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ARTMEN F COMMERCE 
BUREAU FISHERIES 
Economic Circular No. 30 
f 
Issued August 28, 1917 
POSSIBILITIES OF FOOD FROM FISH. 0 
The fisheries of the United States produce annually about 1,500,- 
000,000 pounds of food fish, including shellfish, in a fresh condition. 
Alaska has a yearly output of about 250,000,000 pounds of fish canned, 
salted, and otherwise preserved. Reducing the latter to the fresh- 
weight basis, the total yield of the American fisheries can be stated as 
reasonably close to 2,000,000,000 pounds each year. The total out¬ 
put of the hatcheries of the United States Bureau of Fisheries in eggs, 
fry, and other small fish is about four and a half billions annually. 
Some of the fishes have been sought too eagerly and in consequence 
are declining in numbers; others have held their own; while in some 
cases there are possibilities of an increased production without 
impairing the fishery. In the last class belong the carp, kingfish, 
grouper, silver hake or whiting, Pacific shad, Pacific herring, and 
croakers. 
The most promising outlook for an increase in the food supply by 
the fisheries is in fishes hitherto unused and those that have just been 
brought to public attention. Some of these are sharks, bowfin, toad- 
fish, squids, goosefish, skates, grayfrh, sablefish, burbot, lamprey 
eels, and menhaden. 
It should be borne in mind, however, that fishes are wild animals 
and part of a vast but balanced system of animals that are preyed 
upon, those that prey upon them, and those that convert useless plant 
life into available meat, and that it would be shortsighted to take all 
fish without due regard to the part each plays in the economy of 
nature. It is therefore necessary that precautions be taken against 
working permanent injury to the fishery resources. Care should be 
exercised that laws for the protection of the fisheries should not be 
unduly relaxed. The conservation of the supply for the future is no 
less important than its increase in the present. 
A great deal of waste results from improper or careless methods of 
catching, cleaning, and salting fish which are employed at present by 
too large a number of fishermen. Many whole fishes and great 
quantities of the edible portion of fish are lost to the food supply of 
the country through wasteful practices in catching and curing. The 
Bureau of Fisheries has begun an energetic campaign among catchers 
and packers of food fishes to induce them to avoid waste ancl conserve 
all fish caught. 
Moreover there are certain wastes in the fish trades that can be 
turned profitably into the food markets if prejudice can be overcome. 
While the roes of many kinds of fish are utilized the milts have been 
invariably thrown away or disposed of to the fertilizer factories. The 
milts are"a wholesome and nutritious food; and with a little recom¬ 
mendation should find willing buyers. Much more extensive econo¬ 
mics can be practiced with the roes also. 
a By H. F. Taylor, scientific assistant, Bureau of Fisheries. 
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7225°—17 
