The sea scallop moves swiftly 



through the water and over the 



ocean floor by quickly opening 



^^ and shutting its two beautiful 



shelh 



Other Information 



SoMnds .--Fish have no vocal chords but they make 

 sounds with their teeth and airbladder. When the male 

 seatrout, or weakfish, sends out his mating call by 

 vibrating his airbladder with a special muscle, he can 

 be heard 50 feet under water; a species of mackerel 

 grunts like a pig; a type of catfish growls; the conger eel 

 barks; the oldwife chirps; a Mediterranean variety of 

 weakfish which has a musical call is believed by some to 

 be the basis for the "Siren" of Greek mythology who lured 

 sailors onto the rocks. 



Sea mammaZs. --Whales, walruses, sea otters, seals, 

 and sea lions are mamnnals rather than fish. Several 

 thousand whales are taken each year under regulations 

 of the International Whaling Commission; only two or 

 three hundred of these are taken by American whalers, 

 operating out of two California whaling stations. Extensive 

 studies are being made on the walrus. Sea otters, once a 

 source of fine fur, almost disappeared but are now in- 

 creasing under full protection. Sea lions are an "unwanted" 

 animal, believed by some to be a threat to the salmon 

 fisheries, and as yet are valueless for commercial pur- 

 poses. Fur seals are protected by international agree- 

 ments. The United States manages the big American herd 

 on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, and each year 

 takes more than 60,000 prime skins for the market. Under 

 the terms of an international treaty with Japan and Canada, 

 the United States gives 15 percent of the American skins 

 to each of these two countries. 



International commissions . - -International commissions 

 have been established to guide management and research 

 problems in many fisheries used by two or more nations. 

 These include the International Commission for Northwest 

 Atlantic Fisheries; International North Pacific Fisheries 

 Commission; Great Lakes Fisheries Commission; Inter- 

 national Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission; Pacific 

 Halibut Comnnission; Inter -American Tropical TunaCom- 

 nnission; and the International Joint Connnnission (Canada 

 and the United States). 



Interstate commissions, --states which have common 

 fishery problems have formed organizations to meet these 

 problems. These groups are the Atlantic States Marine 

 Fishery Commission, Gulf States Marine Fishery Com- 

 mission, and the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission. 



The American catch. --In recent years the value of the 

 catch to fishernnen has varied between $250 million and 

 $275 million annually. Shrimp leads in value, brings $75 

 million a year at boatside. 



The work the research 

 biologi sts are doing today 

 will help keep the popular 

 shrimo on America's 

 tables tomorrow 



Lobsters are measured for 

 legal size 



Cod 



Humpback whale playing 



