i78 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
pounds in 1934 and 1,184,000 pounds in 1938. This decline in imports 
is reflected principally in receipts from the Soviet Union which is the 
principal source of supply. Where imports from the Soviet Union 
amounted to 1,605,000 pounds in 1934, they decreased to 750,000 
pounds in 1938. 
Contrasted with the decline in receipts of sturgeon from the Soviet 
Union are the steadily increasing imports from Canada. Such imports 
amounted to only 124,000 pounds in 1934, but had increased to 
353,000 pounds in 1938. Receipts from Canada were augmented 
during the latter part of 1938 by the development of a new source 
of supply in the Albany River in northern Ontario. According to 
a report from Warwick Perkins, American Consul at Toronto, Canada, 
the capture of sturgeon in this river in the past has been incidental to 
fisheries for other species, but, due to the high unit value of sturgeon, 
it has been found profitable to prosecute a fishery specifically for this 
fish, transporting the catch by aircraft to Nakina for transshipment 
on the Canadian National Railways. 
It is of interest to observe that imported sturgeon furnishes our 
principal supply, since the domestic annual catch has averaged less 
than 300,000 pounds in recent years. 
STATISTICAL INVESTIGATIONS 
Fishery statistics are collected by the Bureau to serve two principal 
purposes—biological and economic. For this reason the Bureau plans 
its statistical surveys to obtain comprehensive data for furnishing a 
complete and reliable picture of the condition and trend of the fisheries. 
The collection and compilation of the great mass of data necessary 
involves many problems. The fisheries are broad in scope, including 
over 160 varieties of aquatic products which enter into commercial 
production. These, many of which are migratory, are taken by a 
great variety of types of gear in areas along our seacoast and in our 
interior lakes and streams. If the biological aspect is to be served, 
complete annual statistics are needed on each of these phases in every 
section. If the economic aspect is to be served, statistics are needed 
not only on the phases listed above relative to the biological aspect, 
but also on the price structure, the processing function, and on 
marketing and distributing. 
_ It is essential that statistics on these latter phases of the industry 
be collected and published as soon as possible after the close of the 
business transactions in order that they may be of maximum value to 
the fishery industry and other interested parties. 
BIOLOGICAL ASPECT 
The biological aspect must consider two problems—the conservation 
and sustained supply of the resource, and the prediction of future 
trends or yields. Since the fisheries are usually prosecuted in areas 
not under private ownership, the problem of the conservation of these 
fisheries is of national concern. It is important that close watch be 
kept of the condition of the various fisheries to detect depletion so 
that remedial measures can be promulgated timely and wisely. For 
this reason it is imperative that current statistical data be obtained 
on the yield of our fisheries. 
