220 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



INTRODUCTION 



During 1924 the fishery industries appear to have reached the 

 end of their period of recovery from the postwar depression, which 

 was so severely felt dui-ing 1919 and to a lesser extent in subsequent 

 years. In general, the production of fish and fishery products was 

 greater in volume than during the previous year, but the prices 

 which they commanded were somewhat lower. 



According to statistics collected on various geographical sections 

 during the past five years over 190,000 persons are engaged in the 

 fisheries and related industries, about $200,000,000 is invested, and 

 the annual yield by fishermen is about 2,600,000,000 pounds of fish, 

 shellfish, and other aquatic products, for which the fishermen receive 

 about $90,000,000. The output of canned fishery products in 1924 

 was valued at $72,000,000, and the yield of by-products exceeded 

 $10,000,000 in value. 



SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS 



The technological work of the division during 1924 included a 

 continuation of experiments in the canning of sardines in California 

 and Maine; continuation of investigations relative to the use of 

 copper oleate as a net preservative, with particular reference to 

 preservative action and comparative costs in actual commercial 

 operation; investigation of the utilization of wastes in the fishery 

 industries; and analyses of canned, salted, and smoked fish and 

 shellfish to determine their iodine content. These investigations 

 are fully discussed in following pages. 



The statistical work included the collection and monthly publica- 

 tion of statistics of the landings of fish by vessels at the ports of 

 Boston and Gloucester, Mass.; Portland, Me. ; and Seattle, Wash., 

 with publication of annual bulletins summarizing these landings for 

 the year; monthly publication of statistics on the cold-storage hold- 

 ings of fish, which are collected by the Bureau of Agricultural 

 Economics, Department of Agriculture; collection of the statistics 

 on quarterly production, consumption, and holdings of oils in the 

 fishery industries for use of the Bureau of the Census; collection of 

 the statistics on the production of canned fishery products and by- 

 products of the United States and Alaska for the year 1924; compila- 

 tion and publication of the statistics of the fisheries of the Mississippi 

 River and tributaries and the Great Lakes; compilation of statistics 

 of the fisheries of the Pacific coast in 1922; and collection of statistics 

 on the fisheries of the South Atlantic and Gulf States for 1923. 



Including those published in this report, the most recent detailed 

 statistics available for each of the various geographical sections are 

 as follows: New England States, 1919; New York, New Jersey, and 

 Delaware, 1921; Maryland and Virginia, 1920; South Atlantic States, 

 1923; Gulf States, 1918; Pacific Coast States, 1922 and 1923; 

 Mississippi River and tributaries, 1922; and Great Lakes, 1922. 



In order to make results of statistical canvasses and technological 

 research available to those interested, 16,000 copies of statistical 

 bulletins on 42 subjects were distributed to interested persons, and 

 over 1,600 letters were written in reply to specific requests for sta- 

 tistical, technological, and trade information. 



