FISHERY PRODUCTS LABORATORIES AFFORD THE 



GREATEST PROMISE OF RELIEF OF UNSOLVED 



PROBLEMS AFFECTING COMMERCIAL 



FISHERIES.* 



By Lewis Radcliffe, 



Assistant in Charge, Division of Fishery Industries, 



U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



Agriculture, our greatest food producing industry, is abundantly 

 supplied with experiment stations and other facilities for its 

 advancement, with agricultural colleges and universities for the 

 training of men and women for the industry, and highly skilled 

 scientists to solve the difficulties obstructive to its fullest develop- 

 ment. Its present high plane of perfection is due in large measure 

 to the accomplishments of skilled workers in the field, in experiment 

 stations and in institutions liberally supported by the federal 

 government and individual states. 



The fisheries, the other great food producing industry, have 

 lacked and suffered for lack of advantages of this character. 

 It is true that much has been done on the biology and natural 

 history of fishes and in the restocking of our waters through 

 fish-culture. But the field of preparation, preservation, trans- 

 portation and utilization of fish and their products has been 

 invaded only here and there, usually by the clever experimenter 

 ordinarily without technological training, or the occasional 

 scientist without a broad and comprehensive understanding 

 or appreciation of the problems or adequate facilities for their 

 solution. The ill effects of our neglect in this field are in evidence 

 throughout the fisheries and many millions of pounds of valuable 

 food are wasted annually. The methods in practice have been 

 developed empirically, without definite knowledge of the basic 

 principles governing the operation or their application to the 

 best and most economical advantage. The fact that a method 

 has worked, has sufficed. Fuel, time, labor, food and valuable 

 by-products are wasted and fisheries remain undeveloped for want 



*This paper was awarded a prize of $100.00 for the best contribution on 

 the solution of problems affecting commercial fisheries work. 



