Can Shipments for 

 Fishery Products Increase 



During January-August 1966, 

 2,153,668 base boxes of steel and 

 aluminum were used to make cans 

 shipped to fish and shellfish can- 

 ning plants. During the same pe- 

 riod in 1965, 2,077,256 were used. 



Note: Statistics cover all commercial and captive plants known 

 to be producing metal cans. A "Base box" is an area of 31, 360 

 square inches- -equivalent to 112 sheets 14" x 20" size. Ton- 

 nage figures for steel (tinplate) cans are derived by using factor 

 23.7 base boxes per short ton of steel. 



Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 



Defense Department 

 Changes Finfish Purchases 



Total purchases of the Department of De- 

 fense (DOD) this year are about the same as 

 1965. A sharp drop in canned fish purchases 

 was offset by a substantial gain in purchases 

 of fresh and frozen fish products. Haddock 

 portions have been the 1966 volume leader -- 

 double the quantity bought in a comparable 

 period of 1965. Tuna, 1965's leading item, 

 was down 60 percent in 1966. This loss was 

 offset partly by larger salmon purchases. 



DOD purchases of fresh and frozen fish 

 products account for roughly 3 to 4 percent 

 of the total domestic market for purchases 

 of comparable items, and about Ij percent 

 of canned items. 



/i^' 



Canned Salmon on 

 USDA'S "Plentiful List" 



Canned salmon is on this month's Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture "List of Foods in Plenti- 

 ful Supply." The list will be distributed to 

 newspapers, 

 radio and TV 

 stations, and 

 other media 

 to apprise 

 them of the 

 canned salm- 

 on supply 

 situation. 



Also, USDA will ask food retailers, brokers, 

 and distributors to promote and merchandise 

 canned salmon. BCF's fishery marketing 

 specialists and home economists will follow 

 up by contacting local cooperators to ask sup- 

 port in getting the message to homemakers. 



Marketing 



SURVEY SHOWS FISH PRODUCTS 

 MORE POPULAR 



Fishery products are becoming more pop- 

 ular with consumers, according to market 

 studies conducted by Gorton's of Gloucester, 

 Mass., a leading New England fish-process- 

 ing firm. 



Three of every 10 homemakers are more 

 inclined to serve fish and seafood today than 

 they were just 2 or 3 years ago, the survey 

 shows. There is a continuing interest in 

 serving fishery products among Catholic and 

 non-Catholic families; The possible end of 

 "fish on Friday" for Catholics has not affected 

 this interest. 



The survey was undertaken when the fish- 

 ing industry became alarmed by rumors that 

 Catholics might be allowed to eat meat on 

 Friday. The results among Catholic home- 

 makers were so reassuring that Gorton's 

 enlarged its consumer study to include a rep- 

 resentative sampling of American housewives. 

 Among Catholics only, 80 percent said they 

 will continue to serve fishery products even 

 if the Friday ban is lifted. And almost 75 

 percent will abstain from meat one day a 

 week even if the Church no longer requires it. 



9 of 10 Homemakers Serve Fish 



A general sampling of homemakers shows 

 that 9 out of 10 serve fishery products. Of 



