EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES, 9 



Mississippi; in Savannah and Valdosta, Ga. : and before a gathering 

 of State agents in Washington, D. C. 



In all, some 125 demonstrations were given, the average attend- 

 ance being about 100 persons. In this work the Bureau was parti- 

 cularly fortunate in obtaining the services of a highly trained and 

 skillful demonstrator, ably assisted by two persons, one of whom was 

 a man with wide acquaintance with the fisheries. From every city 

 in which demonstrations have taken place expressions of apprecia- 

 tion of their usefulness and importance have been received, and many 

 women have acknowledged that they had been using little or no 

 fish, largely because of some groundless prejudice, and have testified 

 to the value of this work to them. 



This entire program was made possible at a most opportune time 

 by the use of money alloted by the President from the fund for the 

 national security and defence. The total cost of the work was less 

 than $12,000. It is with very great regret that announcement must 

 be made of the failure of Congress to grant any money or authority 

 for continuing this highly beneficent service. 



FISH-COOKERY EXPERIMENTS. 



As an essential factor in the Bureau's campaign for inducing the 

 wider use of aquatic products as food, more particularly those that 

 have been wholly or partly neglected, an experimental kitchen has 

 been equipped, and workers expert in domestic science havS been 

 employed to determine the best methods for preparing new or little- 

 known fishery products for the table. The information assembled 

 has in some cases been forwarded directly to the trade, in others it 

 has been arranged for publication in the Bureau's economic circulars 

 to further the use of particular products. In addition, a cookbook 

 on aquatic foods has been prepared for publication. 



INCREASING THE USE OF WASTE PRODUCTS OF FISHERIES. 



There is, on one hand, an increasing demand for new and enlarged 

 sources of supply of protein feeds for hogs, cattle, and poultry, and 

 of oils suitable for paints, varnishes, hydrogenation, and many other 

 uses. Considerable quantities of fish waste and waste fish, on the 

 other hand, which should be used to supply these deficiencies remain 

 unutilized for lack of small, inexpensive plants suitable for caring 

 for this waste, and because of lack of knowledge on the part of pos- 

 sible producers of apparatus and methods required and other diffi- 

 culties by no means insurmountable. 



The Bureau needs, and has made request for, the creation by 

 Congress of a new position so as to permit the employment of a 

 properly trained technologist to devote his entire time to these 

 problems. Such work would annually result in the saving of fishery 

 products possessing a value many times the cost of investigations. In 

 the absence of proper provision for this work, the Bureau is attempt- 

 ing to render such service as its limited facilities will permit. 



Encouragement has been given to manufacturers of fish scrap to 

 convert all suitable material into fish meal as feed for domestic 

 animals. Attention has been directed to the perfection of details 

 of manufacture, and, as a result of these eft'orts, manufacturers in 



