1942: Fisheries

The fisheries of the world annually yield 35,000,000,000 lb. of products, valued at $762,000,000. The annual yield from North American fisheries is about 6,300,000,000 lb., valued at $135,000,000, with the United States contributing 4,400,000,000 lb., worth $96,500,000.

During 1942, the fisheries in continental United States and Alaska employed 125,000 fishermen, 5,600 vessels having a total capacity of 113,000 net tons, 31,000 motor boats, and 33,000 small boats and skiffs. Auxiliary vessels used for transporting fish numbered 1,300 with a net tonnage of 23,000. Shore operations in fish-packing plants and in the water transport of fishery products employed 94,000 people, while some 300,000 others were engaged in allied industries, such as boat building, can and box making, rope and net manufacturers, and the like.

General Situation.

The economic condition of the fishery industry continued during 1942 to improve greatly in the United States, due again to the increased demand for fish not only by the civil population but also by the military, and for Lend-Lease purposes.

In order to make the fullest use of our fishery resources, the United States Government through the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior continued its projects to increase the production and markets for fishery products. An important part of this effort was the market news program, which included radio broadcasts covering price and supply information for fishermen, and in some cities, programs to inform consumers as to species of fish in the local markets, and the 'best buys.' The Service also continued research work at its fishery research laboratory at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and at its technological laboratories in College Park, Md., Seattle, Wash., and Ketchikan, Alaska.

Although the cod fisheries off New England, Canada, and Newfoundland continued to yield a large supply of fish, the yield during 1942 did not approach the former figure of about 1,000,000,000 lb. This was because of the shortage of fishing vessels and because under war conditions fishing was not carried on by vessels from Europe as formerly.

The more important species of fish in United States waters, from the standpoint of volume, are pilchard (sardine), salmon, menhaden, sea herring, haddock, mackerel, cod, tuna and tuna-like fishes, shrimp, crabs, oysters, rosefish and halibut. These usually make up about 80 per cent of the catch. The entire catch by United States fishermen is made up of about 160 species or groups of species.

Pilchard.

This fish is the basis of a large sardine-canning industry in California, as well as being used for reduction into meal and oil at plants in the west coast states. During the season ending March 1942 there were 5,155,000 standard cases of sardines packed in this section, by far the largest pack in the history of the fishery. A considerable portion of the production was marketed in England. The output of meal amounted to 91,000 tons, while the yield of oil was 17,194,000 gal. The catch of pilchards during the first few months of the 1942-43 season, which opened Aug. 1, was considerably below that of the previous season.

Salmon.

This fish is the basis of a canning industry on the Pacific Coast from Oregon to the Bering Sea. The great bulk of the United States pack is canned in Alaska. There the production during the 1942 season, according to preliminary reports, amounted to 5,015,000 standard cases compared with 6,932,000 standard cases, valued at $56,218,000 in 1941. The total pack in North America in 1942, amounted to 7,520,000 standard cases.

Menhaden.

This fish is taken along the entire Atlantic Coast south of Cape Cod, and in waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is used for reduction into meal and oil. In 1941 production amounted to 86,345 tons of meal and scrap, valued at $4,251,000; and 6,034,000 gal. of oil, valued at $2,829,000. The production of oil through the first three quarters of 1942 was about 20 per cent less than in the same period of the previous year.

Sea Herring.

The Maine sardine-canning industry is based on this fish. In 1941 the pack there amounted to 3,131,000 standard cases, valued at $12,476,000, the largest pack in the history of the fishery. The 1942 pack approximated the same total.

Cod, Haddock, Pollock, Flounders, Rosefish, and Whiting.

These species, taken on the fishing banks off the North Atlantic seaboard and in the inshore waters, form the basis of the fresh and frozen packaged-fish industry. Their combined pack as packaged fish in 1941 amounted to 162,722,000 lb., valued at $19,899,000. According to figures available by the first of December 1942, the production of these species as packaged fish this year will fall considerably below the pack for the previous year. During recent years increasing quantities of rosefish have been taken and marketed as fresh or frozen fillets. In 1941 the catch amounted to 139,400,000 lb.

Mackerel.

This species is found along the North Atlantic Coast, where it is marketed mainly as fresh and frozen fish, although an increasing amount is being canned; and off California, where it forms the basis of an extensive canning industry. Through the first three quarters of 1942 the landings of this fish at the important New England ports amounted to about 18,836,000 lb. In California, the pack for the first ten months of 1942 amounted to only 305,000 standard cases, compared with 614,000 cases during the same period of 1941.

Tuna and Tuna-like Fishes.

These fishes form the basis of a large canning industry on the Pacific Coast. Quantities also are taken off the New England Coast for canning. In 1941 the pack on both coasts amounted to 2,932,000 standard cases, worth about $19,398,000, the third largest pack canned in the United States. In California the pack amounted to 2,734,000 standard cases, valued at $17,049,000. In 1942 the tuna fishery was hampered by war restrictions and by the sale or charter of a considerable portion of the fleet to our armed forces. In California the pack was only 1,916,000 standard cases through the first ten months of the year.

Shrimp.

The main production areas for this shellfish are along the South Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Until recently most of the catch has been canned, but large quantities are now being marketed in the fresh and frozen condition. During the 1942 season, the pack of canned shrimp amounted to only about 469,000 standard cases by Nov. 28, compared with 501,000 standard cases up to about the same date in 1941. The pack of frozen shrimp in 1942 will also be below that of 1941, for by Nov. 15 it amounted to 13,436,000 lb., compared with 16,473,000 lb. for the same period in 1941.

Oysters.

Oysters are a valued product in every Atlantic and Gulf sea-coast state from Massachusetts to Texas, inclusive, and in all the Pacific Coast states. The North Atlantic oysters are marketed mainly in the fresh-shucked condition, while those taken in the South Atlantic and Gulf sections are used chiefly for canning. Two species of oysters are harvested on the Pacific Coast: the western or native oyster which is marketed fresh-shucked, and the Pacific or Japanese oyster which is sold either fresh-shucked or canned. The Pacific or Japanese oysters have been grown from seed imported from Japan. Contrary to expectation, it has been found that these oysters will reproduce in the waters of the Pacific Coast States, and it is expected that the industry will be able to maintain itself without importing additional seed. During 1941 the production of canned oysters in the entire United States amounted to 613,000 standard cases, valued at $2,997,000.

Crabs.

Crabs are found in the waters of all of our sea-coast states and in Alaska. The principal species caught are the blue crab of the Atlantic Coast and the Dungeness crab of the Pacific Coast. The catch is marketed either in the shell, as fresh-cooked meat, or as canned crab meat. During 1940 the production of fresh-cooked meat amounted to 8,880,000 lb., valued at $2,982,000 while the pack of canned crab meat totaled 755,000 lb., valued at $309,000. In 1941 the production of canned crab meat increased to 1,174,000 lb., and a considerable further increase was expected for 1942.

Halibut.

The principal halibut fishery of North America is located off the Pacific Coast from Oregon to the Alaska Peninsula. A maximum annual take, or quota, is established each year under the terms of a convention agreed upon by the United States and Canada. When the combined catches by fishermen of the two countries reach this quota the fishery is closed for the year. In 1942 the season opened on April 15, and the quota was reached by Sept. 25, about ten days later than in the previous year. By the close of the season the landings had amounted to 48,116,000 lb., compared with 50,650,000 lb. in 1941. Prices in 1942 were about 16.9 cents per pound, compared with 11.7 cents per pound in 1941.

Whaling.

Prior to the present war various countries of the world, notably Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the United States, took a renewed interest in the whale fishery. Operations were conducted mainly in the Antarctic seas. A convention has been concluded between 26 Powers of the world to conserve this fishery, the United States being a party to the convention. During the 1941-42 season only a few vessels engaged in this fishery in the Antarctic. The United States operated no vessels there during that season, and in 1942 had one land plant for whale reduction, operated in California. In 1941 the production of whale products on the Pacific Coast included 34,000 gal. of oil, valued at $16,000. In 1942 the production of whale oil on the Pacific Coast totaled 40,000 gal. through the first three quarters of the year.

Fish Landings at Certain Important Ports.

During the first three quarters of 1942 the vessel landings of all kinds of fish at the principal New England fishing ports of Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Me., amounted to 304,625,000 lb., valued at $14,890,000, compared with 363,654,000 lb., valued at $11,211,000 for the same period in 1941. The decline in the volume of the landings resulted from the purchase or charter of many of the larger, newer, and more efficient units of the New England fishing fleet by the Navy and Coast Guard.

During the first three quarters of 1942 the volume of fish handled at Seattle, Wash., amounted to 40,666,000 lb., valued at $4,685,000, compared with 45,898,000 lb., valued at $4,079,000 handled during the same period of 1941.

Frozen Fish.

During the twelve-month period ending with Nov. 15, 1942, frozen fish products amounted to 249,626,000 lb., compared with 241,307,000 lb. during the previous twelve-month period. On Nov. 15, 1942, there were 114,134,000 lb. of frozen fish and shellfish in cold-storage warehouses of the United States compared with a five-year average for this date of 93,732,000 lb.

Fish Consumption.

The per capita consumption of fish in the United States is about 13 lb. annually. This compares with an annual per capita of 20 lb. in Canada, 39 lb. in Denmark, 44 lb. in England, 52 lb. in Sweden, and 64 lb. in Japan.