Table VI Item 12 months Largest 80 Monthly Index of Receipts of Certain Fishery Products Received (Expressed for each item in percentages of its greatest monthly volume.) Percentages of largest month's receipts Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Avg will be denied when a boat, whether used for private or commercial purposes, is engaged in pleasure cruising, sport fishing, guiding parties, and so forth. However, the owner will continue to receive fuel oil rations if the boat is used to obtain fish for food or sale. PROGRESS IN TECHNOLOGY--JANUARY The following items of interest have been reported concerning activities of the Technological Laboratories: College Park, Md.--Sample cans made of eight different types of chemically-treated steel are under test as containers for shucked oysters. A test shipment of oysters was made from Baltimore, Md., to Louisville, Ky., and returned to College Park. Dehydration studies were conducted with carp and whiting. Cooking tests of a limited nature indicated a palatable dish can be prepared from either product. Several samples of marine plants were taken to two commercial firms to determine the effectiveness of certain equipment in preparing gels as agar substitutes. Bacteriological tests are being conducted to determine suitability of gels produced under pilot plant conditions. The kitchen staff tested fresh winter carp, frozen shark fillets, and frozen lake herring to determine suitable methods of preparation for the table. The canning technologists have prepared packs of soft clams, fish chowder, and New England clam chowder in cooperation with commercial canning firms for the tin substitute container project. On the same trip, information was gathered on possibilities of canning mussels in the New England area. A series of packs of hard clams were prepared at College Park. Seattle, Washington. --Commercial packs of mackerel, sardines, yellowfin, and striped tuna were prepared on the tin substitute container project. Dehydration studies have been carried out with chum salmon, sole, and rock cod. Storage studies are now being carried out. About 50 samples of dogfish and soupfin shark livers were assayed for oil content and vitamin A potency. This series is a part of a project to determine the effect of physiology, environment and season on oil content and vitamin potency, and is being carried out in cooperation with the Washington State Fisheries Department. Ketchikan, Alaska. --Storage studies were continued on salmon fillets and steaks. Individual steaks glazed either in ice or mineral oil in addition to the cellophane wrapper showed superior keeping quality. Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. --Field demonstrations were conducted on a simple method for preserving fish nets. The method employed was a modification of the Conn technique for barking nets. Efforts were continued to locate fish by means of trawl and trap fishing. These tests are scheduled so that yearly production cycles can be determined for individual bays or straits. USE OF FLAX IN COMMERCIAL FISH NETS PERMITTED BY WPB Acting to direct the available supply of flax into military and the most essential civilian uses, the War Production Board imposed strict controls over both processing and sales of the fiber on February 13. Under the order (M-284), raw flax, hackled flax, hackling machine tow, tossed flax and flax pullings (single or plied yarn or roving) can be used or sold only for incorporation into flax products for certain purposes. Among these are included fish nets, netting, webs and other fishing gear for commercial fishing uses only. ESSENTIAL COMMERCIAL FISHING ACTIVITIES LISTED BY SELECTIVE SERVICE Occupational Bulletin No. 18 (amended February 20, 1943), was issued by Lewis B. Hershey, Director of the Selective Service System on February 20, and made effective. That part of the Bulletin pertaining mainly to commercial fishing follows: 1. The War Manpower Commission has certified that Agricultural Services and Commercial Fishing are activities essential to the support of the war effort. 2. This Bulletin covers the following essential activities: Agricultural Services and Commercial Fishing. 3. 4. The following list of occupations in agricultural services and commercial fishing are occupations requiring a reasonable degree of training, qualification, or skill to perform the duties involved. It is the purpose of this list to set forth the important occupations in agricultural services and commercial fishing which must be filled by persons capable of performing the duties involved, in order that the activities may maintain efficient production. This list is confined to those occupations which require six months or more of training and preparation. In classifying registrants employed in these activities, consideration should be given to the following: (a) The training, qualification, or skill required for the proper discharge of the duties involved in his occupation; (b) the training, qualification, or skill of the registrant to engage in his Occupation; and (c) the availability of persons with his qualifications or skill, or who can be trained to his qualification, to replace the registrant and the time in which such replacement can be made. "A war job does not mean merely a job in aircraft or ships, ordnance, or ammunition," Paul V. McNutt, Chairman of the War Manpower Commission, pointed out on February 10 in his comments regarding the list of non-deferable occupations and activities he recently issued. "People must be housed and clothed and fed in war-time as well as in peace," he said. Essential civilian activities are on an equal plane with basic war industries in our war effort. Registrants engaging in such essential civilian activities as agriculture and fishing, food processing, mining, textiles, transportation, communications, heating, power, and educational services are equally protected with respect to occupational classification and dependency status as those engaged in basic war industries. The list of activities which Mr. McNutt has declared essential included Agriculture and Fishing and Processing of Food. FLOATING EQUIPMENT TO BE RETURNED TO ALASKA SALMON INDUSTRY BY ARMY Assurance was received on February 4 by Harold L. Ickes, Coordinator of Fisheries, from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, that a large percentage of the floating equipment utilized by the Army will be returned to the Alaska salmon-fishing industry in ample time for seasonal operations. Secretary Stimson further stated that where it would be impossible to return such floating equipment, the War Department planned to loan similar equipment to the salmon industry. "This assurance," said the Coordinator, "will relieve one of the most pressing problems confronting the salmon industry. It is now up to the industry itself to proceed as rapidly as possible with plans in order to obtain a maximum pack of salmon in Alaska." About three-quarters of Alaska's total revenue is derived from its fisheries, and the bulk of this comes from the salmon pack. In 1942, a pack of 5,015,375 cases was put up as contribution to the nation's war food program, 60 percent of which was taken for military and Lend-Lease uses. A similar percentage probably will be taken this year, when, with adequate labor and equipment, Alaska's fishing waters could yield as much as 6 to 6 million cases. The chief problem which has faced the salmon industry of the Territory has been the taking of tenders and other floating equipment by the war agencies. This, and the lack of adequate shipping facilities and labor would have heavily decreased the 1943 Bristol Bay pack and that along the Alaska Peninsula. These packs are largely red salmon, percent of last year's total pack was released on October 26 for civilian needs. maining 20 percent was released on February 19. Twenty The re NEW COFFEE AND SUGAR RATIONING REGULATIONS FOR FISH CRAFT ISSUED BY OPA Temporary provisions to fit the sugar and coffee rationing regulations for restaurants, hotels and other "institutional" users--including fishing craft--into the new rationing program for institutions were taken on February 13 by the Office of Price Administration. The amendments are designated Amendment 39 to Rationing Order 3--Sugar Rationing Regulations--and Amendment 17 to Ration Order 12--Coffee Rationing Regulations. Both amendments took effect February 12. Instead of spplying to rationing boards for their next allotment (March allotment for coffee and March-April for sugar), institutional users will receive coffee and sugar allotments for March and April when they register between March 1 and 10 with their ration boards under the new general ration order. The forthcoming order - General Ration Order 5- will apply to institutional users of all rationed food--processed goods as well as coffee and sugar. Allotment periods for institutional users of coffee will be lengthened from one to two months, OPA said, in order to make the coffee regulations conform to the sugar regulations and to General Ration Order 5. This will permit institutions to apply for coffee and sugar allotments at the same time, simplifying their work and lightening that of local boards. SEATTLE ASSOCIATION PROMOTES SCRAP DRIVE Following up pleas of the War Production Board and the Office of the Coordinator of Fisheries for the fishing industry to clean up its premises of all useless and dormant scrap metals, the Fisherman's Cooperative Association of Seattle sent out notices to some 700 members of this salmon trollers' cooperative operating in Washington and Oregon. Arrangements were made to receive scrap metals at all of their stations and their Seattle office. Marked barrels were set up for this purpose. These fishermen, according to information received, are cooperating to a gratifying degree in returning old brass salmon spoons, stainless steel line, and other unusuable metal fishing gear, to the salvage program, It is believed that during the current salmon season a considerable quantity of scrap brass materials will be returned which was normally discarded at sea in previous years. |