lUi'liriiito.l I'roiii ilii> Annual K.'ixTl of tlie Sem-tary of ('oiiiniiTr.>, I'.CM | 



BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



The fishinii' industry, in common with most other industries, \vd> 

 sullered severely during the past few years. The fiscal year 1934 has 

 shown, at least in many of the important producing centers, a tend- 

 ency toward recovery. Better prices have prevailed during most of 

 the months of the year, and these better prices have been accom- 

 })anied by increased catches. While still far below normal, the up- 

 ward trend is very encouraging. 



The fisheries of the United States and Alaska, which ai-e prose- 

 cuted on the high seas and in the territorial Avaters of the Atlantic 

 and Pacific Oceans and in the Gulf of Mexico and their adjacent 

 waters, as well as in the Great Lakes and in interior waters in 1932, 

 the latest calendar year for which complete data are available, gave 

 employment to about 116,000 persons as commercial fishermen, and 

 their catch in the same year aggregated 2.614,000,000 pounds, valued 

 at $54,800,000 to the fishermen, representing a decrease of 1 percent 

 in quantity and 29 percent in value as compared with the catch and 

 its value in the preceding year. 



There were decreases in most of the groups of prepared products; 

 th.us the output of canned fishery products which amounted to 416,- 

 062.000 pounds, valued at $43,749,000, showed a decrease of 18 per- 

 cent in quantity and 31 percent in value as compared with the previ- 

 ous year. Byproducts valued at $12,466,000 decreased 25 percent in 

 value, and frozen products, which amounted to 92,472,000 pounds and 

 estimated to be valued at $7,000,000, decreased 18 percent in volume. 

 The production of fresh and frozen packaged fish (not including 

 shellfish) in the calendar year 1932 amounted to 51,976,000 pounds, 

 valued at $5,741,000. Data on the output of cured fishery products 

 were not collected for the year 1932, but in 1931 the production 

 amounted to 98,969,000 pounds, valued at $12,364,000. 



Imports of fishery j^roducts for consumption in the calendar year 

 1932 were valued at $29,566,000, which is 31 percent less than in the 

 i:)revious vear, while exports of domestic fishery products were valued 

 at $7,808,000, or 33 percent less than in 1931. 



NATIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL (OF COMMERCIAL AND GAME 

 FISH COMMISSIONERS) 



For many years, in fact ever since the inception of fishery w^ork, 

 there has been a lack of coordination between the various organiza- 

 tions engaged in this service. The Federal Government and the vari- 

 ous States have all pursued their res])ective ways. They have coop- 

 erated it is true, but in a sort of haj)hazard way, uniting on projects 

 that concerned them both for the time being. 



108111—35 1 77 



