Fresh 



Imports of fresh txma into the United States are of little importance 

 since only small shipments are received from Canada and Mexico. These 

 receipts are used for immediate cons-umption in the fresh market or for 

 canning.. Fresh tuna entered the United States free of duty, under the 

 Tai'iff Acts of 1913 and 1922, and has been retained on the free list 

 under the Tariff Act of 1930. Imports of fresh tuna probatly average less 

 than one million pounds emnually. 



Frozen 



Frozen tima imported into the United States is used entirely in the 

 prcduotion of canned tuna. In recent years, imports of frozen tuna, which 

 are received principally from Japan and Peru, have increased spectacularly 

 and, in 1952, amo\;inted to 69,003,000 pounds. In that year, ahout 17 percent 

 of the domestic pack of canried tuna and tunalike fishes was produced from 

 Imported frozen tuna. 



The first shipments of frozen tuna from Japan to the United States 

 were made in 1925, when 831,280 pounds of altacore were forwarded to 

 California canners. Since the Bureau of Chemistry of the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture ruled at that time that tuna canned from frozen fish must 

 irjiicate this on the latel (Pacific Fishermen Yearhook 1926). it was 

 considered douhtful whether additional shipments would be made. The large 

 slbacore catch made in 1925, amounting to 22, 207, 000. pounds, also made it 

 appear unlikely that canners would be interested in receiving additional 

 supplies of imported frozen tuns,, and none were received in 1926. Un- 

 forttmately, albacore largely disappeared from their accustomed waters off 

 California and Mexico in 1926 and they did not reappear in volume iintil 

 19380 Since a market had been developed for the white meat albacore 

 and maay customers wished to continue receiving this pack rather than 

 light-meat varieties, canners were desirous of obtaining supplies of albacore. 

 Shipments from Japan were resumed in 1927, and by 1929 exceeded 6,000,000 

 povjidSc Eeceipts from Japan remained at about this level iintil 1937 when 

 they reached a pre-World War II peak of ll,0il6,000 pounds^ 



Until 1932, nearly all of the imports of frozen tuna from Japan 

 consisted of albacore. In that year, about one-third of the imports were 

 traefin, and in the following year^ imports included the other species 

 of light-meat tuna. In the following years, imports from Japan have 

 consisted principally of albacore, but have included the light-meat 

 varieties. 



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