September 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



19 



Maine Sardines 



CANNED STOCKS, JULY 1, 1966: 



Canners' stocks of Maine sardines on July 

 1, 1966, were down 42,000 cases from those 

 of the same date in 1965, but were sharply 

 lower as compared with the same date in the 

 two previous years. 



were down. U. S, per capita consumption of 

 fishery products in 1966 will likely not ex- 

 ceed 10.9 pounds in view of slightly smaller 

 production and population gains. In 1965, 

 consumption of fishery products averaged 

 11.0 pounds per person, the highest since 

 1954. 



Canned Maine Sardines — Wholesale Distributors' and Canners' Stocks, July 1, 1966, with Comparisons 1/ 1 



Type 



Unit 



1965/66 Season 



1964/65 Season 1 



7/1/66 



6/1/66 



4/1/66 



1/1/66 



11/1/65 



7/1/65 



6, 1,65 



4/1/65 



1/1/65 



11/1/64 



Distributois 

 Canners 



1,000 actual cases 

 1,000 std. cases 2/ 



195 

 253 



208 

 248 



234 

 312 



267 

 520 



289 

 689 



194 

 295 



198 

 203 



236 



314 



238 

 538 



291 

 629 



l/Table represents marketing season from November 1-October 31. 



2/100 3 3/4-oz, cans equal one standard case. 



Note: Beginning with the Canned Food Report of April 1, 1963, U. S. Bureau of the Census estimates of distributors' stocks were based 

 on a revised sample of merchant wholesalers and warehouses of retail multiunit organizations. The revised sample resulted in better 

 coverage. The January 1, 1963, survey was conducted with both samples to provide an approximate measure of the difference in the 

 two samples, That.survey showed that the estimate of distributors' stocks of canned Maine sardines from the revised sample was 13 

 percent above that given by the old sample. 



Source: U. S. Bureau of the Census, Canned Food Report, July 1, 1966. 



The 1966 pack of canned Maine sardines 

 totaled 742,000 standard cases as of August 

 13, 1966, according to the Maine Sardine 

 Council, as compared-with 773,000 casespacked 

 during the same period in 1965. Fishing was 

 very spotty along the entire Maine coast dur- 

 ing most of August and packing plants were 

 working only a few days a week. Packers 

 were hoping for improved supplies during 

 September and October. 



Preliminary data show the 1965 pack as 

 1,266,903 standard cases (100 cans 3|-oz.) 

 canned in 23 plants in Maine. That was 46.3 

 percent more than the 865,751 cases packed 

 during 1964, when fishing was extremely poor. 

 The 1965 pack was 21.8 percent less than the 

 1,619,235 cases in 1963. 



New legislation permitting year-round 

 canning of Maine sardines removed the tradi- 

 tional December 1 closing date for the pack- 

 ing season. The new legislation opened winter 

 canning to all Maine sardine packers and al- 

 lows winter canning with domestic as well as 

 imported herring. 



Note: See Commercial Fisheries Review , July 1966 p. 32, 



Marketing 



EDIBLE FISHERY PRODUCTS, 



MIDYEAR 1966: 



Indications about midyear 1966 were that 

 supplies of edible fishery products may fall 

 a little below those of a year earlier. Do- 

 mestic production in 1966 probably will be 

 slightly below the 1965 total; imports will be 

 up substantially, but beginning 1966 stocks 



Lower canned salmon supplies were an- 

 ticipated for 1966 based on expectations of 

 smaller salmon runs. However, salmon 

 runs were surprisingly good and the 1966 

 salmon pack it was believed could well de- 

 velop into a heavy one. Canned tuna may be 

 less plentiful than in 1965. The early 1966 

 pack was above that of a year earlier be- 

 cause imports of raw tuna stocks ran es- 

 pecially heavy, but domestic landings have 

 been lower. Inventories of canned tuna were 

 lowered by heavy sales during 1965, and in 

 view of growing consumer requirements and 

 strong world demand, canners will be hard 

 pressed to replenish inventories. Prospects 

 were for a reduction in supplies of shrimp. 

 Stocks were down appreciably at the begin- 

 ning of 1966, landings in the Gulf of Mexico 

 have been smaller, and imports have been 

 running below a year earlier. Supplies of 

 northern lobsters may also hold lower this 

 year as compared with 1965. About the 

 same quantity of flounder will be available 

 this year, and halibut supplies will about 

 equal 1965. But it appeared that scallops, 

 haddock, and spiny lobster tails will be 

 more plentiful this year. 



Prices of fishery products generally in- 

 creased during the first half of 1966. Con- 

 tinued high prices on most items are likely 

 if demand continues strong and overall sup- 

 plies hold a little below 1965, 



As of midyear 1966, supplies of many 

 popular fishery items were heavier than a 

 year earlier. More cod fillets and steaks, 

 more halibut, and more fish sticks and 

 portions were on hand than at mid- 1965, 

 although cold-storage holdings of raw 



