18 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Our technological publications and activities have attracted students 

 to Washington, in recent years, from all parts of the world. Among 

 those visiting our technological laboratories in Washington and else- 

 where in the United States, during 1933, were students, scientific 

 investigators, and members of the faculties of foreign universities 

 from the following countries: England, France, Norway, Japan, 

 Egypt, Argentina, and the Philippine Islands. 



MARKETING INVESTIGATIONS 



As indicated earlier in this report, the great need of the fishery 

 industry today is marketing reform. Almost every conceivable sys- 

 tem of marketing known is used in the fisheries. Considerable con- 

 fusion and disorganization exist, permitting many practices which 

 react unfavorably against the industry. Present marketing condi- 

 tions in the industry are permitting the distribution and introduction 

 to the public of inferior merchandise. This inferior merchandise 

 unquestionably acts as a deterrent in any efforts to increase the con- 

 sumption of fishery products in this country, and reacts against the 

 industry as a whole. There is no intention here to be unduly critical 

 of members of the industry. In fact, only constructive criticism is 

 offered. It is recognized that there are many able and progressive 

 individuals and firms in the fishery industries and some of the products 

 of the industry are merchandise of high quality. However, a small 

 amount of inferior merchandise can do more harm than the good 

 accomplished by a large amount of good merchandise. It is a well- 

 known fact that the United States has a lower annual per capita con- 

 sumption of fishery products than most of the important nations of 

 the world. This is not, by any means, entirely caused by the fact 

 that we are primarily an agricultural nation, but is largely influenced 

 by the lack of quality and standards of quality in the marketing of 

 fishery products and the great confusion existing among producers, 

 dealers and consumers, as to the intrinsic value of the products they 

 are handling. It is recognized that there is justification for a greater 

 ''spread" in prices between producer and consumer in this industry, 

 on account of the high rate of perishability of its products, but there 

 is no permanent reason or excuse for the "spread" which exists under 

 present conditions of marketing. The Bureau realizes that the needed 

 marketing reforms cannot be accomplished overnight, b\it that to 

 be successful they must be based on fundamental and thorough sur- 

 veys of present conditions in the industry and recommendations to 

 be made only after thorough studies founded on sound principles of 

 economics. 



THE SHRIMP INDUSTRY 



An economic survey of the slirimp fishery and indiistry of the South 

 Atlantic and Gulf States was made during 1933 by Fred F. Johnson of 

 the Division of Fishery Industries and Milton J. Lindner of the Divi- 

 sion of Scientific Inquiry. 



It was brought out that the catch of shrimp in the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf States in 1931 amounted to 96,451,000 pounds, with a value 

 to the fishermen of $2,730,000. This represents 97 percent of the 

 volume and 95 percent of the value of the catch of the shrimp fisheries 

 of the United States and Alaska. This fishery gave employment to 



