﻿SECTION 
  13 
  

  

  STATISTICAL 
  SURVEY 
  PROCEDURE 
  

  

  "Fishery 
  Statistics 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States" 
  (Statistical 
  Digest) 
  is 
  prepared 
  by 
  the 
  Statistics 
  and 
  

   Market 
  News 
  Division, 
  National 
  Marine 
  Fisheries 
  Service 
  (NMFS); 
  U 
  .S 
  . 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  

   and 
  is 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  inaugurated 
  by 
  predecessor 
  organizations 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  

   Interior, 
  Commerce, 
  and 
  Commerce 
  and 
  Labor, 
  and 
  the 
  U.S. 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  The 
  Statistical 
  

   Digest 
  contains 
  detailed 
  statistics 
  and 
  analytical 
  textual 
  reviews 
  on 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   the 
  United 
  States. 
  Included 
  are 
  data 
  on 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  landings 
  of 
  

   fishery 
  products 
  by 
  States, 
  larger 
  geographic 
  regions 
  and 
  gear; 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons, 
  ves- 
  

   sels, 
  boats, 
  and 
  fishing 
  gear 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  the 
  sections 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  

   Mississippi 
  River, 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  also 
  tabulated 
  by 
  water 
  bodies. 
  The 
  Statistical 
  Digest 
  also 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  data 
  on 
  the 
  volume 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  processed 
  fishery 
  products, 
  freezings 
  and 
  cold 
  storage 
  

   holdings, 
  foreign 
  trade, 
  and 
  other 
  related 
  information. 
  

  

  Following 
  is 
  a 
  brief 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  statistical 
  surveys 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  and 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  procedures 
  used 
  to 
  collect 
  the 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  data 
  in 
  the 
  var- 
  

   ious 
  geographical 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  History 
  --The 
  first 
  comprehensive 
  statistical 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  fishery 
  industries 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1880 
  by 
  George 
  Brown 
  Goode, 
  Assistant 
  Director 
  of 
  

   the 
  U.S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  and 
  associates, 
  with 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisher- 
  

   ies 
  and 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Tenth 
  Census. 
  Data 
  for 
  specific 
  fisheries 
  or 
  geographic 
  areas 
  

   for 
  years 
  prior 
  to 
  1880, 
  also 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  survey 
  and 
  recorded 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Goode's 
  re- 
  

   ports. 
  The 
  survey 
  for 
  1880, 
  however, 
  did 
  not 
  include 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries. 
  

   Periodic 
  general 
  surveys 
  of 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  States 
  or 
  limited 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  were 
  

   made 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  from 
  1880 
  to 
  1907 
  and 
  from 
  1909 
  to 
  1928. 
  The 
  first 
  complete 
  statistical 
  can- 
  

   vass 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  1908 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  the 
  Census. 
  The 
  next 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  not 
  made 
  until 
  1931, 
  although 
  complete 
  data 
  for 
  all 
  

   areas, 
  excluding 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries, 
  were 
  collected 
  for 
  1929 
  and 
  1930. 
  

   Complete 
  data 
  on 
  the 
  catch 
  and 
  operating 
  units 
  for 
  these 
  same 
  sections 
  were 
  also 
  collected 
  for 
  

   1932. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  survey, 
  however, 
  lack 
  of 
  sufficient 
  funds 
  prohibited 
  collection 
  of 
  data 
  on 
  

   the 
  wholesale 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  operations 
  except 
  those 
  data 
  collected 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  canned 
  

   fishery 
  products 
  and 
  byproducts 
  survey. 
  Various 
  geographic 
  areas 
  were 
  surveyed 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  

   from 
  1933to 
  1949, 
  inclusive. 
  A 
  complete 
  survey 
  of 
  all 
  sections 
  ofthe 
  country 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  1950. 
  

   Since 
  195 
  I, 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  areas 
  have 
  been 
  canvassed 
  annually, 
  and 
  catch 
  records 
  have 
  been 
  

   obtained 
  for 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  area. 
  Complete 
  operating 
  unit 
  and 
  catch 
  data 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  for 
  

   all 
  areas 
  since 
  1954, 
  except 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  partial 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  tributaries 
  

   was 
  made 
  for 
  1961. 
  Data 
  on 
  the 
  wholesale 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  industries 
  were 
  collected 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  

   the 
  surveys 
  from 
  1933 
  to 
  1940, 
  inclusive 
  . 
  In 
  the 
  years 
  from 
  1941to 
  1949, 
  inclusive, 
  and 
  in 
  1951, 
  

   lack 
  of 
  experienced 
  personnel 
  and 
  budgetary 
  limitations 
  precluded 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  data 
  on 
  whole- 
  

   sale 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  firms 
  except 
  for 
  those 
  data 
  collected 
  as 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  canned 
  fishery 
  prod- 
  

   ucts, 
  industrial 
  products, 
  and 
  packaged 
  fish 
  surveys. 
  

  

  The 
  chart 
  on 
  page 
  45 
  2 
  indicates 
  the 
  years 
  for 
  which 
  surveys 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  

   sections. 
  Since 
  the 
  surveys 
  ofthe 
  fisheries 
  have 
  varied 
  in 
  completeness, 
  three 
  legends 
  have 
  

   been 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  chart 
  to 
  indicate 
  whether 
  complete, 
  partial, 
  or 
  no 
  surveys 
  

   were 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  individual 
  regions. 
  The 
  designation 
  "complete 
  survey" 
  has 
  been 
  used 
  to 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  basic 
  operating 
  unit 
  and 
  catch 
  data 
  were 
  obtainedand 
  that 
  complete 
  information 
  was 
  

   collected 
  on 
  employment 
  in 
  wholesale 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  establishments 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  

   manufactured 
  fishery 
  products. 
  The 
  legend 
  "partial 
  survey" 
  usually 
  indicates 
  that 
  operating 
  unit 
  

  

  