FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1929 727 



than in 1928, due chiefly to an increased pack of pink sahnon on 

 Piiget Sound, as 1929 was a "good" year for the run of this species of 

 salmon. Compared with the previous "good" year — ^1927 — there 

 was an increase of 8 per cent in the i)ack. The pack of canned sardines 

 has continued to increase, with that in 1929 exceeding all records, 

 both in volume and value. The tuna canning industry manufactured 

 a larger pack of tuna, breaking all previous records as to volume and 

 value of the pack. The mackerel canning industry, which developed 

 on a large commercial scale in 1928, increased its production by one- 

 half in 1929 compared with the previous year, and the value increased 

 accordingly. The catch of the halibut fleet in 1929 increased slightly 

 over that made in 1928, and was one of the largest catches since 1925. 

 The pack of frozen fish was slightly smaller in 1929 than in 1928. 



LAKE FISHERIES 



The American fisheries prosecuted in the Great Lakes in 1928 

 yielded the smallest catch on record. This decrease can not be attrib- 

 uted to a decline in the catch of any one species, for, practically all 

 show a decline compared with their respective catches in 1927. 

 Among these, the catch of ciscoes shows the most serious decline, the 

 catch in 1928 barely exceeding 600,000 pounds compared with a catch 

 of this species of 35,000,000 pounds in 1918. A decrease occurred in 

 the catch of every lake except in Lake Ontario. This condition of the 

 lake fisheries should prove an incentive to the various States and 

 fishermen operating these fisheries to cooperate in an effort to promul- 

 gate wise conservation measures. 



MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES 



No recent general statistical canvass has been made for the catch 

 of fish in this region since 1922, and, therefore, the recent trend can 

 not be determined. The yield of fresh-water mussel shells in 1929 

 used in the manufacture of pearl buttons and novelties decreased 

 6 per cent in quantity and increased 4 per cent in value compared 

 with the production and its value in 1922. The fisheries of Lakes 

 Pepin and Keokuk show a decreased yield in 1929 compared with that 

 in 1928. 



ALASKA 



The fisheries of Alaska experienced another good year in 1929, 

 although the catch and its value was slightly less than in 1928. The 

 salmon canning industry in 1929 put up a 12 per cent smaller pack than 

 in the previous year, but still this pack was above normal. The herring 

 industry experienced another rather poor season, while the hahbut 

 fishery was about normal. The pack of frozen fish was slightly larger 

 in 1929 than in 1928. 



YIELD OF FOOD FISHERY PRODUCTS, BY VOLUME 



As has been stated above, the yield of food fishes in the United 

 States and Alaska amounts to about 2,662,000,000 pounds annually. 

 Sonie 144 products contribute to this poundage. When considered by 

 individual products, it is found that, according to the latest tabulation, 

 the backbone of our fisheries is made up of 12 groups of products, 

 these accounting for 80 per cent of the entire annual yield. Of first 

 importance is the salmon, which forms the basis of a valuable canning 

 industry on our Pacific coast from California north to the Bering 



