170 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



in marketing transactions, buyers must know where they can pur- 

 chase suppHes of fish most economicahy and producers must be able 

 to sell to their best advantage. As a means of developing the more 

 orderly and economic marketing of fishery commodities, the Seventy- 

 fifth Congress provided funds for the establishment in the Bureau of 

 Fisheries of a market news service for the commercial fisheries. 



Essentially, this new service constitutes an exchange of market 

 information between the fishermen or producers in fishing areas and 

 the middlemen in terminal markets, with the Bureau of Fisheries act- 

 ing as the service agency; that is, the agency for collecting and dis- 

 seminating the news. 



This new work was inaugurated during the year under the imme- 

 diate supervision of Andrew W. Anderson, marketing specialist, and 

 the general direction of Fred F. Johnson, Assistant Chief of the Divi- 

 sion. The early part of the fiscal year was devoted to exhaustive 

 studies of methods used by other agencies in their administration of 

 market news services and of conditions inherent in the fishery in- 

 dustry which might tend to influence the types of services having 

 greatest application and value. 



New York City was chosen for the first fisheries market news office 

 due to its importance as a terminal market and consuming center for 

 fishery commodities from virtually every State wherein a commercial 

 fishery is prosecuted. It also is an outstanding port of entry and 

 terminal market for similar commodities from the maritime countries 

 of the world. The annual consumption of fresh and frozen fish and 

 shellfish in the New York metropolitan area is estimated at 400 

 million pounds, or about one-third of the total consumption of such 

 commodities in the United States. Consequently, it was evident 

 that current information on supply, demand, and prices in this market 

 was of paramount value to the efficient conduct of the industry 

 everywhere. 



In November 1937 the market news staff proceeded to New York 

 City and concentrated its attention on the development of the service 

 there. The first daily report was published on February 14, 1938. 

 This report, which is released in mimeographed form each day except 

 Sunday and holidays, includes the following data covering the 

 daily activities on the New York market: Volume of arrivals of fishery 

 commodities by all types of carriers, separately enumerated by com- 

 modity classification and State, Province, or country of origin, with 

 separate statements of the arrivals by express, rail freight, fishing 

 craft, coastwise vessels, and transoceanic steamships; prices in both 

 the salt-water and fresh-water markets; and movements of fish and 

 shellfish into and out of cold storage. It further includes informa- 

 tion on landings and prices at other ports where agents of the Bureau 

 are stationed, such as Portland, Maine; Boston, Gloucester, Province- 

 town, and New Bedford, Mass.; and Seattle, Wash. Data received 

 by telegram from the Seattle agent relating to landings of halibut at 

 Prince Rupert, B. C, also are included. William H. Dumont, 

 fisheries statistical and marketing agent, is in charge of the New York 

 market news office. 



Due to the outstanding importance of Boston as a producing port 

 for fishery commodities, it was chosen for the second market news 

 reporting office and the establishment of the service was started there 

 early in 1938. The preliminary work in Boston was quickly com- 



