all the time. 



The industry recjuires more direct assist- 

 ance in developing new products and in mak- 

 ing the homemaker aware of the high value 

 of seafood in the American diet. It is also 

 important that the fishing industr)' be kept 

 actively informed of international fishery 

 matters so that it can tailor its production to 

 meet changing world conditions. More help 



is needed, too, in developing foreign markets 

 for domestic seafood and fishery byproducts. 

 As part of this program, the Region 

 plans to step up its review and appraisal of 

 the economic conditions of the many diverse 

 segments of the industry and recommend 

 appropriate Government assistance to bolster 

 the competitive position of this, America's 

 first industry. 



THE FISHING INDUSTRY OF TOMORROW 



The President's Special Message on Nat- 

 ural Resources dated February 23, 1961, key- 

 notes the need for a public understanding of 

 the critical importance of wise management 

 of ocean resources if we are to realize maxi- 

 mum continuing benefits from the western 

 North Atlantic. He said, "The sea around us 

 represents one of our most important but 

 least understood and almost wholly undevel- 

 oped areas for extending our resource base. 

 . . . Salt (and fresh water) fisheries are 

 among our most important but far from 

 fully-developed reservoirs of protein foods. 

 At present levels of use, this country alone 

 will need an additional 3 billion pounds of 

 fish and shellfish annually by 1980, and many 

 other countries with large-scale protein de- 

 ficiency can be helped greatly by more exten- 

 sive use of marine foodstuffs. . . . ' 



The targets for Region 3 of the Bureau 

 of Commercial Fisheries are wise utilization 

 of the resource and the maintenance of a 

 strong and prosperous commercial fishing 

 industry. 



The role of the Region is clear — to 

 insure maximum continuing benefits from 

 ocean resources in the Northwest Atlantic. 

 Such benefits depend on a strong and pros- 



perous fishing industry. The programs out- 

 lined in this report represent the best think- 

 ing of the Region toward a solution of the 

 industry's problems. 



The Region's fishing industry is passing 

 through a critical period of increasing pres- 

 sure from foreign imports and competition 

 from other protein sources for markets. The 

 vigor and intelligence with which the indus- 

 try attacks its problems and the degree of 

 direction and assistance that can be provided 

 by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries may 

 well determine whether the domestic fishing 

 industry will maintain its stature as a major 

 factor in our national economy. 



To meet this challenge, the industry of 

 tomorrow must be more efficient, more mech- 

 anized, and more aggressive. It must use its 

 raw materials even more wisely. It must exer- 

 cise teamwork in its marketing and promo- 

 tion efforts, and its products must be of 

 uniformly high quality. 



The Regional program for the future 

 years is designed to provide research and 

 services consistent with the responsibilities 

 of government to help the commercial fishing 

 industry help itself. 



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