﻿STATISTICAL 
  SURVEY 
  PROCEDURE 
  

  

  and 
  catch 
  statistics 
  were 
  collected, 
  but 
  that 
  no 
  information 
  was 
  obtained 
  on 
  employment 
  in 
  whole- 
  

   sale 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  establishments 
  and 
  that 
  only 
  partial 
  data 
  were 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  production 
  

   of 
  manufactured 
  fishery 
  products. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  the 
  designation 
  "partial 
  survey" 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  

   regions 
  in 
  which 
  only 
  catch 
  statistics 
  were 
  collected. 
  The 
  legend 
  "no 
  survey" 
  indicates 
  that 
  a 
  

   general 
  canvass 
  was 
  not 
  conducted 
  to 
  obtain 
  operating 
  unit, 
  catch, 
  employment 
  in 
  wholesale 
  and 
  

   manufacturing 
  plants, 
  and 
  complete 
  manufactured 
  products 
  data. 
  Although 
  the 
  chart 
  indicates 
  that 
  

   in 
  certain 
  regions 
  no 
  surveys 
  were 
  conducted, 
  some 
  information 
  may 
  be 
  available 
  on 
  the 
  landings 
  

   at 
  certain 
  important 
  ports. 
  Likewise, 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  certain 
  species, 
  such 
  as 
  men- 
  

   haden, 
  may 
  be 
  available 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  data 
  collected 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  annual 
  canned 
  fish 
  

   and 
  byproducts 
  survey. 
  Data 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  production 
  of 
  canned 
  fishery 
  products 
  and 
  byproducts 
  

   have 
  been 
  collected 
  for 
  all 
  regions 
  since 
  1921, 
  while 
  information 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  on 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   duction 
  of 
  packaged 
  fish 
  for 
  1926 
  and 
  annually 
  since 
  1928. 
  

  

  A 
  bibliography 
  listing 
  the 
  various 
  surveys 
  made 
  since 
  1880 
  and 
  the 
  publications 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   results 
  were 
  published 
  appeared 
  in 
  Statistical 
  Digest 
  No. 
  43. 
  "Fishery 
  Statistics 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  1955." 
  Figures 
  for 
  recent 
  years 
  are 
  available 
  from 
  NMFS 
  in 
  bulletin 
  form, 
  but 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  

   earlier 
  years 
  are 
  available 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  and 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  printed 
  reports. 
  

   These 
  reports 
  are 
  on 
  file 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce 
  library 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  public 
  libraries. 
  

  

  Field 
  Personnel 
  — 
  The 
  statistics 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  volume 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  by 
  trained 
  

   fishery 
  reporting 
  specialists 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Marine 
  Fisheries 
  Service 
  (NMFS) 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  

   by 
  personnel 
  of 
  State 
  fishery 
  agencies. 
  The 
  fishery 
  reporting 
  specialists 
  are 
  assigned 
  to 
  field 
  

   stations, 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  principal 
  port 
  within 
  their 
  areas, 
  and 
  travel 
  from 
  that 
  station 
  to 
  conduct 
  

   their 
  various 
  surveys. 
  

  

  Period 
  Covered 
  — 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  reporting 
  agents 
  collect 
  statistics 
  on 
  landings 
  for 
  the 
  cur- 
  

   rent 
  year 
  and 
  assemble 
  final 
  operating 
  unit, 
  catch, 
  and 
  processed 
  products 
  data 
  for 
  the 
  previous 
  

   year. 
  It 
  is 
  usually 
  3 
  to 
  10 
  months 
  after 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  collect- 
  

   ing 
  data 
  before 
  the 
  final 
  figures 
  for 
  the 
  Digest 
  are 
  available. 
  The 
  data 
  are 
  tabulated 
  and 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  publication 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible 
  after 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  figures 
  are 
  collected 
  and 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  on 
  a 
  calendar 
  year 
  basis. 
  Prior 
  to 
  1930, 
  statistics 
  on 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   and 
  Gulf 
  States 
  were 
  collected 
  for 
  the 
  oyster 
  season; 
  this 
  is, 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  April, 
  inclusive. 
  

   Since 
  1930, 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  collected 
  on 
  a 
  calendar 
  year 
  basis. 
  

  

  Scope 
  — 
  The 
  coastal 
  statistical 
  surveys 
  include 
  canvasses 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   the 
  oceans, 
  bays, 
  and 
  coastal 
  rivers 
  as 
  far 
  inland 
  as 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  is 
  important. 
  This 
  usu- 
  

   ally 
  coincides 
  with 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  for 
  anadromous 
  species. 
  Statistics 
  on 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  include 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  proper 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  of 
  

   its 
  tributaries 
  wherein 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  for 
  either 
  fish, 
  crustaceans, 
  or 
  mollusks 
  is 
  carried 
  on. 
  

   Statistics 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  cover 
  canvasses 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  lakes 
  proper, 
  

   adjacent 
  bays, 
  the 
  International 
  Lakes 
  of 
  northern 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  rivers 
  which 
  sustain 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  fishery 
  having 
  outlets 
  into 
  these 
  waters. 
  Statistics 
  on 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Florida 
  include 
  

   the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  in 
  Lake 
  Okeechobee 
  and 
  other 
  inland 
  lakes. 
  Surveys 
  for 
  statistics 
  of 
  

   the 
  wholesale 
  and 
  processing 
  fishing 
  industries 
  cover 
  plants 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  coastal, 
  river, 
  and 
  

   lake 
  areas 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  waters 
  mentioned 
  above 
  . 
  

  

  Methods 
  of 
  Collection 
  — 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  methods 
  used 
  to 
  collect 
  fishery 
  statistics, 
  

   each 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  carefully 
  studied 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  best 
  results 
  with 
  available 
  personnel 
  and 
  

   funds. 
  In 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  operating 
  units 
  data, 
  field 
  personnel 
  are 
  supplied 
  with 
  a 
  deck 
  of 
  

   prepunched 
  vessel 
  cards 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Customs. 
  These 
  cards 
  indicate 
  the 
  name, 
  

   official 
  number, 
  rig 
  code, 
  gross 
  tonnage, 
  length, 
  and 
  year 
  built. 
  Field 
  personnel 
  enter 
  the 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  crewmen, 
  and 
  number 
  and 
  type 
  of 
  gear 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  vessel. 
  These 
  data 
  are 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   interview. 
  Data 
  on 
  the 
  craft 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  5 
  net 
  tons 
  are 
  obtained 
  from 
  State 
  conservation 
  agen- 
  

   cies 
  and 
  by 
  contact 
  with 
  firms 
  purchasing 
  fish 
  or 
  shellfish 
  from 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  data 
  thus 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  are 
  machine 
  processed 
  to 
  ensure 
  accuracy. 
  

  

  