950 (when the payments began) to August 31, 1952. This was reported in a written answer to a question in the House of Commons, states an October 24 dispatch from the American Embassy. HH % HH WHITE FISH AUTHORITY ISSUES REFORT ON STATUS OF FISHING INDUSTRY: tion of fish transport costs by road and rail, measures to improve the rate of re- building trawler fleets, cooperative marketing and direct contact with inland mar- kets, other help for inshore fishermen, and the freezing of substantial quantities of fish to provide a winter reserve are among the proposals outlined by Britain's White Fish Authority (WFA) in its first annual report published in July. The re- port, which covers the period ended March 31, 1952, was quoted in the July 12 is- sue of The Fishing News, a British fishery periodical. This report indicates the present status of the British fishing industry. Abstracts from the report follow: Equaliza- Members of the Authority have visited the main fishing ports and inland markets in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Approach to Problems: The Authority has con- sidered the possibility of drawing up a comprehen- sive scheme for the whole industry and rejected it, because of the complexities involved, the disturb- ances which an attempt to put such a scheme into operation might create in the industry, and the need for avoiding such disturbances in an industry which handles a commodity so perishable as fish. The Authority has also been impressed by the fact that while repeated representations have been made to them that there are too many persons or firms in several sections of the industry, no sec- tion has put forward any proposal for dealing with this situation and, when pressed to do so, has taken refuge in vague suggestions that newcomers should be excluded. The Sea Fish Industry Act, 1951 (which sets out the powers of the WFA), gives the Authority no power to prevent persons from entering this in- dustry, and the Authority sees no reason for taking any such exclusive action. The Act did not provide for grants except for research and experiment. This means that anyplans which may be adopted have to be financed by borrow- ing fromthe British Treasuryor other sources, and the sums borrowed have to bear interest and haveto be repaid within a given period. This being so, the Authority is not in a position to help any sec- tion of the industry in their commercial operations, unless the money required for such help is forth- coming from the industry as a whole or from those sections of it which may be earning exceptional profits. Two major matters affecting the Scottish in- dustry have occupied a great part of the Committee's time and attention--the position of the inshore fishermen and the Aberdeen fish industry. The deterioration in the position of the in- shore fishermen has been strongly impressed on the committee and they have also received representa- tions from certain of the inshore fishermen's as— sociations in Scotland about the high costs of gear and the inadequacy of the subsidy of 10d. per stone (almost .8 U.S. cents per pound). It has alsobeen represented that there is room for improvement in the marketing arrangements at the inshore ports. The committee has not seen its way to support the requests of the inshore fishermen that the rate of subsidy should be increased, but they have sug- gested to the fishermen that a mutual trading or- ganization should be established, preferably on a national basis, to undertake the buying and selling of gear and equipment and the marketing of thecatch, on behalf of the inshore producers as a whole. The committee is of the opinion that it would be bene- ficial to the inshore fishermen if they were vol- untarily to organize themselves along the lines sug- gested, and have indicated to them the willingness of the Authority to help in creating and establish- ing such an organization. The proposal is being considered by the inshore fishermen. It is hoped that the outcome of discussions now taking place between the WFA and Government de- partments about measures to encourage the rebuild- ing of the British fishing fleet will be of con- siderable value in dealing with the problem at Aberdeen. The committee is also of the opinion that centralized selling is required at Aberdeen and they intend to discuss this proposal with the industry. Landings and Effect of Quantitive Restrictions: Table 1 shows the quantities and values of white fish landed in the United Kingdom during the 12 months ended March 31, 1952. COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Of the fish, 57.7 percent by weight was taken from the distant waters, 33.0 percent from the near and middle waters, and 9.3 percent from the inshore fishery. The shellfish were taken by inshore fish- ermen. The bulk of the catch from distant waters is landed by 292 trawlers over 140 feet in length. This section of the trawler fleet has been operated profitably and the vessels are reasonably modern, only two having been built before 1920. In the years 1921-1930, 58 were built; in the years 1931- 1940, 119; and 113 since 1941. Orders have been placed for 24 new vessels. Before 1939, the catching power of the dis- tant-water fleet exceeded the absorption capacity of the market resulting in low prices, which was corrected by the trawler-owners operating a scheme for the restriction of catches. In November 1949 the market for fish collapsed, and by May 1950, four months before the members of the “FA were ap- pointed, the owners had prepared a scheme, themain purpose of which was to restrict landings of white fish by the vessels of British owners who subscrib- ed to the scheme. There was no need for the owners to seek Government approval for this scheme, and there were no powers under which the Government could prevent its being operated. On the other hand, the Government decided in the summér of 1950 to initiate discussions in OEEC as a preliminary to discussing with foreign povern- ments the possibility of restricting landings in the United Kingdom of foreign-caught fish. Such restrictions could only take place in accordance with the provisions of Article XI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which makes re- striction of catches by British vessels a prereq- uisite. In view of the general food situation, the trawler-owners suspended their scheme in January 1951, as regards the quantities of fish landed by distant-water vessels, except that a provision was retained whereby if a vessel landed a catch equal to 100 percent of its capacity, 20 percent thereof would have to be sold to salters for manufacture into salt fish. It will be seen from table 2 that the quan- tities landed in 1948 and 1949, when there were no restrictions, did not exceed 65 percent of the ca- pacity of the fleet and in 1951 the quantities landed did not exceed 59 percent of the capacity. It is difficult to assess the effect of the owners scheme on supplies and prices in view of TOTAL Table 1 - White Fish Landings in United Kingdom (Quantity and Value), 12 Months Ended March 31, 1952 us$ 90,097,935 24,415,888 272,191 Ah 114,786,014 }1,184,078] 3,315 recy 42,179,083 {118,101,432 England and Wales . Soonesletnel Gosocgoads Northern Ireland .. Total OTE: —2L-= 778,742 |4O, 995, 005 INCLUDES ALL SALT-WATER FISH AND SHELLFISH EXCEPT HERRING, ANY OF THE SALMON SPECIES, OR | ANY SPECIES OF TROUT WHICH MIGRATE TO AND FROM THE SEA eoeseececosece WHITE FISH Value December 1952 the fact that the introduction of the scheme, coupled with the payment of a subsidy encouraged owners of near- and middle-water vessels to bring laid-up vessels back into commission. The scheme, by shortening the duration of voyages, led to an improvement in the quality of fish landed. There was also some recovery in consumer demand. All of these factors affected the prices ob- tained by catchers generally in Great Britain. Prices in November-—December 1951 were higher than for the same months in 1948, 1949, and 1950. Table 2 ~ Number of Trips and Landings 1948-51. by Distant-Water Vessels The Authority is satisfied, however, that the scheme as it was operated in 1951 was not prejudic- ial to the interests of consumers. It is undesir- able, however, that the decision as to whether Brit=- ish catches should be restricted or not should rest with a small group of owners, whose interests may not always be identical with those of consumers generally. It is also open to question whether a restriction scheme is not an unduly expensive meth- od of regulating the market in fish. As things were, in view of the irregularity of landings and the absence of a remunerative price for surplus fish, the owners had no alternative to restricting their catches. Problems of Distant-Water Fishery: The main problems of the distant-water fishery arise from the distances of the fishing grounds from the Brit- ish landing ports, the poor quality of the fish when caught at certain periods of the year on these grounds, the irregularity of landings because of the difficulties of anticipating the rate of catch- ing and the time taken on the homeward voyage, and the lack of variety in the catch, which consists mainly of cod. The development of a method of freezing at sea is essential if the most is to be made of this fishery whereby the earlier portions of catches could be frozen. It remains to be shown that factory ships are the practical answer to the problem. British dis- tant-water vessel owners have close to $18,000,000 (US$50,400,000) locked up in their existing fleet and it is of major importance that these vessels should be kept in commission. While suspending judgement, therefore, as to the future of factory - ships, the Authority has come to the conclusion that some method should be found as soon as possi- ble for installing processing plants in the exist- ing vessels. Success will, however, depend upon an increased consumption of frozen fish, which should not be difficult to achieve as fish frozen at sea would be greatly superior to fish frozen at the end of a voyage. Near- and Middle-Water Trawler Fleet: Regard- and middle-water trawler fleet, the report says that the question of rebuilding this fleet was causing some concern in 1934, when it was pointed out that the cost of building vessels of 110 feet and 125 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 49 feet was £12,000 and £17,000 (US$33,600 and US$47,600), respectively. The cost of such vessels today would be £60,000-L100,000 (US$168 ,000- US$280,000). Fishing Fleet Replacement: The factors which kept the industry from rebuildingthe fleet up tothe year 1934 are still operative, andit does not ap- pear thatthis fleet will be rebuilt if the industry is left to its own resources, particularly as 637 of the existing fleet of 817 were built before 1921 and the rate of replacement is low. It is possible that some of the 20 new vessels ordered for 1952 and 1953 may ultimately be sold for export. At the present rate of building, it will take over 40 years to replace the vessels built before 1921, The Authority has placed these facts before Ministers and has suggested certain measures -calculated to improve the rate of rebuilding. It should be noted that age is not necessarily a meas- ure of a trawler's efficiency in catching fish. However, if new vessels are not built, the day will come when large numbers of the fleet will no longer be in a fit condition to put to sea, while the utterly inadequate accommodationsin the older vessels is acting as a deterrent to new entrants to the catching side of the industry and will go on doing so to an increasing extent. The Authority is of the opinion that, in view of the high price of new trawlers and the large capital now required if new vessels are to be ac- quired, it will be almost impossible for the owner of one vessel to earn enough to ensure its replace- ment within a reasonable number of years, and it would be desirable, therefore, for a certain proup- ing of ownership to take place in which each oper- atingunit would possess a number of trawlers. There are exceptions to this proposition, but such cases will be unusual. The Committee appointed to report on the Aberdeen fishing industry came to a similar conclusion. Overfishing In the North Sea: Although the prices obtained for fish from the near and middle waters are, as a general rule, considerably higher than those for fish landed from the distant waters, the earnings of owners and fishermen are much low- er, since the scarcity of near- and middle-water fish more than offsets the higher prices. This scarcity of fish is an important factor in the cost of ¢etching and is one over which the owners have no control. In view of the extent of overfishing in the North Sea and other waters adjacent to the British coast, it is imperative that some international action should be taken to secure a rational exploi- tation of these waters. The figures are alarming not only for the catchers, but also for the consum- ers, who are faced with the prospect of a steady fall in the supplies of those varieties of fishwhich are most in demand. Representations have been made to Ministers drawing their attention to the need for action as soon as possible. It is unlikely that any agreement could be reached which would have the effect of the British fleet continuing to take as much fish from these waters as formerly, and every effort should be made to arrive at an agreement which would, in the long run, enable a much smaller number of vessels to land 50 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW the quantities of fish likely to be allotted as the British catch under an international agreement. The result of this might be a greater catch per unit engaged and more economic fishing operations. Itis doubtful whether owners can be induced to replace obsolete vessels unless they can see some prospect of the successful application of measures to reduce overfishing. Subsidy Provided for Trawlers: The owners of near- and middle-water trawlers were hard hit by the slump in the fish prices which began in November, 1949, and lasted well into 1950. Many of their ves- sels were laid-up and as an inducement to keep them at sea a subsidy was paid by the Government from July 31, 1950, which for the year ending March 31, 1952, amounted to £722,353 (US#2,022,588) in England and Wales and £348,690 (US#976,332) in Scotland. This subsidy does not make losses good and is in- tended to do no more than reduce them to a limited extent. It does nothing to encourage the replace- ment of vessels. On the contrary, it mav well act as a deterrent since some owners may be tempted to believe that they may be able to go on operating aging vessels by the aid of a subsidy. The inshore section of the fishing industry produces smaller quantities than the other two sec- tions, but in view of the high quality of the fish landed its importance cannot be measured by quan- tity alone. The inshore men are severely handicap- ped by the extreme individualism of their methods, a general shortage of capital, and the small and intermittent scale on which they work. All sorts of remedies, from subsidies to guaranteed prices, have been suggested as cures for their problems. The Authority has received complaints that the pres- ent subsidy does not always accrue solely to the advantage of the fishermen, and guaranteed prices, without a rigid control of marketing, might well result in the guarantor meeting losses while the profits went elsewhere. The Committee of the Economic Advisory Council in 1932 expressed the view that cooperation or m- tual trading in both buying and selling afforded the greatest hope for the future of the inshore fishery, and the Authority has come to a similar conclusion. The spread of cooperation or mutual trading may be slow, consequently the Authority has prepared the outline of measures calculated to mit- igate the impact of some of the disadvantages re- corded above and have decided to seek additional powers in a scheme to be promoted under Section 6 of the Sea Fish Industry Act, 1951. Since the end of the war, the rebuilding of inshore fishing vessels has been encouraged by grants and loans under the Inshore. Fishing Industry Act, 1945. This Act expires early in December 1952, and the Authority has made certain recommendations to Ministers concerning measures to replace those under the existing Act. The overfishing problem affects even more severly the inshore fishermen, who not only suffer from scarcity of fish, but also in the smaller sizes caught. Cooperative Trading Advocated: A subsidy of 10d. per stone (almost .8 U.S. cents per pound) on fish landed has been paid by the Government to the inshore fishermen from July 31, 1950. For the year ended March 31, 1952, this amounted to £182,572 (US$511,202) in England and Wales, £301,173 (US$843,284) in Scotland, and L19,404 (US$54,331) in Northern Ireland. There does not appear to be Vole uNomele any immediate prospect of their being able to carry. on without it. Marketing and distribution difficulties which arise from time to time at the smaller ports appear to be due to the following causes: (1) the irregu- larity of landings; (2) the preponderance at cer- tain ports of small fish in the catches; (3) the landing of ungutted fish; (4) inadequate or absence of sorting and grading; (5) inadequate supplies of ice, boxes, cold-storage and processing facilities; (6) high freight costs and inadequate transport fa- cilities; (7) unsatisfactory marketing and low prices in respect to fish sent on consignment for sale at inland markets; and (8) absence of arrange- ments for dealing with surpluses. Until cooperative or mutual trading can be de- veloped, the Authority proposes to try the follow- ing measures, based on the recommendations of the industry and the conclusions of the Authority; (a) cooperative marketing where possible; (b) sup- plying market information; (c) arranging for land- ings to be sent direct to inland markets and mul- tiple firms; (d) conveying landings to a central port for sale; (e) grading; (f) dealing with sur- pluses; and (g) technical instruction in handling, packaging, and marketing. Price Stabilization Fund: A further desira- ble measure would be the operation of a price sta- bilization fund to secure for inshore fishermen a more uniform return for their catches than is at present possible. Its introduction would depend on there being a prevailing opinion among the fish= ermen at a port or group of ports that it would be advantageous. Fishermen in the scheme would be required to pay a proportion of their receipts from the saleof their catches into a price stabilization fund from which sums would be taken to purchase fish for which a market could not be found at or above min- imum prices, which would be fixed in consultation with the fishermen. This would spread the earn- ings of the fishermen more evenly by reducing them by a small percentage throughout the year and in- creasing them during times of glut. This would have the great advantage of encouraging fishermen to continue fishing at times when, because of heavy supplies, they might be tempted to remain in port. The fish so purchased would be processed, frozen, or converted into fish meal. No one of these measures will effect a cure. The Authority will continue to use its powers of persuasion to the fullest extent in endeavoring to help the industry to provide its own solutions to its problems. At some ports it will not be neces- sary for the Authority to intervene save in so far as intervention may be necessary for guidance or instruction purposes. Problem of Surpluses: The problem of dealing with landings of fish surplus to market require- ments has always created difficulty in the fishing industry. Surpluses are dealt with by (a) freez- ing for storage and subsequent sale at times when supplies of fresh fish are scarce; (b) salting, mainly for export; and (c) converting into fish meal for animal feeding. From 1946 onwards great impetus was given to the freezing of fish in this country, and since maximum prices were removed,a substantial improve- December 1952 ment has been effected in the quality of frozen fish produced. The Authority proposes to institute an inspection service which will insure that good- quality fish is frozen and the highest possible standards of quality maintained throughout distri- bution. A code of practice, setting out the ideal manner in which fish should be handled, processed, frozen, stored, and transported is in course of preparation, and discussions with the industry have already taken place. At present the auantity of frozen fish consum- ed in this country is a very small proportion of the total supply of white fish, probably not more than four percent. There would, therefore, appear to be room for some expansion. Here the Authority must sound a warning note. If freezing is to be carried our economically and in a manner insuring the highest possible quality, the operation cannot be spasmodic and the plants must be insured of a satisfactory and continous output. While freezing, therefore, may help to ease the position during periods of heavy landings, it is not the answer to problems created by surplus landings, as under pres= ent circumstances it would not be economic to pro- vide freezing facilities capable of dealing with peak landings, and, moreover, much of the surplus fish from distant grounds is not of a sufficiently high quality for freezing. Freezing Scheme Under Discussion: Neverthe- less, the freezing of fish is a suitable method for creeting reserve supplies of fish for release inthe winter months. The Authority has, therefore, decid- ed to promote a scheme to secure the freezing of substantial quantities of fish. Details are being discussed with the sections of the industry con- cerned, and it is hoped to get an agreed scheme in which the Authority will work in the closest collab- oration with the freezers. Salting serves a useful purpose in clearing surplus fish off the market at a price higher than that which can be secured by sending fish to the fish-meal factories, though lower than the cost of catching. There are, however, many days in the year when salters are unable to buy fish in competition with wnolesalers who sell fresh fish. This has pre=- vented the salters from extending their factory capacity and has made it necessary to depend on im- ported supplies of wet salt fish. These two facts reduce the usefulness of the salters as an outlet for surpluses, though they make a substantial con- tribution to the problem. In 1951 the exports of © salted and smoked fish amounted to 11,569 metric tons. Reduction Plants: Fish-meal factories produc- ed some 75,000 metric tons of meal in 1951. The small ports are not well served in this respect, and the Authority proposes to take each of the small fishing centers in turn, with a view to determining whether it will be possible to construct fish-meal factories at suitable points which would have a possibility of operating economically. Imports: The importation of foreign-caught fish has, for many years, presented problems to the British fishing industry on which opinions are di- vided. The catchers have all along taken the view that they would like imports of fish tobe regulated, if not eliminated, but the distributive section of the industry regards imports of foreign-caught fish as being a valuable addition to the catch by British vessels and of considerable assistance in keeping COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Gal consumers supplied at times when Britishcatches fall below their normal level. In 1949, imports represented 17 percent of the total supplies of white fish, but in 1950, because of the fall in prices, imports declined to 10.4 per- cent, but have since risen to 15.1 percent in 1951. Powers to control importation are -vested in Govern- ment departments, and the Authority could take no action unless invited to do so as their agents. Imports of foreign-caught fish are at present sub- ject to a 10 percent ad-valorem duty, but not to any quantitative control by the British Government. Spacing Landings: The biggest problem facing the British industry in respect of supplies of fish for the British market lies in the irregularity of the landings. In response to a suggestion by the Authority that the trawler-owners should consider whether it would be possible to obtain a more even flow of supplies by spacing arrivals of British ves- sels, the owners stated that everything that could be done was already being done towards this end, and they did not think that any scheme, whether op- erated by the Authority or themselves, would achieve any better results than those now being obtained. It will be appreciated, therefore, that so long as the catches landed by British vessels are liable to fluctuations, it would be difficult for any or- ganization, and still more difficult for private traders to so arrange landings of foreign-caught fish to avoid those periods when too-heavy supplies are landed at British ports. The Authority does not support the view that there should be a blind cutting-down of foreign exports and, in any case, this would not be possible in view of the commit- ments of Her Majesty's Government. The Authority takes the view that a regulation of the times of arrival and of the quantities of foreign-caught fish is desirable. Marketing: Suggestions have been made at vari- ous times over the past 20 years that a marketing scheme for fish should be prepared on the lines of the schemes contemplated by the Agricultural Market- ing Acts. One of its essential features must, of necessity, include an arrangement for equalizing the cost of transporting fish from the ports as it would be otherwise administratively impossible to apportion to the various catchers their proper share of the transport costs. The Authority believes that the introductionof changes in the marketing system of fish should be gradual and so designed that they can, if necessary, be stopped at a point when they have achieved their purpose. The Authority proposes, therefore, to promote a scheme for equalizing the transportation cost of fish and they believe that it will ultimate- ly be to the advantage of the whole of the industry and consumers generally. In the long run, the cost of all transport of fish is borne by consumers generally, and the Au- thority believes that a transport-charge equaliza- tion scheme will lead to a wider distribution of fish throughout the country than is possible by the present system, and will help to put the consump- tion of fish on a broader and much sounder basis. It will be of great value in times when land- ings are heavy, as the eaualization scheme will then make it possible for supplies to be sent to as many destinations as possible, rather than be channelled 52 to those areas to which transport rates are lowest and on which senders concentrate because their costs will be kept as low as possible. There is in op- eration to a certain degree a transport equaliza- tion at some point along the chain of distribution, since fish from Aberdeen or Grimsby or Lowestoft is not sold to consumers at prices varying according to the transport charges incurred. Minimum Price System: The trawler-owners have recently increased the minimum prices below which they are not prepared to sell their catches for hu- man consumption. These prices are substantially be- low the cost of production. From the trawler-owners! point of view the minimum price system is not a very effective instrument as on days of heavy landings the weight of fish to be sold depresses the price of all fish on the market and it is only after this has happened that the unsold fish is withdrawn from sale. On the other hand, some of the fish which cannot be sold is not so fresh as it might be and to this extent the system acts as a quality test and prevents fish from being sent inland which on arrival would not be favorably regarded by consum- ers. THE SHERI FFMUIR--BRITAIN'S FIRST OF THREE ALL-WELOED TRAWLERS BEING CONSTRUCTED FOR 100 FEET IN LENGTH; FISH-HOLD CAPACITY OF 5,450 CU. LATEST FISHING AND NAVIGATIONAL AIDS. ALL VALUES CONVERTED TO AMERICAN CURRENCY ON THE BASIS OF +1 EQUALS US$2.30. FISHING FIRMS. MAIN FEATURES: 350-B.H.P. DIESEL ENGINE; SPEED OF 105 KNOTS; NOTE: COMMERCIAL FISHERIBS REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 Few things puzzle consumers more than the ap- parent discrepancy between prices realized for fish at the ports and those charged in the retail shops. Much confusion is caused by the effect on prices of filleting and this may be avoided to some extent if it is borne in mind that fish which costs 6s. per stone (6 U.S. cents per pound ) at auction in the round form would cost 13s. 3d. per stone (13 U.S. cents per pound) in filleted form at the port of landing without any allowance having been made for the cost of filleting. In some quarters the belief appears to be held that production would go on unchecked irrespective of the price level on landing. This is contrary to all experience. After the severe fall in prices which took place in November 1949 and lasted well into 1950, British landings reacted sharply and landings of foreign-caught fish were also affected. Cost Investigations: In view of the difficul- ty of finding exactly what is happening to prices and profits in this very complex industry, the Au- thority has started a series of cost investigations which in course of time will furnish them with much more accurate information thanis at present available. VARIOUS Firage is ELECTRIC WHALING HARPOON DEVELOPMENT WORK CONCLUDED: A recent expedition off the Norwegian coast successfully concluded the work of establishing the economic su- periority of the electric harpoon over the present explosive-nose harpoon for modern whaling. Investigation and development work has been carried on for the past five years by the General Electric Co., Ltd., in close cooperation with United Whalers, Ltd., reports the October 25 issue of The Fishing News, a British fishery periodical. The Chairmen of the whaling company, who accompanied the expedition with a rep- resentative of the electric company, stated on his return: "We are entirely satis- fied with the principle of the electric harpoon and the electrical equipment." Or- ders have been placed for further complete sets, and the development of their use will be pushed forward as training facilities and equipment become available. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 53 The recent expedition killed the largest fin whale of the season, 65 feet in length and weighing approximately 70 metric tons. This whale was brought along- side the catcher, inflated with air, and left floating with an identification flag flying, within 10 minutes of the firing of the harpoon. The system appears to kill almost instantaneously, or in a matter of a minute or so at the most. A whale thus hit is undoubtedly unconscious and para- lyzed in a rigid state immediately after the harpoon penetrates, and comes to the surface in this state even if hit at the moment of sounding. From the commercial viewpoint, the saving in time is great. There is no need to "play" the whale by feeding out hundreds of fathoms of heavy line, since the mammal when struck lies in the water without struggling and fighting to es- cape. In addition, the saving in oil and meat products is quite considerable, TOP: DETACHABLE LEG WHALING HARPOONS, apart from the very much lower risk of BOTTOM: FORERUNNER COILED ON A CONE, TO PAY = 3 OUT WITH THE MINIMUM DRAG ON THE WHALING infection such as frequently follows the HARPOON IN FLIGHT. internal destruction caused with the ex- plosive-nose harpoon. Another advantage is the latitude allowed to the gunner since the harpoon head need only penetrate the blubber layer in any part of the body to be immediately effective. THE MEXICAN FISHERIES INDUSTRY According to the most recent statistics available from the Mexican Fisheries Department (1947), there were 125 legally-recognized fishing cooperatives in various parts of the Republic of Mexico. There are 7,639 fishermen listed as members of these cooperatives and, in addition, it is estimated that there are fully 4,000 independent or free-lance fishermen working commercially who are not members of any of the legally organized cooperatives. Of the cooperatives listed, 64 percent have a membership of less than 50, 20 percent have a membership of between 50 and 100, and only 16 percent have over 100 members. Over 60 percent of Mexico's local fish catch is obtained by these organized cooperatives, which are nothing more than groups of local fish- ermen banded together and registered with the Government, thus being el- igible for certain tax exemptions and other privileges granted coopera- tives. The free-lance fishermen, accounting for the remaining percentage of the catch, often sell to and work through local cooperatives. --Fishery Leaflet 339 5h COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 y “is A - EDE RAL 4 ’ ACTIONS Department of the Treasury U. S. COAST GUARD REVISED RULES ON VESSEL INSPECTION EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 19, 1952: The 1948 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea went into effect on Novem- ber 19, after ratification by the United States and other leading nations, an- nounced the Commandant of the U. S. Coast Guard. This is an important step for- ward in the development of minimum international safety standards at sea. The Coast Guard's revised rules and regulations covering the design, con- struction, operation, and inspection of American merchant vessels were made ef- fective at the same time. The purpose of the revision was to incorporate provi- sions of the 1948 Convention and to revise and bring up to date the requirements for merchant vessel inspection. However, the new Convention would not cause any great change in Coast Guard regulations, since the safety standards of American merchant vessels already surpass the prevailing international standards. The new Convention provides for improved standards for safety of life at sea in the fields of ship construction, fire protection, lifesaving appliances, radio equipment, dangerous cargoes, and navigation generally. Most of the changes made by the Convention have to do with lifesaving equip-— ment. They include portable radio apparatus for vessels on international voyages having less than 20 lifeboats, and a mechanically-propelled lifeboat for eachcar- go vessel. Lifeboat equipment must include such items as a bilge pump, first-aid kit, two buckets instead of one, two buoyant heaving lines, one jackknife, two buoyant smoke signals, and three quarts of water per person instead of one. The new Rules and Regulations for passenger, cargo, and miscellaneous vessels require periodic drydocking for inspection. The periods range from once a year for vessels in salt-water service to once in five years for vessels in fresh-water service. New cargo ships must be inclined to determine their stability, and mas- ters must be furnished with sufficient information to enable them to handle their ships properly. "The 1948 Convention represents the third great step in the development of minimum safety standards on an international basis," the Commandant said. "The first Convention was drafted in 1914 following the sinking of the British steam- ship Titanic, and a start was made in formulating safety standards for the pro- tection of the travelling public. "A second convention was held in 1929, but such subjectsas stability in dam- aged condition, fire protection in accommodation spaces, and protection of electri- cal installations were not covered to the degree sought by the Coast Guard. The 1948 Convention covers these subjects for the first time and also includes certain requirements relating to stability, fire-extinguishing appliances, and life-saving equipment applicable to cargo vessels." December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 55 The Department of State has announced that the following countries, in ad- dition to the United States, have accepted the Convention to date: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Sweden, the Union of South Africa, the U- nited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Yugoslavia. The revised Coast Guard vessel inspection regulations were printed in full in the Federal Register, Part I], of October 18, 1952. The Coast Guard has a- vailable for distribution a summary of the revised regulations and these may be obtained at any Coast Guard District Office. Economic Stabilization Agency OFFICE OF PRICE STABILIZATION salmon have been retained by Amendment 2 to Ceiling Price Regulation 65. This amendment was issued by the Office of Price Stabilization on November 17 and be- came effective on November 22, 1952. These same prices were established for sales of the 1951 pack by CPR 65 as amended and when originally established superseded those established by the General Ceiling Price Regulation. This amendment also provides for the processing of applications for special ceiling prices (for varieties, container sizes, and styles of pack for which spec- ific dollars-and-cents prices are not provided in the regulation) by the Regional Director of the Office of Price Stabilization, Region 13, Seattle, Washington. Previously such prices could be established only by the Director of Price Stabi- lization in Washington, D. C. Retention of the 1951 ceiling price levels pre- serves the differentials by species and grades. The full text of Amendment 2 to Ceiling Price Regulation 65 follows: CPR 65—CEILING PRICES FOR CANNED SaLMON EXTENDS COVERAGE OF REGULATION TO INCLUDE 1952 PACK Pursuant to the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, Executive Or- der 10161 (15 F. R. 6105), and Economic Stabilization Agency General Order No. 2 (16 F. R. 738), this Amendment 2 to Ceiling Price Regulation 65 is hereby issued. STATEMENT OF CONSIDERATIONS This amendment retains the specific dollars-and-cents ceiling prices, for sales by canners of canned salmon of the 1952 pack, which were established for sales of the 1951 pack by Ceiling Price Regu- lation 65, as amended. It also provides for the processing of applications for special ceiling prices by the Regional Di- rector of Office of Price Stabilization, Region 13, Seattle, Washington, rather than by the National Office. The retention of the 1951 ceiling price levels of course preserves the differentials by species and grades. The bases for these differentials and for the pricing technique in general are explained in the Statements of Considerations to Ceiling Price Regulation 65 and to Amendment 1 thereof, and those explanations are incorporated herein by reference. This Statement of Considerations will discuss only the reasons for applying to the 1952 pack the ceiling prices established for the 1951 pack. Projection of the statistics now avail- able for 1952 indicates a total catch ap- proximating that of 1951, though for any particular species the catch may be high- er or lower than in 1951. The total catch of salmon as of September 13, 1952, was 3,383,101 cases compared with 3,399,819 cases as of September 15, 1951. The fish- ing season for salmon is practically com- pleted in the middle of September. Indi- cations are that over-all cost and pro- duction changes in 1952 will be such as to result in no substantial differences from over-all cost and production in 1951. In view of these circumstances, and since the 1951 level of ceiling prices for different species has been found by the industry to be reasonable, it is felt that the continuance of these 1951 ceiling price levels for the 1952 pack is a fair basis for setting the ceiling price level for the 1952 pack. Besides the continuance of the 1951 ceiling price level for the 1952 pack, this amendment makes an important change in section 4 (d). Instead of applying to the National Office of the Office of Price Stabilization for ceiling prices for varie- ties, container sizes, or types and styles of pack not listed in section 4 (a), the seller now will apply to the Regional Of- fice of Region 13 of the Office of Price Stabilization at Seattle, Washington. This change is in accordance with the policy of decentralization wherever it can be accomplished without impairing serv- ice by the Office of Price Stabilization. The head offices of all the large salmon packers are in Region 13,.and hence it is thought that this change in procedure will in some cases obviate the necessity of voluminous correspondence. Process- ing of such applications in Region 13 will also, it is felt, facilitate clarification of questions of fact which arise from time to time in such cases. In the formulation of this amendment, the Director of Price Stabilization has, to the extent practicable, consulted with in- dustry representatives, including trade association representatives, and has eiven consideration to their recommen- dations. In the judgment of the Di- 56 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 rector, this amendment is generally fair and equitable, is necessary to effectuate the purposes of Title IV of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended, and complies with all the applicable stand- ards of that act. AMENDATORY PROVISIONS SEcTION 1. Coverage of this regula- tion. This regulation establishes specific dollars-and-cents ceiling prices for the sale by canners of all canned salmon of the 1951 and 1952 packs. These ceiling prices supersede those established by the General Ceiling Price Regulation. (Sec. 704, 64 Stat. 816, as amended; 50 U.S. C. App. Sup. 2154) Effective date. This Amendment 2 to Ceiling Price Regulation 65 is effective November 22, 1952. Note: The record-keeping and reporting requirements of this regulation have been approved by the Bureau of the Budget in accordance with the Federal Reports Act of 1942. 2. Section 4 (d) is amended so as to delete the words “Fish Branch, Office of Price Stabilization, Washington 25, D.C.” and substitute therefor: ‘Director of Re- gion 13 of the Office of Price Stabiliza- tion, 506 Second Avenue, Seattle, Wash- ington.” FULL TEXTS OF PRICE ORDERS MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE OFFICE OF PRICE STABILIZATION, WASH- Ceiling Price Regulation 65, as amend- ed, is further amended in the following respects: 1. Section 1 is changed so as to read as follows: TIGHE E. Woops, Director of Price Stabilization. NOTE: INGTON 25, D. C., OR FROM THE REGIONAL OPS OFFICE IN YOUR AREA. a Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE HADDOCK FISHING REGULATICNS FOR GEORGES BANK PROPOSED: Pronosed regulations affecting the taking of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in Subarea 5 (which in- cludes the Georges Bank area) of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention wa- ters were published by the Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of the In- terior, in the December 30 Federal Register. The regulations would prohibit the taking of haddock in the northwest Atlantic Ocean north of 39°00' N. latitude and west of 42°00! wW. longitude by trawl nets or nets having a diagonally-stretched mesh size less than 43 inches when wet. Employment of devices to reduce the mesh size is prohibited. Possession or transportation on any vessel at any one time of both a trawl net or nets, parts of nets or netting, the use of which is prohib- ited by the regulations, and haddock in amounts in excess of 5,CO0O pounds or 10 percent of all fish on board a vessel (whichever is lerger) is prohibited. Ex- empted from the regulations are vessels possessing haddock in amounts less than 5,000 pounds or 10 percent of all fish on board (whichever is larger) taken inci- dentally to fishing for other species of fish; and vessels duly authorized by the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Services to engage in haddock fishing for sci- entific purposes. The Secretary of the Interior intends to adopt these proposed regulations on March 15, 1953, and they will be effective during the calendar year 1953 only. All persons who desire to submit written data, views, or arguments in connec- tion with the proposed regulations may do so by filing them with Albert M. Day, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C., not later than February 28. The full text of the proposed regulations as it appeared in the Federal Reg- ister follows: At its meeting held in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, June 30—July 9, 1952, the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, a body created pursuant to Article II of the International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries signed at Washington under date of February 8, 1949, adopted a proposal recommending that the Contracting Governments, in the interest of permitting an adequate escapement of immature haddock, take appropriate action to prohibit the taking of haddock in Sub-area 5 of the Con- vention waters with a trawl net having a mesh size of less than four and one-half inches. The proposal recommended further the adoption of a specific method of measuring mesh size and the exemp- tion of vessels taking haddock for pur- Poses of scientific investigation from the proposed mesh restrictions. In its letter of July 15, 1952, which submitted the proposal to the Contracting Govern- ments pursuant to Article VIII ef the Convention, the Cotfimission drew at- tention td the experimental nature of the proposed mesh size regulation and out- lined a suggested research program to determine the effectiveness of the regu= lation following its adoption. In accordance with section 4 (a) of the Administrative Procedure Act of ‘June 11, 1946 (60 Stat. 237), notice is hereby given that in order to give effect to the Commission’s proposal, the Secre-" tary of the Interjor intends to adopt on or-about March 15, 1953, fhe regulations: set out below affecting the taking of December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW haddock in the Northwest Atlantic) the United States, used, or capable of Ocean. These regulations are to be} being used, as a means of transportation adopted under the authority contained! on water. lantic Fisheries Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 1067,| ast ten stock. The word 16 U. S. C., 1946 ed., Supp. V, 981) and it is proposed that such regulations shall Melanogrammus aeglefinus. be effective during the calendar year} §155.4 Haddock fishing. The words 1953 only. In accordance with section|“haddock fishing” mean the catching, 4 (a) of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries| taking, or fishing for, or the attempted Act of 1950 the proposed regulations were/catching, taking, or fishing for any fish submitted to the Advisory Committee to|of the species Melanogrammus aegle- “had- denotes any fish of the species the United States Commissioners of the] finus. International Commission for the North-| west Atlantic Fisheries on December 2, 1952, at which time the proposed regula- tions veceived the unanimous approval of the members of the Advisory Committee; in attendance. The proposed regulations, to consti- tute new Subchapter I—Northwest At- lantic Commercial Fisheries, Part 15 Haddock Provisions, are as follows: DEFINITIONS Sec. 155.1. Meaning of terms. 155.2 Vessel. 155.3 Haddock. 1554 Haddock fishing. 155.5 Trawl net. 155.7 Period of application. 155.9 Restriction on fishing gear. 155.10 Measurement of mesh size. 155.11 Employment of devices to reduce mesh size prohibited. 165.15 Illegal possession of haddock. 155.16 Certain vessels exempted. DEFINITIONS § 155.1 Meaning of terms. When used in the regulations in this part, unless the content otherwise requires, terms shall have the meanings ascribed here- inafter in this art. § 155.2 Vessel. The word GATT SEVENTH SESSION HANDLED MANY ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND COMPLAINTS: “vessel” § 155.5 Trawlnet. The words “trawl net” mean any large bag net dragged in the sea by a vessel or vessels for the pur- pose of taking fish. § 155.7 Period of application. The regulations in this part shall cease to have effect at midnight, December 31, 1953. § 155.9 Restriction on fishing gear. The use, for the purpose of taking had- dock in the northwest Atlantic Ocean north of 39°00’ north latitude and west of 42°00’ west longitude, of a trawl net or nets, parts of nets or netting having in any part thereof a mesh size less than four and one-half inches is prohibited, § 155.10 Measurement of mesh siz ‘For the purpose of § 155.9 mesh size s be deemed to be the average of any ten consecutive meshes of the trawl net se- lected at the discretion of the enforce ment officer and measured individ stretched diagonally while wet, with flat wedge-shaped gauge having a tape: of two inches in nine inches and a thick ness of three thirty-seconds of an inch, inserted into the mesh under a pressur of twelve pounds. § 155.11 Employment of devices t reduce mesh size prohibited. The Department of State 57 jany device or method which will obstruct the meshes of the trawl net or which will otherwise, in effect, diminish the size of said meshes is prohibited: Provided, That a protective covering may be at- tached to the underside only of the cod end-alone of the net to reduce and pre- vent damage thereto. § 155.15 Illegal possession of haddock. The possession or transportation on any vessel at any one time of both a trawl net or nets, parts of nets or netting, the use of which is prohibited by § 155.9, and haddock in amounts in excess of five thousand pounds or ten percent of all the fish on board such vessel, whichever is larger, is prohibited. § 155.16 Certain vessels exempted. (Nothing contained in the regulations in this part shall apply to: (a) Any vessel having in possession haddock in amount less than five thou- sand pounds or ten percent of all the fish on board such vessel, whichever is larger, taken incidentally to fishing for other species of fish. (b) Any vessel duly authorized by the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service to engage in haddock fishing for scien- tific purposes. (c) Any vessel documented as a com- mon carrier by the Government of the United States for the carriage of freight. . All persons who desire to submit writ- ten data, views or arguments in connec- tion with the proposed regulations may do so by filing them with Albert M. Day, Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington 25, D. C., not later than 60 days from the publication of this notice in the FEDERAL REGISTER. Dated: December 20, 1952. Oscar L. CHAPMaN, Secretary of the Interior. The seventh session of the 34 contracting countries to the General Agreement on Tar- iffs and Trade (GATT) promptly handled a number of highly significant economic problems and arrived at a solution for several items under the complaints proce- dure, reported the U. S. Department of State on November 10. This seventh session opened on October 2 and concluded in less than the usual time on November 10. This early completion of the session was attributed largely to preparatory work done under the intersessional machinery which the contracting parties had set up ten- tatively last year and which they have extended and strengthened for the period between the seventh and eighth sessions. Among the most significant actions taken in the seventh session were: (1). Granting of a waiver of certain obligations in the General Agreement, particularly the most-favored-nation provisions, in order to permit the six coun- tries participating in the European Coal and Steel Community to fulfill their re- sponsibilities under their treaty without violating the GATT; 58 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 (2). Provisional settlement of the dispute between the United States and Belgium concerning import restrictions imposed by Belgium against United States products; (3). Approval of a text of an International Convention to ease the import of commercial samples and advertising matter and of a code of standards to reduce documentary requirements for the importation of goods; (4). Consultation with a number of countries on import restrictions imposed for balance-of-payment reasons; (5). Consideration of an application by Japan for accession to GATT; (6). Successful settlement through a panel on complaints of a number of disputes among countries involving charges of violation of the General Agreement or the impairment of rights under the Agreement; (7). Authorization to the Netherlands to reduce its imports of wheat flour from the United States as an offset to restrictions against Netherlands dairy products imposed by the United States under Section 104 of the Defense Production Act. Norway's Complaint: The con- tracting parties considered Norway's complaint concerning discriminatory treatment by Germany of Norwegian-type sardines. Germany was requested to consider ways and means of removing inequality of treatment accorded this product and to consult with Norway, reporting back tothe contracting par- ties at the eighth session. International Chamber of Commerce Resolutions: The International Chamber of Commerce, at its thirteenth con- gress, June 1951, passed a series of resolutions urging governments to en- ter intoagreement toreduce "red tape" in import and export formalities. These resolutions were passed on to the contracting parties and action on these was begun at the sixth session. Con- tinuing their work at this session, the contracting parties have now approved the text of an international convention providing for duty-free entry of samples and of certain advertising matter. The convention will be opened for signature Feb- ruary 1, 1953, and will enter into force when 15 states have accepted it. The contracting parties have also agreed to review steps taken by governments to give effect to principles of valuation contained in the GATT, and to ascertain current methods of determining the nationality of goods. A code of standards was adopted on documentary requirements for importation of goods, and the abolition of consular invoices and consular visas by the end of 1956 was recommended. Pending such abolition, certain standard practices in this field are recom- mended to governments. The Contracting Parties also recommended that governments imposing or intensifying trade restrictions should authorize, to the fullest ex- tent possible, fulfillment of contracts which were in effect at the time the re- strictions were imposed. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 59 Application of Japan: Last July the Government of Japan notified the Con- tracting Parties of its desire to negotiate for accession to the General Agree- ment on Tariffs and Trade. The Contracting Parties at the seventh session ap- proved a resolution recognizing that Japan should take its rightful place in the community of trading nations and to that end should be admitted to appropriate international arrangements. An intersessional committee is directed to make a detailed examination of matters involved, discussing this with Japanese officials. Two meetings with Japanese officials were held during the seventh session, and the Contracting Parties decided the intersessional committee meeting on Japan should be February 2, 1953. Some contracting parties have indicated that they may enter into bilateral tariff negotiations with Japan immediately, with the in- tention of incorporating the results of such bilateral negotiations into later, multilateral negotiations directed toward Japanese accession to the General Agree- ment. World-Wide Tariff Reduction Plan: Work was continued at the seventh session on a plan, put forward at the sixth session by the French delegation, that tar- iffs should be lowered by 30 percent on a world-wide basis in three yearly stages of 10 percent. The report of the working party at the seventh session indicates that a great deal of work remains to be done before a specific plan will beavail- able for the consideration of the contracting parties. Most countries were not prepared at this time to express a view on the principle of the proposal. Study of the problem will continue intersessionally with the possibility that several technically feasible plans of varying degrees of flexibility may be developed for further consideration. The Council of Europe also submitted to the contracting parties a recommenda tion concerning the adoption of a common policy for lowering tariff barriers in Europe. This proposal was dealt with separately from the French plan, and a re- port on technical implications, prepared during the seventh session by a group of experts, will be submitted to the Council of Europe. Since this is an experts! report, it did not go before the contracting parties for approval. Next Meeting: The eighth session of the contracting parties will be held September 17, 1953. The 34 contracting parties to the General Agreement are: Australia Dominican Republic New Zealand Austria Finland Nicaragua Belgium France Norway Brazil Federal Republic of Germany Pakistan Burma Greece Peru Canada Haiti Southern Rhodesia Ceylon India Sweden Chile Indonesia Turkey Cuba Italy Union of South Africa Czechoslovakia Liberia ‘United Kingdom Denmark Luxembourg United States Netherlands Tariff Commission "ESCAPE CLAUSE" REFORT ON TUNA CANNED IN BRINE AND BONITO CANNED IN OIL OR BRINE: The Commission found (Commissioners Brossard and Gregg dissenting) that tuna canned in brine and bonito canned in oil or brine are not being imported into 60 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 the United States in such increased quantities as to cause or threaten serious injury to the domestic industry producing like or directly competitive products. This conclusion was contained in a report of the U. S. Tariff Commission's find- ings and conclusions in the "escape clause" investigation made under section 7 of the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1951 with respect to these products. The report was made public on November 26, 1952. These articles are subject to duty at rates imposed under paragraphs 718 (a) and (b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified pursuant to tariff concessions granted in the trade agreement with Ice- land signed August 27, 1943, in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and in the exclusive trade agreement with Cuba signed October 30, 1947. Tuna canned in oil and fresh and frozen tuna were not covered by the investigation. The Commission, in view of its findings and conclusions, made no recommenda= tion to the President for the withdrawal or modification of any of the conces- sions applicable to the aforementioned products. The present rate of duty on imports from all countries of tuna canned in brine is 125 percent ad valorem; and that on bonito canned in oil, if valued over 9 cents per pound, 15 percent ad valorem, and, if valued at not over 9 cents per pound (of which there are currently no imports), 22 percent ad valorem. The rate on bonito canned in brine is 10 percent ad valorem on imports from Cuba and 123 percent ad valorem on imports from other countries. The Commission's report (Bonito, Canned in Oil; and Tuna and Bonito Canned, Not in Oil--Report on Escape-Clause Investigation Under Section 7 of the Trade Agreements Extension Act of 1951) includes stetements of the majority and minor- ity views. ALASKA FISHERIES DO YOU KNOW THAT: For years fisheries have ranked first in economic activities in Alaska. Production in 1950, including fur-seal byproducts, totaled 260,122,551 pounds with a wholesale value of $100,156,141. Salmon is the most important product in the commercial fisheries. An estimated 27,544 persons were engaged in commercial fisheries in 1950. The leading fishery products by value during that year were: Canned salmon $82,346,644 Frozen salmon 2,504,466 Halibut 5,802,381 Herring 35,819,994 Crab 1,603,688 Management of the fisheries resources of Alaska, including fur seals, is vested in the Branch of Alaska Fisheries, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Service is also responsible for the issuance of fishing regulations and their enforcement. The recently created Territorial Department of Fisheries has continued its cooperative program with the Fish and Wildlife Service in enforcement activities, and has also expanded its biological research program. NOTE: ABSTRACTED FROM INFORMATION ON THE TERRITORY OF ALASKA FOR THE FISCAL YEAR END- ING JUNE 30, 1951, ,, TRANSMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS ... AS PREPARED IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERISS REVIEW 61 LANDINGS AND RECEIPTS In Millions of Pounds MAINE - LANDINGS MASSACHUSETTS - LANDINGS NOT INCLUDING IMPORTS BOSTON , GLOUCESTER , NEW BEDFORD , & CAPE COD 5 CUMULATIVE DATA TO} 9 wgs. 1952 - 242.0 9 e 1951 = 168.1 12 1951 - 220.9 CUMULATIVE DATA fra; y/ 195 [eo em me * ie) JAN. FEB.MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. ‘NEW YORK CITY-RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH CHICAGO - RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH SALT-WATER MARKET WHOLESALE MARKET JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. GULF - SHRIMP LANDINGS SEATTLE - RECEIPTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FISH OFF - FOR ALL USES WHOLESALE MARKET , LANDINGS , & IMPORTS CUMULATIVE DATA 10 MQS. 1952 - 60.0 10 |, 1951 ~ 64.0 12 195) _- 76.1 JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR.MAY JUNE JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Thousands of Tons CALIFORNIA- TUNA AND TUNA-LIKE FISH Ko - PILCHARD LANDINGS ~ CUMULATIVE DATA } 1952/53 SEASON - 3.3 1951/52 SEASON - 126.5 1950/51 SEASON - 355.2 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. 62 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 COLD STORAGE HOLDINGS and FREEZINGS of FISHERY PRODUCTS In Millions of Pounds U.S. & ALASKA - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH U.S. & ALASKA 220; - FREEZINGS CUMULATIVE: DATA 10 MQS. 1952 - 280.3 O 11951 = 287.5 2 U9S1s=732555! JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. NEW ENGLAND - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH NEW YORK CITY - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH +|__t__l__1_S 9 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. CHICAGO - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH GULF - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH S yp WU po fm N @ O,nu ff a Dn VN Oo oO JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND ALASKA - = | HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH CALIFORNIA - HOLDINGS OF FROZEN FISH JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.! December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 63 CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS In Thousands of Standard Cases MAINE - SARDINES, ESTIMATED PACK UNITED STATES - SHRIMP CUMULATIVE DATA 1952/53 SEASON, AUG. =NOV. - 443.9 1951/52 SEASON, lOS5OH} 9 mgs. 1952 - 2,327.3 » 1951 - 902.4 1951 - 1,603.6] JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY CALIFORNIA - TUNA AND TUNA-LIKE FISH ip eal - PILCHARDS CUMULATIVE DATA 1951/52 SEASON, 1400 AUG.-JAN, 1950/51 SEASON, 0! JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. S - JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE 510 A CALIFORNIA - MACKEREL ALASKA - SALMON CUMULATIVE DATA + 1952 = 1,174.4) 1951 - 7915.3 1951 - 1,029.7] TOTAL 1952 SEASON - 3,530.1* TOTAL 1951 SEASON - 3,473.6 *PRELIMINARY JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. WASHINGTON - PUGET SOUND SALMON CUMULATIVE DATA STANDARD CASES Variety No.Cans Can Designation Net. Wat. SARDINES 100 1/4 drawn 3 1/4 oz. SHRIMP 48 — 5 oz. TUNA 48 No. 1/2 tuna 7 oz. PILCHARDS 48 No. 1 oval 15 oz. MACKEREL 48 No. 300 15 oz. SALMON 48 l_pound tall 16 oz. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR.MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. 64 COMMERCIAL FISH@RIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 PRICES, IMPORTS, and BY-PRODUCTS BOSTON - WEIGHTED AVERAGE PRICE MAINE - IMPORTS OF FRESH SEA HERRING ON NEW ENGLAND FISH EXCHANGE IN ¢@ PER POUND IN MILLIONS OF POUNDS oy CUMULATIVE DATA CUMULATIVE DATA - 1952 - 29.2 1951 - 32.2 1951 - 39.6 M1 MQS. AYG. 1952 - 8.28 1951 - 8.23 1951 - 8.37 12 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Millions of Pounds U.S. - IMPORTS OF FRESH & FROZEN FILLETS U.S.- IMPORTS OF FRESH AND FROZEN OF GRQUND FISH, INCLUDING ROSEFISH ___SHRIMP_FROM_ MEXICO CUMULATIVE - 1952 1951 0 2 1951 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. In Millions of Pounds U.S.- IMPORTS OF CANNED TUNA fos U.S.- IMPORTS OF CANNED SARDINES a AND TUNA-LIKE FISH ( Include in oi! and not in oil ) 1 Set 1951 = 14,0 ke 0 JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. U.S. & ALASKA - PRODUCTION OF FISH MEAL U.S. & ALASKA - PRODUCTION OF FISH OIL IN THOUSANDS OF TONS IN MILLIONS OF GALLONS 4.1 CUMULATIVE DATA + 1952 - 14.2 195] - 17.1 1951 = 17.9 JAN. FEB, MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY. JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT, NOV. DEC. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 65 ZOEEDE: B-st, 7, dats oe a ee a a aa ore oe a ol ea awe Recent publications of interest to the commercial fishingindustry are listed below. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PUBLICATIONS THESE PROCESSED PUBLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE FREE FROM THE DIVISION OF |NFORMATION, U. S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, WASH- INGTON 25, D. C. TYPES OF PUBLICATIONS ARE DESIGNATED AS FOLLOWS: CFS = CURRENT FISHERY STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES AND ALASKA. FL = FISHERY LEAFLETS. SL = STATISTICAL SECTION LISTS OF DEALERS IN AND PRODUCERS OF FISHERY PRODUCTS AND BYPRODUCTS SSR.-FISH. - SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC REPORTS=-FISHERIES (LIMITED DISTRIBUTION). SEP.- SEPARATES (REPRINTS) FROM COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW. Number Title Number Title CFS-672 - Packaged Fish--1950, Annual Summary SSR-Fish. No. 80 - Pilchard Eggs and Larvae and (revised), 4 p. Other Fish Larvae, Pacific Coast -1950, CFS-802 - New Jersey Landings, July 1952, 2 p. by Elbert H. Ahlstrom, 58 p., October CFS-803 - Frozen Fish Report, October 1952, 8 p. 1952. CFS-804 - Florida Landings, August 1952, 6 p. CFS-805 - Mississippi Landings, August 1952, 2 p. SSR-Fish. No. 85 - <> Years of Federal Fishery Re- CFS-806 - Massachusetts Landings, August 1952, 7 p. search on the Great Lakes, by Ralph CFS-807 - Maine Landings, August 1952, 4 p. Hile, 49 p., October 1952. CFS-808 - Texas Landings, September 1952, 4 p. CFS-809 - Meal and Oil, September 1952, 2 p. SSR-Fish. No. 88 - High Speed Plankton Samplers FL -195 - Partial List of Manufacturers of Fishing (1. A High Speed Plankton Semple., by Gear and Accessories (revised), 8 p. Edger L. Arnold, Jr.), and (2. An All- SL -108 - Firms Canning Salmon Eggs For Bait Met21 Plankton Sampler by Jack W. (revised), 1 p. Gehringer); 12 p., September 1952. SL -153 - Firms Manufacturing Fish Glue and Isin- glass (revised), 1 p. Sep. No. 326 - Japanese Mothership-Type Tuna-Fish- SL -154 - Firms Manufacturing Seaweed Froducts ing Operations in the Western Equetor- (revised), 1 p. ial Pacific, June-October 1951 (Report SL -156 - Firms Manufacturing Pearl Essence on the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Ex- (revised), 1 p. peditions). SL -161 - Producers of Packaged Fish, 6 p. THE FOLLOWING SERVICE PUBLICATION 1S FOR SALE AND |S AVAIL ABLE ONLY FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS, WASHINGTON 25, D. C. Comparison of YellowfinTuna of HawaiianWaters and measurements has shown that the yellowfin tuna of the AmericanWest Coast, by MilnerB. Schaefer, of the central Pacific belong to a population Fishery Bulletin 72 (from Fishery Bulletin of distinct from that along the American west coast, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Volume 52), 23p., a fact that has important implications in thede- illus., printed, 15 cents, 1952. Measurements velopment and management of the tuna fisheries. of various characters on 203 specimens of Neo- Since the yellowfin tuna of these regions belong thunnus macropterus from the vicinity of the to different populations which do not freely in- Hawaiian Islands are compared with similardata termix, a fishery on one can have no effect on for N. macropterus from waters adjacent to the the abundance of the other, so that the fishery American west coast. Interpretation of these along the West Coast is not tapping the entire yellowfin tuna resource of the Pacific. 66 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, No. 12 MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS SERVICE, BUT USUALLY MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE AGENCIES ISSUING THEM, CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING PUBLICATIONS THAT FOLLOW SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE RESPECTIVE AGENCIES OR PUBLISHERS MENTIONED. DATA ON PRICES, IF READILY AVAILABLE, ARE SHOWN. "King of Fishes," by Cecil E. Heacox, article, The tion program of the United States. Included are New York State Conservationist, April-May 1952, discussions on opportunities for new choices, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 18-19, illus., printed. New rounding out the mobilization base, producingmil- York State Conservation Department, Albany, New itary equipment, expanding industrial production, York. This article discusses the three species balancing materials supply anddistribution, meet- of sturgeon found in New York State waters: ing agricultural goals, utilizingmanpower re- the sea sturgeon (Acipenser sturio oxyrhynchus), sources, m@intaining economic stability, building a marine species which runs up the Hudsonriver strengthin the free world, and minimizing the ef- in the spring on its annual spawning migration; fects of enemy attack. the short-nosed sturgeon (Acipenser Brevirostris), a permanent resident of the fresh-water areas of (New Zealand) Marine Department, AnnualReport for the the Hudson River; and the lake sturgeon (Acipen- Year 1951-52, 49p., printed. Marine Department, ser fulvescens), with a range from the Mississip- Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. The pi Valley through the Great Lakes region and first sectionof this report coversNew Zealard's north. registration of vessels, vessel surveydata, adis— cussion of general harbor regulations, and astate- (Maine) Biennial Report of Atlantic Sea Run Salmon ment onthe inspectionof boilers, lifts, andcranes. Commission (For Period July 1, 1950.to June 30, The second section covers New Zealand's fisheries 1952, with additional information from 1948 to forthe year endingMarch 31, 1952; the statistics 1950), 13 p., printed. Atlantic Sea Run Salmon givenin thereport, however, are for the calendar Commission, Augusta, Maine. Reports are present— year1951. The fisheries report shows a continued ed on stream and fishway surveys, stream-improve— increase in the volume and value of spiny lob- ment projects, and salmon-stocking programs. sters (crayfish) exported, although there was a Also included is a memorandum of agreement by and slight decrease in the quantity of wet fish between Maine's Atlantic Sea Run Salmon Commis- caught. The diversion of fishing vessels from sion, the Department of Inland Fisheries andGame, ordinary fishing to crayfitshing was given as a the Department of Sea and Shore Fisheries, and contributing factor to the decline in the total the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Uni- wet-fish production. Total production figures versity of Maine, concerning a restoration pro- and comparative data are given by species and pram for sea-run salmon to be conducted through by port, including information on number of ves- scientific research and fishery management. sels and personnel, and methods of capture. Statistics are also available for fish-liver (Maine) A Statistical Summary of the Maine Herring oil, whaling, oysters, toheroa (a marine bi- Fishery in 1948 and 1949, by Leslie W. Scatter- valve), mussels, whitebait, and quinnat salmon. good and Parker S. Trefethen, Research Bulletin Information is also supplied on fresh-water No. 5, 62 p., illus., printed. Department of fisheries and fresh-water fishery research. Sea and Shore Fisheries, Augusta, Maine, June 1952. During the fiscal years 1948 to 1951, the Norges Fiskerier, 1950 (Les Pecheries de Norvege), Maine Sardine Fackers Association, the Maine De- Norges Offisielle Statistikk, XI, 86, 149 p., partment of Sea and Shore Fisheries, and the U.S. (mostly tables) printed in Norwegian with con- Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a cooperative tents also in French, Kr.350 net (about 50 study of the Maine herring fishery. This report U.S. cents). H. Aschehoug & Co., Oslo, Norway, is the third to result from the investigations 1952. Contains the official annual fisheries of the herring and its fishery. It deals prin- statistics of Norway by municipalities. In- cipally with the statistics of the Maine herring cludes quantity and value of landings of all catch in 1948 and 1949, herring used for lobster species of fish caught commercially. Alsogives bait, and herring production in Charlotte and St. statistics on number of craft, number and type John counties. It also contains a discussion of of gear, and number of fishermen, as well as Maine herring production by areas, gear, and data on shore facilities for processing, etc. weeks, For the most important sections of the fishing industry, information on utilization of catch "The Market Crab of California and its Close Rela- and on participation by men and craft is also tives," by J. B. Fhillips, reprint from Califor- given. The introduction contains a detailed nia Fish and Game, January 1939, vol. 25, no. l, description of the most important seasonal op— pp. 18-29, illus., printed. California Depart- erations based on reports from fisheries offi- ment of Fish and Game, San Francisco, Calif. cers stetioned in the field. Tables showing Photographs and descriptions are given to aidin Norwegian fishermen's catch in the fisheries the identification of the five common species west of Greenland are also included. of cancroid crabs: market crab(Cancer magister) ; slender crab (C. gracilis); rock crab (C. anten- "Observations in the Sea on the Reaction to Ultra- narius); red crab (C. productus); and yellow Violet Light of Certain Sound Scatterers," by erab (C. anthonyi). R. E. Craig and I. G. Baxter, article, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the U- New Resources Bring New Opportunities (Seventh Quar- nited Kingdom, vol. XXXI, no. 2, pp. 223-27, terly Report tothe President by the Director of De- illus., printed. Cambridge University Press, fense Motilization), 44p., illus., printed, 30 Bently House, N.W. 1, London, 1952. Two ex- cents. Office of Defense Mobilization, Weshingten, periments on the reaction to ultra-violet light D.C., Octoberl, 1952. (For sale by Superintendent of certain sound scatterers are described. The of Documents, Washington 25,D.C.). This is the source was a 125W. ultra-violet lamp. The scat- seventh quarterly report on the defense mot iliza- terers were detected byusing a Kelvin and Hughes December 1952 recording echo sounder, type 22. The traces on both occasions were of the confused type caused by a number of different organisms, apparently lying between 20 and 60 m. and 8 and 30 m., re- spectively. The responses of the different or- fanisms to the ultra-violet light as shown by the components of the traces are described and their speeds of reactions calculated. The types of organisms causing the traces are suggested, (OFS) Directory of Commodities and Services Exemp- ted or Suspended from Price Control (Covers all regulations issued through Sept. 24, 1952), sec- ond edition, October 1, 1952, 47 p., processed. Jurisdiction and Distribution Branch, Executive Office for Price, Office of Price Stabilization, Washington 25, D. C. Contains an alphabetical index of commodities (including fishery products) and services which have been exempted or sus- pended from price control. Also included is a list of OPS regulations which contain exemption or suspension provisions. The alphabetical in- dex specifies the commodity or service exempted, the regulation or other authority effecting ex- emption, and the type of action (exemption or suspension). The listing should not be consider= ed as a legal source of information on items re- moved from price control but as a guide to in- formation which is current to date of issu-nce only, since it may be altered or superseded by subsequent actions. Cetain exemptions refer to classes of commodities rather than specific com- modities and therefore may require further in- terpretation by price divisions. In all cases, the basic regulations or authority should be con- sulted for a full description of the exemption. Pacific Coast Halibut Landings, 1888 to 1950, and "A Catch According to Area of Origin, by F. Heward Bell, Henry A. Dunlop, and Norman L. Freeman, Report of the International Fisheries Commission No. 17, 47 p., illus., printed. International Fisheries Commission, Seattle, Wash., 1952. Gives the annual halibut landings on the Pacific Coast from 1885 to 1950, the origin according to the 1950 regulatory areas and the larger sub- division thereof, and the distribution of the landings on major sectionsof whe Coast after1910. These statistics are fundamental to the regula- tion of the fishery and to studies upcn the prin- ciples of stock management. Many of the figures presented for earlier years vary so widely from those published in earlier official documents and trade journals thet a considerable amount of supporting analysis is included to demonstrate the validity of the present data. Photographic Survey of Certain Areas of Sea Floor Near Plymouth," by H. G. Vevers, article, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the Unit- ed Kingdom, vol. XXXI, no. 2, pp. 215-22, illus., printed. Cambridge University Press, Bentley House, N.W. 1, London, 1942. Tnis report covers the continuation of the photorrapnic survey begun in July 1949. An improved underwater photogra- phic apparatus was used to take further series of photograrhs of the sea bottom near Plymouth. The photographs in the present series are each 1/4m2 in area instead of 1 m.“, and at this scale defi- nition is much better. Photographs of the bottom in the Rame Mud area showed ripple marks but no living epifaunal animals. In an area southof the Rame Mud, on a muddy sand and gravel bottom and in a similar area 6 miles south of Looe, dense "The Pismo Clam in 1951," by John E, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 67 populations of the brittle-star, Ophiothrix freg- ilis, were photographed. Ir the area south of Looe this type of population (density more than 100 individuals per m.2) was photograpned on three different occasions in 1950-51. In a sim- ilar but still denser Ophiothrix population found 3/4 mile northwest of Eddystone, there were about 340 individuals per m.2, and this aggreg-tion was apparently of lonz standing, since exceptionally large dredge hauls of Ophiothrix were takentnere in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It is suggested that the food supply for these populations, in the form of suspended material, is brought to them largely by the tidal streams and that the crowded beds are in localitieswhere this is likely to happen. From the photographic data it appears that in these dense porulations of brittie-stars there is rather less than 1 Ophiocomina nigra to 100 Ophiothrix fragilis. Fitch, article, California Fish and Geme, Uctober 1952, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 541-17, printed. California Department of Fish and Game, Sen Francisco, Calif. Describes the 1951 Pismo clam census conducted by the Bureau of Marine Fisheries at Pismo Beach and Morro Pay. From the 1951 census it is evident that the Pismo clam crop in the intertidal areas of Pismo Beach and Morro Bay is very poor. Most of the present decline in population can be attributed to three factors: failure of incoming year classes, ex- tremely heavy clamming pressure, and failure of the public to rebury undersized clams. The fail- ure of incoming year classes, undoubtedly a nor- mal fluctuation, could be remedied by one or two good sets of clams. Clamming pressure will prob- ably be even greater as the population of the State increases. The present policy of opening and closing alternate sections of good clam-bear- ing beaches should assure a continued recreation- al fishery regardless of increased clamming pres- sure. Finally, a new law which became effective late in 1951 will do much to remedy the third factor. This law states: "All undersized clams shall immediately be returned to the hole from which they are dug." The number of clams by ace groups taken in the Le Grande, Oceano, and Pismo sections for 1925-51, and the number of clams by age groups taken in the Morro section for 1949- 51 are included. A Report to the Salmon Fishing Industry of Alaska on the of the riments, by Leon A. Verhoeven, 77 p., illus., processed. Fisheries Research Institute, University of Wash- ington, Seattle, Wash., March 13, 1952. A pre- liminary account of the results obtained from the tagging experiments carried on in the vicinity of Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1947 by the Fisheries Re- search Institute of the University of Washington under a contract between the University and the Alaska Salmon Industry, Inc., representing salmon canners of Southeasterr Alaska. Describes ingen= eral the tyre of movement shown by individual fish in the run during the period of commercial fish- ing. This movement is confined within lirits to certain large areas such as that of lower Clar- ence Streit, Behm Canal, and Revillagigedo Chen- nel. Within such an area there takes place a to-end-fro movement similar to that which inbirds has been called a "seeking" movement. From the resultant mass of thoroughly intermixed fish, the various races are segregated in turn to enterthe streams in a regular sequence. . The Institute's Shippers of Fresh and Frozen Oysters, COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 14, Now 12 program is designed to show the relationship of the time of this segregation to the physical con= ditions within the streams to which the several races are bound. The time at which this occurs in each race is vital to survival. The spawning must be so synchronized with the rate of develop— ment in the gravel that the young will emerge at the proper time. Variations from the normal tim- ing of either fish migration or of climatic change must have a profound effect on the surviv= al. This study of the time of segregation is therefore an essential link in a program design= ed to cover what happens to the pink salmon be- tween entrance into fresh water and the returnof the next generation. The report also provides a basis whereby the effect of the fishery upon the run can be referred to the individual home stream of the several races constituting the commercial catch. sels, 22 p., processed. Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency, Washington 25, D. C. A list of shippers of fresh and frozen oysters, clams, and mussels, certified by the regulatory authorities in the United States and Canada. Control measures of these authorities are endorsed jointly by the U. S. Public Health Service and the Canadian Department of National Health and Welfare. A Survey of the Narraguagus River and its Tributar= ies, by Floyd G. Bryant, Research Report No. 2, 36 p., illus., printed. Atlantic Sea Run Salmon Commission, Augusta, Maine, 1952. Reports on a stream survey of the Narraguagus River and its tributaries conducted in the summer of 1950. Ob= jectives of the program were to obtain specific information relative to accessibility of the riv- er and its various tributaries to salmon, a bet- ter knowledge of distribution and amount of spawning and rearing areas, and information on river discharges, temperatures, and pollution sources. A brief description is given for each stream observed or surveyed except when it was too small to be of any existing or foreseeable value. Clams, and Mus- "The Tomales Bay Herring Fishery," by W.L. Scofield, article, California Fish and Game, October 1952, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 499-504, illus., printed. California Department of Fish and Game, San Fran- cisco, Calif. Describes the herring fishery of Tomales Bay and the use of lampara nets andbeach seines for taking herring. TRADE LISTS The Commercial Intelligence Branch, Office of International Trade, U. S. Department of Commerce, has published the following mimeographed trade lists. Copies of these lists may be obtained by firms in the United States from that Office or from Department of Commerce field offices at $1.00 per list. Boat and Ship Builders, Repairers, and Chandlers--Australia, 13 p. (October 1952). Lists names and addresses of boat and ship builders, repairers, and chandlersin Australia. The size of the firms listed isindicated, aswell as thetype of business each firm con- ducts. Commercial Fishing Companies and Fish Ex- porters--Sweden, 3 p. (October 1952). Lists names and addresses of Swedish commercial fishing companies and fish exporters. The size of the firms listed and the type of business for each is indicated. Oils (Animal, Fish and Vegetable) Im- porters, Dealers, Froducers, Refin— ers, and Exporters--United Kingdom, 20 p. (October 1952). Lists the names and addresses of dealers and producers of oils. The size of the firms listed is indicated, as well as the type of business each firm conducts. Firms dealingin fish oils are included. December 1952 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW CONTENTS, CONTINUED FOREIGN (CONTD.): MEXICO: GUAYMAS SHRIMP INDUSTRY IMPERILED BY LACK OF GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE .. GOVERNMENT PLANS IMPROVEMENTS FOR FISHERIES ecccccerecercsecsscresccece NORWAY: FISH EXPORTS EARN U. S. SWEDEN: LIFE-SAVING UNDERWEAR CLOTHING DEMONSTRATED sesececcecsoccce: UNITED KINGDOM: 1CELANDIC COMPANY FORMED TO COUNTERACT BAN AGAINST ICELANDIC FISHING VESSELS UNLOADING AT GRIMSBY AND HULL eesecre SUBSIDY TO FISHERIES .e.ccarccccccccres WHITE FISH AUTHORITY ISSUES REPORT ON STATUS OF FISHING INDUSTRY .c-ccerere ELECTRIC WHALING HARPOON DEVELOPMENT WORK CONCLUDED .osescecrcrcrcvceessve FEDERAL ACTHONS: secccesoees TREASURY DEPARTMENT: U. S. COAST GUARD: REVISED RULES ON VESSEL INSPECT! ON EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 19, 1952 .ccccoee DOLLARS «eceee PAGE FEDERAL ACTIONS (CONTD.): ECONOMIC STABILIZATION AGENCY: OFFICE OF PRICE STAGILI ZATION: CANNED SALMON CEILING PRICE REGULA-~ TION EXTENDED TO COVER 1952 PACK ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR: FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVI CE: HADDOCK FISHING REGULATIONS FOR GEORGES BANK PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF STATE: GATT SEVENTH SESSION HANDLED MANY ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND COMPLAINTS ..- TARIFF COMM1SS1 ON: ESCAPE CLAUSE REPORT ON TUNA CANNED IN BRINE AND BONITO CANNED IN OJL OR BRINE shocdoooosadsde GRAPHS cameron evolaiale ieteteiaoleiclele etemioisratare cietnvoielere VANDIINGSPA "RECEIPTS, cil ocak cneeeecico COLD STORAGE HOLDINGS & FREEZINGS OF FISHERY PRODUCTS ..... CANNED FISHERY PRODUCTS .ccccecceoceces PRICES, IMPORTS, & BYPRODUCTS RECENT FISHERY PUBLICATIONS: eecereseeess FISH AND WHLOLIFE SERVICE PUBLICATIONS MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS .. oeeeoeoreeeser eeersevees ecere= eeoseeoeceoeeeces 69 PAGE 55 56 Editorial Assistant--Ruth V. Compositors--Jean Zalevsky, Betty Coakley, Keefe Illustrator--Gustaf T. Irene Mainster * OK OK OK OK Photograph Credits: Service's file and the photographers are unknown. Outside back cover--G. T. Sundstrom INTERIOR=-DUPLICATING SECTION, WASHINGTON 25, D. C. JOB #33062 Sundstrom Photographs on pages not mentioned were obtained from the WLU 3 9088 01018 1469 The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Test Kitchen Series No. 7,How to Gook Shrimp, : HOW TO COOK SHRIMP tains 28 recipes kitchen tested by the Service's home economists. Fish wholesalers and re- tailers of shrimp will find this illustrated booklet avaluable sales aidas well as an eye-opener to the number of different methods for preparing this delicately-flavored shellfish. Recipes and other material in this booklet may * be reproduced freely and without restriction. As a result of modern fishing and marketing methods, fresh, frozen, cooked, and canned shrimp _.are now available in all parts of the country. Shrimp are an excellent source of high-quality protein, of some water-soluble vitamins, and of minerals necessary to good nutrition. | The various kinds of shrimp marketed in the United States are the common or "white" shrimp, which are a greenish gray when caught; the brown or Brasilian shrimp, which are abrownishred inits raw state; the pink or coral-colored shrimp; and Heat Saas Gn aera aoe = the Alaska, California, andMaine varieties, which vary in color and are relatively small. Although shrimp range in color from greenish gray to brownish red when raw, they differ little in appearance and flavor when cooked. Raw shrimp are often called "green shrimp" in the retail stores. The shrimp sold in most regions of the United States are the "tails" of the shrimp (heads- off shrimp). In a few markets close to the fishing grounds, rawor cooked whole shrimp (heads— on shrimp) can still be purchased. People who have the impression that shrimp are generally used only in salads and cock-— tails will find that many delicious and satisfying main dishes may be prepared using these pop- ular shellfish. How to Cook Shrimp is available individually orin quantity. Single copies, 15 cents. Firms or individuals who order 100 copies or more sent to one address receive a 25-percent discount from the single-copy price. Order directly from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. "kK °N *eoeuyT G 8eT Aqisssatug [[Ssuso0p T1ey wosutys ‘ Zopoor jo *ydeq ‘ear *sqqid °H 379904 goe‘e - SG/T - BMNW UtOd GIOT °ON F}Uted SSSNISNA 1VIDI440 ‘Da ‘SZ NOLONIHSVM -ADIAUSS 3SI107IM ANv HSIS YOIMALNI SHL AO LNAWLYVdad Salvis GaLINN O0E$ ‘3DVLSOd JO LNAWAVd GIOAV OL ASN SLVAINd HOS ALIVNAd