Fish and the Fishing Industry ANDREW W. ANDERSON FISH is about i8 percent protein, lesterol, a waxy alcohol, may be de- which is complete, well bal- posited on the inner walls of arteries anced, and not easily afíected when it is present in too high concen- by the usual cooking methods. It is 85 trations in the blood serum. Some re- percent to 95 percent digestible. searchers believe there is a connection An average serving furnishes more between the presence of excess choles- than enough animal protein to meet terol in the blood and the occurrence the usual daily need for protein. Fish of atherosclerosis, a common form of supply 5 percent to 10 percent of the heart disease. Nation's supply of animal protein for The vitamin content of fish varies. human food requirements. An average serving of 3.5 ounces of The amount of fat in fish is less than cooked salmon and mackerel, which I percent (in cod, haddock, whiting, are fat fish, provides about 10 percent rockfish, and sole) to 20 percent (in of the daily requirements of vitamins salmon, mackerel, lake trout, and but- A and D. A similar serving of either fat terfish). The fat is easily digested and or lean fish would satisfy about i o per- is used readily by the body tissues. cent of the thiamine, 15 percent of the Continuing research has established riboflavin, and 50 percent of the niacin the nutritive value of some of the un- requirements. saturated fatty acids peculiar to some The mineral content of the edible fish. part of most fish includes satisfactory These fatty acids are unstable and sources of magnesium, phosphorus, reactive compounds. They are desig- iron, copper, and iodine. nated as unsaturated because some of Shellfish (clams, crabs, lobsters, oys- the possible chemical bonds holding ters, scallops, and shrimp) has an abun- the constituent atoms together are not dance of these minerals—about as much filled. Their inclusion in animal diets as milk. The softened bones in canned promotes growth and reduces the level fish, which are good to eat, are good of cholesterol in the blood serum. Cho- sources of calcium and phosphorus. An 477248°—59- -24 353 354 YEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 1959 U. S. GRADE BLUE I WHITE RED Shield using red, white, and blue back- Shield with plain background. ground or other colors appropriate for label. U.S. GRADE A Statement enclosed within a shield. These symbols appear on many fishery product labels. They indicate that the product has been processed under super- vision of a Government inspector. average serving of six oysters supplies and are suitable for use in diets in more than the daily need of iron and which the amount of sodium is kept copper. low. Many species have sodium values Standards for the fishery products in well within prescribed dietary limits of the United States became available to 100 milligrams per loo grams of fish the domestic fishing industry in 1956 FISH AND THE FISHING INDUSTRT 355 on a voluntary basis. They were a sig- When it is more efiiicient to do so nificant development and a useful mar- (because of geographical location or keting aid. the production of both fishery and Standardization of products and the agricultural products in one plant) accompanying inspection and certifica- the Department of Agriculture and tion improve processing; make buying, the Department of the Interior have selling, and distributing more efiBcient; agreed to arrange for a single inspector aid in settling disputes as to prices, from either agency to certify the grade quality, storage, and transportation; and condition of either agricultural permit better comparison of market or fishery products. supplies and prices; make possible the The fee for the voluntary inspection sale and purchase of fishery products and grading is paid by the buyer or in commodity exchanges for future de- seller who requests the service. livery; furnish a more reliable basis for Three kinds of inspection and grad- bank loans; make possible more ade- ing services were available in 1959. quate production-control programs; One is continuous inspection by an and achieve premium prices for certi- inspector stationed in the plant during fied premium products. the operating hours. He makes daily The first standards were for grades reports to the management on plant for frozen fried fish sticks, a new prod- operations, inspects the product, and uct that had zoomed in 2 years to a issues certificates showing the grades. production of 50 million pounds annu- Another is the sampling of specific ally. But great variations in quality lots by an inspector. He takes repre- and prices resulted in unprofitable op- sentative samples of the product, ex- erations and a sharp decline in the amines them as requested or for com- number of processing plants. pliance with the appropriate standard, The remaining processors accepted and issues an official cerdficate. the standards without delay. They The third is inspection of unoiïicially promptly asked for continuous plant drawn samples. Samples submitted by inspection, rather than only certifica- a processor or a buyer are inspected, tion of one lot at a time. They thereby and a certificate as to the quality of confirmed the value of prior research those particular samples is issued. as to weight changes in cooking, losses Standards for grades were effective in cutting the sticks from the blocks, or were being developed in 1959 for detecting bones by X-ray, and devel- frozen fried sticks, frozen blocks from oping a method for determining the which the sticks are cut, frozen raw amount of breading. breaded shrimp, salmon and halibut The first program had to do with the steaks, frozen breaded and unbrcaded development of the standards by the portions, and one or more varieties Department of the Interior and pro- of frozen fillets. More and more proces- mulgation, inspection, and certifica- sors are accepting the voluntary pro- tion by the Department of Agriculture. gram, and the promulgation of three The entire program became a respon- standards a year probably will be sibility in 1958 of the Department of required. Consumers thus can look the Interior. forward to an increasingly greater The fishery products that meet the variety of foods of known quality. official standards can carry the United Federal specifications for food prod- States shields on their labels. These ucts aid Government buyers and symbols indicate the grade of the industry suppliers by standardizing product and show that it was packed items and packaging; reducing the under the continuous supervision of a numbers of sizes, kinds, and types; trained Government inspector. They permitting competitive bidding on an assure the consumer that he is buying equitable basis; and serving as part of a good product. a legal contractual document. 35^ TEARBOOK OF AGRICULTURE 1959 Catch of Fish and Shellfish^ 1921-1957 Billion Pounds 1921 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 55 "57 World Catch of Fishj CrustaceanSj Mollusks^ Etc. By Countries, 1957 BilUon Pound, : 7 ' ( S Ç) 1 3 1 1 12 japan mm. "^^ "**" ^^^ The United Status ^^H ^^^ ^^^ China (Mainland) "^^ ^^^ ^^^ U. S. S, R mam '''™* ""^ ■H Norway ^^m ^^^ India ^^M ^^ mm United Kingdom ^^^_ ■ Canada ^^^^ Spain ^^^H mHi Germany, Federal Republic Indonesia H^HI HI IB. _ -'^'' -^ Denmark ■ France Iceland 1 Portugal Philippines South Korea Ä Angola Ä Peru i Union of South Africa 1 ^ North Korea Netherlands J Pakistan South West Africa Thailand Italy Chile China (Taiwan) Sweden Malaya, Federation of 1 Other ~"^" "" FISH AND THE FISHING INDUSTRY 357 The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries year, but almost 40 percent is taken of the Department of the Interior has in June, July, and August. assigned to its laboratory in East California caught the most fish— Boston its responsibilities in this field. mostly tuna, mackerel, and sardines. Men at the laboratory determine The fish taken in greatest volume— needs of agencies, evaluate the prod- more than 35 percent of the total ucts, conduct research, and prepare catch—was menhaden, a herringlike the specifications. Fifteen specifica- fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal tions for various forms of clams, crab- waters. It is never seen on a dinner meat, fresh and frozen fish, oysters, plate in recognizable form. Most con- salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, sumers have never heard its name. and tuna were in effect or were Yetj processed into fishmeal, it is a proposed in 1959. small but important item in feed for chickens and hogs. THE STATISTICAL DATA available on Shrimp has become the most valu- the operations of the fishing industry able fishery product at the fisherman's are less comprehensive than those for level. Salmon and tuna, the former most other industries. The Branch of leaders, alternate in second and third Statistics of the Bureau of Commercial places. Fisheries must collect and disseminate Fishermen fish mostly in the terri- most of the needed information be- torial waters or the high seas, directly cause only a few States keep close ofí" our coasts. Ten percent of our track of the activities in their fishing total catch was taken by the United ports and marketing centers. This is a States fishing fleet ofi' Canada, Mexico, sizable task, because American fisher- Panama, Ecuador, and Peru. Tuna men take 10 percent of the world's brought back to southern California catch. from Peru and Ecuador involve a Field agents supplement the available round trip of about 8 thousand miles State data with their own interviews for the famous tuna clippers. A still to determine each year the number of smaller catch—5 percent—comes from fishermen (145,300 in 1957), the value our lakes and rivers, mainly the Great of their catch (almost i million dollars Lakes and the Mississippi River and daily), and the number of fishing its tributaries.