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STATISTICAL SURVEY PROCEDURE 



South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Shrimp F i s he ry - -Detailed statistics on 

 quantity and value of shrimp, by variety and size, landed at South Atlantic and Gulf ports, have 

 been collected for the Gulf area since 1955 and the South Atlantic since 1957. Since 1956, NMFS 

 personnel have also obtained daily information on the number of fishing trips, area and depth 

 fished, and time spent fishing for craft landing at U.S. ports in the Gulf of Mexico . Various 

 fishery agencies of the southern States cooperate in the collection of these data. 



Detailed monthly and annual summaries of the statistics on shrimp catch and landings are 

 published in bulletin form and are summarized in the Statistical Digests. 



Historical Fishery Statistics — NMFS has in its files and in various reports or pub- 

 lications, a large volume of historical data on fisheries. Beginning with the 1951 Digest, a sec- 

 tion entitled "Historical Fishery Statistics," which includes complete historical information on 

 selected species, has been carried. There is published each year a listing of the titles of the 

 series of data appearing in earlier editions. 



Review of Certain Major Fisheries — For the years 1942-75, tabulations contain- 

 ing complete data on the catch of certain major species have been included in a section of the 

 Digest entitled "Review of Certain Major Fisheries." Although the data are included in the de- 

 tailed catch tables of the various States, they are consolidated in this section to provide a sin- 

 gle source of data for cod, haddock, menhaden, Atlantic ocean perch, salmon, tuna, oysters, 

 clams, crabs, and shrimp. Data on operating units in the following fisheries have likewise been 

 consolidated in this section: salmon purse seine and troll line, Atlantic and Pacific Coast tuna , 

 menhaden purse seine, fish and shrimp otter trawls. 



Canned Fishery Products and Industrial P ro d u c t s --Since 1921, NMFS has 

 made annual sectional surveys for statistics on canned and industrial fishery products . These 

 surveys are started the first week in January of each year for statistics on the production in the 

 preceding year. So far as possible, the Service obtains by mail, statistics on the annual produc- 

 tion of each domestic canned and industrial fishery products plant. If it is impossible to obtain 

 the information by mail, the report is secured by a NMFS representative. Included in the data 

 obtained are statistics on the yield and value of the canned products by type of commodity, can 

 size, and area of production. Data on industrial products are obtained by commodity and area of 

 production. The value shown for canned and industrial products is the gross amount received by 

 the packer at the production point. No deductions are made for commissions or expenses. 



Annual statistical bulletins are issued on this trade, and detailed data are published in the 

 Statistical Digest. Prior to 1921, canned and industrial products data were not collected for the 

 entire country. However, data on the production of these products were usually obtained for the 

 areas in which general canvass surveys were conducted. 



Fish Meal and Oil — Data are collected monthly on the domestic production of fish meal, 

 body oilj and fish solubles. This information is released monthly and annually in the Service's 

 Current Fishery Statistics series of bulletins. 



Fish Fillets and Steaks — Statistics on the annual production and value of fish fillets 

 and steaks in the United States are obtained in conjunction with the canned and industrial fishery 

 products survey. These data are released annually in bulletin form and in the annual Statistical 

 Digest. Statistics on the production of fillets and steaks are available for 1926 and annually 

 since 1928, except that no data were collected in California for the years 1941 to 1946, inclusive. 



