FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1935 77 



mittee on Merchant Alarine and Fisheries in the House of Represen- 

 tatives, provides for the conduct of economic fishery research, and 

 for market news and extension services for the fishery industry; these 

 services to be carried on by the Bureau of Fisheries. 



MANUAL FOR ECONOMIC FISHERY SURVEYS 



In order to be of aid to fishery management officials, teachers of 

 economics and others in making economic fishery studies, a manual 

 for the conduct of such work was prepared by the writer, assisted by 

 F. F. Johnson, Assistant Chief of the Division, and others. This 

 has been developed in such a manner that it can be used in whole or 

 in part, depending upon the personnel and funds which may be 

 available. The manual consists of schedules for obtaining primary 

 market information, instructions for making the surveys, sample 

 forms for use in tabulating the data, and instructions for tabulation. 

 These were used as the basis for a survey undertaken during this year 

 throughout the State of Florida by the Florida Works Progress 

 Administration with the cooperation of this Bureau, and under the 

 sponsorship of the State board of conservation. Another was under- 

 taken in the city of Durham, N. C, by Duke University, under the 

 supervision of Prof. A. J. Nichol. Several copies of these plans are 

 available from the Bureau for loan to interested parties. 



SURVEY OF FISH HATCHERY FOODS AND FEEDING PRACTICES 



During the past year the fish cultural stations of the country were 

 confronted with the problem of increased operating expenses because 

 of the rising costs of packing-house products for fish food. This was 

 brought forcibly to the attention of the State and Federal fish hatch- 

 ery operators at the third meeting of the National Planning Council 

 of Commercial and Game Fish Commissioners at Chicago in April 

 1935. At that time it was suggested that a survey be made of 

 available fish foods with the view of finding suitable substitutes 

 which might be available at a low^er price. This was undertaken by 

 the Bureau and the findings were reported at the sixty-fifth annual 

 meeting of the American Fisheries Society at Tulsa, Okla., in Sep- 

 tember 1935, in a report by the writer and V. J. Samson, marketing 

 agent of the Division. 



In brief, the survey recorded that in 1934 fish hatchery operators 

 used 11,455,000 pounds of fish food, valued at about $608,000. That 

 great dependence is being placed on packing-house products was 

 shown by the fact that three-fourths of the volume used consisted of 

 such items as animal livers, hearts, and other animal organs which 

 also were among the most expensive feeds used. However, while 

 this condition obtained as regards all hatcheries, it was found that 

 the commercial hatcheries contrasted to Government hatcheries, 

 placed great dependence upon lower-priced fishery products for 

 feeding purposes. These products were available at about one-third 

 the cost of meat or dairy products used. 



In the light of evidence obtained by various investigators and in 

 the practical operation of governmental and State hatcheries, it 

 appears that the protein content of the ration can be adequately 

 supplied by a liberal use of fishery products especially for their stocks 

 beyond the fry or juvenile stage of development. With this in mind, 



