SOME PROBLEMS OF THE FISHERIES 759 



it will be possible for economical products to be oflFered to the distributors of 

 the miscellaneous pharmaceuticals available from fish waste. 



Fishing Studies 



The production of fish has been gradually increasing from year to year, but to 

 continue this it has been necessary for the fishing fleet to travel further and fur- 

 ther from its home ports. The costs of production have thus arisen in proportion 

 to the distances traveled. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service has several vessels in operation for investigations 

 intended to assist the commercial fisheries. Some of these vessels are for the pur- 



it uuiicsy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 36-2. The Albatross III is the third iii a long line of fishery research vessels 

 which have sought to improve the fishing conditions along the Atlantic Coast. 



pose of exploring the fish populations and migrations. Many species of fish used 

 as food seem to become scarcer periodically, then after a few years they return 

 in numbers greater than ever before. It is the purpose of these vessels to determine, 

 if possible, the reasons for these periodical depletions. In addition to the factors 

 afl^ecting the depletion the studies will include climatic changes, ocean currents, 

 availability of food, the salinity of the water in various areas, the fishing intensity 

 of the commercial fleet, and the ocean temperatures. Efforts will be made to con- 

 nect the various factors with the rise and fall of fish populations from year to year. 

 The vessels which are equipped to make these investigations are fitted with lab- 

 oratory space, and the scientists assigned to them are furnished with living quar- 

 ters. All of the data collected will be analyzed, and the relation between the fish 

 population fluctuations and conditions of the ocean will be studied. If and when 

 these relations are partially or completely understood, it will be of value to the 

 fishing industry in planning its operations. 



Other vessels are fitted out to study the effects of the utilization of various types 

 of gear. These vessels will also explore the possibilities of fishing in areas where 

 the fleet does not ordinarily fish. Some studies have been made in the Gulf of 

 Mexico, in the Bering Sea and in the waters around Hawaii. These studies have 

 indicated that many areas of the ocean contain vast quantities of fish which have 

 not been exploited. Many new species of fish which are totally unknown in the 



