fuel oil requircncnts; vcpscls cperr.ted and needed in each fishery; etc, 

 Vieny Jederr,! agencies benefited "by this study — the V/ar Production Board, 

 the lTa\'^' Department, and the Office .of the Coordinator of Petroleum, for 

 exanple , in work in their respective fields. 



Two recent undertakings ty Service invostigators have proved that 

 najiy hitherto unexploited offshore "banks of this henisphere; xvill forn 

 the "basis of valuable food -fisheries.' The first,, a survey of the waters 

 off Peru in cooperation vith-. the Dcjpartnent of State ,' revealed the ex- 

 istence of rathcE extensive -fishing- 'areas v/hich'that country "is now 

 planning to exploit cotunerpiaily. The second, in progress since spring 

 of 194'2, cnbra-ces the'Vaters of the Cari'b'bean Sea, Infornatibn- so far 

 collected on this survey, undertaken through the- cooperation of other 

 Anerican republics in the area aiid the, 'Govet-iinent of the British West 

 Indies, indicates that the fisheries in aone' localities can be nateria,lly 

 expanded, . . ^ ' .-: ;• ':" ' ' ' ' _ _ 



'."■ E^ich year Alasl?:a, produces nearly 7,000 -.GDO' cases of 48 one-po-iond 

 cans of, salnon, : This- highly inportant protein' food, easily, transported 

 .and capa"ble of withstanding :r.ny clina.te,'. is an irrpcrta,nt staple of Amy 

 and Ha vy diet.. .Despite %^rea,tly curtailed OT)erat ions in. v^e stern' Alaslca,- 

 due to Fiilitary- operations and -.transportation and. labor difficulties, 

 the Alaska, salmon pack of all species for the 1942 season passed the 

 5,000,000 case-nark*"- In .order to insure the greatest pack possible this 

 -season, consistent with conservation requirenents, Alas^^. fishery agents, 

 jnainta.ined constant watch over salnon no:-. s and esce^penent and v^ere able 

 to recoro-^end extensions of seasons of fron 2--to-5 days in several dis- 

 tricts. . ■ — -: 



■ The" Service ' s Division" of Alaska Pi sheries works constar-tly tc ..,. . 

 devise beans of increasing' the yield of fishery prodiucts, in line v/i'th' 

 conservation needs. Observa.tions r.ade on the fishing grounds and close. . 

 studies and analyses of statistical and other nateria.1 are utilized in 

 franing regulations . for promulgation 't^y the Secretary of the Interior, 

 fixing the tine, place, method, ajid extent of fishing- operations. 



Since war was declared, the Service' s. fisher;.' biological investi- 

 gations ha.ve been geared to. the prir.-.-^.rj'- purpose of i'ncreasiiig the avail- _ . 

 a.ble supplies of -fish for wa,rtine use-.' - Th'e ;,i:7ippr'tahce of f.ish as a 

 natural food 'resource of stra,tegic value i"a. a.pparcnt' f roin the following 

 facts} (1)As a source- of aninal :pr6tein of hi^h nutritive value, 

 f isherylproducts rank'iiic'xt in vo.lur.ie. to' beef and pork; (2) Canned fish^,,-- 

 which nay ^be sent to ainy locality under the nost adverse, conditions, . -. 

 forn one of the nost inportant fo-dstuffs for shipnent to. our allies or 

 for use by the ?rned services; -(s) Pish neal utilized as food for poul'fry 

 and livestock increa,se.s the pro.duction of eggs,, milk,- and neat; -and (-4)'. 

 Oils derived fron fish pjid fish livers- a.re' the princ-ipal source- of vitafains 

 A and D and also. furnish glycerine for' explosive s. : "... 



Activities of fishery biologists relating to food production fall 



