LII3P2Mr. Als-D Cte.71.3 240 SPKUKS h ITCC 7775r OTTAWA, Ci'z,T2'.1d0, jçl.A. 0E6. British Columbia Statements Nos. 1 to 13, inclusive, which should appear as part of Appendb,z No. 1, will be found on pages 105 to 112 inclusive. DOMINION OF CANADA SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES EIGHTIETH ANNUAL FISHERIES REPORT • OF THE DOMINION FOR THE YEAR 1946-47 OTTAWA EDMOND CLOUTIER, C.M.G., B.A., L.Ph., PRINTER TO T.I:LF. KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY CONTROLLER OP STATIONERY 1948 t: r" lee `3 A"27-i) Y15.11D711::,'- Y`LOGY, 240 SVSICY5 CX-ZIADtb. «rreft, ettt To His Excellency Field Marshal the Right Hcrnourable Viscount Alexander of Tunis, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., C.S.I., D.S.O., M.C., LL.D., A.D.C., Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of the Dominion of Canada MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY: I have the honour herewith, for the information of Your Excellency and the Parliament of Canada, to present the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Department of Fisheries, being the Eightieth Annual Fisheries Report for the Doininion. I have the honour to be, - Your Excellency's most obedient servant, MILTON F. GREGG, Minister of Fisheries- DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES, Ottawa, October 1, 1947. 99682-1i CONTENTS PAGE DEPUTY MINISTER'S REPORT COVERING Departmental Expansion 7 Fisheries Results in 1946 Fishing Bounty Returns from Pribilof Sealing 12 International Pacifie Salmon Fisheries Commission 13 International Fisheries Commission 14 APPENDICES 1. Report of the Chief Supervisor of Fisheries, Western Division 17 2. Report of the Chief Supervisor of Fisheries, Eastern Division 37 3. Report of the Chief Inspector, Central Division 41 4. Report of the Director of Fish Culture 42 5. Report of the Fisheries Engineer 72 6. Report on Oyster Culture and Oyster Farming 79 7. Report of the Canned Fish Inspection Laboratory, Pacific 88 8. Report of the Fish Inspection Laboratory, Atlantic 89 9. Financial Statement of the Department for the Year 1946-47 94 REPORT OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER To the Hon. MILTON F. GREGG, M.P., Minister of Fisheries. Snt,—Herewith I have the honour to transmit the Seventeenth Annual Report of the Department of Fisheries, which covers the fiscal year 1946-47 and is the Eightieth Annual Report on the fisheries of Canada. Appendices which are included are the following:— Reports of the Chief Supervisors of Fisheries for the Eastern and Western Divisions, respectively. Report of the Chief Inspector, Central Division. Report of the Director of Fish Culture. Report of the Fisheries Engineer. Report on Oyster Culture and the Further Development of Oyster Farming. Report on the Work of the Atlantic and Pacific Fish Inspection Laboratories. Financial Report of the Department. DEPARTMENTAL EXPANSION - The fiscal year 1946-47, marked the beginning of new recruitment into the Department of Fisheries, both at headquarters and in the field, and saw, as well, through replacement or renovation, improvement in service equipment, such as patrol boats. The wartime development of the fishery, which ha.s since been sustained, created urgent needs with respect td additional personnel. Incre,asing such personnel difficulties were the deaths or retirements of a number of staff members. With the termination of the war and the availability to some extent of men with suitable capabilities the Department was able, during the twelve months under review, to fill certain appointments. The first step in the direction of increasing the Department's staff was taken on both the East and West coasts where a total of 135 men, all war veterans, were selected by the Department in co-operation with the Depart- ment of Veterans' Affairs and the Vocational Training Branch of the Department of Labour, for a course which would qualify them as full-time fisheries inspect,ors. Upon completion of their studies and following examination by the Civil Service Commission, 131 are to be ,assigned to field work, thus adjusting the serious need of a widening of the Department's inspection services. Coincident with field expansion has been the need of increased staff at the Department's headquarters at Ottawa. There, a number of key appointments are to be filled and it is hoped that progress will be made in this connection during the fiscal year 1947-48. The reorganization at headquarters and in the field is intended, to equip the Department for the more effective discharge of the duties placed upon it by Parliament. FISHERIES RESULTS IN 1946 - World requirements of protein foods continued throughout 1946 to be far in excess of the available supply. The year was, therefore, one of continued -strong markets for the products of the Canadian fishery. Not only was the 7 8 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES demand strong in the domestic market, but also in the regular commercial export markets and in the special markets arising out of the relief purchases made through UNRRA. Prices, although for the most part under controls of one form or another, continued at the relatively high levels established during • the war. Production was also maintained at a high level. More men and vessels were available to the fishing industry. While subject to the usual variations in weather conditions and other factors affecting the catch of each individual species, the over-all catch was high. Preliminary figures of landings indicate a total catch by sea fishermen of some 1,230 million pounds. In addition, inland fishermen provided close to 100 million pounds. The sea fisheries returned some $56-5 million to the fishermen. Income to inland fishermen would add a further $10 million to the national total. Figures are not yet available on the marketed value of the 1946 catch, but preliminary estimates would place the figure somewhat above the record value of $113-7 million reached in 1945. Under an arrangement between the Department of Fisheries, provincial fisheries services, and the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, the annual statistics of the fishing industry are compiled and published by the Bureau. The collection, revision, compilation and publication of these data take considerable time, as a very large number of individual reports have to •be handled each year. It will .be some little time, therefore, 'before the final figures for 1946 are available. Full details of the operations of the industry will be available in the annual printed statistical report., Fisheries Statistics of Canada, 1946. On the basis of preliminary data, some generalized statements can be made regarding the position of the industry in 1946. On the Atlantic coast, cod and lobster represented the two major sources of income to fishermen. Landings of cod in 1946 were close to 310 million pounds, or slightly above the landings of 1945. Landings of lobster were close to 40 million pounds, as compared to just over 37 million pounds in 1945. Price,s of these two species were well maintained throughout 1946. Since the outbreak of war in 1939, there has been a marked upward trend in the filleting and freezing of cod, while the amounts used for salting have tended to decrease. There has also been a considerable expansion in the production of canned cod to meet the special relief demands. In the case of lobster, the trend has been towards the marketing of a greater proportion of the catch in the live state rather than in cans. 'The Atlantic groundfish or demersal fishery provided a further 86-5 million pounds of haddock, pollock, hake, etc.; and the pelagic fishery 278-0 million pounds of herring and mackerel (including 100 million pounds of sardine- herring). An interesting development in 1946 was •the commencement of tuna canning in significant commercial quantities. On the Pacific coast, 1946 was the peak year of the sockeye run in the Fraser River, with the result that the canned pack of this valuable species reached a figure of more than 0-5 million (48-pound) cases. Chum salmon also provided a substantial pack, but the run of pinks wa,s most disappointing. The total British Columbia canned salmon pack was over 1 • 3 million cases. The British Ministry of Food was the major purchaser of canned salmon. After minimum requirernents had been made a-vailable to the dome„stic market there was little available for export to countries other than Britain. The continued demand for large quantities of canned herring by UNRRA, together with substantial markets in the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, and other countries, resulted in an all-time record pack of over 1-6 million REPORT OF THE DEPUTY MINISTER 9 cases. This wartime development has proved an important factor in main- taining the high value of British Columbia's fisheries. The 'halibut and most other important Pacific fisheries also enjoyed a good season in 1946. The pilchard and tuna fisheries, however, were considered a failure. The inland fisheries maintained the high level of production induced by the firm markets and high prices enjoyed since early in the war. Altogether, Canada exported 517.2 million pounds of fish food products in 1946, valued at about $85.7 million—increases of 9-1 per cent and 7-3 per cent respectively, over the 1945 figures. The most important factors in this expansion were the prbducts of the herring fishery, exports of fresh (sardine) herring to the United States showing an increase of 49.9 per cent, and exports of canned herring (as military supplies mainly in 1945 and as relief supplies in 1946) an increase of 41.6 per cent. These are low-priced products and con.sequently had a greater effect on the total volume than on the total value of the export trade.