Evening star., 1943-02-03
llael I! paIimentaI
batae Being Waged
For Fisheries Control
White House Moy Act;
Producers Say Struggle
Is Threat to Output
By JAMES 7. NEWTON.

A battle for control Of the Ma.
tons billion dollar fishing anc
seafood industry between the In
terror and Agricultural Depart
ments Is In full swing and appar.
emily headed for decision at the
White House, 1t was learned TO-
day.
Unless the jurisdfctional contro.
versy can be settled promptly, Of
dcials say, there is real danger thai
. major portion OF the industry
which is called on to supply vita
part Of the country's wartime diet
may be destroyed. The industry
already hard hit by war restrictions
and loss Of ships to- the Govern.
ment, was described by q spokesman
q being in . chaotic condition"
A member Of Congress declared
that fishery Organizations to-day
are In the worst condition in history
ut . time when they ARE expected
TO take an even more important
part IN keeping the people and our
armed forces well feds
Although effective1y IN the mid
die" In the interdepartnental squab-
ble, men Of the industry, from the
shrimp picker of the Gulf Coast to
the hardy boatsman Of. New Eng
land, apparently are nearly 100 per
cent for giving control to Secretary
OF Agriculture Wickard's War Food
Administration. The only dissent
Ing voice, it was said, comes from
the salmon industry Of the North
west Pacific and Alaska.
Don't Keep Silent.
The fishermen, including those Of
Chesapeake Bay, could not be
termed inarticulate in expressing
their views. They have called on
Government oflcials all the way up
the line to the White House. They
have flooded Congress with tele-
grams. They have considerable con-
gressional backing which makes q
shambles Of party lines. The march
on the White House seems to be
from three directions. directly from
the industry, from the two depart
ments concerned and from Con-
gress.
All ofncials, however, express
grave concern over what already
has happened TO- the seafcod in
dustry and what can happen unless
corrective measures are soon taken.
Seafood production last year, 1t is
pointed out, dropped 0,OOO, 900
pounds below io4l. The total an
nual catch Of the hundreds Of types
Of fish and shelldsh. many inedible,
was estimated. at $500 ,000, 900
pounds. Seafood in normal times
was consumed at + per capita rate
Of II pounds year. As war con-
tinues, seafood will be counted on
to take up the: slack in diet caused
by shortages Of meat and other pro-
teins.
Control over the commercial fish-
Ing industry has rested with the
Interior Departments Fish and
Wildfire Service since the President's :
reorganization several years ago
abolished the Hhreau lof Fisheries
and transferred responsibility from
the Commerce Department. The
seafood people say they have bean
treated like : "stepchild" BY the
Interior Department. The main In
terests Of the Fish and Wildfre
Service, they add, are with dshings
rs Z sport, rodent control and the
welfare Of migratory birds. The
service. they charge, not only has
retarded development Of CONNER
cial fishing, but through inaction,
nearly destroyed II.
Took Hundreds ef-Boats.
The Government has taken hun
dreds Of fishing boats, ranging in
size from ocean-going trawlers to
small craft, for coastal patrol work.
As the war effort is intensified and
increased. restrictions are placed on
materials An industry spokesman
said the Fish and Wildlife Service
has done nothing to help them solve
their problems, either in getting
materials for new boats and other
equipment or in obtaining cans in
which to pack their products.
Finally, last spring, War Produc-
tion Chief Donald M. Nelson set up
. fisheries section In the WPBs
Food Division. Agriculture Depart
ment established . section to handle
Government purchases of seafood
for the armed forces and lease
lend. L. T. Hopkinson, a fisheries
expert was borrowed from the Tar
III Commission to head both omces.
From that day on, industry men
claim. they got action" They are
solidly behind Mr.. Hopkinson.
Following Mr.. Roosevelt's early
December executive order establish
ing Mr.. Wickard as food admins
traitor, Mr.. Hopkinson's fisheries
section, along with other portions
of WPB's Food Division, was trans
ferred to the Agriculture Depart
ment. Recruitment of an effective
organization to cope with all phases
"a eAaS CSdAoOA HOOACll WdC SC0It leu.
In recent weeks, seafood men say,
they heard that the Interior De-
partment sought complete control
of the industry and had requested
transfer Of Mr. Hopkinsons section.
A spokesman declared the ensuing
fight sent Agriculture's plans into
q tailspin."
Called "Voiceferous Minority,
r. N. Gabrielson, head of the Fish
and Wildlife Service, said Interior
merely is attempting to work out q
system to prevent duplication of ef-
fort In the two departments. He de-
clared that he did not believe a ma
jority Of the industry was backing
the move to Agriculture, but rather q
vociferous minority.
Seafood industry men are de-
manding an executive order from
President Roosevelt placing them
permanently under Mr.. Wickard
This week they circulated Sea
food Industry Manifesto on Govern
ment Relations" which voiced thei1
demand and the reasons for it. The
paper was signed by "a associat ton.