110 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



the fish canning and preserving industries. . Its functions are the 

 collection and publication of fishery statistics, the conducting of 

 market surveys, the prosecution of research designed to solve the 

 technical problems of the industry, and the dissemination of authori- 

 tative and practical information to the fishery industries and the 

 public. Results of technological investigations and marketing studies 

 are published in separate documents as each project is completed. 

 The information obtained from statistical surveys is published in 

 Part 2 of this report, which includes all the detailed statistical infor- 

 mation that has become available since the issuance of the previous 

 report,^ together with such summarized statements and interpreta- 

 tions of the statistics as are deemed significant and useful. There is 

 included a summary of the catch of fishery products in the United 

 States for the half century from 1880 to 1929. In the preparation 

 of this report numerous members of the division's staff have taken 

 part and their assistance is appreciatively acloiowledged. 



Part 1. OPERATIONS OF THE DIVISION 

 COLLECTION OF STATISTICS 



The statistical work of the division in 1930, as in former years, 

 included the collection and dissemination of statistics on the catch of 

 fishery products and the gear employed in making the catch and 

 statistics of related fishery industries. In the former group are those 

 statistics that are intended for the use of the fishery biologist, upon 

 which to base conservation measures. They are also valuable for 

 economic purposes. This is especially true of statistics for the land- 

 ings of fish at principal fishing ports, which are published monthly. 

 In the second group are statistics that are of use mainly for economic 

 or trade purposes. These include statistics of the manufactured 

 fishery products and by-products of the United States, cold-storage 

 holdings of fish and amounts of fish frozen in the United States, 

 marine-animal oil production, and similar statistics. 



During 1930 unusual progress was made in the collection of sta- 

 tistics of the catch of fishery products in the United States. This 

 has been occasioned by greater cooperation with State fishery agencies 

 and by the extended use of automobiles by agents, which has enabled 

 them to canvass a larger territory than was formerly the case when 

 travel was performed mainly by train. As a result, catch statistics 

 for 1929 were obtained of the fisheries in our New England, Middle 

 Atlantic, Chesapeake Bay, South Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific Coast, and 

 Great Lakes States. Continuous annual catch statistics are now 

 available for the Great Lake States from 1913, Pacific Coast States 

 from 1922, South Atlantic and Gulf States from 1927, New England 

 States from 1928, Middle Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay States 

 starting with 1929 (as it is now planned to canvass the latter States 

 annually), and the State of Connecticut from 1924. Catch statistics 

 are now available on each geographical section for 1929 except for 

 the Mississippi River area and its tributaries. The latest complete 

 statistics for this section are for 1922. However, annual canvasses 

 are made here for the catch of fresh-water mussels, and also for the 



* Fishery Industries of the United States, 1929. By R. H. Fiedler, Appendix XIV to the Report of the 

 U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1930, pp. 705-1068. Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 1095. 



