ESTIMATED FISH CATCH FOR 1950: It is expected that the total Norwegian fish catch in 1950 will reach a record total of 1,263,500 metric tons as compared to 1,054,000 tons in 1949, a September 1 semi-annual economic report from the American Embassy at Oslo states. This year's catch will probably consist of 912,300 metric tons of herring and 351,000 tons of cod and other species, compared to 718,723 tons of herring and 336,000 tons of cod and other species in 1949. A NORWEGIAN HERRING VESSEL STEAMING TO PORT WITH A FULL LOAD OF HERRING. A catch of winter herring of 771,900 metric tons in 1950 was almost as high as the all-time record catch of 820,260 tons in 1948 (table 1). /DOES NOT INCLUDE BRISLING FISHERY. Table 2 Total Year Catch Exported Fresh-Home Fresh Norway's Utilization of the Winter-Fished Herring, 1948-50 Utilization Processed Consumption Salted Canned (Oil and Meal) Bait Other NOTE: CATCH DATA CONVERTED FROM HECTOLITERS TO METRIC TONS ON THE BASIS OF 10.75 HECTOLITERS EQUAL I METRIC TON OR I HECTOLITER EQUALS 0.093 METRIC TONS. NEW WHALING RESEARCH LABORATORY: One of Norway's leading whaling operators, Consul Lars Christensen, has announced establishment of a large research laboratory in Sandefjord, the Norwegian Information Service reported on September 14. Main task of the new institute will be to find better means of utilizing byproducts of whales, with a view to closer collaboration between the farming and whaling industries. Christensen is especially interested in the possibilities of producing animal fodder containing APF (Animal Protein Factor) in concentrated form. Recent research, initiated in the United States, has proved that infinitesimal amounts of APF is sufficient, but also essential, to insure healthy animal growth. It is only 1 years since the first results of APF could be proved, but already during the last whaling season Christensen's company was able to produce APF-rich whale meal on a small scale. This coming season, the research will be expanded to ascertain how APF concentrates can be made from whale byproducts in large quantities. Republic of Panama SHRIMP FISHERY: Development of the Panamanian shrimp fishery is claimed to be due to the efforts of an American citizen who, approximately a year ago, imported a vessel and equipment suitable for general fishing, a report dated September from the American Embassy at Panama City states. When the vessel found shrimp in its nets instead of fish, it concentrated on fishing for shrimp. Panamanian waters, particularly those on the Pacific Coast of the country, have always been known to be productive of edible fish, including shrimp. Since Colonial days, all fish taken were for local consumption. There are no facilities for canning, smoking, drying, salting, pickling, or otherwise preparing fishery products for export. Most of the residents of the islands and lands around bays have engaged in subsistence fishing in connection with farming. Until a year ago, there was only one private concern which bought fish from the fishermen to be sold to hotels, clubs, restaurants, and the Canal Zone. This firm, which handled a very large percentage of the country's total Pacific fish catch, also engaged in shipping fish in ice to Colon on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus. Information as to the abundance of fish, including shrimp, is based on estimates of fishermen who have always claimed that both shrimp and spiny lobsters are plentiful in the Bay of Panama. Type of Shrimp: The Panamanian shrimp are of a pale blue color and are reported to be abundant, with sizes ranging from 10 to 15 heads-off shrimp per pound. They may be any one or several of four species found in the Gulf of Panama. Location of Shrimp Grounds: Shrimp are found mainly in the Gulf of Panama. Their exact whereabouts, however, vary in accordance with the season. The best shrimp grounds are located 30 to 80 miles offshore of Chame, Chiman, Chepo, and Chepigana. Season: Shrimp are found in large quantities from September to December, the period of greatest abundance being the time of the "spring tides" occurring usually in October and lasting about a week. They are somewhat scarce throughout the coldwater period, i.e., from December to May. Production: Annual production of shrimp was officially estimated at around 30,000 pounds until the end of 1947. The total shrimp catch in 1949 (not including crayfish) in the Gulf of Panama was 131,988 pounds, while the spiny lobster catch was a little less than 93,000 pounds. At present there are three concerns engaged in large scale shrimp fishing in Panama. One of these, which owns two fishing vessels, did not operate the last two weeks in August because of damage to boats. This firm has in the past been a steady supplier of shrimp to Panama and the Canal Zone. May 24,791* 5,007 14,169* 18,350* 27,123* 21,939* 6,605 224,901* Number of Vessels Engaged in Shrimping: There are in use eight fishing boats equipped with Diesel engines, 35 to 45 feet long, adapted to shrimp fishing. The cost of the vessels is claimed to be between $10,000 and $20,000 each. The shrimp nets are of United States manufacture. The boats and equipment are said not to compare favorably with those employed in the United States. 9,770* Outlook: The present catch cannot be used 32,882* as any indication of the potential yield in this 26,295 area. It is claimed that the catch easily ex13,200* ceeds local market demands, and that at present 19,332* there are weekly shipments of frozen shrimp to 5,015 New York by Panama Railroad boats and others 9,151 sailing from Cristobal (Canal Zone) in quanti196,119 ties of from 6,000 to 15,000 pounds. Includes crayfish production. The lack of adequate quick-freeze facilities is handicapping production, an official of one of the concerns in the shrimp fishing industry stated, and there is a very definite need for such equipment. He added that freezers received from California (which reach freezing point in one-hour's time in California) require approximately five hours in Panama to provide identical results. Sweden SOVIETS REPORTED ORDERING MORE FISHING VESSELS FROM SWEDEN:1/ It was reported unofficially that the Soviets are attempting to order from the Swedish Association of Smaller Shipyards more than the 29 fishing vessels already on order, a September 19 American Embassy dispatch from Stockholm states. The Soviets wish the Association to take over the contracts for the 21 vessels originally placed with small shipyards outside of the association, which have been unable to fulfill delivery. In addition, the Soviets are also said to be negotiating for changes in the construction which are not standard for fishing vessels and which will permit the vessels to be used for purposes other than fishing. The association appears to be asking for a considerable increase in delivery price to cover these changes. /SEE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW, FEBRUARY 1950, P. 60. Union of South Africa A REVIEW OF THE FISH CANNING INDUSTRY: An analysis of the South African canning industry was published in an article ("A Review of the South African Canning Industry," by W. S. Parker) which appeared in the May 1950 issue of the South African Bankers' Journal. A copy of this article was made available by the American Consulate at Johannesburg, and an abstract of that part of the article which deals with the fish canning industry follows. Growth and Structure of the Industry: The story of the South African fish canning industry before 1939 is one of slow growth; a steady market, found principally in France and in other Continental countries, absorbed the full output of established producers, and processing was confined mainly to crawfish (spiny lobster). The location of the industry was, of course, initially determined mainly by proximity to the fishing grounds, and canneries were established on the coasts of South-West Africa and Cape Province. The industry is still centered in these areas, but among recent developments has been the establishment of a crawfish processing factory on Tristan da Cunha. The war limited the entry of foreign canned fish into the Union and the opportunity for expansion thus given to South African producers was fully exploited. The canning of such fish as snoek, pilchards, mackerel, maasbanker, harders, albacore and stockfish was developed, and the production of byproducts, such as fish meals and oils was greatly expanded. From the outbreak of World War II most of the surplus production of South African canned crawfish was purchased by the British Ministry of Food, so that throughout the war years the crawfish industry was enabled to maintain full production. The expansion of the fish canning industry as a whole was, in fact, almost as remarkable as that of the fruit and vegetable canneries. The total value of the output of the industry, including byproducts, which had averaged approximately 6348,000 (about $1,643,000) in the years 1932 to 1939, rose in 1946-47 to 12,287,268 ($9,172,000) while the number of factories in operation increased from 22 in 1929 to 28 at the end of war. Wages paid to all employees amounted to 160,062 ($240,000) in 1929, 662,051 ($273,000) in 1939, and 184,648 ($735,000) in 1944, although the total number of workers in the industry rose only by 351 during that period, from 1,311 to 1,662. This development has been guided and assisted to no small extent by several organizations representing the various sections of the industry. The provisions of the 1944 Fishing Industry Development Act enabled the establishment in October 1944 of the Fisheries Development Corporation of South Africa, Ltd., to promote the expansion of the South African fishing and fish-canning industries. Other organizations directly concerned with the expansion of fish canning in the Union and the marketing of the industry's products are the South African Food Canners' Council, Inc., and the South African Rock Lobster Packers' Association, while problems relating to the processing of fish and the extraction of byproducts are dealt with by the Fishing Industry Research Institute. Half the cost of this latter organization is borne by the fish canning industry and half by the Government-sponsored Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Recent events have shown, however, that, in addition to the services of organizations devoted to research and marketing, a new industry has need of the guidance of well-defined standards of quality for its product, standards which must be rigidly enforced. Through the lack of such standards, goods of inferior quality were |