REPORT OF THE COMMISSIOjSTER OF FISHERIES. 3 



The activities of the bureau inchided a market survey of Boston, 

 Mass., similar to those previously made in other cities. In the field 

 of statistics canvasses have been completed of the fisheries of New 

 "York, NeAv Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware for 1921, the shad 

 and alewife fisheries of the Potomac River for 1922 and 1923, and 

 the canned fishery products and by-products of the United States 

 for 1922. The regular collections of statistics of the landings of the 

 vessel fisheries at the ports of Boston and Gloucester, Mass., Portland, 

 Me., and Seattle, Wash., have been carried out and the data published 

 as statistical bulletins. The statistical bulletins of cold-storage hold- 

 ings of frozen fish have also been issued monthly. 



Technological investigations have included a continuation of ex- 

 periments in the preservation of fish nets, including the preparation 

 of a report of results up to January 1, 1923; freezing fish in brine; 

 canning sardines; an examination into the possibilities of producing 

 insulin, the newly discovered palliative for diabetes, from the pan- 

 creas of sharks ; and certain work on the reddening of salt codfish. 



The bureau also prepared and managed the exhibit of fisheries and 

 fishery industries at the Brazilian International Centennial Exposi- 

 tion, which opened September 7, 1922, at Rio de Janeiro. 



Broadcasting fisheries market reports was also begun and continued 

 once a week for the benefit of the wholesale and retail fish trade. 



FISH MERCHANDISING. 



That part of the fish industry which has to do with distribution 

 and sales remains the most important problem presented to those 

 engaged in this business. The limit upon the volume of fish business 

 that can be done at present is set by distribution rather than by pro- 

 duction. The bureau has continued, in so far as its resources per- 

 mitted, its efforts to be of service in this field. 



In the autumn of 1922 a survey was made of the fish trade of 

 Boston, Mass., our largest fishing port. 



Boston, with a population of 748,060, is the principal landing port 

 for the fisheries of the North Atlantic. It is also the greatest fishing 

 port in the United States and among the greatest of the world's 

 fishing ports. In the calendar year 1922 there were landed at 

 Boston by vessels of 5 tons or over 106,190,403 pounds of fish, valued 

 at $4,020,105. More than 80 per cent of its fishing business, on the 

 basis of quantity, is in cod, haddock, halibut, mackerel, swordfish, 

 and loljsters, a very different group of fish from those prominent in 

 Seattle. A moderate or limited business is also done in alewives, 

 butterfish, carp, flounders, salmon, smelts, suckers, clams, crabs, and 

 oysters, and some 54 other species. In Boston there were 108 whole- 

 sale fish dealers and 171 retailers — one retailer for each 6,926 persons. 



The production or landings of fish in the year ended September 

 30, 1922, was 101,949,725 pounds, valued at $4,051,350. In the month 

 of September, 1922, the following products were landed at Boston: 

 Fish, 13,244,074 pounds; lobstei-s, 616,355 pounds; clams, 338,964 

 pounds; oysters, 10,068 gallons, or 80,544 pounds; scallops, 478 gal- 

 lons, or 3,824 pounds. The amount of fish frozen during 1922 was 



