Canada (Contd.): Edward Island, to the affected areas in Northumberland Strait. There the boxes of oysters--two boxes make up a barrel--were transferred to smaller boats of the Department's patrol fleet. The crews of these then scattered the oysters over specified areas. The effect of the epidemic oyster disease has been disastrous, with mortalities in some of the affected areas running as high as 97.8 percent. Since the disease first became evident there has been a 70-percent drop in oyster production in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Last year the catch was only 9,000 barrels, and this year's production is expected to be less than half that amount. Last year the Department began its first mass transfer of Prince Edward Island oysters--1,000 barrels to the Shippegan area and 500 barrels to the Wallace-Malagash district in Nova Scotia. Mortality to the end of 1957 was two percent in Shippegan and six percent in Wallace-Malagash. A Fisheries Research Board biologist considered these losses to be very low, saying: "We cannot be sure that these animals are disease-resistant but results of the 1956 resistance experiment give us good reason to think they are."' The Prince Edward Island oysters transferred to Malagash in 1957 spawned and a few spat were caught. These are being studied for disease resistance. The Shippegan lot did not spawn, but spawning failures are common in that area in cold summers and the summer of 1957 was cold throughout the Maritimes. Encouraged by the results of last year's operation, the Department this year increased its planned transfers from the initially-proposed 3,500 barrels to 4,500. The Board's biologist is of the opinion that by the end of 1959 most epidemics should have nearly run their course and all important diseased areas will have been planted with disease-resistant Prince Edward Island brood stock, in plantings dense enough to encourage vigorous spawning. If spatfall in all areas begins as soon after planting as it did in Malagash, it can be expected that there will be a great reduction in the recovery period, as compared with that in Malpeque Bay following the earlier Prince Edward Island outbreak, in which no rehabilitation effort was possible. The biologist says: "Early restoration of the commercial oyster fisheries is promising if the oysters encounter favorable years for reproduction. We estimate that with luck most fisheries should be producing again in 1965." (Canadian Department of Fisheries Trade News, August 1958.) ** EFFICIENCY OF ALUMINUM LOBSTER TRAPS STUDIED: Further study of the efficiency of aluminum lobster traps is being continued following the opening of the lobster fishing season in Northumberland Strait on August 10. Thirtyfour traps built of aluminum were set in the fishing grounds off Richibucto Cape, Kent County, New Brunswick. Two fishermen are each fishing 17 traps. Records of catches will be kept and will be compared with the catches made by an equal number of the conventional wooden traps. On the New Brunswick side of the strait the fishing area extends from Eel River in Kent County to Bergman's Point in Cumberland County, N. S., while on the Prince Edward Island side the fishing grounds extend from a point off the northern tip of the island to Victoria Harbour, Queens County. The metal trap study off Richibucto was a prelude to a large-scale operation in the cold waters of the Bay of Fundy in the Yarmouth district this winter. There, 300 aluminum traps will be fished by three fishermen in a full-scale test of this type of gear. The traps are being provided by the Industrial Development Service of the Department of Fisheries, which instituted research into metal traps four years ago. Technicians of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada at the Board's Technological Station at Halifax are now constructing a model of an improved aluminum trap to be used in the Yarmouth project. A total of 300 traps will be constructed after the model is tested for the large-scale study. The ability of metal lobster traps to withstand punishment by sea and winds that would demolish wooden traps has been definitely established. That factor has been the main spur to the Department's program of investigating this new type of fishing gear. The metal traps to be used in the experiment are of the same design as the conventional wooden traps. If the efficiency of the metal lobster traps in catching lobsters can be established definitely this winter, it would provide part of the answer to the heavy trap losses suffered by Canadian lobster fishermen. (Canadian Department of Fisheries Trade News, August 1958.) * EXPORT BAN ON FRESH AND The export embargo on fresh and frozen sockeye salmon was lifted on October 2, 1958, for the remainder of the current season (until December 31, 1958) by the Canadian Department of Fisheries. Since there was a large number of sockeye salmon at the entrance of the Fraser River, it may be found that the number is in excess of the optimum required for spawning purposes if all are allowed to go upstream, the Department pointed out. Should the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission decide to reopen fishing, the temporary lifting of the export ban will provide the opportunity to export the anticipated surplus. The action taken is in line with the procedure adopted under similar circumstances with the large run of Adams River sockeye in 1954. FRESH AND FROZEN FISHERY PRODUCTS An expansion of Canada's program of inspection of fresh and frozen fish products and of fish processing plants was announced by that country's Fisheries Minister on September 22, 1958. After January 1, 1959, the Canadian industry may offer the consuming public fish products which have been processed and packaged under rigid standards. This announcement was made in the course of a speech during which the Fisheries Minister officially opened "National Fish Week" at a luncheon in Ottawa given by the Fisheries Council of Canada. He prefaced the statement of his Department's new plans by saying that encouraging progress had been made during the past three years in a voluntary program of inspection introduced in fish-processing plants in many parts of Canada. Before Department inspection will be given any fresh or frozen fish product under the new standards, processing plants must meet specific requirements pertaining to construction, sanitation, operation, and equipment. Once a plant has been approved any of its products, including round and dressed fish, fillets, steaks, fish sticks, and similar items will be eligible for inspection. If a frozen fish product complies with clearly-defined quality, processing, and packaging specifications, the Canada (Contd.): packer may identify it with the designation "Canada inspected" within a line drawing of a maple leaf marked on the wrappers, labels, containers or, where practicable, on the whole fish. Inspected fish which is to be marketed in the fresh state as whole fish, fillets, or steaks may be identified by having the words "Processed under Government Supervision" within a line drawing of maple leaf marked on the wrappers, labels, or containers. There is no size limit on either of these designations. Retail stores selling fish products bearing either of these two quality designations may publicize them by display advertising or other promotional aids. Necessary steps will be taken by the Department to ensure that the consumer will be protected against the purchase of improperly-labelled fish products. The Department expressed its gratitude for the excellent cooperation and assistance which had been forthcoming from the fish-processing industry in all parts of Canada in drafting the standards and specifications for quality control. The standards were near completion, he added, and the Department's Area Directors across Canada would soon be able to give advice to those interested. Later, changes might be made from time to time in the light of experience gained in putting the improved inspection procedures into practice. Copies of specifications will be available from the secretary of the Canadian Government Specifications Board in Ottawa, In concluding his reference to the proposed expanded inspection program, the Minister said "I feel certain that with this further step towards obtaining uniformity in the quality of our fishery products across Canada, coupled with the implications that it will have in promoting quality, the fishing industry will have stronger arguments than ever before in persuading the consumer that fish is for anyone--any time." He also expressed confidence in a favorable consumer response to what he described as a progressive step of making available in the retail stores both fresh and frozen fish products prepared under the most rigid sanitary requirements and which possess all the factors of high quality demanded by today's discriminating buyer. FRESH AND FROZEN FISHERY Definite dates for plant approval and for product inspection on the new Canadian inspection service for fresh and frozen products have been announced. Detailed surveys of plants will commence on January 1, 1959, and the effective date of approval of plants which meet the plant requirements will be April 1, 1959. Consequently, no fresh or frozen fish products can be processed or packaged for sale, with the new quality designations, until April 1, 1959. The specifications for plants and products are now being finalized and will be ready about November 1, 1958. These specifications, known as "32-GP-141a, Fish; Fresh, Frozen and Prepared," will be available from the Canadian Government Specifications Board, National Re * REGULATIONS CHANGED ON The drained-weight and net-weight requirements of frozen lobster meat in The any container have been changed. Canadian Government on the recommendation of the Minister of Fisheries ordered the change on August 18, 1958. Order in Council P. C. 1958-1145 revokes subsection (3) of section 68 of the Canned Fish and Shellfish and Cannery Inspection Regulations of the Meat and Canned Foods Act made by Order in Council P. C. 1954-1974 of December 16, 1954, as amended. The new section now reads: Canada (Contd.): "(3) The drained weight and net weight of frozen lobster meat in any container shall be: "(a) 2 ounces net weight to be 1 ounces drained weight; (b) 6 ounces net weight to be 43 ounces drained weight; (c) 8 ounces net weight to be 6 ounces drained weight; (d) 14 ounces net weight to be 11 ounces drained weight; (e) 16 ounces net weight to be 13 ounces drained_weight; (f) 70 ounces net weight to be 56 ounces drained weight; (g) 112 ounces net weight to be 89 ounces drained weight; and (h) 144 ounces net weight to be 133 ounces drained weight." *** SALMON INDUSTRY TRENDS FOR 1958: The record sockeye salmon run with 50 percent of the fish coming through nonconvention waters off the north end of Vancouver Island dominated the Canadian west coast (British Columbia) fishing picture. The unexpected lifting of import restrictions by the United Kingdom made it possible for canners to market the bulk of the Canadian salmon pack in the United Kingdom. Record Sockeye Catch: By far the most significant aspect of the current fishing season is the record-breaking sockeye salmon catch. This species of salmon returns every fourth year to spawn in the Fraser River and its tributaries. On the basis of current information it appears that the sockeye catch this year may exceed the previous record set in 1905. Over one million cases (48 1-lb. cans) were packed through mid-September which is double the pack of the last cyclical year of 1954. As a result the capacities of the canneries were taxed to the utmost and the fishing industry faced a problem of financing the record-breaking catch. On the basis of $35 a case, the canneries were required to finance $35,000,000 to process the sockeye catch. The route the sockeye took in reaching the Fraser River created new and unexpected problems. In past years the sockeye have customarily passed through the Straits of Juan de Fuca en route to the Fraser River. This year, the sockeye salmon out-guessed the fish biologists and 50 percent passed through the north end of Vancouver Island and through the Johnstone Straits to their spawning grounds. This meant that one-half of the salmon migrated over a route which placed them outside of the convention waters set up by the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission, permitting Canadian fishermen to catch this bonanza harvest without the necessity of dividing this additional catch with the United States fishermen according to the provisions of the Convention. On September 12 an emergency meeting of the International Pacific Salmon Fisheries Commission was held at Bellingham, Wash., to explain the unusual fishing season. The Director of Investigations for the Commission pointed out that the change in the migratory pattern had imposed difficult problems in dividing the catch between United States fishermen and Canadian fishermen. The Commission pointed out that equal catch division was brought about only by the imposition of rigid closure regulations on the Canadian fishermen while the Americans were permitted to fish seven days a week for a long period of time. It was suggested that Canadian fishing efficiency was better than American fishing efficiency. For example, Canadian fishermen caught 2,868,477 fish in the Straits of Juan de Fuca as of that date as compared with half that number in 1954. The use of deep nylon nets was generally attributed as the reason for the Canadians' better harvest. In order to properly provide for the 1962 sockeye catch, escapement at the right time of the proper number of fish must be permitted. Escapement of between 1.5 and 3.0 mil lion sockeye is necessary to assure the success of the next cyclical season. Escapement of less than 1.5 million will not be sufficient to permit the reproduction of the harvest. Escapement of an amount in excess of 3.0 million will result in excess pressure in the spawning area with the deposit of poor salmon eggs over good ones to the detriment of the next cyclical catch. The Canadian fishing industry announced late in September that it would not buy any more sockeye since the late fish were of inferior quality and there is no market for them. This may cause serious complications in the management of the Fraser fishery. Salmon Pack: Preliminary statistics released September 19 disclosed the British Columbia salmon pack as 1,762,705 cases of all species. Sockeye salmon account for a majority of the catch and represent 1,064,578 cases. Pinks accounted for 453,172 cases, chums 130,882 cases, and coho 92,746 cases. Several weeks previous canners were seriously worried about the marketing of the bonanza harvest. Their exports to the United Kingdom, which usually take about 40 percent and 50 percent of the pack, was limited by quota restrictions. Australia, a traditional importer of Canadian salmon, was facing dollar shortages. Accordingly, the fishing industry was facing a serious marketing problem with the prospect of a 2- to 3-year carryover. Plans were being laid for an intensive domestic sales promotion campaign. Carryover from last year's pack was negligible, and the industry had to import Japanese salmon for the domestic market while continuing to export Canadian salmon in order to preserve their foreign markets. Lifting of British currency restrictions, at the Commonwealth Trade Conference at Montreal, changed the picture for British Columbia salmon exporters overnight. Previously the British quota for the import of "dollar" salmon was pegged at $4.5 million. Within 24 hours the British Columbia fishing industry announced that 700,000 cases of sockeye had been bought up by British importers for a total of $26 million. Prices ranged from $37 to $40 a case and it was reported that one large British firm tried to buy the entire pack. Approximately 300,000 cases are being retained for the Canadian market. Previously British Columbia sockeye, a British favorite, had been a rarity in English stores. Orders were also placed for pink and coho salmon. It is expected that the main competitor for British Columbia salmon in the British market will now be Japan. The British restriction remains on Russian salmon. American salmon will also benifit from the British action; however, American salmon will not have the advantage of the British Preferential Tariff. It has been estimated that the landed value of the Canadian sockeye catch will approximate C$21 million with an additional $10 million in other species. Canadian canners are expected to realize C$38 million for the sockeye pack, another $12 million for other canned salmon species, and $11 million from fresh, smoked, and frozen salmon. Agreement on Ex-vessel Prices: As a result of a union-industry agreement signed August 18 and retroactive to the first day of fishing, the following guaranteed minimum prices were agreed on for number one quality fish net-caught (round): sockeye 28¢ a lb., coho and steelhead 16¢ a lb., pinks 9-1/4¢ a lb., chums (up to Aug. 31) 7-1/2¢ a lb., jack springs 20¢ a fish. Colombia REGULATIONS AFFECTING SHRIMP INDUSTRY ANNOUNCED: The Colombian Government by Resolution No. 0930, dated August 22, 1958, announced that all shrimp for export must be packed in 452-gram (5-lb.) paraffin-dipped boxes manufactured in Colombia. The same resolution also extended the time limit for the construction of shore-based fish-processing plants by Colombian fishing companies, Colombia (Contd.): according to a September 19, dispatch from the United States Embassy in Bogota. Cuba CLOSED SEASON FOR TURTLES, The Instituto Nacional de la Pesca (National Fisheries Institute), by Resolutions published in the Official Gazette of September 15, 16, and October 3, 1958, terminated the closed season originally imposed on June 15, 1958, on the capture of turtles and tortoises, effective September 10, 1958. As of September 15, 1958, the Institute ended the closed season originally imposed on June 15, 1958, on the capture of shrimp and oysters. On October 10, 1958, the Institute ended the closed season originally imposed on July 15, 1958, on the capture of moro crab, Cuban snapper (Cubera), and gray snapper (Caballerote). Ecuador IMPORT REGULATIONS AFFECTING FISH CANNING INDUSTRY RELAXED: One of the major problems facing producers of fish products in Ecuador is the difficulty presented by Ecuadoran Government regulations covering the importation of essential raw materials. In particular, these regulations had proven burdensome to the operations of Ecuador's only tuna-canning company engaged in the export of canned tuna. This company, a United States owned enterprise, is located at the west central seaport of Manta. Company officials have complained bitterly in the past regarding difficulties they had experienced in obtaining official permission for the importation of such needed materials as tin plate, soybean oil, and spare parts and equipment for both fishing and pack ing. The necessity of complying with complicated regulations, in the company's opinion, severely restricted efforts to promote the development of both exports of canned tuna from Ecuador and an increase in domestic market sales. Apparently as a result of repeated company approaches to secure an improvement in these conditions, the Ecuadoran Government in mid-September 1958 approved an official decree providing for substantial relaxation in regulations affecting imports by fish canning companies. According to Guayaquil news reports, article one of the new decree, which reportedly became effective on September 18, provides that fishing companies which have been duly authorized by the Government to operate in Ecuador, and which are engaged in the export of fish products which have been prepared and canned in Ecuador, shall no longer be required to obtain the advance permission of the Exchange Department of the Central Bank of Ecuador in order to import, with their own foreign exchange, equipment spare parts, accessories, and other materials needed for the development of their activities, and which were previously classified in the import lists annexed to existing foreign exchange regulations. News reports regarding this decree also stated that this relaxation in regulations had been approved by the Government in order to promote greater development of the national fishing industry. Company officials are hopeful that with approval of this decree they will have no further difficulty in maintaining adequate stocks of both canning materials, spare parts, and accessories for plant operations, states an October 22, 1958, dispatch from the United States consulate at Guayaquil. France FORCED COLD-AIR DRAUGHT IN Savings in the cost of ice used on a trawler of as much as 60 percent can be attained by the introduction of a forced draught of refrigerated air into the holds. In addition, the quality of the fish is much improved, according to claims made by a French company specializing in the installation of refrigerated holds in fishing vessels. They are based on the results actually obtained in trawlers fitted out by the company. France (Contd.): Methods in use, of course, keep the hold cool by the use of a "cold bank" situated generally at the top of the hold. But while this cools the air in its vicinity and to some extent the shelves nearby, the lower ones are relatively unaffected. In the process used by the French company, cold air is forced through to every part of the hold, thereby keeping the fish at a constant temperature throughout its mass. In fact tests taken by plunging a thermometer into the body of fish and recorded daily throughout the return trip from the fishing grounds show a curve descending gradually to 28° F. and rising slowly to 30° F. during the ten-day voyage. It is not generally known that a temperature slightly subfreezing is the ideal for fish preservation, particularly in the case of fish caught in northern waters; for the fact is that the colder the waters in which fish live, the more resistant to refrigeration are the bacteria found on it. Subfreezing temperatures are impossible by the use of ice alone. When a hold is refrigerated by the French company's process care is taken at the outset that the insulation is as perfect as possible. A thickness of cork of 8-10 inches or its equivalent in other material is the minimum that should be permitted. The hold is then divided into compartments both laterally and horizontally, but with openings at the top of each so that the cooled air can pass readily from one to the other. In effect, a current of refrigerated air is introduced through trunking to the space between the outside of the hold and the walls of the compartments, being forced through by a powerful fan. This finds its way, indeed is forced through by the constant pressure behind it, by way of the vents situated at the top of each compartment and eventually to the opposite side of the hold whence it is led back to the refrigeration plant so that the cycle is continuous. The evaporators which produce the cold air are situated in the space immediately behind the hold. They consist of a bank of gilled pipes made of brass and set into cubic form. This way the heat-exchange co-efficient is high and a rapid reduction in the temperature of the air passing over them is possible. The fan motors can be supplied either 24 volt d.c. or 110 volt a.c., single or 3-phase. It is essential because of the humid atmosphere in which they work that they are fully enclosed. The whole of the plant, including the trunking and the double walls to the hold which form the passageways for the air current, are made and mounted in such fashion that they can be taken down with ease to permit the necessary cleaning between voyages. The flow of refrigerated air does not dispense with the use of ice in the hold; but by keeping the air circulating round it at subfreezing temperature it reduces its melting point to an extent that an ice saving of 60 percent is possible. It is important, too, to note that the temperature recorded in the interior of the fish was always below freezing. When ice alone is used a difference of several degrees is often recorded. The French company's process is protected by a British patent and arrangements are now being made for its exploitation in the United Kingdom. (The Fishing News, September 12, 1958.) The United States market for sponges is overstocked and few sales of this season's crop are expected in that market, according to the Greek fishery periodical Alieia. The western European sponge buyers are expected to delay purchasing in the hope of lower prices. However, the demand for second- and third-quality sponges by the eastern European market is better. German Democratic Republic EAST GERMAN FISHING FLEET In spite of its large fishing fleet, the East German fishing industry can supply only about 25 percent of the country's fish needs, according to an article which appeared in the West German fishery periodical Allgemeine Fischwirtschaftszeitung. Technical deficiencies of the fleet and the long trips which East German fishing vessels must make to reach their catching grounds are primarily the reasons for the fleet's inability to supply the needed fish. East German fishing vessels, as a result, can utilize only 50 percent of their present productive capacity. The Russians have not given any heed to requests made by the East German Government for permission to use Murmansk as a base of operations for their fishing activities. The author of the article says plans have been made in East Germany to build factory trawlers capable of staying out at sea for two months, but it may take until 1965 before such vessels will be placed into service. ** Greece SPONGE FISHERY TRENDS: Prices for this season's sponge catch are expected to be about 4-7 drachmas (about 13-23 U. S. cents) higher due to the better quality of the sponges from waters off Egypt and Cyrenaica. FISHERY TRENDS: During the past five years, two Stateowned fishery combines have been established in Sassnitz and Rostock in the Soviet Zone of Germany. The fishing fleet operated by these combines is relatively large: 200 deep-sea cutters, 35 luggers, and 24 trawlers. Besides the two combines, there exist numerous fishery cooperatives on the Baltic coast, op |