88 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE 



waters. Shellfishery investigations have been directed toward im- 

 proving the quality of the oysters in the North and Middle Atlantic 

 section and toward increasing the production by cultural methods in 

 ihe South and on the Pacific coast. 



With funds received from the Public Works and Civil A\\>rks 

 Administrations studies were made on fresh- and salt-water pollu- 

 tion; the formation of a rational stocking policy for our national 

 parks and forests was undertaken, as well as studies of fish pro- 

 tective devices to be used in connection with certain physical devel- 

 opments along the important fishing rivers. 



FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ATLANTIC AND GULF STATES 



The haddock catch, which has been declining steadily since the 

 peak year of 1929, showed signs of recovery in 1933 when the total 

 landings at major fishing ports reached 138,000,000 pounds. This 

 was about equal to the catch in 1932 but far short of the 243,000,000 

 pounds landed in 1929. The termination of the downward trend 

 came largely as the result of the improved fishery on the banks off 

 the Nova Scotian coast, which approximately counterbalanced a 

 moderate decline on Georges Bank and South Channel. On the 

 latter banks, which normally supply the major part of our haddock 

 catch, the abundance of marketable haddock during the spring and 

 summer of 1933 was considerably less than during the corresponding 

 part of the previous year, but in the fall and winter was raised by 

 the influx into the commercial catch of fish of the 1931 class which 

 then were reaching marketable size. However, the average level 

 for the entire year was considerably less than in 1932 and was pri- 

 marily responsible for the decline in the catch from this area. On 

 the banks off the Nova Scotian coast haddock of the relatively nu- 

 merous 1929-year class reached marketable size in the summer and 

 fall of 1933 and caused a great increase in the catch. This was the 

 same year group which caused the improved catch on Georges Bank 

 in 1932, but due to the difference in growth rate the haddock of this 

 class did not reach commercial size on the Nova Scotian banks until 

 more than a year later. 



The prospects are good for a somewhat improved yield in 1934. 

 The average abundance on Georges Bank should be about the same 

 or possibly somewhat less than in 1933, depending on the 1931 class. 

 The extent of this class cannot be determined at present owing to the 

 lack of facilities for work at sea which makes it impossible to obtain 

 any good measure of the magnitude of a year class until it has been 

 in the fishery for about a year. The yield (catch per trawler day) 

 on the banks off the Nova "Scotian coast will be much greater during 

 the spring and summer of 1934 than during the pervious year, but 

 should be somewhat less in the late fall and winter. 



At the present time the study of the haddock fishery has revealed 

 the major causes of the fluctuations in the abundance of haddock on 

 the banks. In addition, the experiments with savings gear have dem- 

 onstrated that the use of the correct mesh in the otter trawls will 

 reduce the present destruction of millions of undersized haddock 

 to about one-fifth the present amount, a saving that will contribute 

 directlv to the success of the commercial catch in later years. How- 



