UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

"~Eu A. ~EATON, SECRETARy

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

JOHN L. FARLEY , DIRECTOR

COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW A review of developments and news of the fishery industries

prepared in the BRANCH OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES

A . W. Anderson, Editor

J. Pileggi, Associate Editor H. M. Bearse, Assistant Editor

Mailed free to members of the fishery and allied industries . Address correspondence and requests to the: Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of the Inter ior, Washington 25, D. C.

Publication of material from sources outside the Service is not an endorsement. The Service is not responsible for the accuracyoffacts, views, or opinions contained inmaterialfrom outside sources.

Although the contents of this publication have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted freely, reference to the source will be appreciated.

The printing of this publication has been approved by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, August 2, 1955. (8/3V57)

CONTENTS COVER; The Pelican, specially rigged for deep-water trawling, is exploring for shr imp off

the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Recently chartered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the 73-foot steel-hulled vessel is primarily seeking a commercial supply of shrimp in deep water, but the explorations also may provide valuable data on other spe­cies of fish. (See Commercial Fisheries Review, April 1956, P. 23 and P. 48 of this issue.)

Page New Products from Fish Oils , Part I - Introduction, by Maurice E. Stansby • ... . . • . • • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • 1 "Brown-Spotting" in the Southern Oyster , by Milton Fingerman • • . . . . . . • . . . . • . • . . • . . . . . • . . . . • . • • • 4 Fishery Tariff Concessions in 1956 Geneva Negotiations, by A. M. Sandberg .•.•...•.... .. . ......••.. 6

RESEARCH IN SERVICE LABORATORIES: •.•..• Fish-Quality Deterioration Study •••.••....•

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Study of Drip in Frozen Fish. • • . • • • • • • • • . . 14 Antioxidant Mixtures for Preserving Fishery Products 15

TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS: • • • • • • • • • • • • . 16 Additions to the Fleet of U. S. Fishing Vessels . • 16 Arkansas:

Fish and Rice Crops •.. ••......••.... . California:

Periodic Flights Continued to Study Pelagic Fish Distribution (Airplane Spotting Flight 56-4) •

Catch of Shrimp Beam Trawl Nets of Various Mesh Sizes Studied by M/V N. B. Scofield (Cruise 56-B-l) .•.•••• :-.:-•••••.•.•.

Cans- -Shipments for Fishery Products , January-April 1956 •... ••..••• ••.••••••.••..

Electronic Devices Utilized in Fishery Resear ch and Management •••. •••••••••••• •• ..

Federal Purchases of Fishery Products: Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products Purchased

by the Department of Defense, May 1956 Quartermaster Canned Salmon Requirements from

1956 Pack • .•...••••••.••..•.•••.. Films:

Fishery Films Selected for International Film Festival ..••••.•••••.••..•••••••

Fish and Wildlife Motif on United States Postage Stamps ................... ........ .

Fish and Wildlife Service: New Research Laboratory to Study Problems of

Gulf Fisheries •••••••.•••••••••••.. Florida:

Fisheries Research, January-March 1956 .•••

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Page TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS (Contd.):

Great Lakes: Electrical Weirs to Control Sea Lampreys Must

Remain in Operation Eight Years •..•.•• 27 Great Lakes Fishery Investigations:

Fishery Study of Saginaw Bay Initiated by M/V \ Cisco (Cruise 1) ...••...• •. ...•.•. 27

Chub Populations in Lake Huron Studied by M/V Cisco (Cruise 2) •........•.•••• 28

Gulf Exploratory F ishery Program: Deep-Water Red Shr imp Commercial Potential

Being Explored M/V Oregon (Cruise 39) 29 Food Irradiation Sterilization Pilot Plant. • • • 30 Maine Sardines:

Canning Costs Increase ...•.....•••.• 31 Canned Stocks, June I, 1956 .•.....•••. 31

Market Outlook for Fishery Products 32 North Atlantic Fisheries Exploration & Gear Re­

sear ch: Smaller Catches of Deep-Water Ocean Perch

Made at Edge of Continental Shelf by Delaware (C ruise 20) . . . • • . • . • . • . . . • . . . . • . • • 33

Sea Scallops Sought in Deep-Water and Ground­fish Samples Collected (M/V Delaware, Cruise 21) •••••••••••.•.•..••••• 33

Midwater Trawl Fishing-Depth Control Found Feasible by M/V Delaware (Cruise 22) 34

Marketing Prospects for Edible Fishery Prod-ucts, July-September 1956 •••••••••••• 35

North Atlantic Fisheries Investigations: Haddock Eggs and Larvae Distribution Survey

Continued by Albatross TIl (Cruise 76) •••• 36 New Fisheries Research Vessel Shakedown

Cruise CI:.:!l!, Cruise 1) .....••••• ••. 36

Contents Continued Page Ill.

L Ulgust 1956 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW

CONTENTS (CONTINUED)

'~NDS AND DEVELOPMENTS (Contd.): North Atlantic Herring Research:

Fish-Finder Soundings by M/V Metacomet Locate Herring (Cruise 2) •.•••••.••••

Fish-Finder Soundings Off Maine and Canada by M/V Metacomet (Cruise 3) •••••••••

North Pacific Exploratory Fishery Program: Promising Results with Midwater Trawls by John N. Cobb (Cruise 27) ••••••••••••

Oregon: Trawling Regulations Revised .••••••••.

Oysters: Regulations Adopted by National Conference of

Weights and Measures •••••.•••.•••. Pacific Oceanic Fishery Investigations:

Albacore TUila Tagged on Japanese Fishing Grounds ••.•••..•••••••••.••••••

Hawaii Skipjack Fishing Grounds Survey Com­pleted by Hugh M. Smith (Cruise 34) •••••

Skipjack Tuna BehaViOrTn Hawaiian Waters Studied by Charles H. Gilbert (Cruise 28) ••

Second Spring Skipjack Scouting Cruise Com­pleted by John R. Manning (Cruise 31) ••••

Public Eating Places Survey: Publicizing Beneficial Qualities of Fishery

Products Believed Desir able •••••.• ••• Saltonstall-Kennedy Act Fisheries Projects:

Shrimp, Sponge, and Tuna Problems Research Contracts A warded •••••••••••••••••

Canned Fish Consumer Purchases Study •••. Foreign Markets for United States Fish Oils

Being Studied ••••••• •••••••.•• ••• Fresh Fish Consumption Increase Sought in In-

land United States ................. . South Atlantic Exploratory Fishery Program:

More Deep-Water Red Shrimp Explorations by ~(Cruise 3) •••••••••••••••

Midwater Trawls and Telemetering Depth F inder Tested by M/V George M. Bowers (Cruise 3)

Fishing for Sardinelike Fish off Southern Florida by M/V George M. Bowers (Cruise 4) ••••

U. S. Fish Stick Production ••••••••••.•• U. S. Foreign Trade:

Edible Fishery Products, March 1956 ••••• Fishery Products Imported from Many Countries Groundfish Fillet Imports Down 10 Percent

in June 1956 ••••.•••••••••••••••• United States Foreign Trade 1955

Washington: ,. • . • • • .

Fish and Shellfish Landings, 1955 ••••••.. Olymp.ia Oyster Industry Endangered by Ex­

cessive Mortality Whol al ' ................. . ORE es e Pnces, June 1956 ••••••••••••

Int~;~:tio~~ ...................... . International Pacific Halibut Commission:

Fust Season in Areas 2 and ill Closed Foodand Agriculture Organization:

AntibIOtics Use and Quality Assessment High­Lights Fish-Processing Technologists Meet-Ing .......

Plan for Cutting 'Co~;s' i~ 'Buildin~ 'F'~h~~ •• Boats Int ......................... . ~rnatlOnal Fishing Gear Congress Planned

Umted States Nominee for Director-General ofFAO .........................

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FOREIGN (Contd.): International (Contd.):

Whaling: Number of Whale Catcher Boats Reduced by

Agreement ••••••••• •••.••••••••• South Pacific Sperm Whale Allotment Proposed

Australia: Fisheries Development Fund Planned •••••• State Cabinet Minister to Visit U. S. Fishing

Ports ••.•••••••••••••••••••••••• Canada:

Mandatory Standards for Fish Sticks •••••• Large New Research Vessel •••.•.••••••

Denmark: Two New Fish Meal Plants in Operation ••••

German Federal Republic: Trawler Owners to Continue Support of Exports

of Frozen Fish ••••••••••••.•.••••• Iceland:

Fish Freezing Plants •••••••••.••••••• Japan:

J apanese-Mexican Fishing Company Planned Producers Form New Frozen Tuna Sales

Agency ••••• ••• •••••.•••...•••• Mexico:

Fishing-Permit Fees Increased •••••••• Norway:

Dried and Salted Fish Export Prospects Revised Cod Catch Heavy This Year .•.•••••.•••• Automatic Herring Feeding and Sorting Machine

Panama: Recent Developments in Fisheries ••••••••

Peru: Whaling Activities •••••.•.•••.••••••

Union of South Africa: Fishing Boats Offered Nylon Propellers ••••

U. S. S. R.: Fishing Fleets Expanding for Distant-Water

Fishing ••••••••••••••••• .••••••• Herring and Carp Caught with Suction Hose •• Fish Preserved by Electrical Shock •••••••

United Kingdom: Grimsby to Hold Fishing Industry Exhibition •

Venezuela: Tuna Long-Liner Returns to Japan .•••••.

FEDERAL ACTIONS: ••..........•..•...• Department of Agriculture:

Fish-Stick Standard Established •• •.••••• Department of Interior:

Fish and Wildlife Service: Fish and Wildlife Service Reorganization De­

ferred Pending Congressional Action •••• Notice of Intention to Adopt Amendments to

Alaska Commercial Fisheries Regulations Proposed Revised Regulations for New

England Haddock Fishery ••.••...•••• Herring Quota in South-Eastern Alaska In-

creased •••.••••.•••••••••.••••• High-Seas Fishing for Salmon off Alaska Pro-

hibited .••.•.••••••••.....•••• • Whaling Regulations Revised ••.•••••••

Eighty-Fourth Congress (Second Session) •••• FISHERY INDICATORS: ••••••...•.•••. • .•

Chart 1 - Fishery Landings for Selected States • Chart 2 - Landings for Selected Fisheries •••. Chart 3 - Cold-Storage Holdings and Freezings of

F ishery Products ••••..•• .•..••.•••

Contents Continued on the Outside Back Cover.

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STUDY OF HOUSEHOLD CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR BREADED SHRIMP AND FISH STICKS

In the third (Fishery Leaflet 426) of a series of reports on household consumer prefer­ences for breaded shrimp and fish sticks, the data from 1,797 questionnaires is summarized by income groups, household size, homemaker age groups, and occupation. The tabulated results from the questionnaires reveal the following facts concerning consumer preference

lor breaded shrimp and fish sticks:

1. Consumption 0 f b rea d e d shrimp is concentrated among middle and upper in­come groups.

2. The percentage of households serv­ing breaded shrimp increases moderately in relation to household size.

3. Young housewives buy breaded shrimp much more often than older hom e m a k e r s . Consumption is higher among white collar oc­cupations than among occupations r e qui ring manual skills.

4. The predom mant marketing problem for breaded shrimp is to get consumers to try them . Nine out of ten hom e m a k e r s trying breaded shrimp become satisfied customers.

5. The consumption of cooked fish sticks is related directly to family income status. Households serving cooked fish sticks during the past year ranged upward from 20 percent for families with less than $2,000 income per year to 50 percent for families with incomes over $10,000. The percentage of households serving fish sticks alBo increased in relation to house­hold size up to families of five members.

6. Consumption of fish sticks is highest among homemakers under 25 years of age. There­after, there is a slightly downward trend for older age groups. Fish -stick consumption is some­what higher among white-collar occupations than among occupations requiring manual skills.

7 Roughly 60 percent of all American households represents the possible limits of the un­tapped market for fish sticks. Something like 85 percent of all homemakers buying fish sticks are satisfied with them.

8 . About one household in five uses breaded shrimp, either cooked or uncooked. Conswnp­tion does vary, however, by family-income status, age of the homemaker, household size, occupa­tion of the breadwinner, and some other factors.

9. Nine out of ten housewives buying breaded shrimp are satisfied with them. The dominant merchandising problem therefore is to get housewives to try breaded shrimp.

10 . Most of the large ~roup which had not tned these products gave" 0 particular reaso~" as the answer when asked 'Why haven't you tried them?" Insofar as the minority gave speciflc objections, some indicated an aversion for shrimp and others were not familiar with the prod­uct or the product was not available in local shopping centers. Significantly, only a very small percentage of those who had not tried breaded shrimp thought them too expensive.

11 . When used by homemakers, breaded shrimp does not directly replace other fishery prod­ucts . For the most part respondents indicated little indirect competition with other fishery products .

12. Housewives are well satisfied with the present package labeling as far as description of the contents is concerned, the manner in which to prepare the shrimp, and suggested recipes. Most housewives prefer medium-breaded shrimp if offered a choice of thin, medium, and heavy breading . They alBo prefer the largest size shrimp and packaged in layers separated with paper rather than bulk packaging. Housewives prefer light golden -colored cooked shrimp to darker­colored cooked shrimp.

Fishery Leaflet 426 (Household Consumer Preferences for Breaded Shrimp and Breaded Fish Sticks, Part 1 - Summary ~ Income Groups, Household ~. Homemaker ~ ~roup!" and Occuff:jtinn) may be obtained free by writing to the Division of Information, U .---s-. FlSh and Wildlife ervice, Washington 25, D. C.

CONTENTS (CONTINUED)

FlSHERY INDICA TORS (Contd.): Chart 4 - Receipts and Cold-Storage Holdings of

Fishery Products at Principal Distribution Centers •••••••.•••••••••••••••••

Chart 5 - Fish Meal and Oil Production - U. S. and Alaska •..•.••.•.•••••••••••••.

Page FlSHERY INDICATORS (Contd.):

Chart 6 - Canned Packs of Selected Fishery Products ..••.•.•••••.•...•••.•.•

98 Chart 7 - U. S. Fishery Products ImportS ••• RECENT FlSHERY PUBLICATIONS: •.••••••

98 Fish and Wildlife Service Publications •.••• Miscellaneous Publications .•.•.••.•••••