Emerson Yorke Studio presents “Fish is Food”, a short 1946 film about the fishing industry. This film was released by Young American Market Films, a leading distributor of educational movies for the classroom. The film explains the importance of the sea in supplying humans with food as well as the complex process that is required in order to supply a large city with fish. The credit screen details Chet Santon as the narrator (:16). Departments which took part in the film’s development include the Fish and Wildlife Service US Department of the Interior and the city of New York Department of Markets (:25). The silver screen opens on a slumbering woman’s face (:42). Delivery trucks move through the night (:53). Packages are moved from a ventilator and refrigeration unit (1:01). Dawn moves over the city (1:10). The Fulton Market building in New York appears (1:12). Fulton market is the center of one of the world’s largest fish markets (1:16). A bell rings out and vendors jump to work to supply the city with fish (1:20). Skyscrapers of New York’s financial and business district follows (1:31). Workers move crates of fish to be delivered to stores, hotels and restaurants through the city (1:51). Images follow from a wholesale firm (2:10). Fish are weighed on a large scale (2:18). An inspector from the Board of Health inspects the quality (2:30). Tank cars unload their catch (2:48). Shellfish are sold live at the market (2:53). An employee of a firm works with smoked fish (3:14). Fish are brine bathed and hung above a fire (3:22). Massive green sea turtles appear at another firm (3:33). A massive bluefin tuna is inspected (3:40). Carts of fish are rolled through the market (3:55). A drag net fisherman sorts his net (4:10). Merchant fishing vessel drift in the Gulf of Mexico (4:14). A catch of red snapper appears (4:17). A map notes trout and flounder are sourced from the northern portions of the country (4:33). Haddock and cod are serviced from the Atlantic (4:40). Fishermen work off the middle Atlantic coast (5:20). Great nets are drug up (5:30). A thick catch of mackerel is carted up (5:37). Shell fish are caught in coastal waters (5:55). A harvest of oysters is pulled into a small fishing boat (6:14). Oyster shells are shucked and stuffed into cans (6:27). Fish are weighed and packed in ice (6:49). The captain delivers his receipts (7:25) to the wholesalers. Crew members share in the profits (7:30). Fish prices are discussed (7:41). Daily reports are made by city and government market services to the city’s radio station (7:46). The municipal building in New York is pictured (7:51). A radio host dictates the numbers for listeners (7:56). A housewife (8:04), and restaurant chef listen from their kitchens (8:08). A hotel supply company (8:20) dresses and prepares fish. A swordfish is cut for steaks (8:30). A band saw slices through a frozen fish (8:39). An electric scaler is put to use (8:45). Other fish are split into filets (9:04). Filets are skinned (9:16). These are packed into tin containers (9:18). Orders are prepared for transport (9:25). Consumer’s clog the alleys of the neighborhood grocery store (9:31). A female shopper chooses her selection of fish (9:46). Restaurant displays appear enticing guests to order fish or shellfish (9:57). Closing scenes show a family dining at a restaurant (10:31). This film was produced by Emerson Yorke Studio (10:42).

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