FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1938 175 
commerce by their distribution through Federal, State, and private 
relief agencies. _ 
A study of the situation with respect to surplus fish was made by the 
staff of the Division during April and May 1939. The findings of this 
study were presented by the writer on May 31, 1939, before the Com- 
mittee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House of Representa- 
tives in connection with the deliberations of that Committee on 
H. R. 5025 and 5681. 
The former of these bills had for its purpose the provision of tem- 
porary measures for the further purchase of fishery products for dis- 
tribution to relief clients, while H. R. 5681 was designed to furnish 
permanent provision for the removal of surplus fishery commodities 
from the normal channels of trade and commerce. 
if The study made in the Division developed the following informa- 
ion: 
Frozen and cured fish.—The holdings of frozen fishery products in 
cold-storage warehouses in the United States on April 15, 1939, 
amounted to 29,744,000 pounds, compared with 37,367,000 pounds 
on the same date the previous year. This is 882,000 pounds in excess 
of the normal or 5-year average of the holdings as of April 15, which 
amounted to 28,862,000 pounds. 
The excess holdings as of April 15, 1939, over the 5-year average for 
this date consisted principally of shellfish, largely shrimp originating 
from the South Atlantic and Gulf coast; shad from the Atlantic 
coast; sablefish from the Pacific coast; and various fresh-water fish 
from the Great Lakes. 
On April 15, 1939 the cold-storage holdings of cured herring 
amounted to 15,670,000 pounds, compared with 15,082,000 pounds 
on the same date in 1938 and the 5-year average of 12,229,000 pounds 
as of April 15. 
Cold-storage holdings of mild-cured salmon on April 15, 1939, 
amounted to 3,529,000 pounds, compared with 2,719,000 pounds on 
the same date a year ago and the 5-year average of 3,116,000 pounds 
as of April 15. 
Canned fish—Holdings of canned salmon in the hands of packers, 
according to a report of the Association of Pacific Fisheries, Seattle, 
Wash., amounted to 2,032,591 standard cases of 48 1-pound cans per 
case on February 28, 1939. This is a decrease of 1,396,000 cases, or 
67,000,000 pounds, as compared with the holdings on the same date 
the previous year. 
Data obtained by telegram from members of the industry showed 
that holdings of canned tuna on March 15, 1939, amounted to 9,600,000 
pounds, or approximately 6,000,000 pounds less than a year ago, while 
those of California sardines aggregated 7,900,000 pounds, or 3,100,000 
pounds more than on the same date the previous year. Current 
holdings of canned shrimp amounted to 4,500,000 pounds which were 
almost identical with the holdings a year ago, and those of canned 
oysters were 2,600,000 pounds, or 800,000 pounds greater than in the 
preceding year. It is reported that there were no stocks of Maine 
sardines in packers hands on March 15 this year, but last year holdings 
of this product totaled about 8,000,000 pounds. 
Summary.—The holdings in the spring of 1939 of all of the types of 
edible fishery products outlined above aggregated about 172,000,000 
pounds compared with 256,000,000 pounds as of comparable dates a 
