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February,1958 fe&ST ' f X S SaSfea- £ ~' 3i

« V x CSaCT Ttodefa gag r 3 && ï " L - ~.S m^ ,V P U B L I S H E D M O N T H L Y B Y T H E D E P A R T M E N T O F F I S H E R I E S O F C A N A D A

N T E N T S

VOL. 10 NO. 8

FEATURES

Canada 's Atlantic Sealfishery 3 Halifax Now Main Centre .. 7 Studies of Fishery Resources 9 Canadian Fisheries Production , May -December , 1957 13 CANADIAN FISHERIES NEWS ? Fishery Figures For December 13 Intensive Study of Metal Lobster Traps 15 Halibut Commission Meets •V 15 Fur Seal Investigation !i 19 Maritimes Area Meeting 20 Atlantic Salmon Meeting . 20 Salt Assistance Programme 21 Skeena River Programme 21

FISHERIES NEWS FROM ABROAD s - -:v :: Co -operatives in Fisheries Development 22 Fishing Vessel Conference . 22 ; CURRENT READING 23 COVER PHOTOGRAPH : Death o f a s e a l e r . Last of a line of * steam -driven wooden -walls that hunted seals 'mid northern ice - floes , the S.S. Eagle goes down with all flags flying off St. John 's, Newfoundland The vessel , . owned by Bowring Brothers , Ltd • » had outlived her usefulness and was deliberately given to the sea . (See stories commencing Page 3. )

The contents of TRADE NEWS have not been copyrighted and may be reprinted although refer - ence to the source would be appreciated. For further information regarding TRADE NEWS write to the Director of information and Educational Service, Department of Fisheries, Ottawa, Canada / Canada's Atlantic Sealfishery

The Newfoundland sealer "Algerine" in heavy floes By BRUCE WOODLAND on the "Northern Front".

Recent Years Have Witnessed a New Trend in Canadian Sealing Operations on The Atlantic. In Newfoundland, Traditional Home of The Sealhunt, The Sealing Fleet Has Declined While in Nova Scotia a Fleet Has Emerged. The Old And The New Are Told Below.

HE DAYS WHEN St. John's, Newfoundland, was merce of Newfoundland. During the past 150 years, regarded as the sealing capital of the world most of the big commercial firms in St. John's out- Thave ended with the severing of an historic asso- fitted ships for the seal hunt, and the last of them ciation with the sealfishery by Bowring Brothers, was Bowring's. Now, only small firms or private Limited. A brief advertisement in the St. John's individuals remain to finance the very speculative daily papers in January offered for sale the motor industry. The Bowring firm was directly involved v e s s els "Algerine" and "Terra Nova," the last in the seal hunt for nearly a century and a half, as sealing ships still in the possession of the Bowring it began to outfit sailing vessels for the fishery firm. shortly after the business was organized in 1811.

Derek Bowring, one of the directors, ex- The terrific impact of the sealfishery upon plained the decision to sell the ships in these words: the economy and life of Newfoundland in the 18th "We are giving up the sealfishery. It's simply a and 19th centuries is almost unbelievable. Captain question of economics; the cost of maintaining the Abram Kean, the greatest sealer of them all, put it seal hunt is way out of proportion to the returns." this way in the Book of Newfoundland (1937): "I am He said that it was an unhappy decision to make, clearly, ,convinced that we are more indebted to the but a logic al one. Even in 1956, when both the sealfishery for the early settlement of Newfoundland "Algerine" and "Terra Nova" s e cur e d excellent than for any other industry. When large boats were catches, the firm's profit was only in the vicinity of built to go after the seals, the demand for labour in $5,000. On that basis, the 1957 hunt, a failure for the winter months for the building of boats and(pro- all ships, must have resulted in a fairly substantial viding) other material for the sealing outfit dealt a loss. Mr. Bowring pointed out that the "raw fur- death-blow to the diehards who could see nothing riers", the skins used in the fur industry, have not but a summer fishery!" advanced in price since 1938, and these make up 60 per cent of the average catch. The price of seal oil The effect of the sealfishery upon the early has managed to keep pace with rising costs, but 19th century inhabitants is also noted in Chafe's whereas the "fat" was at one time the prime rea- Sealing Book, the finest compendium of sealing in- son for the seal hunt,. today it rates only as a by- formation in print: "Previous to 1800, nearly all product. returned home in the fall, but when the ship seal- The Bowring firm's decision to quit the seal- fishery started this population remained in the fishery brings to a close a colourful era inthe C. - c ountr y and built up permanent settlements. It changed the social habits of the people. Formerly, Mr. Woodland is Area Information Of- the winter was the season of carnival, dancing, ficer of the Department of Fisheries of Canada, drinking and playing cards from house to house for stationed at St. John's, Newfoundland. those who had money to spend, and a season of

-3- wretchedness and destitution for those who had done poorly at the fishery".

Available records indicate that the sealfishery was initially carried on from April to June by people who either remained over the winter in New- foundland (actually forbidden by law until 1811) or else came back to their fishing stations early. In the early 1700's, it was almost wholly a shore fish- ery; the seals were caught by single nets or by a trap. The latter method, according to the descrip- tion given by a Lieut. Chappell, R.N., was "the most approved in the Straits of Belle Isle. Strong nets were moored running from the beach into the sea, reaching from the bottom to the surface. Smaller nets were sunk to the bottom. The fisher- men then used their best efforts to drive the seals between the outer net and the beach. On a given The intense interest manifested in the departure of signal, the people on the shore hove up the small the sealers from St. John's each spring was re- nets and the seals became enclosed on all sides." flected in the crowds who lined the wharves to bid "good luck" to the crews. EARLY FLEET

It was not until the late 17th century that large order to get back, after a few days in the ice, the boats were used extensively in the hunt for seals. plan was to steer northwest until they sighted Bac- Magistrate Bland of Bonavista informed Governor calieu. This was the source of an old seaman's Gambier in 1802 that only for nine years had large proverb, "Wherever you are steer northwest for boats been used in the sealfishery. The first boats Baccalieu". Skippers, it is reported, sometimes were open shallops, or "ice-skiffs". The first missed not only Baccalieu Island, but also New- decked sealing vessel, according to the record, was foundland itself. the "Sarah Kemp," which prosecuted the sealfishery from Freshwater, Carbonear, in 1794. In the early In 1862 or 1863, steamships were used for 1800's, many of these small craft engaged in the the first time in the sealfishery. Some historians sealfishery, which was growing rapidly in import- say these were introduced by Harvey and Co. Ltd., ance. In 1804, 140 vessels averaging less than 30 of St. John's, while others contend that the first tons each and carrying a total of 1, 639 men, caught originated from Scotland. For several years, Scot- 81,000 seals. In the same year, 25 vessels were tish firms sent ships to the Newfoundland icefields lost. Until the 1840's, nearly every ship engaged and had premises in St. John's for the processing in the sealfishery was built in Newfoundland. The of seal oil. Their ships were skippered by Scottish fishery in those days was almost exclusively a com- captains but carried Newfoundland crews. In the munity operation: each community built and manned short space of 12 years sailing ships disappeared its own sealing vessels, and then processed the from the sealfishery altogether and much of the catch. In 1840, 631 ships, the largest number ever, glamour went with them. sailed for the icefields from various Newfoundland ports. It was not long before steel ships became part of the fleet. The advent of the "ironclads" proved Larger vessels became the vogue around this a source of disaster in certain instances as the time, and brigs, brigantines and barques became skippers of wooden vessels, in their anxiety to keep the mainstay of the fleet. By 1857, probably be- up with the new ships, pushed their craft so hard cause of the increase in the average size of the that they broke them up in the attempt to force them ships, the fleet had dropped to 400. But 13,000 through the ice. This was indicative of the compet- men took part in "the greatest hunt in the world" itive spirit that always prevailed in the sealfishery. which, as a marine resource in Newfoundland, was Old captains would scorn the very idea of steaming second only to the codfishery for many years. The along in the wake of another ship, no matter how sealers were landing an average of half a million heavy the going. It was an "every man for himself seals a year in the mid-1800's. and the devil take the hindmost" affair all the way. On the other hand, it was considered almost praise- Chafe's Sealing Book provides a humourous worthy for a ship to surreptitiously take onboard side note to the story of the sealfishery in those pelts left overnight on ice pans by another. This early yeai.s. Of the skippers of the hundreds of was the source of much bitter invective and not a s ailing vessels, few knew anything but the bare few court cases down through the years. rudiments of navigation. The common method was to set course northeast from Baccalieu Island as the The larger steamships carried crews num- ice drifted southeast with the Arctic Current. In bering up to 230 men and, since regular crew ac-

-4- commodation might have been for about 30 or 40, The water supply for the ships, incidentally, the lot of the sealers may better be imagined than was a problem easily solved. Each day the vessel described. But they loved it! Some men who sought stopped in the ice while the men hacked "dumpers" "a berth to the ice" walked 60-80 miles in late Feb- of ice from the pinnacles of small bergs. The ice ruary to get to St. John's. There, the men, if they was melted and was used for drinking and cooking. needed it, picked up their "crop", sealer's termin- "Pinnacle tea" was practically the only beverage ology for p e r s ona 1 supplies which might include consumed, but stronger nectar was available at a skinning knives, a steel, skin boots, a few plugs of price -- and what a price! Once the crews went out tobacco, etc. The value of the crop was regulated on the ice, it was the custom, and still is, for the at $9.00 at one time, and on their return to port, ship's "doctor" to give anyone who fell in the icy the sealers, if they had "made a voyage" had to pay waters a strong tot of rum on his return to the ship. $12.00 for the $9.00 worth of odds and ends. The Provided, that is, that the plunge was to a depth merchant's profit seems a little less exorbitant which left the man sodden above the waist. Any dip when it is explained that in the event the season was below that didn't count! It is a well known fact that a failure they collected nothing. On most of the the staunch lads who deliberately "slipped" to gain ships, even as late as the 1930's, the sealers had this coveted prize are legion in number. re of re- PAID BY SHARE D bid When the voyage had ended, the men shared one-third the total value of the catch, while the re- maining two thirds went to the owners. The catch , the was sold by weight. This had been the practice, for Bac- a very good reason, since 1835. Prior to then, the Ian's seals were sold by count, but sealers trimmed down t for the skins to make their "tows" lighter and in 1835 Imes one skipper's catch averaged out at 20 pounds per Jew- pelt, while the average weight should have been close to 50 pounds.

for If there was a full load of seals or a "bumper" ians trip, the men secured a good "bill" for a period that .td., might range from a week to a month. On the other first hand, sealers have been known to make as little as cot- $15 or $20 for a three or four week trip even in re- elds cent years. Still, these same men returned to the sing hardships of the icefields each year with an enthu- ttish siasm and eagerness that to others seem quite in- the comprehensible. ared the Crew member signing on for trip to sealfishery aboard a Newfoundland sealing vessel places his finger on top of pen while agent enters his name in part roll book. This practice ensured uniform legibility Dye d of signatures. the

,ceep to provide their own mattresses and bedding. The lard mattress was no problem as a bag of woodchips or hem "shavings" was available from cooperages and pet- other woodworking shops for as little as five cents. !ry. As for bedding, that too mattered little; few of the ning hardy sealers bothered to change clothes once the how voyage got under way. Suffice it to say that condi- self tions improved in more recent years. ray. ise- On board the sealing vessel, the men were ard divided into three watches, each of which was under Phis a Master Watch and his assistant, the "Stunner". of a It was the stunner's job to direct the ship through the maze of ice channels, from a vantage point on the foretop. The "Barrelman", usually a senior of- urn- ficer, devoted his watchful hours to locating patches The M.V. "Terra Nova", log-loaded with seals, ac - of seals, once the ship had worked its way into the arriving back in St. John's harbour from a trip to ice. the "Northern F ront" . The history of the sealfishery unfolds stories Company. But Bowring's, the last to go, was for a that run the gamut of human emotions. Tragedy great many years the biggest operator of them all. has been close at hand throughout. To mention but a few instances where sealers met death and dis- FUTURE OF THE HUNT aster: in 1823 the schooner "Active" was lost with With the departure of Bowring's, the future of 25 of her 27 man crew on Baccalieu Island; in 1852, the sealfishery, as far as Newfoundland is con- 40 vessels were smashed to matchwood off the Wad- cerned, rests with small business firms and maybe ham Islands by rafting ice, giving birth to a phrase private individuals. For the most part, their parti- synonymous with despair in Newfoundland, "The cipation will be sporadic and it may be continued Spring of the Wadhams"; in 1867, 10 women and two only if each year brings a successful venture. Few men were drowned off Catalina while hunting seals of the operators associated with the sealfishery in near the shore; in 1898, 48 men of the S.S. "Green- recent years could bear, for any length of time, land" perished on the ice when they were caught in a the heavy financial losses which follow bad seasons blizzard; in 1914 the S.S. "Southern Cross" went such as the spring of 1957. down with all her 173-man crew as she headed for port with a full load of seals, and the S.S. "New- Maybe history will repeat itself and sealing foundland" lost 77 men on the ice in a sudden snow will once again become principally a shore opera- storm. tion. "Landsmen", as the shore sealers are known, killed 20,000 seals in 1957 as compared with the FORTUNES OF THE HUNT 26,000 taken that year by the six-ship Newfoundland Luck has always been a factor in the seal- sealing fleet, and the 5,000 seals taken by the lands- fishery. In 1890, the "main patch" of seals came men in 1950. within sighting distance of St. John's. Of the two ships that headed for the seals, one, the S.S. "Wal- Possibly, this break with the past may pro- rus," secured two "bumper loads" while the other, vide the sealfishery with the breathing spell it the S.S. "Xanthus", was jammed in the ice just out- needs, and better prospects may lie ahead than side the harbour and her crew managed to get only most people think. If this be so, it is not entirely a few pelts. beyond possibility that the familiar Red Cross em- blem of the Bowring firm will once again fly over The whereabouts of the "main patch" was al- stout sealing ships and their hardy crews. ways a topic of conversation as the sealing fleet readied to sail. Some springs there could be no One thing is c e r to in , however, Newfound- doubt as, for example, in 1862 "The Green Bay landers will not lightly forget the sealfishery. As Spring." Seals were so numerous in Green Bay that long as ships head for the ice fields, whether they year that thousands were hauled ashore by men, sail from St. John's or Halifax, which may well be- women and children. As a result, some wit of the come the centre of future sealing operations, New- day coined the phrase that "the women and dogs foundland sealers will be among the crews, eagerly made 10 pounds a man". Sterling was the currency awaiting the cry, "Over the side, me b'ys !" of Newfoundland at the time.

Sealers were not loath to play politics when the occasion demanded it. In 1870, when a lively Last Minute Decision ... subject was the suggestion that Newfoundland be- come part of Canada, Capt. Alex Graham of the Just as this issue of "Trade News" was go- S.S. "Lion" ordered all flags to be hoisted includ- ing to press one of the ships mentioned in the a- ing a big blue ensign lettered in white, "No Con- bove article left St. John's to carry on the seal- federation". hunt.

The honour of being first to arrive in port The firm of Bowring Brothers, Limited, from the sealfishery was always a highly coveted has outfitted the M. V. "Terra Nova" and sent one. While the honour itself was sufficient reward, her to the icefields. in 1897, Wood's Gandy Store of St. John's offered a case of oranges, truly a prize fruit in those days, to Prospects for this and other sealing ships the first skipper to reach port. It was won by Capt. on the "Front" were encouraging following re- Abram Kean, who in later years was to become un- ports by spotters on a seal survey plane of large official commodore of the sealing fleet and the only patches of seals having been seen in that general skipper in history to land a million pelts. area.

Most of the better known commercial houses in Newfoundland engaged in the sealfishery at some A report on sealing out of the Port of Hali- time or another. These included Job Brothers, fax begins on the following page. Limited, Baine Johnston and Company, Harvey and Company, James Baird, Limited, and Crosbie and

-6- a Canada's Atlantic Sealfishery - -

of n- Halifax Now Main be Centre in By G.J. GILLESPIE e, ns E IGHT SHIPS are scheduled to sail from Halifax, N.S. , late in February and early in March to participate in the seal fishery on the Northern Front ng (off the east coast of Newfoundland) and the Gulf of a- St. Lawrence n, he Ice conditions curtailed last year's catch by nd the vessels sailing out of Halifax, and the more than s- 300 men who make up the crews of the eight sealing craft are keeping their fingers crossed in the hope that similar conditions will not hinder this year's Line of sealers setting off from their ship over bro- o- operations. ken floes towards patch of seals. it an Heading a section of the Halifax fleet this year The "Arctic Sealer" last year landed a catch ly is the "Arcti c Prowler", a 175-foot long, rakish of about 10,000 seals. Her sister ship, the "Arctic n- craft which ha is had high-line catches since the Nova Prowler", lost her rudder early in last year's ex- Scotia sealing; industry had its start not long after er pedition and was unable to escape from the ice for World War II. Sailing with the "Arctic Prowler" is repairs. her sister sh ip, the "Arctic Sealer", which made front page nelws d- last year by her surveying expedi- While the 1957 season was a lean one for the ks tion in the A: rctic. Completing the trio of vessels Halifax vessels, they fared somewhat better in the is the smallei r ship, "Peary". They are operating ey preceding year. The total landed value of the 1956 north along th e Labrador coast. e- catch was about $275,000, representing a little v- more than 108,000 pelts. Seal oil production ex- ly Sealing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence area will ceeded 2,300,000 pounds. be the "Theron", "Theta" and "Titus" owned and op- erated by Halifax s hipping interests, the "Orel" Most of the sealing masters in the Halifax owned in Prince Edward Island, and the "Curling", fleet are relatively young men but they are veterans registered in the Magdalen Islands. at their arduous pursuit. Captain James Gillett, master of the "Arctic Prowler", is typical. He has Largest among the eight sealers in terms of been going to sea, as he said, practically from the dimensions is the comfortable and well appointed time he was scarcely tall e no u g h to look over a "Theron". Sh Le is about 200 feet long and figured in trawl tub. Sealing is a hazardous life but Captain international news a couple of years ago when she Gillett has loved every minute of it. carried the a dvance party of Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of 1 Mount Everest, to the Antarctic. Her "Sealing is a big gamble," said the Newfound- Norwegian-bo rn skipper, Captain Harold Maro, is land-born skipper. "You can make money one year a veteran Arc :tic traveller whose ship has been a t and go flat the next year." frequent visit( )r to polar seas. While killing the young seals is simple, the Last ye ar the 849-ton "Theron" returned at adult seals present a more dangerous task. Captain the end of April with 24,600 pelts, enough to give Gillett figures that an old hood seal is about as each of her crew of 48 members at least $730 in mean and vicious as they come. shares. B o .ttered by ice and gales, the 118-ton 1 "Orel" came back with only 800 s e al s, hardly Captain L. Brandall, master of the "Titus", enough to pay for the voyage. agrees with everything Captain Gillett has to say about the hoods. He recalled hearing a tale of a Mr. Gillespie is Area Information Officer shipmate who had a ringside seat at a battle between of the Department of Fisheries of Canada, sta- a polar bear and an old hood. A polar bear is a tioned at Halifax, N.S. formidable animal but this one broke off the engage- ment and made a swift retreat across the ice.

-7- The "Theta", one of the fleet sailing out of Halifax for this year's sealfishery_,

The skipper of the "Titus" was the unluckiest thick furry coat which furriers turn into wearing skipper of the whole fleet on the sealing grounds apparel. Not long after the young harp takes to the last year. His ship at that time, the "Beater", was water its white coat is replaced by black silky hair. crushed in the ice and sank. Luckily, the crew had ample warning and was able to abandon ship and Most of the catch of the Halifax sealing fleet walk ashore across the ice. is processed by two firms in Nova Scotia. In the first phase the skins pass through a skinning ma- HUNT HARPS AND HOODS chine. Two opposed rollers feed the thick skin Although there are six species of seals in the against a continuous knife which is revolving at high Atlantic area, the organized sealing fleets hunt only speed. the harps and hoods. The first is so called because of the harp-shaped markings on its back, and the Pelts are sent to the curing room where they hood derives its name from the thick layer of blub- are sorted as to grade and neatly laid flat in sepa- ber on its head. A club is useless as a weapon in rate piles, each pile covering about 100 square feet. dealing with a hood. One Halifax sealer described A layer of course salt is spread between each skin. it as "just like hitting an inflated football with a When the curing of all skins is completed they are baseball bat. It just bounces off." packed in puncheons for shipment to tanners and furriers. After the seals are "pupped", they are known as "young harps" and "young hoods." After a year The fat from 300 to 500 skins is thrown in to they become "bedlamers", and when they reach a "digestor", a large sealed kettle. The fat is ren- maturity they are known as "old" harps and hoods. dered down into oil by having steam injected under pressure. After this operation the light brown oil When the ships crunch into the floes the is pumped through cooling tanks where water and sealers scramble onto the ice armed with clubs or residue are separated from the pure seal oil. "gaffs". The pelt and underlying fat is "sculped" from the body, leaving the carcass on the ice. Guns The oil then goes through grading operations are used for killing the older seals. resulting in "water-white", "snow flake", "straw" and "brown" grades. Water-white is the premium With the ships stalled in heavy ice more often grade. Seal oil is used to make shortening, soap than not, the sealers frequently have to trudge miles and other oil-base products. It is also used in the over the uneven icefloes to reach a "patch" of seals. manufacture of margarine in some parts of Canada. In such cases the pelts have to be hauled back to the ship by the sealers, giving rise to the term , "tow Aerial surveys that nowadays spot the seal of seals". herds are vital to the hunt. While radar and other navigational aids have robbed sealing of many of its A higher price is paid for "whitecoats", the hazards,fierce blizzards and the vagaries of the sea name given to a young harp for the first three or still pose a constant threat to the hardy men who four weeks of its life. During, this time it has a hunt seals. V

-8- e 02-71/ielUtaliazi4 The

a a Adele .2ue4

Redealich &.aizctS - -

Fisheries Minister J. Angus MacLean addressing the annual meeting of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada held in Ottawa, January 6-9.

.ring ) the Lair. Studies of Fishery Resources fleet a the HE UNDERLYING importance of scientific re- teins to feed the world's people were not inexhaust- ma- search in spearheading the conservation of the ible, and as time went by man would have to turn skin Tresources of our marine and inland water areas and more than he has in the past to the resources of the high in utilizing those resources to meet the world's sea. growing need for food was stressed by the Hon. J. Angus MacLean, Canada's Minister of Fisheries Mr. MacLean also referred to the problem of they and Deputy Minister of Fisheries George R. Clark, water pollution as constituting a threat to many fish ;epa- at the annual meeting of the Fisheries Research populations, and to the general impact of industri- feet. Board of Canada in Ottawa, January 6-9. alization on natural resources. He said it was not skin. enough to learn just what the problems were and to y are The meeting brought together members of the find means of solving them, but that it was also ne- 5 and Board, senior officials of the Department of Fish- cessary to obtain public support. eries and directors of the Board's stations and spe- cial units across Canada. They heard the Board's "People will take a dim view of regulations in to work described by the Minister as being most im- until they are made to realize that these are for r en- pressive and promising for the future of mankind. their own benefit; only then are they likely to accept under and support them." vn oil Mr. MacLean drew a historical comparison r and to emphasize the need for conservation in river, Deputy Minister of Fisheries George R. Clark lake and sea. Until relatively recent times this recalled two suggestions he had made at the last continent was virgin territory, but the impact of annual meeting and said that he was gratified that Aions rapid increases in population on natural resources the Board had taken action during the past year to traw" was evident. This was not a new problem , he implement appropriate programmes covering these mium added. History was replete with examples of older important aspects of fisheries work. These dealt soap civilizations that had passed away, and there were with the problems arising from increasing pollution in the many who held the belief that their passing could be of rivers, streams, lakes and coastal waters, and nada. attributed to a large extent to their ignoring the with the need for attention to be given to develop- need for conservation of natural resources invari- ment of fishing gear and methods for the use of new seal ous forms, especially as far as waters are con- fish catching techniques. other cerned. of its Mr. Clark referred to the increasing demands le sea An offshoot of this growth in population, the which were being made on the Board to undertake n who Minister said, was the pressure placed on natural immediate and urgent investigations, in both the resources for food purposes. The sources of pro- biological and technological fields,investigations ai P: Lt Sc

of

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cei At] anc the ter Cu , COI Ha Joh Members of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada and officials of the Department of Fisheries at the are Board's annual meeting in Ottawa, January 6-9. Front row, 1-r: R. E. Walker, Vancouver, Assistant Nai Board Chairman O.C. Young, Ottawa, Deputy Minister of Fisheries George R. Clark, Ottawa, Fisheries gra Minister J. Angus MacLean, Board Chairman Dr. J.L. Kask, Ottawa, Dr. J.R. Dymond, Toronto, Chief Treasury Officer A.D. Wymbs, Ottawa. Second row, 1-r: C.E. Desourdy, Montreal, Dr. D. B. DeLury, Toronto, Dr. Lucien Piche, Montreal, Dr. F. R. Hayes, Halifax, W. L. Williamson, St. Andrews, C. J. Morrow, Lunenburg, Dr. A.L. Pritchard, Dept. of Fisheries, Ottawa. Back row, 1- r: Professor E. S. rec Pretious, Vancouver, M. K. Eriksen, Prince Rupert, Dr. T. W. M. Cameron, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Dr. hig] P. E. Gagnon, Cuebec, Dr. Ray Gushue, St. John's, Dr. I. McT. Cowan, Vancouver, Leonard Omstead, dur Wheatley, Ont. logl who moi that might be termed of an ad hoc nature. The he said, might be listed as the economics consider- pro Board had been most co-operative at all times in ation. s c i dealing with these requests. However, the Deputy mai Minister added, it was necessary that ways and Referring to Canada's participation in world means be devised whereby the Board could continue fisheries affairs as evidenced in the seven inter- to fulfill its basic scientific functions and at the national commissions to which this country is sig- by t same time provide the urgent service demanded by natory, Mr. Clark said that the scientific contribu- whip industry and other requests for investigations. tions by the Board and general assistance in this the Fundamental research was of the utmost importance field were of the highest order. sea: in providing the basic knowledge to deal with the valu problems of the fisheries. Mr. MacLean and Mr. Clark expressed their appreciation to four members of the Board whose and Fisl Mr. Clark felt that there were four or per- terms of membership expired at the year's end, all with haps five main points which apply to both the bio- of whom had served for ten years or more during logical and technological branches of the Board. the postwar period of the Board's and Canada's These were: fundamental research, application of fastest growth. These were: Dr. W.A. Clemens, ies the results of research, administrative arrange- Professor I.M. Fraser, J.H. MacKichan and K.F. with ments between the Board and the Department to Harding. ious carry to the pilot plant or field test stages the ap- plication phase and perhaps submissions or pro- Both speakers also welcomed five new mem- out posals for fundamental research, and combination bers who were introduced by the Chairman, Dr. research and application projects. The fifth point, J.L. Kask. •Appointed for five years terms, they

-10 - are: C.E. Desourdy, Montreal; Martin K. Eriksen, recent years has been emphasized by the expanding Prince Rupert, B.C.; Dr. R. B. Miller, Edmonton; international fisheries off Canada's east coast and Leonard R. Omstead, Wheatley, Ont. , and Profes- by the prominent role which Canada plays in the sor Edward S. Pretious, Vancouver, B.C. work of the International Commission for the North- west Atlantic Fisheries. For 58 years the Fisheries Research Board of Canada has pursued by scientific means the mys- Shellfishes, the lobster in particular, by rea- teries of life in the seas that wash the nation's son of their importance to east coast fishermen shores and in the vast inland water areas. These have been thoroughly investigated by the biologists studies cover the environment of fishes and mam- and conservation programmes resulting from this mals, the biology of the stocks and means of cap- research have placed this division of the fishery on turing them. This work is supplemented by tech- a healthy plane. nological research into ways and means of utilizing the resources of the waters. Application of the re- LOCATE NEW GROUNDS sults of all these basic studies has contributed im- Exploratory fishing by the Board's scientists measurably not only to the nutritional well-being of on the east coast has resulted not only in the dis- Canadians and the country's fish customers abroad covery of new fishing grounds but has also sparked but also to the economy of the many thousands en- the development of new fishing methods. Another gaged directly and indirectly in the industry and to major project now in full swing is the research be- that of the nation in general. ing conducted to determine what effects, if any, the proposed harnessing of the waters flowing in and out Biological studies for the Pacific area are of Passamaquoddy andCobscook Bays would have on centred in the Station at Nanaimo, B.C.; for the Atlantic region in the Stations at St. Andrews, N.B. , and St. John's, Nfld.; and for the inland areas in the Station at London, Ont. Research in Arctic wa- ters is conducted by the Arctic Unit in Montreal, Que. The Board has Technological Stations at Van- couver, B.C., London, Ont., Grande Riviere, Cue., Halifax , N.S., and a Technological Unit at St. John's, Nfld. Oceanographic studies in the Pacific area are carried out by an Oceanographic Group at Nanaimo, B.C. and in the Atlantic by an Oceano- graphic Group at St. Andrews, N.B.

PROGRESS IN RESEARCH Reports presented to the meeting by the di- rectors of these establishments showed a continuing high level of performance in the respective fields during the past year. In the Pacific area, the bio- logical research was particularly concerned with what are commonly called the "big three" -- sal- mon, halibut and herring. Each has its peculiar problems and wise conservation practices based on Fisheries Research Board of Canada directors of scientific knowledge are necessary in order to stations and special units with other senior offi- maintain productivity at the highest possible peak. cials. Front row, 1- r: M. A. Foley, St. John's, Dr. H. L. A. Tarr, Vancouver, Dr. N.M. Carter, Salmon in particular call for intensive efforts Ottawa, Dr. Henri Fougere, Halifax, Dr. A. W. H. by the Board's scientists not only in the rivers in N e edle r, Nanaimo, Dr. W.E. Ricker, Nanaimo . which they spawn and in the coastal waters in which Back row, 1- r: Dr. H. D. Fisher, Montreal, Dr. the Canadian catch is taken but also in the high F. W. van Klaveren, Grande Riviere, Dr. J.L. seas. In the latter case, the Board's work forms a Hart, St. Andrews, Dr. H.B. Hachey, St. Andrews, valuable part of Canada's contribution to the aims Dr. Wilfred Templeman, St. John's, Dr. W.A. Ken- and objectives of the International North Pacific nedy, London, Dr. L. C. Dugal, London. Fisheries Convention to which Canada is signatory with the United States and Japan. the fish, principally the herring, in that general area. This work is being done in co-operation with Traditionally the fame of the Atlantic fisher- scientists of the United States for the bilateral In- ies of Canada has rested on the cod and this fish, ternational Joint Commission which is investigating with other groundfish species such as haddock, var- the proposed power development. ious flatfishes and rosefish, are primary targets of biological research. In fact, the need for the all- Biological research in the widespread inland out effort which has been evidenced in this sphere in fishing areas has been highlighted in recent years by the successful management of the commercial fishery in Great Slave Lake, in the Northwest Ter- ritories, and the studies being carried out jointly with U.S. scientists aimed at seeking a solution to problems created by the predacious sea lamprey in the Great Lakes.

At present the Canadian effort in the latter programme is being confined mainly to Lake Supe- rior and much basic knowledge has been obtained.

TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH In technological matte r , the research pro- grammes cover a wide and diversified field. Studies commencing with the time that the fish are caught seek to find answers to problems of not only preserving the fish at top quality until they are landed, but also of devising new methods of fish processing and methods of utilizing all of the fish Informal get-together during a break in the Re- and the various s p e ciez which are not now used search Board's annual meeting. Left to right: C.J. commercially. This research has been replete with Morrow , Lunenburg, I.S. McArthur, W.C. Mac- many notable successes and results obtained have Kenzie, L.S. Bradbury, all of Dept. of Fisheries, been, and are being, applied in many instances. Ottawa, Dr. J. R. Dingle, Halifax Technological Station, Chief Treasury Officer A. D. Wymbs and All in all, the scientific studies of the Board, Dr. D.W. Carr, Dept. of Fisheries, Ottawa. afloat and ashore, have had a sizeable impact on the Canadian fisheries and the expansion and develop- ment which have been characteristic of recent years At the concluding session of the meeting, the is attributable in a s i g n if i cant measure to the Board elected its executive and advisory commit- Board's activities. tees for the coming year.

In addition to discussing the past year's work Members of the executive who, with the and future programming for the various Board es- Chairman, co-ordinate and implement the research tablishments, the meeting , under Chairman Dr. programmes carried out at the various stations are: J.L. Kask, received reports from its various com- Dr. D. B. DeLury, Toronto, Dr. T. W. M. Cameron, mittees and considered other items of policy and St. Anne de Bellevue, Que. , Dr. P. E. Gagnon, Que- planning. bec, Que., R.E. Walker, Vancouver, B.C., and C.J. Morrow, Lunenburg, N.S. Dr. Kask is chair- This annual gathering of leading scientific re- man of the exec utiv e committee and ex-officio searchers also featured three other important members are Deputy Minister of Fisheries George events: the eleventh meeting of the Canadian Com- R. Clark and Chief Treasury Officer A.D. Wymbs, mittee on Freshwater Fisheries Research, spon- Honourary Treasurer. sored by the Research Board, on January 3; the an- nual meeting of the Board's Committee on Biolog- The Eastern Advisory C ommitte e has sep- ical Investigations on January 4, and the annual arate divisions dealing with biological and techno- meeting of the Committee on Technological Investi- logical investigations. The biological division con- gations on the same day. sists of Dr. Raymond Gushue, St. John's, Nfld., W. L. Williamson, St. Andrews , N.B., and Dr. Subjects discussed at the January 3 meeting F. R. Hayes, Halifax, N.S. The Technological Sub- were: "Tolerance limits of freshwater fish", and C ommitte e is made up of C. J. Morrow, P. E. "The effects on fisheries of man-made changes in Gagnon, C.E. Desourdy, and L. Piche. freshwater in the Maritime provinces". The dis- cussions of the Biological Committee dealt with: The Arctic Advisory Committee is composed "The effects of chemical control of forest insets on of Dr. A. L. Pritchard, Department of Fisheries, fish stocks". Ottawa, and Dr. T. W. M. Cameron. Members of the Central Advisory Committee are Dr. J.R. Dy- At the Technological Committee meeting pa- mond, Toronto, Dr. R.B. Miller, Edmonton, L.R. pers were presented on technical aspects of hand- Omstead, Wheatley, Ont., and Dr. D. B. DeLury, ling, processing and utilization of fishery products, Toronto., Comprising the Western Advisory Com- development of by-products, and the r elation of mittee are R. E. Walker, Vancouver, Mar tin K. technological fisheries research and its applications Eriksen, Prince Rupert, Professor E.S. Pretious, to those aspects. Vancouver, and Dr. Ian McT. Cowan, Vancouver.if Canadian Fisheries Production May - December, 1957

HE FIRST eight months of the current fishing T year in Canada, from May to December inclu- sive, the period of summer and fall fishing, are re- viewed in the following article.

For Canada as a whole the catch was some- what smaller than in the corresponding period of the previous year and its landed value was considerably less. The drop in quantity amounted to only about three per cent and if Pacific herring fishermen had not been on a strike throughout their fall season there would have been an increase. The drop in Re- value amounted to seven million dollars or about .J. ten per cent and had different causes in different ac- areas. es, is al Newfoundland fishermen brought in a smaller and catch than in the previous year and the general level of cod prices was somewhat lower. In the Maritime Provinces and Cuebec good cod and herring fishing brought landings to a higher total but their overall the value dropped because the most v aluab le single iit- catch, lobster, was small. On the Pacific coast July. Then when fishing did start in the Avalon landings dropped steeply because of the herring Peninsula, groundfish were scarce, as they had al- strike but the total catch of all other species in- ready proven to be on, the offshore banks. Bait for the creased. Gross income of fishermen dropped by longlining and trawl fishing was scarce and the out- rch about four million dollars, however, which is look for the season was dubious. Flow of supplies re: roughly fourteen per cent. Herring fishermen was irregular and some freezing plants did not on, earned about one million dollars less than in the open. ue - previous season, salmon fishermen about two mil- and lion less, and halibut fishermen one million less. But by August fishing was in full swing in Lir- More salmon were caught but the increase was in Notre Dame Bay and there, on the edge of the ice .cio pinks, a low-priced species, while sockeye were field, fine large cod were found to be extremely rge scarce. In the halibut fishery the catch was smaller plentiful. A very heavy catch of excellent quality bs, and prices were lower. was taken and in mid-September cod suddenly be- came plentiful on the Avalon grounds too. Traps ATLANTIC ep- which fishermen in the latter area had earlier Total Atlantic landings to the end of December no- brought ashore in despair were put back in the wa- were about five million pounds heavier than at the on- ter. Trawl boats fished to the limit of their bait same date in the previous fishing season but this d. , supplies, which in some localities were small, as represents an increase of only about half of one per Dr. the herring fishery of the south shore continued to cent. Their value dropped by between five and six ub- be a failure and squid failed to come into the bays per cent. E. in their usual quantities . Operations continued longer in the north in shelter of Notre Dame Bay's In Newfoundland the catch declined by approx- islands, than in the more open bays further south imately six per cent and its landed value by about sed but by October autumn storms had practically ended seven per cent. Newfoundland fishermen had to es, the fishing season. contend with polar ice, a scarcity of bait and lack of of good weather for drying their fish. Thanks to the great activity and excellent re- Dy- sults of late August and early September, the sea- ,R. Most of the Province's groundfish landings son's landings were only a little smaller than in the ry, are taken by trap and trawl on the inshore fishing previous year. Some freezers continued to go short im- grounds of the east coast, especially around the of supplies, especially from outlying areas where K. Avalon Peninsula and in Notre Dame Bay. Last it was easier for fishermen to salt their catch and US, summer great floes of polar ice persisted on these wait for collection boats than to deliver it a t plants. [Ale grounds until June and, in Notre Dame Bay, until But from August to November very large shipments

-13- of heavy salted cod moved steadily from northern When the fishing year started May 1, the bays to southern plants in both Newfoundland and spring lobster catch in the Maritimes had been dis- Nova Scotia. By early December practically the appointing and Was dwindling sharply in areas still 0 entire catch had moved from f i shermen to ex- open to fishing. During May the season opened in f porters. Even so, some of the latter had a hard the ice-choked Gulf of St. Lawrence and in Cape time to find enough fish to fill their allocations. Breton Island, where results continued poor a Because of unusually wet weather, fishermen had throughout the summer, and in August it opened in succeeded in drying only a small part of their catch Northumberland Strait after all other areas were and its condition on arrival at plants further delayed closed. Between then and October this area pro- fi export shipments, although artificial dryers oper- duced a very heavy catch. Sudden increase in sup- p ated day and night. plies caught the industry unaware. Local fresh lob- ster meat plants went into capacity production and a g In the Maritimes, although there were ice significant proportion of the landings were shipped h. floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence until June, overall to outside points for similar processing. The fresh D supplies were adequate at all times and the market market could not, however, absorb the entire sup- si was a more important factor than fishing conditions ply and the surplus went to canners, whose lobster 01 in determining groundfish landings and fresh fish pack was consequently much heavier than in the tr production. The halibut catch was much heavier previous year. Prices at all levels remained firm ai than in the previous year and other flatfish were al- until new areas in the Bay of Fundy and southern 2 so plentiful. As soon as ice cleared from the Gulf, Nova Scotia opened one after another through Octo- a repetition of last summer's run of large cod was ber, Nov ember and December. Hauls in these found there. Saltfishing got under way in July and areas proved to be small and also included an un- or by August the market for these products was lively. usual proportion of small (canner size) lobsters. c1( By the time new saltfish supplies were arriving in Total landings from May to December were six mil- quantity from local boats and from Newfoundland, lion pounds lighter than in the previous season and df the previous season's production had all been mar- $2 million less valuable. By the end of December pE keted and most salting plants were op e rating at landed prices were back at the same levels as in rt capacity. September. be th GROUNDFISH SCARCE Mackerel and alewives were scarce in the Maritimes throughout the period. The fall run of By September, with the exception of a good mackerel failed to materialize. Salmon landings st run of haddock which appeared briefly in the Bay of increased for the first time in several years both in in Fundy and one of pollock off Sambro, groundfish had the Maritimes and in Newfoundland. ei become scarce on both offshore and inshore th. grounds . Through October and November they th thinned out even more and the weather worsened for PACIFIC la both fishing and drying. Operations of fresh fish plants were sometimes suspended for lack of land- The Pacific catch to the end of December was fo: ings but salting plants, with excellent supplies ar- forty-eight million pounds lighter than at the same ITI I fo: riving from Newfoundland, were busy on a still im- date in the previous fishing season. Increases of fo: proving market. Buyers of processed fish, wishing more than seventeen million pounds in landings of pk to be sure of de liveries, put their orders in salmon and nearly three million pounds in Pacific tiv promptly and many plants were shipping as fastas cod could not offset the sharp drop of sixty-two mil- So they could pack and replacing supplies as fast as lion pounds in herring; and landings declined in the ke. they could get more fish. Landed prices offered at other fisheries, notably halibut, sole and shellfish. Th ports in the Maritimes for some species of ground- In value the Pacific catch was down by more than ex. fish increased by about one cent per pound during four million dollars. November. Through December heavy winds kept the longliners in port and allowed little fishing in the Measures for protection of salmon runs were Ma Bay of Fundy and practically none in the Gulf of St. stepped up last summer. One of the new regula- of Lawrence, but draggers out of ports in southern tions shortened weekly fishing periods, sometimes Nova Scotia brought in some large catches and at to only three days. The fishermen, through their gin the new higher prices fishermen felt that returns union, demanded compensation in the form of higher but were good. landed prices for this limitation on their activities. The canning companies claimed they could not meet zer sea Meantime in July a heavy run of large fat her- these demands for two reasons: they had not been rec ring had spread along the Atlantic coast of Nova able to market all the output of the previous sum- lan Scotia and into the Bay of Fundy. Fishing was vig- mer; and the weekly fishing period was in some 19E orous and by September both catch and sales were cases so short that they believed they would not be establishing local records. Fishing stopped only economically justified in supporting it at all. Net when bait freezers, pickling, smoking and sardine fishermen were called out on strike June 22 to en- duc canning plants had their storage space full and dis- force the demands of their union. A compromise pri continued buying. was reached but these price difficulties delayed the

-14- start of the sockeye fishery to July 13 and its re- Sole was rather scarce and commanded particularly sults were disappointing throughout the remainder good prices. of the season. The catch was small and so were the fish. By August, however, chum and coho fishing MARKETS AND STOCKS were under way and a very heavy run of pinks was arriving. Export demand was firm thr -otighcitit the period for fresh, filleted and salted g r oundfish, fresh As a supplementary protection measure net swordfish, pickled herring and: mackerel, and fishing was stopped entirely, except in the northern canned lobster and sardines. Value of all these ex- part of the Province, from September 21 to October ports increased. There was also a good derriand for 7. During this interlude the fishermen's union be- pickled alewives: exports were smaller only be- gan to negotiate for prices for fall chums, which cause of smaller production. Stocks of all items had not been covered in their earlier compromise. just mentioned were lower last December than they Delay in reaching agreement postponed actual re- had been a year earlier. Stocks of Atlantic herring sumption of fishing to October 15. No concentration products were heavier because of the phenomenal of chums was located between then and the end of landings in September, although exports of these the salmon season, which closed in one area after too had increased. another on October 23, November 15 and November 21. Exports of the important Pacific products, notably canned and frozen salmon, frozen halibut, Fishing for pinks, however, had been vigor- and herring meal and oil, all declined; but frozen ous and highly successful. Landings of this species stocks did not rise. Reflecting reduced landings, doubled those of the previous year. The catch of they were smaller in December 1957 than in Decem- each other kind of salmon was smaller. The pack ber 1956.1/ df , course reflected these figures. To the end of the period under review the market for canned salmon remained firm, with good domestic demand and a better outlet for canned pinks in the United States than had been expected. Oceanographic Std

The summer herring fishery made a slow Approximately 600 bottles have been re- startinJune but from August until the season closed covered by the Fisheries Research Board of Canada in October fishing was very good. Landings totalled from 24,000 released during the past two years in eighty-three million pounds, forty per cent more connection with the oceanographic programme in than the record summer catch of 1956. The fleet the northeast Pacific Ocean. then suspended operations for its annual two-week lay-up and negotiations started on the landed price Cards from the bottles, now arriving almost for the winter catch. At the end of December agree- daily at the Research Board's Biological Station at ment still had not been reached and vessels fishing Nanaimo, B.C., indicate the drift of currents and for the meal and oil plants had been strike bound provide valuable information now being sought by for two months. Afew men, fishing for a reduction Canada, United States and Japan in connection with plant which they themselves operate on a co-opera- ocean and coastal fisheries. tive basis at Prince Rupert, continued operations. So did those landing herring for the fresh fish mar- Bottles were dropped in 24 releases of 1,000 ket or dry salting or kippering plants or for bait. each at Station PAPA, the location of Canada's This limited fishing indicated that herring were Pacific weather ship, Latitude 50 degrees north and extremely scarce on the British Columbia coast in Longitude 145 degrees west, and a number of posi- the last months of the year. The total catch from tions in mid-ocean. Inside each bottle a card, May to December amounted to about two-thirds that printed in English, Spanish, Japanese and latterly, of the corresponding period in the previous year. Russian, promises the finder a reward of one dollar for its return to the Nanaimo Station. Spring fishing for halibut lasted from the be- ginning of May to the middle of June. Summer hali- Bottles have been found mostly on beaches but started in July and closed early in August. Fro- over a wide range from the Aleutian Islands to the zen stocks were very heavy at the beginning of the northern coast of C alif o r n i a . Scientists of the season and prices throughout were far below the Board's Pacific Oceanographic Group have ex- record levels of 1956. Fishing was not vigorous and pressed satisfaction over results. The total re- landings declined by about ten per cent from the covery to date is approximately two and one half 1956 figure. per cent and should, the scientists predict, eventu- ally reach about five per cent. Returns from each Pacific trawler fishing was active and pro- release show that ocean currents in the Pacific have duced a good catch of cod and flatfish. Demand and marked variations geographically, seasonally and prices were higher than in the previous season. from one year to another. Fishery Figures For December SEAFISH: LANDED WEIGHT AND LANDED VALUE May - Dec, 1956 May - Dec. 1957 '000 lbs $'000 '000 lbs $'000 CANADA - TOTAL 1,511,501 73,827 1,468,625 66,957

ATLANTIC COAST - Total 1,176,764 44,584 1,181,761 „ 42,079 Cod 586,298 14,277 598,376 13,856 Haddock 76,219 2,409 63 ) 256 2,123 Pollock, Hake & Cusk 63,237 1,047 59,003 1,106 Rosefish 54,059 1,181 44,678 960 Halibut 3,592 882 5,085 1,146 Plaice & Other Flatfish 67,447 2,113 73,469 2,306 Herring & Sardines 163,426 1,877 205,883 2,364 Mackerel 21,927 827 18,711 743 Swordfish 4,153 1,169 5,179 1,341 Salmon 2,608 947 2,906 1,018 Smelts 2,668 330 1,740 233 Alewives 15,687 143 11,077 152 Other Fish 37,352 424 33,579 436 Lobsters 47,314 15,076 39,932 12,591 Clams & Quahaugs 6,925 364 5,873 280 Scallops 2,146 903 2,651 1,000 Other Shellfish 21,706 615 10,363 424

PACIFIC COAST - Total 334,737 29,243 286,864 Z4, 878 Pacific Cods 6,163 451 8,910 657 Halibut 22,500 4,892 20,856 3,413. Soles & Other Flatfish 6,160 279 5,570 314 Herring 176,193 2,568 113,985 1,706 Salmon 110,083 20,331 127,690 18,157 Other Fish 6,411 167 3,134 82 Shellfish 7,227 555 6,719 549

BY PROVINCES British Columbia 334,737 29,243 286,864 24, 878 Nova Scotia 330,211 17,747 349,825 17,206 New Brunswick 168,348 7,038 173,071 6, 354 Prince Edward Island 39,706 3,713 39,177 3, 370 Quebec 114,576 3,477 126,570 3,410 Newfoundland 523,923 12,609 493,118 11, 739

MID-MONTH WHOLESALE PRICES, Dec. , 1957 PRICES PER OWT. PAID TO FISHERMEN (Week ending Dec. 20th) 1956 1957 Montreal Toronto Halifax $ $ Cod Steak 3.50 3.75 Market Cod 3.50 3.27 Cod fillets, Atl. fresh, unwrapped lb. . 281 . 328 Haddock 5.50 6.00 Cod fillets, Atl. frozen, cello 5's lb. .237 .262 Plaice 3.25 3.25 Cod fillets, smoked lb. .328 .328 Yarmouth Haddock fillets, fresh, unwrapped lb. . 388 . 430 Haddock 5.00 6., 00 Herring kippered, Atl. lb. .248 .265 Black's Harbour Mackerel, frzn. , round lb. 162 . 183 Sardines Lobsters, canned, fancy case 48-1s 38.47 39.85 St. John's, Nfld. ' Sardines, canned case 9.02 9.08 Cod 2.00 2.00 Halibut, frzn. , dr. , Pacific lb. . 390 . 382 Haddock 3.00 3.00 Silverbright, frzn. , dr. lb. .462 .435 Rosefish 2.00 2.00 C oho, frzn. , dr. lb. .557 .558 Vancouver Sockeye, canned, gr. A case 48-is 22.30 22.05 Ling Cod 12.50 10.00-13.50 Pink, canned, gr. A case 48-is 12.81 12.82 Gray Cod 6.00 4.00- 6.00 Whitefish, fresh lb. . 365 . 375 Soles 8.00 8.00- 9.00 Lake Trout, frzn. lb. .426 .415 Salmon(Redspring) 38.00-55.00 23-28 sm

-16- Fishery Figures For December

STOCKS AS AT END OF DECEMBER CANADIAN EXPORT VALUE OF FISHERY PRODUCTS, MAY ,,NOVEMBER"

1956 1957 (Value in Thousands of Dollars)

('000 lbs) ('000 lbs) 1956 1957

TOTAL - Frozen Fish, Canada 75,818 52,369 Total Exports 86,285 85,490

Frozen - Fresh, Sea Fish - Total 45,928 32,995 By Markets: United States 62, 828 63,386 Cod Atlantic, fillets & blocks 8, 825 3, 809 Caribbean Area 9, 602 9, 892 Haddock, fillets & blocks 3, 941 1,218 Europe 11, 690 10,118 Rosefish, fillets & blocks 2, 270 1,307 Other Countries 2,165 2,094 Flatfish (excl. Halibut), fillets & blocks 2,886 2,608 By Forms: Halibut Pacific, dressed & steaks 9, 868 6, 609 Fresh and Frozen 52,500 54,297 Other Groundfish, dressed & steaks 1, 493 3,494 Whole or Dressed 19, 307 19, 586 Other Groundfish, fillets & blocks 340 1,297 Salmon, Pacific 4,545 4, 487 Salmon Pacific, dressed & steaks 8, 576 5, 678 Halibut, Pacific 2,495 2, 329 Herring Atlantic & Pacific 1, 024 735 Cod, Haddock, All Other Sea Fish, all forms 5,535 4,546 Pollock etc. 381 423 Shellfish 1, 170 1, 694 Swordfish 1, 670 1, 807 Other Seafish 2, 654 2, 850 Frozen - Fish, Inland Fish - Total 8,894 6,992 Whitefish 3,150 3, 133 Pickerel 1, 666 1, 734 Perch, round or dressed 1, 144 292 Other freshwater Pickerel (Yellow), fillets 691 531 fish, n. o.p. 2,746 2, 823 Sauger, round or dressed 683 121 Fillets 20,288 22, 201 Tullibee, round or dressed 443 389 C od, Atlantic 7,051 8, 223 Whitefish, round or dressed 1, 002 1, 622 Haddock 2, 845 3, 094 Whitefish, fillets 355 700 Rosefish, Hake, Other, all forms 4, 576 3, 337 Pollock etc. 2,264 1, 698 Flatfish 3,228 3, 435 Frozen - Smoked Fish - Total 2,282 2,211 Pickerel 2, 634 2, 533 Other 2,266 3,218 Cod Atlantic 1, 038 938 Shellfish 12,905 12,510 Sea Herring, kippers 723 744 Lobster(Alive, Meat) 11, 755 11, 126 Other, all forms 521 529 Other 1.150 1,384

Frozen for Bait and Animal Feed 18,714 10,171 Cured 13,184 14,841 Smoked 1, 005 802 Salted and Pickled Fish, Atl. Coast Herring 718 483 Other 287 319 Wet-salted - Total 46,407 43,455 Salted, Wet or Dried 10,273 10, 877 Cod 40, 295 35, 889 Cod 9,031 9, 409 Other 6,112 7,566 Other 1,242 1, 468 Pickled 1,906 2, 162 Dried - Total 30, 562 29,750 Herring 943 1, 105 Cod 29, 214 28, 527 Mackerel 497 663 Other 1, 348 1,223 Other 466 394

Boneless - Total 1, 234 525 Canned 12,929 11,979 Cod 1, 202 503 Salmon, Pacific 9, 605 8, 524 Other 32 22 Sardines 1,188 1, 332 Lobster 1, 806 1, 858 Pickled - Total 26,239 32,406 Other 330 265 Herring (barrels) 10, 565 22, 583 Mackerel 5, 066 1,360 Miscellaneous 7, 672 5,373 Alewives 10,608 8,463 Meal 3,937 2, 651 Oil 1, 059 486 Bloaters (18 lb. boxes) 185,852 228,755 Other Products 2,676 2,236

-17- Shown Canadian Fisheries News Halibu W. ME Thoml Intensive Study of Metal Lobster Traps of Inv'

Fisheries Minister MacLean has announced fishing heads with catch locks hooking under the the beginning of a new phase of research early in bottom; nylon rope and twine; aluminum floats; high March into the use of metal lobster traps which may purity zinc anodes to help curb erosion of the steel have far-reaching effects on the lobster fishery of traps; aluminum and fibreglass lobster buoys. Canada's Atlantic provinces. Experience gained in four years of testing The project, sponsored by the Department of under varied conditions in v a r ious parts of the Fisheries through its Industrial Development Serv- Maritimes has proven that metal traps stand up bet- ice, brings together in a concentrated 30-day pro- ter under gale and sea conditions than do traps gramme personnel of the Fisheries Research Board made of wood. Metal traps also outlast wooden of Canada, the National Research Council, the Royal traps by many years. Metal producing firms are Canadian Navy and the Department. co-operating by supplying some of the traps neces- sary for the experiments. With the aid of professional divers, a diving c hamb e r, underwater television and movie cam- Lobster trap losses through storm have been eras, the scientists, in conjunction with non-tech- one of the main problems lobstermen have had to nical members of the team, will invade the bottom- face. Although the Department of Fisheries has sponsored trap insurance, only a portion of lobster of -the-sea haunts of lobsters in the waters off Yar- Cana mouth, N.S. fishermen have taken advantage of this protection. and r As a result, a severe storm can bring great eco- Pacif The objective of the research, among other nomic hardship to non-insured fishermen. Coupled is the things, is to determine whether metal lobster traps with information already tabulated showing the num- that are more economically practical than wooden traps ber of lobsters caught in both metal and wooden its d in the catching of lobsters. Last year fishermen in traps, the undersea observations will fill in the the fi the Maritimes, Quebec and Newfoundland landed missing parts of the picture. about 44,000,000 pounds of lobsters which had a value to the fishermen of over $14, 000, 000. Co-ordinator of the Yarmouth project will be age rr A. J. "Sandy" Fraser, of the Department of Fisher- of th , This phase gives observers a ringside seat ies, Halifax. Conducting the biological aspect of nual from which they can observe the behaviour of lob- the experiment will be Dr. D.G. Wilder, lobster in 1' sters in their native habitat. Findings will not be expert at the Fisheries Research Board's station at reached for some time but they are expected to St. Andrews, N.B. Engineering phases of the op- go a long way toward solving the problem of trap eration will be conducted by W.A. MacCallum and losses by storms. Harry Power, both of the Board's Technological FU Station in Halifax.

The HMCS Greenwood, of the Royal Canadian work Navy, based at Halifax, will take part in the pro- Halibut Commission Meets Febr ject. This vessel's diving chamber will be sub- shor merged on the lobstering grounds and underwater Regulations for the Pacific Coast halibut fish- prog movie and television cameras will record the ac- ery for the 1958 season have been recommended to of fr tions of the lobsters. Other technical equipment the governments of Canada and the United States by durii will also be used to measure the effects of vibra- the International Pacific Halibut Commission, which tions, currents, etc. In addition to the Naval ves- held its 34th annual meeting in Seattle from January sel, three boats of the Department of Fisheries will 24 to 30. The retiring chairman, Richard Nelson of Fur participate in the operation. They are the Limada, Vancouver, presided. Chairman for 1958 is Seton s e n Modiolus II and Serpurla. H. Thompson of Washington, D.C. , and Dr. W.M. U.S. Sprules, Special Assistant to the Deputy Minister 9 meet During the past four years metal traps have of Fisheries of Canada, is vice-chairman. Cana been tested on the various fishing grounds. T he Mini original project involved the use of steel traps fish- Other members of the commission are Mat- tern ing against wooden traps. The continuing experi- tias Madsen and J.W. Mendenhall, representing the As si ment will include not only the old-type steel traps United States, and Harold Helland, the third Cana- with three fishing heads and the door opening on the dian Commissioner. The Director of Investigations top, but also new s te el traps with three fishing is Henry A. Dunlop, and the Assistant Director F. hibit heads, the trap opening from the bottom and the Heward Bell. Headquarters of the Commission are tific catch locks on the ends; aluminum traps with three at the University of Washington, Seattle. the habi

-18- Shown at the 34th annual meeting of the International Pacific I Halibut Commission in Seattle are, 1-r: Commissioners J. W. Menenhall, Mattias Madsen, Richard Nelson, Seton H. Thompson, Dr. W.M. Sprules and H. S. Helland, Director of Investigations H.A. Dunlop and Assistant Director F.H. r the Bell. high steel sting f the bet- ;raps loden are c es - been td to has The Halibut Commission is responsible to more than 65,000,000 pounds during each of the past )ster Canada and the United States for the investigation four years. The 1957 catch was worth over 11 mil- lion. and regulation of the halibut fishery of the northern lion dollars to the fishermen. eco- Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Its specific function ipled is the development of the stocks of halibut to levels In the course of its sessions the Commission nun- that will permit the maximum sustained yield, and conferred not only with its scientific staff, but also oden its decisions regarding regulation are based upon with representatives of the halibut fishermen's, the the findings of its scientific staff. vessel owners' and dealers' organizations, and with the Industry Advisory Group consisting of repre- During the past 26 years of Commission man- sentatives of each of the foregoing segments of the 11 be agement, there has been progressive improvement industry, and with the Pacific Trollers Association her - of the stocks and increase in annual yield. The an- of British Columbia. The scientific findings and all :t of nual catch, which had declined to 44,000,000 pounds suggestions for regulations in 1958 were discussed >ster in 1931, the year before regulation, has averaged at these meetings. on at op- and Canada shares, is made each breeding season on gical Fur Seal Investigation the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, and is strict ly controlled. The Pribilofs are in United The first Canadian group to begin research States territory. Smaller catches are made on the work on North Pacific fur seals left Nanaimo on Commander and Robben Islands on the Asiatic side February 13 for a three-week cruise of waters off- of the North Pacific. shore from Barkley Sound. This cruise initiated a programme which calls for a Canadian catch quota The Canadian research group is made up of to of from 500 to 750 fur seals for scientific studies members of the staff of the Fisheries Research s by during 1958. Board of Canada from the Board's Biological Sta- hich tion at Nanaimo. They will take their limited catch uary The quota was set by the new North Pacific on the surface of the ocean, a form of sealing pro- m of Fur Seal Commission, which is made up of repre- hibited to any but authorized scientific investigators eton sentatives of the United States, Canada, the and Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos and Ainos. The ani- .M. U.S.S.R. and Japan, and which held its first annual mals taken will be skinned and the contents of their ster meeting in Washington in January. Attending for stomachs examined. Pelts will be shipped to a fur Canada were the Canadian Commissioner, Deputy manufacturing firm for processing. Minister of Fisheries George R. Clark, and the Al- viat- ternate Commissioner, Dr. W.M. Sprules, Special British Columbia fishermen, operating in g the Assistant to the Deputy Minister. coastal waters, have occasionally shot young fur ana - seals under the impression that the animals were ions The North Pacific Fur Seal Convention pro- hair seals, thus risking heavy penalties . The r F. hibits pelagic sealing and also provides for scien- method of distinguishing between the two species is are tific investigation of the migratory movements of by observing their manner of swimming. Hair seals the seal herds, their wintering areas and feeding swim only with the top of the head showing above habits. The commercial catch of fur seals, in which water. Fur seals are in the habit of raising head

- 19- insi and shoulders vertically out of the water and will together with a breakdown on the various species. Sco frequently swim on their backs with flippers show- In a review of Protection Service activities, it was ing. noted that fisheries prosecutions for the whole Maritimes Area in 1957 totalled 718, with convic- by t tions being recorded in all but twelve cases. gag, rest Maritimes Area Meeting Biological and technological aspects of the pub] fisheries were discussed by representatives of the Matters affecting the protection, conservation Pro Fisheries Research Board's stations in the three and inspection of the multi-million dollar fisheries dec] provinces. Dr. J.L. Hart, Director of the Biolog- resources of the Maritime Provinces featured the tion ical Station at St. Andrews, and Dr. Henri Fougere, five-day agenda of the annual conference of the mar Director of the Technological Station in Halifax, Maritimes Area, Department of Fisheries. The slig reviewed the different projects being undertaken meeting convened at area headquarters in Halifax said by their scientific staffs. from February 3 to 7 inclusive. not fect Loran E. Baker, Maritimes Area Supervisor, A feature of the meeting was the showing of a presided at the conference which brought together film demonstrating the efficiency of the large mesh net . This picture, televised underwater by a fisheries protection and inspection officers from all pear camera attached to the net, illustrated how the large parts of the Maritimes, as well as scientific rep- pope mesh enables small fish to escape, thus reducing resentatives of the Fisheries Research Board's sta- seri fish wastage. tions at St. Andrews, Halifax and Ellerslie, P.E.I. tribe In addition, E.B. Young, chief of the Protection the Extent of development of fisheries in the Branch of the Department's Conservation and De- hatc northwest Atlantic area generally in the past twenty- velopment Service, and H. V. Dempsey, Director, sea. five years is reflected by figures which show that ground fish production jumped from 1.5 billion pounds in 1930 to 3.3 billion pounds in 1955. This mitt , production continues to grow. to tI valu, ant Atlantic Salmon Meeting seco Specific recommendations for the improve- expr ment of Canada's Atlantic s a 1 m on stocks in the sudd Maritime Provinces, Quebec and Newfoundland were Lind made at the annual meeting of the federal-provincial bec Co-ordinating Committee on Atlantic Salmon, held who in Ottawa, February 11-12.

The suggestions made dealt with regulations agerr as to netting, open seasons, control of poaching in comi certain areas, the stocking of streams from salmon hatcheries, and mitigation of the damage done to salmon populations by the spraying of forests with agair DDT in efforts to wipe out the spruce budworm. In ture At the annual meeting of the Maritimes Area, De- this connection the Co-ordinating Committee re- partment of Fisheries. Left to right: E. B. Young, ported that a search was being made for an insecti- Chief of the Protection Branch, Ottawa; Loran E. cide other than DDT which would not harm fish. Baker, Chief Supervisor, Maritimes Area; Forrest Watson, Chief Protection Officer, Maritimes Area. Hon. J. Angus MacLean, Minister of Fisher- nounc ies, welcomed the me m b e r s of the Committee, c ontii Inspection and Consumer Service, both of Ottawa, which is composed of Deputy Minister of Fisheries Coast also attended. The Department of Fisheries in Que- George R. Clark, chairman, and provincial deputy 50 pe bec was represented by Leo Moran, Quebec, Cla- ministers concerned with salmon in the five Atlantic rence Clark and P.A. Beauchesne, Magdalen Is- provinces. Mr. MacLean paid tribute to the work lands, while Reginald Bolton, chief of the federal of the Co-ordinating Committee and its advisory ducin department's Inspection-Service in British Colum- body, which is made up of members of the provin- been : bia, a Is o participated in the discussions. Harry cial departments concerned and representatives of port MacDonald, Ralph Taylor, John Henne s s e y and commercial and sport fishing organizations. At a assist Harold Smith represented the Newfoundland Area, joint meeting of the two committees these repre- provil Department of Fisheries. sentatives read briefs from the Miramichi Salmon Bruns Association, the Atlantic Salmon Association, the assist Reports were given at the meeting covering Nova Scotia Fish and Game Association, La Societe Unite( overall fish landings and values for the past year Co-operative des Pecheurs de Carleton (Gaspe Pen-

-20- insula), and 'the Commercial Fisheries of Nova The Minister r, e quf s t e all fi‘shermen and Scotia. other producers of salted fish products to retain all purchase slips and other 'documents pertaining to Mr. MacLean said that the services rendered their purchase and use of salt." by the Committee and the scientists and others en- gaged in the work of conserving Canada's natural resources was not generally appreciated by the public despite the magnitude of their contribution. Skeena River Programme Problems involved in efforts not only to halt the decline but to increase the Atlantic salmon popula- Representatives of the British Columbia fish- tions were particularly complex be c au s e of the ing industry formed an interested audi en c e at a marked susceptibility of this species to even the meeting in Vancouver, January 24, when scientists slightest changes in its freshwater environment, he of the Department of Fisheries and the Fisheries said. Frequently these changes were so subtle as Research Board of Canada told of work done under not to be noticeable to the untrained eye but the ef- the Skeena River Management Committee in 1957 fects were nevertheless drastic. and outlined fishing regulations recommended for the Skeena River in 1958. The Minister cited the case of several Euro- pean countries which had at one time enjoyed large An average run of sockeye and a relatively populations of salmon but had seen them become small return of pink salmon was predicted for this seriously depleted. Much of this depletion was at- year by F.C. Withler, director of the Committee's tributable to the impact of spreading civilization on research programme. Mr. Withler pointed out that the inland waterways in which the s a l m on are the 1953 spawning escapement to the Babine River hatched and nurtured in the years until they go to had been the greatest since clearance of the 1951 sea. slide. This, coupled with a fair escapement in 1954, should bring returns of four- and five-year- In a general review of events since the Com- old adults in 1958 up to pre-slide levels. mittee's last annual meeting, Mr. Clark referred to the death of Dr. Charles Fremont of Quebec, a The pink salmon outlook for the Skeena in 1958 valued member who, he said, had made an import- was clouded by the 1956 cycle of this species, which ant contribution to the Committee's work. On the yielded the lowest returns in recent years, with second day of this year's meeting, Mr. Clark also both catch and spawning escapement much under expressed the deep regret of the committee at the average. sudden death in Ottawa the previous evening of R.C. Lindsay, fish hatchery superintendent for the Que- Regulations for the ensuing Skeena River sal- bec Department of Game and Fisheries at Gaspe, mon fishery were targeted at maintaining sockeye who had attended the joint meeting. runs and in insuring adequate supplies of pinks to all spawning areas in the system. Detailed reports on the investigation and man- agement programmes will be published in a forth- Definite progress in rebuilding salmon runs coming issue of "Trade News". was indicated in the report given by Dr. W.E. John- son. Two years of study on plankton and other The Co-ordinating Committee decided to meet nursery conditions in the Babine Lake area had con- again in Cuebec City early in March to decide fu- vinced research personnel that sockeye salmon ture policy. were not making the best use of the ninety-mile stretch of watershed.

Salt Assistance Pro gramme Scientists found that in past years spawning had been confined to a relatively small area of lakes Fisheries Minister J. Angus MacLean has an- and streams north of an arm of the lake known as nounced that it is the intention of the government to Halifax Narrows, while a large area south of the continue in 1958 the policy of paying the Atlantic narrows was used only by a small sockeye run Coast producers of salted ffsh products a rebate of which arrived early in the season. 50 per cent of the cost of salt. Tests of growth rates of fry in both areas had The Minister pointed out that fishermen pro- revealed that the crowded northern portion produced ducing these relatively low priced products have fry on an average definitely smaller than those from been faced with controlled prices in many of the ex- the south. Studies of adult returns also indicated port markets and rising costs of production. The that the southern-reared sockeye recorded a better assistance has been paid for some years in the growth and survival rate. In 1956 a build-up of the provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New southern Babine run was initiated by applying fish- Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. The ing restrictions at the beginning of the season, thus assistance does not apply to products sold in the allowing a larger proportionate escapement of the United States. early runs to this area.

-21- Fisheries News From Abroad 111 Co-operatives in Fisheries Development La The future development of fisheries in many is spreading in fisheries. For instance, there are parts of the world may largely depend on the organ- now about 800 co-operatives in India, many of them ies ization of co-operatives among fishermen, accord- credit societies but some of them supply fisher- Ha ing to F.E. Popper, Chief, Economics Branch, men's requisites and, in a few cases, market mem- Fisheries Division, Food and Agriculture Organiz- bers' catches. About 770 primary societies have ation of the United Nations, Rome. been formed in Burma, more than 250 of them be- of ing affiliated to the C e n t r al Fish Marketing Co- cot "This is particularly the case in underdevel- operative Society in Rangoon. This society has ex- one oped countries where there is a very urgent need to clusive rights to the sale of members' catches and Th increase fish production but little chance of the ne- supplies loans, in cash and in kind. eli: cessary capital investment by private industry," a 1; explained Mr. Popper in a recent interview. "In Ceylon there is the Co-operative Fish the Sales Union with more than 50 affiliated co-opera- whi "This question of investment has always been tive societies," he continued. "This union sells inti a big problem in the fishing industry in all coun- catches and helps finance the fishermen's societies. we tries," he continued. "The element of risk is great Then there is the Central Federation of Indonesian int: -- risk of loss of boats, gear and equipment, risk Fishery Co-operatives, composed of about 36 pri- atti of failing to locate and catch the fish, risk of rapid mary societies with some 100,000 members. The all' deterioration of the catch and of fluctuating prices federation is concerned with credit, welfare and and markets." supply activities, as well as fish auctions. There are also successful co-operative organizations at s ol Bombay, Hongkong and Bidyadhari Spill, Calcutta." one PRIVATE INVESTMENT con In some countries conditions have encouraged of 1 big investments in fishing from private sources, Mr. Popper pointed out. For example, in Britain Fishing Vessel Congress the railways invested in the industry as fish land- The second World Fishing Vessel Congress, ings provided a lucrative business for them in the De , organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization transport of fish to inland markets. Other countries the of the Unite d Nations, Rome, Italy, will be held in which there has been heavy private investment in abl f is he r i e s are Japan, the United States, Canada, April 5-10, 1959,in Rome at FAO headquarters. South Africa, and in Western Europe. Jan-Olof Traung, Chief of the Fishing Boat sal Section , Fisheries Division, FAO, has been ap- "But even in some of these highly developed tric pointed Secretary, and the agenda and programme countries, co-operatives have played a significant bas are now being drawn up. It is expected that upwards role from the fishermen's point of view," said Mr. ma of 300 participants will attend the Congress. These Popper. "In Canada, for example, some very suc- Fis will be representatives of governments, naval ar- cessful fishermen's co-operatives have been estab- cat , lished on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, a de- chitects, boat builders and other people concerned velopment which has:increased the trade in fish and with the design and construction of fishing boats. led to more stable earnings by fishermen. Again, ma: The first International Fishing Boat Congress in Norway, the fishermen's sales organizations are emj was organized by FAO in 1953 and joint meetings very powerful and handle almost all the Norwegian that were held in Paris, France, and Miami, Florida. marine catch of some two million tons a year. mu; This Congress was outstandingly successful in pool- Sweden provides another example of fishermen's of t organizations, operating in association with a sys- ing knowledge, experience and ideas concerning and tem of price regulations. Then there is Japan, the fishing boat design and construction in all parts of world's greatest fishing nation, where in-recent the world, and the papers and discussions were years there has been a drive to form co-operatives. published in a book, "Fishing Boats of the World". ple: More than 4,000 co-operatives have been organized con with more than a million members." The forthcoming Congress will review the soh technical developments and progress made in fish- to a ing boat design and construction since 1953 and will "There are, of course, a number of examples cre of successful co-operatives in these areas," stated carry further the international exchange of knowl- kno Mr. Popper, "and although they are not on the scale edge, experience and ideas in this field. The dis- Thi cussions and papers of this Congress will also be of those found in the more developed countries, it is pro very significant to find the co-operative movement published in book form. frof

-22- d

"The Sea Lamprey and the Death of the Great ever possible. The programme should involve an Lakes Lake Trout Fishery," by Edmund K. Swigart integrated study on fundamental and applied salmon re are (An article in Volume 4 of "Yale Conservation Stud- biology. them ies," published by the Yale Conservation Club, New sher- Haven, Conn. , U. S. A. ) The dependence of Pacific salmon on a suit- mem- able freshwater environment during migration and have This is a brief account of the alarming influx early stages of de v el opme n t has placed them in rn be- of the sea lamprey through the Great Lakes and the direct competition with other multiple uses of wa- g Co- consequent toll of the lake trout, which had provided ter. Through hydro-electric power developments, ts ex- one of the most profitable fisheries of the region. water storage, irrigation, and waste disposal, fresh s and The article outlines the plan of campaign for the water is dammed in flow, de-energized by volicity elimination of the lamprey, including the search for change, depleted in volume and altered in quality. a larvicide which could destroy either the larvae or The problems of maintaining anadromous stocks of Fish the young adults drifting back from the streams fish in the face of such changes are many. Their pera- where they have spawned to the lakes. The plan, solution, where possible, depends in large measure sells international in scope because Canada is affected as on a thorough understanding of the behaviour of sal- :ties. well as the United States, calls for the eventual re- mon, the limits of environmental change which sal- iesian introduction of lake trout and other species under mon can tolerate, and in devising means whereby I pri- attack to a full capacity as quickly and as economic- salmon can be successfully by-passed around ob- The ally as possible. stacles in the path of migration. and there The author says that if the lamprey is not the ins at sole cause of the fisheries decrease, it is at least "Fish Marketing in W e ste r n Europe Since , itta." one of the major two or three factors and must be 1950," (Published by the European Productivity controlled before any optimistic view of the return Agency of the Organization for European Economic of this lucrative industry can be formulated. Co-operation, 2, rue Andre Pascal, Paris, France).

SS The primary purpose of this study, prepared "Salmon Research and Hydro-Electric Power by Professor Gerhard M. Gerhardsen of the Nor- ress, Development," by J. R. Brett (Bulletin No. 114 of wegian School of Economics and Business Admin- ration the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Avail- istration, has been to bring up to date the informa- held able from the Cueen's Printer, Ottawa. $0. 50). tion contained in the report on "Fish Marketing in O. E.E.C. Countries" compiled in 1950-51. An en- The purpose of this review is to outline the deavour has been made to draw attention as clearly Boat salmon problems which are created by hydro-elec- as possible to the major problems involved in fish a ap- tric power developments, to set forth some of the marketing in Europe, problems on which there is a Lmme basic principles for biological research, to sum- great need for further research. yards marize the research in this field conducted by the ['hese Fisheries Research Board of Canada, and to indi- Professor Gerhardsen says that it has been of Li ar- cate specific lines of study with their requirements. considerable satisfaction to note that much progress arned has been made in fish marketing in Europe since s. The author points out that the urgency and 1950-51 and that a great deal has been achieved magnitude of the biological task can hardly be over- through co-operative action on the national and in- tress emphasized; that there is an inescapable conclusion ternational levels. Aings that a great deal of biological research on salmon rida. must be conducted before even judgement on many The data upon which this revised report is pool- of the problems can be made, aside from the major based was provided by liaison officers appointed by rning undertaking of finding solutions. the various countries and supplemented by personal -ts of visits by the compiler. The summary of the overall were Since the problem is both multiple and com- situation in Europe, which takes up Part I of the ld". plex, he says, no delusions should be entertained publication, says: "European fisheries present a concerning the possibility of some quick or simple much varied picture with strong contrasts. Some w the solution. Any new mechanical contrivance expected fishermen use the most modern means of produc- fish- to aid salmon at some point in their migration will tion, others still go along with very old-fashioned 1 will create new biological problems. It is the lack of equipment and methods. Some have good earnings, Jowl- knowledge of salmon that is the great handicap. others are on the brink of starvation. Some fish is dis- This handicap can only be surmounted by a thorough sold to the consumer while it is still alive, some is so be programme of research directed at the fish first, more than two weeks old and rather stale". Part II from which the problem may be resolved, where- of the report deals with markets countryby country. Say 'natural resources' and you think of timber stands, oil wells, uranium strikes, gold mines. There is another. Two billion pounds of it are harvested annually from our seas and inland lakes. Its name is Fish. It is a wonderful food, a valuable export. Many important by-products come from it. It creates a living for many thousands of fishermen and workers. It is an unlimited resource. It will always renew itself so long as it is properly cared for. That is why conservation and development of Canada's Wet Gold is so vital to the nation's welfare.

CANADA'S FISH FOODS

SOCKEYE SALMON—Most highly prized of Pacific Salmon. Canned, it adds millions of dollars annually to national income. Livers are important source of vitamin oil. Fishmeal and oil DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIE are by-products. OTTAWA CANADA HON. J. ANGUS MACLEAN, M.P., MINISTER • GEORGE R. CLARK, DEPUTY MINISTER

FIRST IN A SERIES: OUR FISHERIES AND THEIR PLACE IN CANADA'S LIFE