160 U- S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



appreciable carry-over, since the pack in 1937 was considerably less 

 than in 1936 or 1935. 



Reports indicate that the holdings of canned salmon of all kinds, 

 in standard cases of 48 1 -pound cans to the case, as of February 28, 

 1938, amounted to 3,429,000 cases (165,000,000 pounds) compared 

 with 1,337,000 cases (64,200,000 pounds) on February 28, 1937. 

 According to an estimate obtained from the annual statistical number 

 of the Pacific Fisherman, dated January 25, 1938, the 5-year average 

 amounted to about 2,200,000 cases (105,600,000 pounds). 



A summary of the above information indicates that the holdings of 

 fishery products in the United States, on which data were obtained, 

 approximated 260,000,000 pounds on March 15, 1938. This repre- 

 sents an excess of approximately 80 to 100 million pounds above 

 normal holdings. 



An act. Public No. 542, to authorize the purchase and distribution 

 of products of the fishing industry was approved on May 25, 1938. 

 It provides: 



That, out of any funds available to the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation, 

 not to exceed a sum equal to the difference between $1,000,000 and the sum 

 expended by such Corporation in carrying out the provisions of the joint resolution 

 entitled "Joint resolution to malce funds available to carry out the provisions of 

 existing law authorizing the purchase and distribution of products of the fishing 

 industry," approved April 12, 1937, may be used by such Corporation for the 

 purpose of diverting surplus fish (including shellfish) and the products thereof 

 from the normal channels of trade and commerce by acquiring them and providing 

 for their distribution through Federal, State, and private relief channels. 



IMPROVED COLD-STORAGE STATISTICS 



Progressive fish dealers in our markets are cognizant of the approxi- 

 mate volume of current supplies of fresh fish in their marketing area. 

 The amount of fish in cold storage is not so apparent to them, yet 

 such supplies, which have an important influence on the markets for 

 fresh fish, are frequently many times the volume of fresh fish on hand 

 at any given time. In order that interested parties may be apprised 

 of the amount of fish in cold storage and quantities frozen, the Division, 

 with the cooperation of the Cold Storage Section of the Bureau of 

 Agricultural Economics, publishes monthly and annually bulletins 

 which include this information. 



In order that these reports may be of the greatest value to interested 

 parties, this Division and the Bureau of Agricultural Economics make 

 frequent revisions in the questionnaires submitted to cold-storage 

 firms in order that new" commodities or those of growing importance 

 may be incorporated in the report. Thus, separate classifications 

 have been added in recent years for fillets of various species as their 

 importance increased in our markets; a new classification was added 

 for rosefish, which is the product of a virtually new fishery; and 

 another was added for swordfish, due to the increasing volume of 

 imports of this commodity in the frozen state from Japan and subse- 

 quent storage in domestic warehouses. 



New species classifications will be added on July 15, 1938, for 

 scallops, a large volume of which also is imported from Japan; for 

 shrimp, the domestic freezing of which has increased rapidly in recent 

 years ; and for sea crawfish or spiny lobster tails which have been im- 

 ported in growing quantities, especially from South Africa. 



