FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1939 209 
and considerable quantities are shipped into other Southern as well as 
Northern States. : 
The New Orleans Fishery Market News office is supervised by 
C. E. Peterson, Fisheries Statistical and Marketing Agent, who is 
assisted by R. A. Hoerner, Junior Clerk. 
TECHNOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS 
The purpose of the technological investigations of the Bureau of 
Fisheries is to increase the economic value of the fishery harvest by 
more complete and efficient utilization. Toward this end, studies are 
conducted of the technical phases of fish production, processing, and 
marketing. In planning these studies efforts are made to select those 
which have a broad fundamental application. : 
An important problem facing the fishery industry, and common to 
many other food industries, is that of seasonal gluts and other irregular- 
ities of production. This problem has both its economic and tech- 
nological aspects. From the economic standpoint the influence of 
these irregularities on distribution and prices is quite obvious. - How- 
ever, it may be that through further technological research new 
methods of preserving and storing fishery products may be developed 
which will assist in adjusting distribution of fishery products to the 
ability of the markets to absorb them. Such control of the flow of 
products to the market would tend to eliminate ruinous fluctuations 
in prices. Therefore, research is being conducted on the refrigeration 
of fish and its various ramifications, including the role of the individual 
cold-storage locker in effecting the removal of surplus fish from the 
market. 
The maintenance and improvement of quality in byproducts is 
another problem of primary concern to the fishery industry which is 
receiving continuous study. In this connection it is interesting to 
note that technological research was responsible for improvement in 
the quality of fish meal, and shifted this product from the fertilizer 
ae to the field of animal foodstuffs, the latter being a more profitable 
outlet. 
A further problem facing the fishery industry is that relative to 
grading and standardization of fishery products. Through the 
interests of a section of the industry, companion bills were introduced 
in Congress (H. R. 6130 and S. 2380, 76th Cong.) to provide for a 
mandatory or compulsory inspection and permissive or voluntary 
grading service for fish and fishery products. Hearings were held 
during the early part of 1940 on H. R. 6130 by the Committee on 
Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House of Representatives, but 
the testimony adduced by witnesses at the hearings indicated that the 
provisions of the bill had rather far-reaching consequences, and the 
bill was not reported out by the committee. Later, however, another 
bill was introduced in the Senate (S. 3576) which would limit the 
inspection and grading services to fish to be frozen and frozen fish. 
This was still pending before the Senate Committee at the time this 
report was prepared. 
The value of technological investigations to the welfare of our people 
does not eud with aiding the fishing industry, for other American 
industries also are making extended use of the results of this work. 
For example, the Bureau of Fisheries pioneered in this country in the 
