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frozen) into consumer size pieces, packaged and sold. This development made 
ground fish a fully world product with a world market (as with frozen tuna for 
canning and frozen shrimp). 
In 1953 began the merchandizing of fish sticks, frozen raw or cooked, or breaded 
in either condition. These were fish-blocks cut into convenient sizes of about one 
ounce each with width about one third of length. This brought this sort of fish 
conveniently to the housewife, and it sold like hot cakes. Production was 7 million 
pounds in 1952 and 63 million pounds in 1955. The market then dropped slightly 
for two years, started back up and by 1960 was over 65 million pounds. In 1967 
it was 74 million pounds. In 1958 fish portions started. This was simply a piece 
of fish block sawn to the thickness of a fish stick but not cut into strips. This fish 
portion was a convenient size for a home or restaurant meal, or a sandwich (and 
fish sandwiches are particularly good sellers in the mid-west). 22 million 
pounds were produced in 1958 and 60 million pounds in 1960. It has continued to 
increase sharply and was 158 million pounds in 1967. The individual frozen and 
packaged steaks or portions of larger fish such as salmon, halibut, turbot, snapper, 
etc., have added to this general product line. 
In the last few years there have also been consolidations in this trade with 
larger firms entering it and merchandising on a regional, and more recently 
national, basis. 
With all the changes in form and style that has taken place in the marketing 
of fish for human consumption, and no upward trend shown in per capita con- 
sumption of edible fish meat in the Department of Agriculture’s statistic, the 
amount of fish used in the United States for direct human consumption has 
trended steadily upward, and is still doing so. In 1947 it was 3,662 million pounds 
round weight, and in 1966 (a record to that date) it was 5,422 million pounds, or 
about 4% of all of the fish and shellfish caught in the world. In 1967 it declined 
slightly to 5,068 million pounds, but will be up again in 1968. With all the talk 
about the United States not being a fish eating country, it is important to note 
that the per capita consumption of edible fish by direct human consumption is 
higher in the United States than the world average. 
2. Animal feeding.—The domestic animals with which modern man has sur- 
rounded himself for his use or pleasure have roughly the same dietary needs as 
he has. Man feeds his animals with much greater attention to balanced nutrition 
than he does himself. Fish are used in many ways in this process. Fish meal is 
used on a large scale in chicken, pig and similar animal nutrition. It is used in 
calf starters and mink feed. Ground frozen fish is also an ingredient of mink 
feed, of fish being raised for market, in dog food, cat food, etc. The amount of fish 
thus used in the United States is enormous and is growing even more rapidly 
than that used for human consumption. In 1947 the amount used for this purpose 
was 1,414 million pounds round weight (less than half the amount used for direct 
human consumption). In 1967 it was 9.119 million pounds, or nearly 6% of all of 
the fish and shellfish produced in the world. Consumption for these purposes was 
higher in 1967 than in 1966, and will be higher yet in 1968. In this respect the 
United States has followed (or led) world trend. In 1948 1.5% of the world’s fish 
catch was reduced to fish meal and oil, and in 1964 15.5%. 
O. The changing organization of the fish trade in the United States 
As recently as 1960 there was no firm in the United States engaged in the fish 
trade (except the California Packing Corporation) that did as much as $100 
million dollars with of all sorts of business per year, there were not a handful 
who did $50 million dollars of business per year, and most firms in the fish trade 
of the United States did $10 million per year of total business per year or less. 
At about that time there began a considerable amount of diversification of firms 
in the fish trade by buying up or amalgamating with other fish firms to have a 
broader and stronger base. This has been followed by these firms being bought 
up by much larger firms so that today principal positions in the fish trade are 
held by firms whose total business is from a half a billion dollars to a billion and 
a half dollars or more a year in all their activities. Examples includes the follow- 
ing—Castle and Cooke bought Bumble Bee Inec.,—Heinz bought Star-Kist Foods, 
Ine.—Consolidated Feods bought Booth Fisheries and some other things ; Ralston- 
Purina bought Van Camp Sea Food Company and some other things; —W. R. 
Grace Company bought Trade Winds and Seapak ; General Mills bought Gortons, 
which had recently been expanding and diversifying by acquisition ; New England 
Fish Company—Whiz Fish Company and San Juan Fishing Company to its 
already large fleet and canning operations, as well as diversifying into many 
other lines. 
