BUREAU OF FISHERIES XII 
COMMERCIAL FISHERIES AND FISHERY INDUSTRIES 
REVIEW 
According to the most recent statistics available, the fisheries and 
fishery industries of the United States and Alaska employ about 
190,000 persons; their properties are valued at about $210,000,000 ; 
the annual sales of fish and fishery products by fishermen are about 
3,000,000,000 pounds, for which they receive about $109,000,000; and 
the output of canned fishery products and by-products is valued at 
nearly $100,000,000. 
With but one important exception, in 1926 the fishery industries 
may be said to have experienced one of the most successful years. — 
Vessel landings at New England ports were the largest on record; 
Seattle landings were better than in the preyious year; and the fish- 
canning industry had the most valuable output in recent years. 
The exception to the generally successful conditions was the men- 
haden industry. In recent normal years this industry has an output 
valued at more than $6,000,000. In 1926 the value was less than 
$3,500,000, and the resulting condition in this industry is most acute. 
This is a repetition of what happened in 1924 and is most likely to 
be repeated frequently as long as no remedial steps are taken. The 
reduced output was due, of course, to a failure in the supply of men- 
haden, and the resultant loss was far greater than ordinarily would 
be expected, as the operating costs are about as high for a $3,500,000 
output as for a $6,000,000 output. The reason for the high operating 
costs in poor years is the failure to foresee such a condition. 
It is necessary to keep on full crews at the plants and on the 
vessels in order to take care of the large catches, which in poor years 
fail to materialize. This condition might be remedied by investiga- 
tions of the fluctuations of menhaden, which would permit forecasting 
the extent of the supply, and technological research to develop more 
efficient methods in the menhaden plants. These two projects are 
considered of great importance. Unfortunately, no work on the 
fluctuations and only a little work on technological processes have 
been possible with the present personnel and funds. 
The bureau’s work most directly touching upon the fisheries indus- 
tries is prosecuted by its division of fishery industries. The opera- 
tions of this division include the collection, compilaton, and publica- 
tion of statistics, technological research, and the dissemination of 
practical information to the industry. 
GENERAL STATISTICS 
During the past year statistics on the landings of fish at the ports 
of Boston and Gloucester, Mass., Portland, Me., and Seattle, Wash., 
were collected and published monthly. Statistics of the cold-storage 
holdings of fish were collected by the Bureau of Agricultural Eco- 
nomics in the Department of Agriculture and were published monthly 
by the Bureau of Fisheries as in previous years. Statistics of canned 
fishery products and by-products for the year 1926 were collected 
and published early in 1927, and those on the production, holdings, 
and consumption of animal and vegetable oils in the fishery indus- 
