xrv 



EEPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



represents a moderate decrease from the output of the previous year 

 when 7,121,806,000 fish and eggs were produced. Part of the decline 

 is chargeable to a marked reduction in the number of fish handled in 

 the rescue work on the upper Mississippi River area. A survey of 

 the more than 45 individual species handled indicates that certain 

 well-defined groups suffered a slight reduction in addition to the 

 category mentioned above. Practically all of the Pacific salmons 

 were handled in smaller numbers. Important commercial fishes of 

 the Great Lakes, specifically, the whitefish, cisco, and lake trout, 

 also showed a decline in production. A large number of trout was 

 distributed, and in the group of marine fishes the cod and haddock 

 showed an increase, while the pollock and winter flounder, which 

 normally represent over half of the total output, declined by approx- 

 imately one-half billion. Analysis further shows that the production 

 of fingerling fish, which represents those forms which have attained 

 a size ranging from several inches up to the legal length, was also 

 quite sharply curtailed, with an output of 148,000,000 as compared 

 with 320,000,000 for the previous fiscal year. This is to a large 

 extent accounted for, however, by the decline of 120,000,000 in the 

 class of rescued fishes which normally represents a large proportion 

 of the fingerling output. It should be further pointed out that in 

 the majority of instances where a decline occurred the eggs are se- 

 cured from commercial fisheries and are not produced at the hatch- 

 eries as is the case with trouts and other game varieties. Therefore, 

 the collection of eggs and the consequent output of fish is largely 

 controlled by conditions which the bureau can not modify, particu- 

 larly weather and market conditions, and it is not unusual for con- 

 siderable fluctuations in the output of the commercial species to occur 

 from year to year. 



There follows analysis of the total production broken down to show 

 the output by certain species and groups classified according to their 

 relationships : 



Game fishes : 



Warm-water species- 

 Basses 



Sunflsh 



Crappie 



Pike and pickerel- 



Catfisli 



White perch 



White bass 



other 



Total- 



Cold-water species — 

 Trouts — 



Brook 



Rainbow 



Loch Leven 



Black-spotted 



(Jolden 



Dolly Varden 



Grayling 



Landlocked salmon. 



Total 



Commercial fishes : 

 Anadromous species- 

 Shad 



Glut herring 



Striped bass 



Number 



4, 685, 000 



10, 357, 200 



6,951,000 



59, 000 



12, 185. 000 



7, 000, 300 



16, 700 



542, 300 



41, 796, 500 



17, 898, 000 



13, 953, 000 



23, 143, 000 



17, 178, 000 



50, 100 



2, 462,000 



41, 100 



986. 700 



75. 711. 90U 



29. 758, 000 



55, 000, 000 



1, 676, 000 



Commercial fishes — Con. 

 Anadromous species — Con. 



Salmon : Number 



Atlantic 1, 143, 700 



Pacific 134, 774, 100 



Total- 



222,351,800 



Interior waters (includinj 



Great Lakes) species- 



Whiteflsh 



Cisco 



Lake trout 



Pike perch 



Yellow perch 



Carp 



Buffalofish 



69, 880, 000 

 23. 000. 000 

 25, 630. 300 

 401, 604, 000 

 182, 276, 700 

 247,421,000 

 255, 856, 000 



Total 1, 205, 668. 000 



Marine species — ■ 

 Cod 



Haddock 



Pollock 



Winter flounder. 

 Mackerel 



1, 628. 766, 000 

 800, 151. 000 



14,670,000 

 3, 049, 124, 000 



15, 245, 000 



Total 



Miscellaneous fishes-^ 

 Grand total_- 



5, 507. 956, 000 



20. 451, 000 

 7, 073, 935, 200 



