352 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Summary, by species, of the output of fish and fish eggs during the fiscal year ending 

 June SO, 1936— Contmued 



PRODUCTION 



A jump of approximately 60 percent in the curve of hatchery pro- 

 duction during one year must naturally be attributed to some specific 

 circumstances or condition aside from increased efficiency. This 

 increase for the fiscal year 1936 is in a large degree traceable to an 

 expansion of the propagation of marine fishes of the New England 

 coast. Four varieties, the cod, haddock, pollock and flatfish were 

 handled in an aggregate exceeding 6,500,000,000, in comparison with 

 3,500,000,000 of the same species for the previous year. This work 

 was augmented in response to the expressed desire of Congress, and 

 also due to the fact that it is a form of by-product recovery which can 

 be carried on at relatively small cost. 



The planting of over 3,500,000,000 fertilized eggs of these species is 

 accomplished by no more complicated procedure than the placing of 

 spawn takers on commercial fishing vessels operating in inshore 

 New England waters. The eggs returned to the spawning grounds 

 by this means would otherwise be a total loss. 



Far greater interest will lie in a study of the output of game fish 

 included in the above totals. The 118,680,000 game and pan fish 

 is approximately 4,000,000 more than were produced last year and is 

 1.5 percent of the total output. The cost of producing this 1.5 

 percent, however, is approximately the same as the expense of propa- 

 gating the remaining 98.5 percent. This is largely due to the fact 

 that the majority of game fish are distributed as fingerlings or larger. 

 One hundred and sixty million fingerlings, 27,000,000 more than last 

 year, went to replenish our fishing waters. The significance of this is 

 that this number of fish will have a much greater chance of surviving the 

 hazards of predators and adverse natural conditions than would a 

 greatly increased number of fry. 



Conditions will not permit the Bureau to distribute its game fish 

 at the legal catchable size, as is done by a number of the States, but 

 the trend is constantly toward that end. Since it requires from 3 to 

 5 pounds of fish food, plus constant and assiduous care for a period 

 of a year or more to produce 1 pound of trout, it will be seen that 

 there are valid reasons why the foregoing objective is not reahzed 

 100 percent. 



CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES 



The physical condition of the 80 odd properties used for fish cul- 

 tural work has an important bearing upon the production of fish. 

 The year's activities involved a normal amount of upkeep and main- 



