the average, fresh fish prices on February 15 decreased as compared to January 11, 1944, by 1.74 cents per pound. The changes in retail fish prices from January 11 to February 15, 1944, both in the number of items showing increases, decreases, and no change (expressed in the percentage of all comparisons) and in the actual average cents-per-pound are shown in the following table, City 1 Chicago 4.28 3.82 Changes in Retail Fresh Fish Prices from Jan, 11 to Feb, 15, 1944, in 10 Selected Cities Number of Changes in Average cents per pound Increase No Change Decrease Increase Decrease 50 5.50 94 De troit 32 59 San Francisco 70 2.76 Pittsburgh 20 1.43 Boston 50 .75 Cincinnati 20 .74 Columbus 14 .74 Seattle 32 .60 Minneapolis 30 .65 16 1.74 Now & 35 38 The decreases per pound are indicated in the following graph, As far as it could be determined by interviewing the retail dealers involved, the reasons for the greater cents-per-pound decrease in New York, Chicago, and Detroit, was the better enforcement of the regulation by local authorities. If other reasons, for example, increased landings alone, had tainly would have been affected not less, New York but probably more, than New York. But in New York, local OPA authorities caused an Caicago early publication and a precise determi nation of the ceiling prices under the reDetroit gulation, while in Boston, local authori ties apparently did not give clear inSan Francisco structions to retailers. The trade it self nowhere has complained about MPR-507, Pittsburgh where enforced equally and explained clear ly. Boston As far as the comparison of prices Cincinnati of the two intervals, January 25 to Feb ruary 15, and January 11 to February 15, Columbus is concerned, valuable observations can Seattle At first, the number of price de creases was greater for the period JanWinneapolis uary 25 to February 15 than for the period January 11 to February 15. This means Average that in the first excitement the penduTon Cities lum of price movements swung toward the decreasing side more than could be main-3 -4 -6 tained. The conclusion is permitted that Cents per pound psychological factors played an important part; namely, the fear that more species would be included, or the expectation of sharzer enforcement, or the expectation that a large amount of frozen fish would flood the market. On February 15, there was a distinct recession of some price decreases which had taken place. . The study shows that even in price administration the "soup is not eaten as hot as it is cooked." In this case, the soup became slowly but decisively cooler during the 20 days after it was served. +1 -1 -2 -5 Four other facts evolve from the study: 1. MPR-507 has had a greater effect on stores selling fish and seafood exclusively than on chain or combined food stores, On February 15, 1944, as compared with January 11, 1944, in specialized stores about 72 percent of all fish prices had changed; in chain stores only about 59 percent had changed; and in combined food stores about 66 percent had changed. The conclusion is permitted that combined food dealers may be able to balance repercussions caused by maximum price regulations by adjustments in other food departments, 2. Price regulation does not always decrease prices. Several marked price increases were found on February 15. Tis means that in some cities, the regulation increased the actual prices above 3. Some reports indicate that, in general, frozen fish prices have paralleled fresh fish price move ents. This may have been only a temporary consequence caused by the same psychological reasons as mentioned above, but it is a fact which cannot be overlooked in view of future price regula tion, 4. Sales have not been unfavorably affected. Records of the volume of sales were available in only a few cities. In Cincinnati, Columbus, and Pittsburgh, sales remained stabile during the period studied; in Minneapolis chain store sales decreased, while the small combined food stores increased their sales and the specialized stores maintained their sales volume. New York sales increased heavily, in some cases by 200 percent, Chicago sales increased in chain stores during the week preceding February 15 (125 percent on the average), wile in tine week preceding January 25, there was a decrease of about 49 percent. The other fish distributing stores in Chicago continued nearly the same sales volume during the whole period studied. It may be concluded that MPR-507 was a successful venture of the OPA, but still an adventure, Prices have decreased, while regular distribution channels have not been disturbed. The price decrease in the later part of the period studied was accompanied by higher landings, which again were caused by larger runs and by the ending of the fisherman's strike in the New England area. There is no doubt that the average Mrs. Smith could and did buy fish cheaper on February 15 than on January 11, 1944. From the standpoint of an advocate of the fishing and fish-processing industries, this is a welcome effect of MPR-507. On the other hand, no conclusion is permitted as to whether MPR-507 will continue to be salutary for productionconsumer relations if adverse runs or other production difficulties should cause a decline in market supplies. Still more the demonstrated sensitiveness toward price movements of specialized stores as compared with other types of retail stores makes it imperative to apply all precautions possible before changing price levels to which the highly specialized branches of the fishery industry have become accustomed. 0-0-0 THE ANGLERFISH By Henry M. Bearse* For many years, anglerfish has been eaten by Italians living along the East Coast of the United States. Possessing the scientific name Lophius piscatorius, this fish belongs to the family Lophidae--the Anglers or Fishing Frogs. Other common names for the species are: Goosefish, monkfish, angler, bellows fish, all mouth, molligut, and fishing frog. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the term "Anglerfish" as acceptable and appropriate for labeling L. piscatorius. This name has been selected by Fish and Wildlife Service personnel, after consultation with the trade, as the most descriptive and appropriate for use. The anglerfish never has been widely used, attributable perhaps to its grotesque appearance and unusual cooking requirements. Recently, however, because of wartime need for new food supplies, attempts have been made to develop a wider market for the species. Under the supervision of the Committee for Increased Utilization of Sea Food Resources'il a program to develop interest in this fish was initiated in 1942. *Aquatic biologist, Division of Fishery Biology, Cambridge, Mass. 1/ This Committee, composed of representatives for New England fishermen, fish wholesalers, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the V. S. Food and Drug Administration, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Gloucester Chamber of Commerce, was formed to stimulate development of fisheries for little-known species of fish which could be landed and marketed in increased quantity. In spite of the fact that large quantities have been marketed in France and England and that recipes prepared by the Committee have shown promise, it has been difficult to get processors to utilize this species. This condition has been caused partly by a shortage of experienced help in processing plants, but is more directly attributable to complications of preparation for food. When used fresh, the white and firm flesh tends to become stringy and tough unless special precaution is taken in cooking. Italian families recommend parboiling as a preliminary to frying and some families of Polish descent have used this fish successfully in the form of a stew, Smoking either in the form of a "Scotch haddie cure" or in the usual "pinnan haddie" type of preparation appears to remove the objections mentioned above. When smoked, experiments have shown that the anglerfish makes an excellent product with qualities approaching the best of our smoked fish products, As landed ex-vessel, the anglerfish consists of only the tail portion. The very large and cumbersome head is removed at sea. Taken by either otter trawl, trap, or line, the fish range in size from 1 to over 50 pounds. Notes collected by a Service biologist during a trip on a fishing trawler in January 1943, show that anglerfish composed about 5 percent of the species usually marketed and about 15 percent of the estimated total of edible waste fish, The average weight from a total of 17 specimens weighed at sea was 18 pounds with a range of 62 to 28 pounds. Some specimens were observed that were close to 50 pounds. From a total round weight of 308.5 pounds, 95.8 pounds of dressed anglerfish was produced, a recovery of 31 percent. The tail portion of the anglerfish, known commonly to New England fishermen as the "Monk tail," needs further processing before marketing. Experimental packs in which drastic trimming operations were employed, gave a recovery from the tail portion of 51 percent in the form of steaks and fillets, and when dressed for smoking in one piece, about 70 percent. From the entire fish, these represent recovery of about 16 and 22 percent, respectively. The following are the methods employed experimentally for processing this species: I. Fresh or frozen anglerfish. Steaks--The steaks, about " thick, are cut at right angles to the long axis of the anglerfish tail. The single bone running throughout the length of the tail is soft and the appearance is improved when this center ring of bone is included in the slice, This style of preparation lends itself to a neat and attractive package. In addition, it eliminates objectionable long fibers which appear in fillets. If steaks are to be cut, it is possible to freeze the entire portion and then use mechanical saws or cutters for slicing. Fillets or chunks--The anglerfish is difficult to fillet neatly due to the shape of the tail, When dressed for fillets, the flesh is cut away from the long soft bone running throughout the length of the tail, leaving two fillets, thick at the forward end and thin at the tail end. Each of the se can be divided lengthwise, producing four long fillets from each tail. These can be cut into portions best suited for the packaging me thods selected II. Smoked anglerfish. Smoked as a whole or in the form of a "fish ham"--For this purpose, it is desirable to use tails of mediun size--3 to 7 pounds. Then used in this process, the "hans" are first brined for one hour or dry salted for a half a day. They are then cured by me thods similar to those used for "Scotch haddies" (smoked and cooked in one operation). The product is ready to eat when smoking is completed, although it is still desirable to handle it with the same care taken in handling fresh fish. This smoked ham This smoked ham has excellent eating qualities and has been highly spoken of by members of the trade and others who have tried it at public demonstrations. This method of preparing anglerfish seems to hold the most promise, with the chief objection being the perishability of a "Scotch haddie" product. It is possible that this objection can be overcome by quick freezing the "smoked ham" and employing modern packaging methods. Smoked fillets--To produce smoked fillets, the usual smoking procedures have been followed, employing the type of cure used for finnan haddies or smoking without cooking. This product will keep for some time in ordinary coolers and has been found satisfactory when cooking methods are used similar to those employed for other smoked fillets. Range, Seasonal Occurrence, and Abundance--The anglerfish occurs commonly from Newfoundland to at least as far south as Delaware Bay, and it has been reported as far south as Barbados, In New England waters, it appears to leave shoal shore waters for deeper water during the winter months. During the warmer months of the year, it is common enough to be a nuisance to shore fishermen. Trap operators as far south as Delaware Bay have to cull out + 42 Receipts of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products--Salt-water Market, New York City February 1944 1943 Classification: Pounds Percent Percent Pounds Pounds Fish 11,531,000 + 4 + 21 11,076,000 9,502,000 Shellfish, etc. 5,737,000 + 1 + 23 5,667,000 4,675,000 Total receipts 17,268,000 + 3 + 22 16,743,000 14,177,000 Important Items: Cod 1,297,000 6 915,000 1,373,000 Flounders: Blackbacks 485,000 + 31 + 79 370,000 271,000 Yellowtails 2,216,000 26 - 23 2,995,000 2,885,000 Haddock 844,000 276,000 673,000 Mackerel 119,000 41 - 73 203,000 433,000 Ocean pout 456,000 - 41 +500 777,000 76,000 Sea bass 506,000 +153 +231 200,000 153,000 Scup (porgy) 451,000 + 69 525,000 267,000 Smelt 542,000 43 + 78 951,000 305,000 Spanish mackerel 631,000 +217 631,000 199,000 Whiting 474,000 + 96 . 20 242,000 590,000 Clans, hard 2,195,000 + 13 + 30 1,937,000 1,687,000 Lobsters 364,000 437,000 246,000 Shrimp 850,000 26 1,151,000 809,000 1,737,000 + 66 1,048,000 1,177,000 Truck, freight, and express 15,531,000 1 15,695,000 13,000,000 *Excluding imports entered at New York City. - 14 FEBRUARY RECEIPTS AT CHICAGO GAIN 3 PERCENT OVER JANUARY Receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products in Chicago during February were 3 percent over January, but were 4 percent less than February 1943, according to the Service's Fishery Market News office in Chicago. Although considerable quantities of Canadian winter-caught fish were received, fresh fish, in general, showed substantial declines. Truck shipments decreased 4 percent from January, while rail freight showed an increase of 30 percent. Rail express shipments declined 21 percent from January, but compared to February 1943, showed a substantial gain of 22 percent. 12 months Jan. -Dec, 1943 Pounds 42,508,000 29,820,000 11,706,000 84,034,000 -28 Receipts of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products at Chicago 2 mos. 2 mos. 1944 February Jan-Feb. compared with 2 mos, 1943 Pounis Per cent Percent Pounds Percent 7,139,000 + 15 4 514,000 -26 42 1,212,000 . 20 4 11,899,000 + 4 243,000 -33 50 16 251,000 + 25 600,000 + 62 Lake trout 326,000 -25 14 758,000 + 20 583,000 883,000 13 645,000 +20 + 12 1,184,000 + 19 Yellow pike 220,000 -35 - 32 560,000 4 233,000 449,000 +166 833,000 - 50 288,000 +12 + 85 545,000 + 13 Oysters 154,000 -40 - 9 + 13 254,000 -26 - 57 - 36 604,000 17 1,253,000 + 19 601,000 + 37 + 16 2,754,000 + ll + 2 7,026,000 + 12 +9 10 4,873,000 - 5 1,266,000 4 22 2,586,000 9 + 22 3,938,000 + 32 - 6 5.375,000 4 4,419,000 4,100,000 7,002,000 2,529,000 4,671,000 3,733,000 2,627,000 11,436,000 2,505,000 1,293,000 8,793,000 38 9,257,000 8,913,000 8, 260,000 57,066,000 26,968,000 O 18,898,000 35,355,000 29,781,000 |
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