Fishery products

_{-- F i s h e r y p r o d u c t s --} _{click on the question number for the answer}
Q 1.
	Is anything being done to ascertain the possibilities of a tuna fishery on the East Coast of the United States?
Q 2.
	What marine body of water produces the most fish for its size?
Q 3.
	What is the principal fishing nation of the world?
Q 4.
	Is it true that we have depleted our fisheries so that we have reached the limit of the amount the ocean can contribute to the world's food supply?
Q 5.
	Please give me any information concerning the Red Snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Q 6.
	How far north can fishing be carried out in the Atlantic?
Q 7.
	What country produces the most fish? Does Japan produce more than we do?
Q 8.
	I have recently moved here from New York City, and I want to know if there is any place in Florida where shad are caught? The shad I am speaking about is the one we catch in the Hudson River.
Q 9.
	Are American fishermen taking more or less fish from the sea this year as compared to last?
Q 10.
	Is the kingfish fishery seasonal? If it is, when are the kingfishes in the Miami area?
Q 11.
	Has the 200-mile limit law improved the status of the United States fishing industry?
Q 12.
	What is the proportion of discarded fish found in shrimp-trawl catches?


_{-- a n s w e r s a b o u t F i s h e r y p r o d u c t s --}
	Q&A 1.	Is anything being done to ascertain the possibilities of a tuna fishery on the East Coast of the United States?
	At present, the Fish and Wildlife Service of the federal government is doing exploratory work on the tuna, and this Laboratory is engaged in biological research on these species. Recently, the Fish are Wildlife Service vessel Oregon caught 28 yellow fin tuna, (Thunnus macropterus), in eleven sets of 300 hooks each. The smallest of these weighed 73 pounds, the largest 189 black fin tuna, (Thunnus atlanticus), averaging five to six pounds each were caught during this cruise. Surface fishing was eliminated when it was found that the best results were obtained at about 20 fathoms. However, the yellow fins were taken at various depths from the continental shelf shoreward. A major problem encountered in this hook and line fishery is that of the sharks. It was found that when the lines were brought aboard, the baits that were knocked off the empty hooks into the water acted as a chum for sharks. This, of course, resulted in the mass feeding of sharks on the hooked tuna. One member of the expedition "chummed" the sharks to the surface at the stern of has been done on bluefin tuna, (Thunnus thynnus), off the New England coast. There seems to be a reasonable hope that a substantial tuna fishery may be developed on the East Coast, but there is no likelihood that it will approach the size of the Pacific fishery.
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	Q&A 2.	What marine body of water produces the most fish for its size? Ft. Pierce, Florida
	The Sea of Azov in southern Russia is much the heaviest producer of fish for its size. Its present annual catch is 71 lbs. per acre. In second place is the Sea of Japan with 26 lbs. per acre and in last place is the Pacific Ocean with 1/2 lb. per acre.
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	Q&A 3.	What is the principal fishing nation of the world? New Orleans, Louisiana
	Japan takes this distinction with ease, producing about 25 billion pounds of fish a year. The U.S. is second with almost half the Japanese total. The Japanese islands are mountainous and only a relatively small part of the land is tillable with over 55 million people occupying an area of about 261,000 square miles. Hence, the greatest part of the protein food of these people must come from the sea. The coast lone of Japan is over 20,000 miles and every edible plant and animal occupying the coastal waters is utilized. A great many creatures which we consider useless are eaten by the Japanese. In addition to full utilization of their coastal waters the Japanese range over the world in search of fish. Their killer boats pursue whales in the Antarctic, mother ships can salmon and king crabs off Alaska, and Japanese boats exploit tuna all over the Pacific. The Japanese were the first to find and exploit the Mexican shrimp fisheries. These far-flung fishing activities have caused international rumblings in the past, and the salmon fishing by Japanese boats in the Bering Sea before World War II raised a storm of protest in the United States. Japan is now a party to a fisheries treaty with Canada and the United States which will help avoid such tensions in the future.
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	Q&A 4.	Is it true that we have depleted our fisheries so that we have reached the limit of the amount the ocean can contribute to the world's food supply? Houston, Texas
	No, it is certain that the sea can contribute more food for mankind. Since wild game is no longer a significant factor, agriculture and fisheries constitute the sole sources of food. Agriculture greatly overshadows fisheries, the latter contributing only about 3% of food products, worldwide. A strong suggestion that this figure could be increased is obtained from the fact that some countries such as Japan and Norway produce as much as 10% of their food from the sea. Certain familiar creatures along our shores could be used as food, although they are now virtually ignored. In the United States such things as mussels, squid and octopus, sea urchins and many other shellfish are not eaten to any extent. Many fishes are also discarded. Furthermore, exploration will certainly yield new stocks of fishes. For example, in recent years vast new populations of tuna have been discovered in the Pacific, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, careful management of our fish resources can increase the yields of many fisheries which are now producing much less than they could.
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	Q&A 5.	Please give me any information concerning the Red Snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. New Port Richey, Florida
	The commercial fishery lands many species of snappers. Lutjanus aya, the red snapper, is the main species in the catch. The red snapper is a deep-water fish, and is concentrated in relatively confined areas. Snappers usually school a few feet off the sea bottom, but have occasionally been observed to surface. The sea floor over which the fish are found commonly consists of patches of hard limestone covered with live coral. Irregular bottom formations such as depressions ("gullies") or elevations and fold ("rock piles" and "ridges") appear to be preferred habitats for red snappers. The depths at which L. aya are found range from less than 10 fathoms (60 feet) to approximately 80 fathoms. Red snappers are also the object of an important pleasure fishery. On the west coast of Florida, "party boats" sail mainly from Naples, Tampa, Cedar Keys, Carabelle, Panama City, Destin, Fort Walton and Pensacola, and fish within a distance of about 35 miles from the ports of origin, at depths between 8 and 35 fathoms.
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	Q&A 6.	How far north can fishing be carried out in the Atlantic? Canada
	Extremely good fishing is obtained in the Atlantic Ocean, where the depths are favorable, inside the Arctic Circle. For example, the Bear Island grounds at approximately 75 degrees North. Latitude are among the most productive in the world. For various reasons, the Arctic fishing grounds have not been fully explored: The rigorous climate discourages exploration and floating icebergs are a hazard to navigation; the fishing grounds there tend to be littered with boulders transported by the ice and trawling operations are hampered; the damage to gear restricts the amount of exploratory fishing which can be carried out and borne by private fishing companies; so long as fishing continues to be good on the known grounds in the north Atlantic the incentive to explore further north is lacking. Few government research vessels carry out extensive made on the closer European countries have focused their attention on the Arctic. They are steadily building a fleet of larger trawlers for Arctic work. Until recently, these vessels operated mainly at Iceland and Bear Island. Within the last few years, successful trips have been made to grounds off the southeast coast of Greenland. On these trips the expenses for fuel and gear were high and the working conditions for the crew rather unpleasant.
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	Q&A 7.	What country produces the most fish? Does Japan produce more than we do? Goodland, Florida
	In the recent statistics issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Japan is listed as the leading producer of fishery products, as it has been for many years. The Japanese produce approximately 17% of the world catch, followed by China, Russia and the United States (and Alaska) which produces about 9% of the world catch. It has been estimated that almost 50% of the world catch of fishery products was made by Asiatic countries, while somewhat over one-fourth was taken by European countries. North American countries account for about 13% of the total, and African countries about 6%.
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	Q&A 8.	I have recently moved here from New York City, and I want to know if there is any place in Florida where shad are caught? The shad I am speaking about is the one we catch in the Hudson River. New York City, New York
	The species of shad caught in the Hudson River is Alosa sapidissima. It occurs in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In Florida it is caught in the St. John's River system. The shad spends most of its life at sea, but migrates into fresh water to spawn. These migrations start in November or December in the St. John's River, Florida, and become progressively later in the rivers to the north. The annual commercial catch in Florida has recently exceeded 150,000 pounds.
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	Q&A 9.	Are American fishermen taking more or less fish from the sea this year as compared to last? Key West, Florida
	Although all the records have not been processed, it is believed that American fishermen took over 5 billion pounds of fish from the seas in 1956. If this is confirmed, it would set an all-time national record surpassing the 4.9 billion pound catch of 1941. Menhaden, a fish used primarily for oil and meal and usually comprising about 40% of the catch, was the leader in the first three quarters of 1956 with an increase of 200 million pounds. Other species which showed increases over their 1955 landings are Alaska salmon, California sardine, Maine sardine, Pacific mackerel, ocean perch, haddock and halibut.
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	Q&A 10.	Is the kingfish fishery seasonal? If it is, when are the kingfishes in the Miami area? Ft. Benning, Georgia
	The kingfish fishery is definitely a seasonal fishery. It begins in the latter part of October or in early November, depending upon the temperature, and extends into the spring, usually until around April.
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	Q&A 11.	Has the 200-mile limit law improved the status of the United States fishing industry? Mitchell, South Dakota
	The 1976 Fishery Conservation and Management Act has provided the United States fishing industry with its brightest outlook in 25 years, according to James P. Walsh, Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Domestic commercial fishermen landed a record 2.8 million metric tons with a dockside value of $1.9 billion in 1978, which was a 16-percent increase over 1977 landings and a 22-percent increase in value over 1977. In addition, the Act has developed a favorable investment climate in most sectors of the industry. The number of foreign fishing vessels off United States shores has been slashed from over 2,700 in 1975 to about 600 fishing vessels in 1978. The Act also has reduced the foreign catch within the 200-mile fishery conservation zone to about 1.7 million metric tons in 1978 from a high of 3.5 million metric tons in 1971. Walsh further reports that implementation of the Act has not been without thorny problems that still need to be resolved. He cites complications encountered in producing a management plan for salmon in the Northwest, difficulty of implementing the groundfish plan in New England, and the lack of certain information in the butterfish plan for the East Coast. Other problems have related to the fact that the Act clearly provides for regulation of both domestic and foreign fishermen; however, many American fishermen did not understand that the management provisions of the Act applied to them.
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	Q&A 12.	What is the proportion of discarded fish found in shrimp-trawl catches? Pensacola, Florida
	The by-catch-to-shrimp ratio ranges from 1:1 to over 30:1. The proportion of marketable and unmarketable fishes in shrimp trawls depends on many factors. These proportions vary with location, time of year, and the exact nature of the fishing gear. Overall estimates for the fish by-catch (that is, both marketable and unmarketable fish caught in shrimp trawls worldwide are 3 to 5 million tons per year. Between 24 to 69 percent of the by-catch may be marketable. The percentage that is marketable depends on local markets and the technologies available to process the small fishes that make up the bulk of the by-catch. Generally, even marketable fishes are discarded because of the cost of storing the fishes relative to storing shrimp. Shrimp are worth about 15 times more in the market than the small fishes. However, in some third and fourth world countries, practically all the catch is utilized.
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	Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Library University of Miami, FL USA 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149 Phone: 305 421 4060 Fax: 305 421 9306 E-mail: libcirc@rsmas.miami.edu		go to the top