greater understanding of organic nutrients and the 
effects of organic wastes must be obtained before 
fertilizing can be effective. The technology to 
implement these operations is available if basic 
information can be obtained. 
C. Processing 
1. Present Status 
The object of research in processing technology 
is to ensure the greatest variety of fishery products 
of consistently high quality and nutritional value 
at lowest cost. 
Processing the U.S. catch and raw imports is 
done in more than 4,000 plants throughout the 
country. The regional location and estimated 
number of workers employed in 1965 are shown 
in Figure 15. 
Figure 15 
PROCESSING FACILITIES (1965) 
Persons Engaged 
Establish- Average Average 
Section ante for season. for year 
New England 532 12,583 8,398 
Middle 
Atlantic 488 6,787 6,008 
Chesapeake 621 9,679 7,026 
South 
Atlantic 443 7,826 5,541 
Gulf 847 18,056 12,645 
Pacific Coast 557 26,207 16,746 
Great Lakes 256 2,923 2,429 
Mississippi 
River 417 2,368 2,160 
Hawaii 24 435 357 
Total! 4,185 86,864 61,310 
These totals do not include U.S. Territories. 
Source: Fishery Statistics of the U.S., 1965, Bureau of 
Commercial Fisheries, U.S. Department of the Interior. 
Of 4,185 plants, 1,057 process and package 
fresh or frozen fish and shellfish products, 324 are 
fish and shellfish canning plants, and 160 manu- 
facture industrial fish products. While many plants 
also perform a wholesale function, the remaining 
2,644 firms are primarily wholesalers and brokers, 
performing minor aspects of processing but pri- 
marily concerned with distribution. With the 
exception of a few firms who dry and cure fish 
VI-150 
products, most do not change the product form. 
Figure 16 shows a menhaden reduction plant, and 
Figure 17 illustrates frozen shrimp processing 
techniques. 
Figure 16. Menhaden reduction plant for fish 
meal. (Bureau of Commercial Fisheries photo) 
(Bureau 
Figure 17. Processing frozen shrimp. 
of Commercial Fisheries photo) 
A summary of processed products from domes- 
tically caught fish for 1966 is shown in Figure 18. 
While domestic production has been essentially 
static over the past 30 years, the domestic con- 
sumption has increased at a much faster rate than 
the population. For example, in 1945 the demand 
for fish and fish products in the United States was 
5.3 billion pounds or 41 pounds per capita in 
terms of round weight, the same as the catch is 
