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Mexico

CHANGES EXPORT TAX ON CERTAIN FISHERY PRODUCTS:

In accordance with a decree published in the Mexican Diario Oficial of October 22 and effective three days after publication, the export tax on certain fishery products has been modified. an October 31 report from the American Embassy at Mexico, D. F., states.

The export tax tariff is modified by this decree so that Fresh or Frozen Fish, Unspecified (11-01) is now 3 centavos (approx. 0.35 cents U. S.) plus 10 percent ad valorem per net kilo (2.2 pounds); and Fresh, Raw, Dried or Peeled Shrimp (11-11) is now 30 centavos (approx. 3.5 cents U. S.) plus 10 percent ad valorem per 100 net kilos.

Actually the tariff remains the same on these two classifications, but the weight factor has been changed. Previously these items were taxed on the basis of gross weight; the new tax provides that the tariff shall be assessed on the basis of net weight.

This will make little difference on frozen or dried fishery products, but for those items which are shipped fresh and in ice there will be an appreciable reduction in the tax.

PROMULGATION OF INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE REGULATION OF WHALING:: The Presidential Decree, dated October 13, 1949, promulgating the International Convention for the Regulation of Whale Hunting which was signed in Washington on December 2, 1946, and adhered to by Mexico on June 17, 1949, was published in the Diario Oficial of December 6, 1949, reports the American Embassy on December 7.

Norway

EXPANSION OF SEAWEED PRODUCTS INDUSTRY PLANNED: A recent awakening in Norway to the possibilities in developing its seaweed resources has led to plans for expansion of existing companies and indications that many firms are keenly desirous of entering the field. A survey of export potential has begun. Tied in with these developments is the recent creation of a separate research institute for seaweed production which is to begin functioning early in 1950, states a November 21 report from the Oslo American Embassy.

The new institute will receive its financial support from the Norwegian Research Council, which in turn is jointly financed by grants from the Norwegian Government and contributions from private industries made through the Industri Forbund (National Manufacturers' Association). The beginnings of the institute will be small: it will be housed adjoining the University of Oslo, and will employ three botanists and one chemist in addition to an administrative director.

Professor Carl Henrik Oppegaard Printz, a botanist, who has been chosen administrative head of the institute, has indicated that one of the purposes of the institute will be to help increase Norway's commercial production of seaweed products from its present value of about $421,000 to at least $7,000,000 a year. This represents a utilization of only one percent of Norway's growth of sea

weed each year. to take place.

It takes on an average three years for a suitable new growth

Apparently Norway has one of the richest growth in Europe of brown algae (Phaeophyceae), a good source of alginic acid and other substances suitable for cattle feed. The institute will make tests of samples from different localities along the Norwegian coast to ascertain how much is available and the most economical means of harvesting it. Its director believes that the best growths are located along the coast of Finnmark, northern Norway, and that several new seaweed plants will probably be located in that area in the near future.

Much of the future development, however, hinges on markets as well as supply, and the se in turn are greatly affected by developments of seaweed industries in other countries, and discoveries of new uses for seaweed products. Previously the utilization of brown algae seaweed was limited to extracting iodine and potash. Today modern seaweed industry extracts certain organic substances, such as alginic acid, mannitol, laminarin and fucoidine, as well.

There is a plant in Norway established in Drammen during World War II, which concentrates on alginic acid production. This firm produces only about 100 metric tons a year, but hopes in a year or two to increase production fivefold. Alginic acid and its salts are today widely used in production of textiles, plastics, cosmetics, films, ice cream, jam, paint, and other products. The firm, however, limits its production to the acid. It exports some to Sweden and Denmark. Reportedly the company obtains a c.i.f. price in the other Scandinavian countries of approximately $1.60 a pound as compared with only 64 cents a pound received for British-manufactured alginic acid.

The other producer of seaweed products in Norway has for 12 years been manufacturing meal for cattle and horses in Kristiansund N. The firm sells its meal under the registered name of "Algit," and has a capacity of 3,000 metric tons of "Algit" yearly. The meal is made from a type of brown algae known as "BladderWrack," which is cut from the roots of the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum. It is dried in the sun and stored in the factory. The excess salt is then removed and its sugar content is carmelized in order to eliminate the sea smell which cattle and horses dislike. The company claims that this meal prevents or cures most of the common mineral deficiency diseases in cows, sheep, horses, pigs, poultry, and foxes and states that it has a food value not far from that of oats. It is stated that better milk, eggs, meat and fur can be produced on a feed allotment of 2 to 3 grams per living kilo weight (2.2 pounds) to the stock per day. According to the company, analyses show that the meal contains 58.6 percent carbohydrates, and the se in turn contain 23.7 percent alginic acid, 9.3 percent lamina, 8.3 percent sugar, 7.3 percent fucus as well as other chemicals such as nitrate, chlorine, sulphur, calcium, potash, sodium and traces of zinc, copper and nickel.

Packed in paper bags of 110 pounds each, the domestic market price is quoted at $34.35 per metric ton f.o.b., and the c.i.f. price, East or Gulf coast, U. S. A., is quoted at $69.30 per metric ton, provided 300 metric tons or more are ordered. For smaller quantities the price is $79.85 per ton. The firm is very much interested in entering the U. S. market and has gotten in touch with prospective agents.

HERRING FACTORY SHIP: Conversion of the 354-foot English landing craft, which will be Norway's first specially-built floating herring reduction plant, is well underway, according to Fiskaren of November 10. The vessel, with a speed of 16 miles per hour, was taken over equipped with 5200 hp. engines. Of course, this speed is not needed for its new work.

The engines, bridge, and accommodations for officers, crew, workers, superintendent, and chemists, will be located aft. Staterooms will accommodate from 2 to 6 men each.

Reduction machinery, of Norwegian make, will be installed forward so that it can readily be added to, if necessary. Since there are yet many unsolved problems in the complete utilization of herring, it has been difficult to decide upon the reduction method to be used.

There is space on board for 1800 metric tons of herring, tank space for 3,000 metric tons of herring oil and fuel oil, and storage for about 1,000 metric tons of herring meal. Four unloading booms will be carried forward and four aft. There will be four bins for holding fresh herring with conveyors to the reduction equipment. Consideration has been given to elevators and pumps for unloading, but hoists will be used in the beginning.

If delivery of the needed foreign equipment is received on schedule, the factory ship should be ready to operate in February 1950. It will be stationed at Smørhavn in Bremanger as long as raw material is available.

ICELANDIC HERRING FISHERIES: A total of 261 Norwegian vessels participated in the Icelandic herring fisheries in 1949, approximately the same as last year. Total catch is reported at 223,700 barrels (approximately 27,900 metric tons), according to a November 29 report from the American Embassy at Oslo.

GREENLAND FISHERIES: Norwegian vessels operating off Greenland yielded 6,000 metric tons of cod and 300 tons of fresh and frozen halibut during the 1949 season. All the cod has been made into klipfish for which demand is strong. It is planned next season to use 50 vessels in this expedition instead of the 30 used this year.

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The current season's production is scheduled to be delivered as follows: Italy, 2,800 metric tons; Belgium, 350 tons; Holland, 450 tons; United States, 500 tons; Switzerland, 200 tons; Trieste,

350 tons; France, 75 tons; West Africa, 475 tons; and the domestic market, 300 tons.

LARGEST HERRING MEAL FACTORY BEING CONSTRUCTED: Progress has been made on the construction of the largest herring oil and meal factory in Europe at Moltu.

The first section of the factory is scheduled to be completed in time for the herring season and will have a capacity at the end of the first year of 4,500 hectoliters (approximately 405 metric tons) per 24-hour day. A second section of the factory, for which all equipment has been contracted, is expected to be completed late in 1950 and will double this capacity.

NYLON LINES AND HERRING TRAWL TESTED: A herring nylon trawl gave catches four to five times as large as a comparable cotton trawl, according to Fiskets Gang in a report on tests made by Norwegian fishermen. The trawls were identical in construction and used alternately in the same area. Despite the smaller thread, the nylon trawl had a high breaking strength and was otherwise easy to handle.

Tests with nylon lines were made in Lofoten in 1948 but detailed results are not available. Comments were to the effect that they were strong, elastic, supple, and fished well, but splices were apt to fail and they were very slippery when hauling in, especially if there was weight on the line. Some fishermen said nylon lines tangled easily, but one said it fished twice as well as other lines.

However, it was feared nylon would be costly because of the gear losses experienced by the present fishing methods.

A test of one nylon forerunner in small-whale fishing resulted in 16 whales being taken on one trip. It was reported to be very strong, easy to work, never broke, and withstood wear and tear as well as the usual forerunner.

TESTS ON BRINE- AND DRY-FROZEN BAIT HERRING: Practically all of the bait herring frozen in Norway is chilled-brine frozen--the brine is in direct contact with the herring during freezing, according to a report of the Norwegian Fishery Directorate's Chemical-Technical Research Institute published in Fiskets Gang. However, fishermen having access to dry-frozen bait herring have claimed it fishes better.

Tests made in 1946 and later with air-frozen herring and brine-frozen herring demonstrated that, on the average, air-frozen herring gave better catches despite the fact that it hardly was frozen as carefully as the brine-frozen type.

Tests in early 1949 with brine-frozen herring and a special pack of dryfrozen herring were too few to be conclusive, but resulted in a 68.5 percent greater catch with the use of the latter. There are strong indications that line catches could be increased considerably by using well prepared dry-frozen herring in place of brine-frozen herring, especially when the bait must be stored for some time before using.

PLANS FLOATING FISH OIL FACTORIES:1/ Based on the precedent set by opensea whaling, where the catch is processed aboard huge factory ships, Norwegian fisheries experts are planning floating herring oil factories which can set up operations wherever the fish are found, states a November 19 report from the Norwegian Information Service.

See also Commercial Fisheries Review, June 1949, page 46.

Already an experimental vessel is being fitted out as a floating oil factory, and will be tested on the herring banks this winter. If rich herring schools were to appear in new fishing areas, as a number of specialists contend, the catch could be processed with a minimum of transport problems. This first plant, however, will be used primarily for testing new reduction machinery.

Serious consideration was given this subject at a recent meeting in Tonsberg of the Association of Norwegian Whaling Companies in view of a possible employment slump in the Norwegian whaling industry. Only slight modification would be required, it was pointed out, to fit present whaling factory ships for fish oil processing.

Pakistan

FISHERIES TO BE DEVELOPED: Following a recent visit by the head of the Danish Fisheries Biological Research Institute, Pakistan intends to develop its fisheries to yield five times the present catch, according to the November 26 issue of the British periodical, The Fishing News. This contemplated production will meet all internal needs and produce a surplus for export. An investigation of the possibilities of byproducts and shark liver oil industries also will be made.

A tentative scheme for the development of the Pakistan fisheries has been drafted and inquiries have been made in Australia as to possibility of obtaining boats, and equipment for fishing harbors. (See Commercial Fisheries Review, November 1949, page 57.)

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STUDY OF FISH PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO FOOD REQUIREMENTS: In determining food requirements and production in the Ryukyus and to study fish production in relation to food requirements; a representative of Natural Resources Section visited the Ryukyu Islands to assist a United States Food Mission, states a November 5 Weekly Summary from SCAP.

Present basic ration requirement of the Ryukyuan people is 25.3 pounds of fish per capita a year. An estimated 45 pounds of fish per capita were consumed each year in 1935-37. On the basis of population and fish production in 1949, the yearly consumption of fish per capita probably amounts to 28.5 pounds, although this average does not apply uniformly for each of the three main regions of population, Okinawa, northern Ryukyus, and southern Ryukyus. The southern Ryukyus, because of its relatively large catch in proportion to its population, undoubtedly consumed more fish per capita than the northern Ryukyus and much more than Okinawa.

Fish production can be increased by 1951 to meet a requirement of 40 pounds per capita and to provide a small surplus of at least 1,000,000 pounds. Attainment of this production, however, will depend on procurement and distribution of fishing materials to meet seasonal requirements and the construction of new fishing boats to replace obsolete craft.

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