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On August 14, the U. S. Public Health Service addressed the following notice to State Health Officers and other interested persons:

"For a number of years the Public Health Service has listed on the Approved List of Shellfish Shippers the names, location, and certificate numbers of Canadian shippers whose sanitary certificates have been approved by the Department of Pensions and National Health of Canada.

"In thus listing the Canadian shippers the impression has been created that the Public Health Service is cooperating with the Canadian Provincial health departments in the shellfish control activities in the same manner as it is with the State health departments and that the Canadian shippers are listed because the Service has approved the activities of the Canadian regulatory authorities. This is not the case.

"Under existing law the Public Health Service has no authority to set up requirements for the importation of shellfish or other food products into this country. Further, it has no thority to inspect the growing areas or plants where such food products may be handled or processed. Neither does it have authority to expend funds for such inspections.

"The Food and Drug Administration of the Federal Security Agency does have legal authority to control the importation of such food products and is actively engaged in carrying out these functions under existing law.

"In view of these considerations the following policy will be pursued in connection with the importation of oysters and other shellfish into the United States:

"(1) The Public Health Service will not undertake to inspect shellfish
bearing areas or processing plants located in foreign countries, nor
will it issue or endorse certificates to importers of such products
from such countries.

"(2) The Public Health Service will interpose no objection to the importation
of such food products, responsibility for such importations being that
of the Food and Drug Administration.

"(3) The Public Health Service will interpose no objection to the interstate
transportation of such shellfish or food products which may be imported.
The Public Health Service, however, will act to protect the public health
should such interstate shipments be determined to be detrimental to the
health of persons consuming such imported products.

"In accordance with this policy, the Service will no longer publish in its lists of approved shellfish shippers information relative to Canadian shellfish shippers."

ARMED FORCES RETURN 13 MORE FISHING VESSELS

The War Shipping Administration on August 9, announced the return to their owners of 13 fishing vessels requisitioned for use by the Armed Forces. of 600 fishing boats requisitioned for emergency use by the Navy, Army, and Coast Guard, 142 fishing vessels, most of which had been operated under bareboat charter, now have been released to WSA by the military.

Approximately 2,500 vessels of 1,000 gross tons and under were requisitioned for use in the war--2,000 for title and 500 on a bareboat charter basis. These include fishing vessels, tugs, barges, small tankers, launches, cruisers, and yachts. Vessels to which title was taken are now being made available to WSA in considerable number and will be resold to their former owners, or sold to the public by competitive sealed bids.

Below is the list of fishing vessels that have been redelivered in June and July.

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In July and August, the Fish and Wildlife Service released the following fishery leaflets. Copies can be obtained from the Service, free of charge, at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago 54, Illinois.

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Numerous changes have occurred in otter trawling equipment and methods on the Pacific Coast, according to the September report of a Service Fishery Engineer recently detailed to the Ketchikan Technological Laboratory. He will participate in exploratory shrimp trawling investigations planned to begin early in October for a period of three weeks to three months depending upon results obtained.

After examining several of the newer type sardine vessels in Ketchikan, he reported that two had a main power plant consisting of twin engines driving a single propeller which, on the basis of economy of space and increased capacity, are far ahead of designs of two years ago. In addition, much of the bow heaviness has been eliminated. One vessel was equipped with an entirely different type of purse seine winch than that ordinarily used. A single cable drum formed an integral part of the former purse winch casting and was driven from the regular winch shaft. This results in a much more efficient mechanism for brailing the catch and strapping in the seine. The fishermen had to obtain this equipment in Canada.

Otter trawling methods have also undergone considerable improvement. Formerly, two ropes, 20 fathoms long, were used between each door and a wing of the net. After the doors had been raised, the vessel went full speed ahead to float the net and then backed up full speed. The spreaders were then carried midships and they and the net strapped aboard. Under the present system, two rings on straps are attached to the back side of the doors to stop the spreaders and act as a run for them. When hauling, the doors are raised to the towing

davits aft, hooked fast, and the main line removed from the doors. The cable spreaders are then reeled in until the net reaches the davit. The net is then lifted by the boom tackle and worked amidships where it is unloaded.

This improvement is reported to render fishing possible from the large sardine type vessel under bad weather conditions. If the trawl catches an obstruction on the bottom in this kind of weather, however, very little ground gear can be recovered. Probably the use of more substantial equipment and trawls is the remedy. It is reported that one vessel is being rigged to handle 700 fathoms of 5/8-inch diameter cable. Until the present, 300 fathoms of -inch cable has been the limit for most of the fleet. Thus, it appears that there is a trend to work in deeper water and under more severe weather conditions. Several of the vessel operators believe that the future of the fishery lies in larger vessels and fishing on deeper banks.

Fresh Fish Trade

JULY LANDINGS AT THREE PORTS 14 PERCENT ABOVE 1943

Landings of fishery products at the ports of Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Maine, in July totaled 45,259,000 pounds, 10 percent above June, and 14 percent above July 1943, according to the Service's Current Fishery Statistics No. 141. The value of the landings to the fishermen was $2,111,154, or 3 percent higher than that of June and 2 percent more than July 1943. The weighted average price, however, was 4.66 cents per pound compared with 5.03 cents for June and 5.23 cents for July 1943. Rosefish, mackerel, haddock, and cod composed 87 percent of the total landings.

Landings by ports were: Boston, 15,613,000 pounds, valued at $910,878; Gloucester, 27,011,000 pounds, valued at $1,106,991; and Portland, 2,635,000 pounds, valued at $93,285. During the month, 251 vessels made 1,014 trips to the fishing grounds compared with 214 vessels which made 1,100 trips in July 1943.

In the first seven months of the year, 210,075,000 pounds, valued at $11,992,359, were landed, an increase of 12 percent in volume, but a decrease of 16 percent in value compared with 1943. Declines in landings were reported at Boston and Portland, while Gloucester showed an increase of 24 million pounds. The 7-month over-all weighted average price was nearly 2 cents per pound under that for 1943, averaging 5.71 cents compared with 7.56 cents. Landings by Fishing Vessels at Boston and Gloucester, Mass., and Portland, Maine

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JULY LANDINGS AT NEW BEDFORD SMALLER THAN JUNE

Landings of fishery products during July at New Bedford, Mass., totaled 7,239,000 pounds, valued to the fishermen at $613,483, according to data published in Current Fishery Statistics No. 142 by the Fish and Wildlife Service. This was a decrease of 11 percent in amount landed and one percent in value to the fishermen compared with June. Compared with July 1943, when 4,435,000 pounds, valued at $409,541, were landed, it was an increase of 63 percent in volume and 50 percent in value.

During the month, 166 craft made 417 trips to the fishing grounds. The over-all weighted average price per pound received by the fishermen for their catches during July was 8.48 cents compared with 7.62 cents during June and 9.23 cents during July 1943. Landings of haddock, yellowtail, and blackbacks accounted for 74 percent of the total.

Total landings for the first seven months of 1944 amounted to 51,465,000 pounds, valued to the fishermen at $3,984,000. Compared with the same period of 1943, this was an increase of 40 percent in volume and 5 percent in value. The total weighted average price for the first seven months of the current year was 7.74 cents per pound compared with 10.39 cents for these months in 1943.

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Receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products in the salt-water market during July decreased 6 percent as compared with June and were practically identical with July 1943, according to the Service's New York Market News office.

Although the over-all picture shows little change, there were considerable variations in receipts of certain varieties. Salmon receipts, for example, increased considerably over the previous month as well as over July 1943. An analysis shows that Atlantic salmon comprised 73 percent of all varieties of salmon received during July but only 13 percent of the total a year earlier. Atlantic salmon receipts, therefore, increased 373 percent over July 1943, while receipts of salmon from the Pacific Coast decreased 26 percent. It is reported that there has been no appreciable increase in Atlantic salmon production in Canada, but the low ceiling price in effect there has prompted shipments to the United States where a more attractive and profitable market exists.

The increase in swordfish receipts was unexpected, inasmuch as pre-season publicity given this variety gave the impression that no boats had fitted out for swordfish fishing

from Gloucester, New Bedford, or Boston, and it was believed that the only supplies received in the United States would be those produced by Canadian fisheries. There has been, however, a fairly constant supply of swordfish from the usual domestic sources, and the first big shipment from Gloucester was hailed by the local newspapers and given considerable publicity.

The increase in receipts of unclassified fillets, especially as compared with July 1943, may possibly be due to the decrease in receipts of cod, haddock, and flounders during the month. Receipts from Canadian sources show an increase of 1,347 percent as compared with July 1943, while for the same period, the increase from domestic sources was only 45 percent, indicating that Canadian markets are changing.

Receipts of Fresh and Frozen Fishery Products--Salt-water Market, New York City

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Production of only 7,331 barrels of shrimp by Gulf fishermen in July was about onethird of the June total and one-half of the July 1943 figure, according to the Service's Market News office in New Orleans. The 1944 total through July was 31 percent less than the corresponding figure for 1943. Oyster production, and the take of hard crabs and saltwater fish also lagged behind that of June, but the hard crab catch was still 45 percent larger than that of July 1943. Fresh-cooked crabmeat continued to be prepared in larger quantity than in 1943.

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