202 



U. S. BUEEAU OF FISHERIES 



at about $97,500,000. The output of canned fishery products and 

 by-products in 1925 was valued at $95,177,000. The amount of fish 

 frozen during the year was about 91,165,000 pounds, and the aver- 

 age monthly holdings of frozen fish were about 44,084,000 pounds. 

 In the foreign trade of the United States the domestic exports of fish- 

 ery products attained a value of nearly $21,263,000, and the imports 

 for consumption totaled nearly $49,031,000. A large portion of the 

 unfavorable balance is accounted for by the importation of large 

 amounts of pearl-shell products and whale oils, which is not offset 

 by an appreciable exportation of similar products. 



Statistical summary of fisheries of the United States and Alaska 



Sections 



New England States, 1924 



Middle Atlantic States, 1920-21. 

 South Atlantic States, 1923 .. 

 Gulf States, 1923. 



Persons 

 engaged 



Number 

 24, 513 

 55, 244 



16, 298 



17, 793 

 Pacific Coast States, 1922-23 j 22 270 



19, 122 



8,039 



123 



27, 685 



Mississippi River division, 1922 



Great Lakes, 1922... 



Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, 1922. 

 Alaska, 1925 



Total various years, 1920-1925. 



191, 087 



Capital 

 invested 



$28, 561, 824 



38, 774, 431 



8, 505, 259 



10, 535, 905 



28, 651, 490 



7, 345, 034 



12, 046, 458 



139, 955 



67, 077, 495 



201, 637, 851 



Products 



Pounds 

 406, 822, 165 

 863, 681, 626 

 228, 747, 930 

 160, 324, 042 

 409, 914, 397 

 105, 733, 734 

 108, 732, 443 

 1, 677, 999 

 594, 901, 143 



2, 880, 535, 479 



Value 



$18, 818, 132 

 24, 407, 785 

 5, 087, 340 

 8, 096, 650 

 18, 935, 136 

 4, 503, 521 

 6,689,611 

 110,022 

 10, 232, 042 



96, 880, 239 



Note.— In the statistics for the Pacific Coast States in this table the persons and investment are for 

 1922 and the products are for 1923. 



The fishery industries as a whole seem to be in a more prosperous 

 and stable condition than in any year since the postwar depression. 

 They are making perceptible progress in the improvement of tech- 

 nological methods also. 



In the fresh-fish field there has been a large increase both in the 

 total amount of fish filleted and in the number of concerns through- 

 out the country that have begun this practice. This improved 

 method of marketing is doing much to popularize and increase the 

 consumption of fish. It also tends to eliminate waste by concentrat- 

 ing large enough amounts of offal in one place to make its manu- 

 facture into fish meal profitable. The bureau has shown the industry 

 how to utilize this material to good profit. 



The quality of canned salmon was better and the improvement in 

 Maine sardines was particularly marked. The new process of pre- 

 paring sardines, developed by the bureau, is now being adopted 

 and will help in improving their quality. In California machines 

 for cutting sardines are coming into use. This will help to lower 

 costs and free the canners from labor difficulties. In California, 

 too, the canners voluntarily asked the State board of health to in- 

 clude their establishments in the regular inspection of canning 

 establishments. 



In the menhaden industry definite steps have been taken toward 

 improving the quality of fish meal and oil by installing refrigerating 

 machinery for brine cooling fish aboard ship. Steamers so equipped 

 can be operated to much better advantage because it is seldom neces- 

 sary to return to port without a reasonable load of fish. Also, it is 

 possible to go to the best fishing grounds instead of being compelled 

 to fish close to the factory. 



