470 



MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



Thousand 

 Tons 



1929 1932 1935 1938 1941 1944 1947 



(Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 22-1. The production of fish scrap and meal during 1947, 

 amounted to 186,440 tons. The outstanding developments of 1947 were 

 the continued decUne in the production of pilchard meal and the con- 

 tinued rise in the output of menhaden meal. For the third successive 

 year, the output of menhaden scrap and meal was greater than that of 

 pilchard. Preliminary data indicate that the 1948 production of fish 

 scrap and meal was three per cent greater than in 1947. 



The quantity of fish oils, exclusive of liver oUs, produced domestically 

 during April, 1949, was 86,082 gallons, compared with 179,524 gallons 

 extracted during the preceding April. Production of oil during the first 

 4 months of 1949 totaled 418,775 gallons, compared with 406,368 gallons 

 during the same period of 1948. 



The quantity of fish meal processed during April by firms that normally 

 produce 92 per cent of the total yield amounted to 4,623 tons, approxi- 

 mately 300 tons less than was reported during April, 1948. During the 

 first 4 months of 1949, 16,230 tons were produced, compared with 

 14,631 tons during the corresponding period of 1948. 



The pilchard industry is located entirely on the Pacific Coast. This species ranges 

 from San Diego to Vancouver, B. C, and the center of the industry is located 

 in California. The State of California regulates the quantity of the fish which can 

 be made into meal and oil by issuing licenses to the producers. The license states 

 the specific tonnage that the producer may handle, and requires that a certain num- 

 ber of tons be canned from this tonnage; the remainder may be converted into 

 meal and oil. These proportions vary from season to season, according to estimates 

 of the prospective fish population. The production of meal from this species in 



