420 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



The increased United States production of food fish as a whole has been 

 sold at decreasing real prices. 



The average annual price to fishermen for all food fish in current money 

 was about i6 per cent higher in the late (1921-40) period than in the 

 earlier (1887-1908); real prices, however, were diminished, i.e., a given 

 quantity of a cross section of all food fish could only be exchanged for 26 

 per cent less of a cross section of all (about 900) commodities in the late 

 (1921-1940) than in the early period (1887-1908); for other foods, food 

 fish had exchange value less by 27 per cent in the late than in the early 

 period. 



In the Atlantic-Gulf regions, even though per capita production of food 

 fish was less in the late period, average prices underwent almost exactly the 

 same percentage decrease as did those of the whole country; with an increase 

 of 32 per cent in total pounds of production, the total real value in terms of 

 other commodities, because of lower prices, was unchanged (—0.8 per cent). 



The increased yield of all fish has been produced by fewer fishermen 

 (number assignable to food fish not separately ascertainable). The number 

 of fishermen reached its peak about 1900- 1902 with 145,000 for the country, 

 and 124,000 for the Atlantic-Gulf regions; by the 1930's the national total 

 had decreased 28 per cent to 100,000 and the Atlantic-Gulf decreased by 

 43 per cent to about 70,000. The average weight of catch per fisherman 

 had doubled in the late (1921-1940) as compared with the early (1887- 

 1908) period, and tripled on comparison of the early 1890's with the late 

 1930's. Improvements in efficiency made it possible to supply the require- 

 ments of an increased population despite the reduction of nearly one-third 

 in the number of fishermen. 



The average individual income nearly doubled (in purchasing power) 

 for the smaller number of United States fishermen between 1900 and 1940; 

 that of the Atlantic-Gulf regions increased by about 60 per cent. On the 

 whole, the fisherman's reward for his labor, though not comparable in 

 amount, increased at about the same rate as did wages of industrial skilled 

 labor. Improvement in efficiency, or catch per man, apparently does not 

 increase the income of fishermen, but compels a reduction in their number; 

 the number of fishermen engaged appears to adjust itself automatically to 

 that which can just produce the amount of fish required by the market. 



The curve of total quantity of food fish produced year by year follows 

 that of the index of industrial production which is t3^pical of the business 

 cycle; the volume of fish production in Canada follows the Canadian index 

 of industrial production; production of the nine leading countries of 

 Northern Europe appears to have followed -up to 1938 the European cycle 

 of business activity. The value of the fisheries has faithfully followed the 

 curve of national income in both the United States and Canada. Both the 



