BUREAU OF FISHERIES HI 



use of by-products, and in the conduct of fundamental investigations 

 with respect to processes, nutrition, and uses. 



The success of the bureau's efforts in rehabihtating the fur-seal 

 herd breeding- on the Pribilof Islands, from 130,000 animals to 

 1,000,000 in less than 20 years, and in saving the important Alaskan 

 salmon runs from exhaustion has received much favorable comment. 

 For the first time in 40 years the killings of fur seals on the Pribilofs 

 in 1929 exceeded 40,000 animals. 



The output of the bureau's fish-cultural service in the stocking of 

 streams exceeded 7,570,000,000 fish and eggs as compared with 

 7,060,000,000 in 1929. 



The commercial iisheries of the United States and Alaska are in a 

 sound economic condition. They furnish employment to more than 

 125,000 commercial fishermen and 4,000 persons engaged in the trans- 

 portation of the catch. The annual harvest is in excess of 3,000,- 

 000,000 pounds, for which the fishermen receive SI 16,000,000. Edible 

 fishery products constitute over 2,600,000,000 pounds for sale in the 

 fresh state or for manufacture. In the fresh-lish trade of 1929, 84,397,- 

 000 pounds were prepared in packaged fol'm valued at S14,813,000, 

 and 121,543,000 pounds of fishery products were frozen. In the can- 

 ning trade — the most important process of manufacture — the pack 

 amounted to 689,447,000 ])ounds, valued at $101,065,000. The output 

 of cured and smoked fishery products is estimated at 150,000,000 

 pounds valued at $12,000,000, and the out])Ut of fishery i)V-products 

 was valued at S23, 7(58, 000. This included lish oil, meal, lime and 

 grit from oyster shells, buttons from fresh-water mussel shells, and 

 manv other products. Imports of fishery products were valued at 

 $66,566,000 and exports at S23, 830,000. 'in 1929 as compared with 

 1928 there were substantial increases in the outj)ut of packaged and 

 frozen fish, canned fishery products, by-products, imports, and exports. 



INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 



XOHTH r.\CIFIC HALIHIT CONVENTIOX 



The International Fisheries Commission j)rovided for uruler this 

 convention has issued two rei)orts on its work. Tho fijst entitled 

 "Report of the International Fisheries Commission ApjDointed under 

 the Northern Pacific Halibut Treaty" (Bureau of P'isheries Docu- 

 ment No. 1073) contains various recommendations which are believed 

 necessary for the saving of this great fislierv. The second lepoi't 

 entitled "Life History of tho Pacific Halibut: (1) Marking Experi- 

 ments" was published iti Canada and is a\aila})le only tliiougli the 

 commission. 



The results of the commission's investigations reveal that the 

 abundance <^)f fish on the older halibut banks is now only one-sixth 

 of that 20 years ago. Indications are that the decline in abundance 

 on the newer banks continues at a rapid rate, and on the older banks 

 the stock is at the minimum level upon which the fieet can exist. In 

 fact in places the vessels are now dependent upon other less desirable 

 species. Marking e.\p<'riments indicate that on the British Columbia 

 banks 40 per cent of tlie stock of comnu'rcial sizes is removed yearly. 

 The residual immature population migrates l)ut little and only by a 

 random scattering movement, averaging less than 20 miles for the 

 period between tagging and recajiture. A much snialhu- percentage of 



