UTILIZATION OF THE FISH WASTE OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



67 



the Alaska herring are not in demand, bring a low price, and exhibit 

 poor keeping properties. 



During the year 1913 about 6,000,000 pounds of herring were pre- 

 pared for use other than in the manufacture of fertilizer. This 

 application of herring is itemized in the following table : x 



Table XV.— Use of herring other than for fertiliser. 



Application. 



Quantity. 



Value. 



Fresh, for bait 



Pounds. 



3,936,500 

 231,935 

 692,400 

 256,200 



5,259,520 

 17,371 



Dollars. 



22,245 



Frozen, for bait 



2,291 



Pickled, for food 



26,832 



Pickled, for bait 



« 



3,297 



Dry salted, for food 



50,183 



Smoked, for food 



1,257 









Total 



10,393,926 



106, 105 







Even in the present stage of development of the herring-salting 

 and herring- fertilizer industries, the two are supposed to be in con- 

 flict with each other, and it is being proposed that the fertilizer 

 industry be suppressed. Since the food demands of the Nation must 

 take precedence over all others, if the manufacture of fertilizer from 

 herring is bringing about such a depletion of the supply of these fish 

 that the demands for them as a food fish are not satisfied, it is fitting 

 that the former use be restricted or suppressed. There seems to 

 be no authentic information substantiating the belief entertained by 

 some that the herring-salting industry is suffering from the activity 

 of the herring- fertilizer industry. In fact, when the herring fish- 

 eries of Alaska are compared with those of the northern shores of 

 the Atlantic, it is seen that the total number caught there is insig- 

 nificant; about 22,000,000 pounds are utilized in Alaska for all 

 purposes, while in the north Atlantic, about 900,000,000 pounds are 

 utilized. 



Obviously, it is greatly to the advantage of the Nation that the 

 fish of the sea be put to some use. Their application to the soil as 

 fertilizer is only one step removed from their direct utilization as 

 food, since when so used they go to increase the food supply. Their 

 utilization in this manner is very much more to the advantage of 

 everyone concerned than putting them to no use whatever. Ulti- 

 mately, the fish resources of the country will be developed to their 

 fullest economical usefulness, when they will be drawn upon to 

 supply man with greatly increased amounts of food. Until such a 

 time they should be open to supervised use in whatever way industry 

 demands. 



1 From Bower and Fassett, loc. cit. 



