XXII REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES 



During ]May eggs of the buffalofisli and carp to the nuni})er of 99,- 

 266,000 and 13,500,000, respectively, were salvaged by the Inireau's 

 men from fish caught for the market in the Marquette (Iowa) field 

 and returned as fertilized eggs to local spawning grounds. 



FISHERY INDUSTRIES 

 REVIEW 



The fishing industry in 1923 to a large extent recovered from the 

 severe depression that existed in 1920 and 1921. The landings of 

 lish by vessels at the principal New England ports substantially ex- 

 ceeded those of immediately previous years. The average price paid 

 the fisherman at Boston for fresh fish was 4.37 cents per pound in 

 1923 as compared with 3.78 cents in 1922. Although this was a 

 substantial increase, the prices of fish relative to other commodities 

 are still below the pre-war leA^ei, though nearly approaching it. 

 The production of canned fishery products and by-products in the 

 United States and Alaska shows increases both in amount and value 

 as compared with the previous year. Particularly notable is the 

 increase in the salmon and tuna packs. The amount of fish frozen 

 during 1923 was greater than in 1922, and the landings of fresh fish 

 in California exceeded those of the previous year. Thus the com- 

 parison of the year 1923 with 1922 and previous years indicates, in 

 general, a substantially greater volume of business at improved prices. 



In view of the high cost of labor and materials the increased prices 

 do not indicate any extraordinary prosperity. They do, however, 

 relieve the precarious situation of recent j^ears. It is in the nature 

 of the case difficult to assign this recovery to any particular cause, 

 but it should be pointed out that the bureau has in recent years 

 been particularly active in endeavors to improve the condition of the 

 fisheries, with the result that the last few years have been marked 

 by improvements in the handling of fish, such as filleting and brine 

 freezing, country-wide demonstrations in fish cookery, and dissemina- 

 tion of information concerning the health properties of food fish. 

 Some of these activities were actually carried on by the bureau 

 through its division of fishery industries; others were encouraged 

 and largely made possible by the advice and support of the bureau. 



The following statistics on the fisheries were taken: Landings of 

 fish by vessels at Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Me., 

 published monthly with an annual summary; landings of fish at 

 Seattle, Wash., by fishing and collecting vessels, published monthly 

 with annual summary; canvass of the shad and alewife fisheries of 

 Hie Potomac River; canvasses of the Pacific Coast States, Mississippi 

 Kiver and tributaries, and the Great Lakes, for the calendar year 

 1922; quarterly collection of production, holdings, and consumption 

 of animal and vegetable oils in fish canneries and factories; and 

 monthly publication of the cold-storage holdings of frozen fish. 



Technological investigations were continued on sardine canning, 

 copper oleate as a net preservative, and determination of the iodine 

 conteut of fishes. ^Methods and demonstrations of fish cookery were 

 carried on by the bureau's specialist, and impoi-tant service was ren- 

 dered the industry by supplying information on the condition of the 



