STATISTICAL SURVEY PROCEDURE 



Data on over 96 percent of the catch are available from summaries of monthly landings bul- 

 letins and other current records assembled by NMFS or the various States. If complete catch data 

 are not available from central sources, wholesale dealers and manufacturers of fishery products 

 are visited, and data are obtained from them on their purchases of fish and shellfish. It is im- 

 possible for the few Service representatives available for this work to interview each fisherman 

 in a given locality. However, the more important areas and a sufficient number of areas of les- 

 ser importance are visited to obtain reliable information on production, the number of fishing 

 craft engaged, the quantity of gear operated, catch by gear and waters, and the number of per- 

 sons employed as fishermen. 



The Service's role with regard to fishery statistics is principally that of coordinating the col- 

 lection of information and assembling, analyzing, publishing, and disseminating fishery data. 

 The State fishery agencies in a number of States have developed relatively complete statistical 

 systems which greatly facilitate the Service's surveys in these States. In such instances, the 

 Service conducts only such surveys as may be necessary to make the data comparable with those 

 of other States . 



NMFS obtains from the records of the State fishery agencies most of the catch statistics for 

 the fisheries of the Great Lakes, the northern Mississippi River area, and the International Lakes 

 of northern Minnesota. To obtain data on the number of fishermen, boats, vessels, and gear, the 

 Service conducts such personal surveys among the fishermen as may be necessary to supplement 



the State records . 



NMFS statistical personnel are stationed at Seattle, Wash, and Terminal Island, Cal. for 

 the purpose of surveying the fisheries of Washington, Oregon, and California. They obtain from 

 the records of the State fishery departments figures on the volume of the catch and operating 

 units. The value of the catch is derived from State and dealers records. In Washington and 

 Oregon, data for operating units in the offshore fisheries are obtained from the records of various 

 fishery organizations as well as from records of the State fishery agencies . Statistics on the 

 wholesale fishery industry for this section are obtained largely by personal interviews. 



In many States, NMFS and the fishery agency of the respective States cooperate in the collec- 

 tion and publication of current monthly and annual data on the catch. These data form the basis 

 of the annual catch figures published in the Digest for the following States: Maine, Massachu- 

 setts, Rhodelsland, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 

 Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. 



In the administration of the Alaska fisheries, the State requires that copies of all receipts for 

 fish and shellfish purchases from fishermen be furnished to the Alaska Department of Fish and 

 Game. The data on these tickets are compiled and made available to NMFS. The summary data, 

 by districts, are reproduced in this report. 



Statistics on the volume of the catch of fish in the Great Lakes States usually are shown in 

 weights as landed, which may be in the round or drawn condition. Statistics on the volume of the 

 catch of fish taken in the remainder of the United States are usually shown in round weight. 



The figures in the tables for shellfish represent the weight of the meats in the case of uni- 

 valve and bivalve moUusks, and round weight in the case of crustaceans and such cephalopods 

 as squid and octopus. 



