FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1936 27 
determining the value of technological improvements in methods 
of manufacture, preservation, handiing, and storage of such products. 
During 1936, nutrition investigations were conducted in the Bureau’s 
College Park laboratory, in the laboratories of the State Medical 
College, Charleston, S. C., in the laboratories of the University of 
Maryland, and the Maryland State Agricultural Experiment Station, 
and in the laboratories of Western Maryland College, Westminster, 
Md., by E. J. Coulson, Charles F. Lee and Dr. Francis P. Griffiths of 
our technological staff; William B. Lanham, Jr., and Miss Thelma 
Chell, student assistants; Dr. Roe E. Remington, Nutrition Depart- 
ment, State Medical College, Charleston, 5. C.; Prof. Samuel B. 
Scofield, of the chemistry department of Western Maryland College; 
and Dr. W. C. Supplee and M. H. Berry of the Staff of the University 
of Maryland and the Maryland State Agricultural Experiment 
Station. 
VITAMIN CONTENT OF FISH-LIVER OILS 
Determinations of vitamins A and D on approximately 25 samples 
of halibut liver oil were completed during the past year in connection 
with our cooperative arrangement with the Bureau of Chemistry 
and Soils and the Food and Drug Administration of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. As a result of these determinations a 
large variation was found in the vitamin potency of the halibut-liver 
oils tested, ranging from 5,000 to 210,000 vitamin A units per gram, 
U.S. P. X. and from 600 to 3,000 vitamin D units per gram U.S. P. X. 
Most of the samples, however, averaged around 30,000 to 70,000 
vitamin A units per gram and 1,200 to 1,600 vitamin D units per 
gram according to U.S. P. X. tests. 
The Bureau’s nutrition laboratory at College Park also completed 
vitamin studies of the salmon oil samples submitted by our Seattle 
laboratory and referred to elsewhere in this report. 
VITAMIN CONTENT OF FRESH FISH FLESH 
An investigation of the amount of vitamin A in the edible portions 
of fresh fish and shellfish was begun during 1936. This covered tests 
of sea trout, clams, oysters, shrimp, striped bass, and bluefish, and 
indicated that the vitamin potency of these foods varied from less 
than + to 5 units of vitamin A pergram. The different species ranked 
as follows in vitamin potency: Oysters highest, clams a close second, 
shrimp third, then sea trout and bluefish (about equal), and finally 
striped bass showing almost no vitamin A. Oysters are approximately 
6 to 10 times as high in vitamin A as sea trout and bluefish, possibly 
due to the fact that the entire body of the oyster (which is edible) 
was tested. 
It should be emphasized that these are preliminary tests and that 
definite conclusions should not be drawn until more complete data 
are available. 
NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SHELLFISH 
At the request of Dr. A. C. Hunter of the Food and Drug Adminis- 
tration, U. 8S. Department of Agriculture, E. J. Coulson of our tech- 
no)vgical staff summarized the literature on the nutritive value of 
shellfish, including complete references. From this a report was then 
prepared by Dr. Roe E. Remington, Department of Nutrition, State 
