economically iDenefited through the food habits of "birds and other vrild- 

 life that fefed on rodents, insects, and noxious weed seeds. The harvest 

 of wildlife is conservr.tively esti.ap.ted at 135,000,000 pounds of neat 

 annually. With the war and the consequent unprecedented drain upon our 

 supply of donestic neats, wild meats have s.ssuraod considera"ble importance 

 as an added source for consumption by our civil po-oulation. According 

 to present inforna.tion, it appears that meat will "be rationed at a rate 

 of 2-f pounds per v;eek for civilians. In that event the 135,000,000 pounds 

 of raeat harvested in the wild would feed 5,000,000 persons for 63 days 

 each yeor. In addition, more effective harvesting measures v/ill permit 

 a greatly increased production of wild meats v/ithout imDairing the "basic 

 seed stock, Wildlife technicians nov; employed on Pittman-Ro"bertson projects 

 in 46 States are competent to advise State adjainistrators on harvesting 

 problems and to asscr^ble added information as required to insure the naxi- 

 rTun returns without imprdrment of the "basic res''.urces. 



Surveys and investigations hp.ve been conducted also to d"etermine 

 methods of improving the environment for fur animals, to find ways to 

 trap and prepare the s'cins for market so that grsa.ter utilization vrill 

 be made of the fur resources to fit in with war needs. 



In v/artime as well as in peace the Nation's natural resources must 

 be safeguarded, and to a great extent the Jish and Wildlife Service of 

 the United States Department of the Interior is one of those agencies 

 upon which the responsibility rests to see that no avoidable danger is 

 suffered on the home front. Its efforts are being exerted to make every 

 possible contribution to the war but at the same time to provide security 

 for the fish and wildlife resources during the struggle and for the 

 peace to come — through every means and every effort that cannot be 

 exerted directly in fighting. 



IS 



k05 



