FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1939 191 
EXHIBITS AT EXPOSITIONS 
Exhibits depicting the contributions of the Bureau of Fisheries 
in the broad fields of Federal activity were displayed at the New 
York World’s Fair and San Francisco Golden Gate International 
Exposition in 1939. These displays were planned with the aid of the 
Division of Fishery Industries. 
Various display materials were furnished to individuals and groups 
during the year to exhibit as widely as possible through these devices 
the various phases of the fishery industries. 
At Tampa, Fla., a diorama of the sponge fisheries of Florida was 
exhibited through the duration of the Pan-American Exposition 
in January 1939. 
ECONOMIC AND MARKETING INVESTIGATIONS 
There is a constant demand upon the Division of Fishery Industries 
for studies of the marketing of fishery commodities and other economic 
studies relating to the commercial fisheries. It has been possible to 
undertake only one new large-scale study of this kind with available 
personnel and funds during the past year. However, a continuing 
study of cooperation among fishermen, and other long-time studies, 
were active during 1939, and, as is customary each year, many short- 
time economic and marketing studies were made in order to satisfy 
the urgent demands placed upon the Division. Some of these shorter 
studies were conducted preliminary to or closely associated with 
administrative activities of the Bureau and consequently were not 
published. Other studies, which were published through the Bureau’s 
facilities, were also widely circulated through fishery periodicals and 
other publications. 
One of the chief aims of the Division’s marketing research is to 
portray the processes of fish distribution in such a way as to enable all 
elements of the trade to understand more completely their functions 
as they relate to the rest of the industry. As the details of this picture 
are clarified, it is possible to point out respects in which the marketing 
system may not operate with full efficiency. These economic studies 
may serve as a basis for rationalizing the distribution of fishery prod- 
ucts, through the suggestion of remedies for various defects in the 
marketing system and in its operations. Since there are areas in the 
fish trade which are relatively unorganized as compared to many other 
distribution systems, and since fish consumption is unjustifiably low, 
this type of work should be productive. 
In pursuing this program the Division carries on studies of its own, 
such as the retail survey and other studies discussed below. It also 
analyzes the products of research in other fields so as to apply to 
fishery marketing whatever is of significance. In this way not only 
new findings but new research methods and techniques are made 
available. Innovations in marketing practice developed in this coun- 
try and abroad are also examined and given currency, if likely to be of 
value. 
During 1939 the economic and marketing investigations of the 
Division were largely conducted under the immediate supervision of 
Ralph Russell, Associate Economist, with the assistance of Keith O. 
Burr, Junior Statistician. 
