Receipts of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products--Salt-water Market, New York City Fish 11,311,000 242 Important Items: Cod 1,113,000 +30 + 5 Yellowtail (Dab) 3.798,000 Haddock Halibut 356,000 Mackerel 546,000 -27 Pollock Smelt 448,000 632,000 Whiting Clans, hard -6 Lobsters Shrimp 936,000 -17 With the exception of oysters, there was a decline in the production of all fishery items in the Gulf States area, during December 1942 as compared with the previous month, according to the Service's New Orleans Fishery Market News office. Total shrimp and oyster production for 1942 declined only 4 and 2 percent, respectively, as compared with that for 1941. Salt-water fish production expanded during the year, increasing 19 percent over the 12-month period in 1941, but there was a 39 percent decrease in the production of freshwater varieties. Total receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products on the Chicago Wholesale Market during January were 5,125,000 pounds, a decrease of 13 percent below the previous month and 11 percent below January 1942, according to the Service's Chicago Fishery Market News office. Truck and freight shipments were considerably below those for both comparable periods but these declines were partly offset by an increase in express receipts, indicating a trend toward getting the fish on the market as quickly as possible, as well as the effect of war restrictions on the trucking industry. Carp supplies, which have gained new importance during the past year were 24 percent below December, but 97 percent above January 1942. Whiting, which has similarly become more popular in this market in recent months, increased 102 percent over December and 106 percent over a year ago. Declines were reported for lake herring, lake trout and shrimp. According to a mid-February report, arrivals of fresh and frozen shrimp during January 1943 were approximately 24 percent less than during the same month in 1942. Wholesale market prices for various sizes averaged approximately 10 cents per pound higher than last year. Heavy weather and ice conditions since the year's end held up the production of freshwater fish in the lower or American Great Lakes. As a consequence, during January, Canadian imports of fresh-water fish accounted for approximately 51 percent of the total fresh-water volume. There is reported an alarming shortage of fishermen who normally operate off of Michigan shores due mainly to the operations of the Selective Service. The seasonal slump in activity during December brought the total receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products at Seattle down to 3,922,000 pounds, a decline of 33 percent below those of the previous month, according to the Service's local Fishery Market News office. The total was 28 percent more than the receipts in December 1941 and increased the volume for 1942 to 68,214,000 pounds, 6 percent below that for 1941. Most important receipts during the month were those of silver salmon, consisting largely of frozen stocks shipped from Canada and Alaska. There were 131,000 pounds of dressed soupfin shark delivered during December, the largest receipts to date of this comparatively new item in the Pacific Coast fishery food supply. In compliance with the wishes of the majority of cold-storage operators, the date for reporting United States and Alaskan holdings and freezings of fishery products has been changed from the 15th to the first of the month. The change became effective with the January bulletin which contains data on the holdings as of January 1. In this bulletin, figures on freezings are for the two-week period from December 15 to 31. In succeeding bulletins, data on freezings will be for the full calendar months. In comparing 1943 cold-storage statistics with those for previous years, it will be necessary to take into account that the data are not strictly comparable. STOCKS OF FROZEN FISH SHOW DECLINE Holdings of frozen fishery products in domestic cold-storage plants on January 1 totaled 98,791,000 pounds, according to information furnished by the Food Distribution Administration of the Department of Agriculture. It is estimated that the January 1 holdings were approximately 9 percent less than the poundage in storage on the same date a year ago. Because of the change in date for reporting stocks of fishery products from the 15th to the 1st of the month it is not possible to make exact comparisons of the January 1 holdings with those for the same date last year. However, a review of the data on the January 1st holdings indicate that stocks of haddock and rosefish fillets were considerably below those of a year ago, while holdings of mackerel, mullet, and whiting appear to be held in much greater volume. MULLET FROZEN IN LARGE VOLUME Freezing plants in the United States and Alaska froze 5,616,000 pounds of fishery products during the period from December 15 to January 1. Since this is somewhat more than half the 8,740,000 pounds frozen during the period from December 15, 1941, to January 15, 1942, it would appear that the freezing of fishery products during the last two weeks in December was conducted at a somewhat more rapid rate than in the same period in 1941. During the two-week period, freezings of mullet were many times larger than in the month from December 15, 1941, to January 15, however, the small quantity of haddock and rosefish fillets frozen during the last two weeks in December indicate that freezings of these items were considerably below those of a year ago. Item Freezings of Fishery Products in United States Cold-storage Plants Total fish and shellfish: 5-yr. average December 15 to January 15 Pounds 8,318,000 Important Items: Fillets: Haddock Pollock During 1942, the marketing of mackerel in a new form--"H & G", or headless and gutted-was developed by a Gloucester firm, according to a February report from the Service's Boston Fishery Market News office. The new practice has not previously been in wide usage for this species of fish, although H & G whiting are common. As it has been customary to market fresh or frozen mackerel whole or round, the new method was planned to make the preparation and cooking of these fish easier for the housewife. It was believed that the whole mackerel minus the head and entrails would prove suitable for baking, deep frying and other desired methods of cooking. It was also believed that the retention of the backbone would add to the nutritional value and flavor of the fish. The discoloration which occurs when mackerel fillets are held in storage for long periods of time also would be eliminated. This method of processing is simpler and quicker than filleting, and the net yield is greater. It is estimated that the recovery from round fish is approximately 65 percent. Another favorable feature is that the product sells for two to three cents per pound less than mackerel fillets. In addition to its other apparent advantages over the round fish it also conserves boxing and shipping facilities. All processing up to this time has been done in shore establishments, the preparation of the mackerel at sea being a future possibility. The mackerel are headed, eviscerated, washed and placed in boxes. Ten pound boxes were used at first but it was later found more practical and economical to use 15 pound boxes. Since its inception in October 1942, the entire production has been frozen, the total, a little over half a million pounds, being confined to Gloucester. Civilian consumers immediately accepted the H & G mackerel and purchased considerable quantities. The product also attracted the attention of the U. S. Army and, as a result, a very large percentage of the total production has been purchased for Government use. BOSTON COLD-STORAGE HOLDINGS ON JANUARY 27 DOWN 28 PERCENT FROM YEAR EARLIER Greater than normal withdrawals of frozen fishery products during January brought the total holdings in Boston cold-storage warehouses down to 8,088,000 pounds on the last Wednesday of that month, 37 percent below the end of the previous month and 28 percent under stocks held one year earlier, according to the Service's local Fishery Market News office. Shrimp holdings were up 7 percent as compared with the previous month and mackerel showed a 23 percent gain over the previous year, but holdings of most other species generally declined considerably as compared with both previous dates. Frozen whiting holdings in 15 cold-storage warehouses in the two important producing states of Maine and Massachusetts on January 30 were 3,440,000 pounds, 42 percent below holdings of four weeks earlier, but 50 percent more than was held on January 31, 1942. Stocks of dressed, H & G, fillets, and skuljoes amounted to 70 percent of the total as compared to 36 percent a year ago. The demand for whiting has increased during the past year, especially in the dressed forms. There is a tendency in the midwest to use whiting fillets as a replacement for rosefish fillets when the latter have not been in sufficient supply. Holdings of frozen fishery products in New York City warehouses on January 28 amounted to 7,635,000 pounds, a decline of 21 percent below those of December 31, and 22 percent under stacks of one year earlier, according to the Service's local Fishery Market News office. The drop in holdings during January was greater than normal, and follows the general trend throughout the country. The only important species held in greater volume than at the end of the previous month were king and silver salmon, but both totals were considerably below those a year earlier. Important gains over the previous year occurred in stocks of mackerel, sablefish, and whiting. |