GENERAL REVIEW 



Fishermen and vessels . In the United States, 168,013 fishermen operated 16,211 vessels (5 net tons or more) 

 and 86,983 other craft in 1975. This was an increase of 6,652 fishermen, 320 vessels, and 1,638 other craft 

 compared with 1974. 



Processed products . See "Processed fishery products" in this section. 



Alewives . Landings were 58.9 million pounds valued at $1.2 million, down 16 percent in volume and 19 

 percent in value compared with 1974. Production in Lake Michigan of 35.2 million pounds declined 23 

 percent; Chesapeake, 12.1 million pounds, 18 percent; South Atlantic, 6.0 million pounds, 5 percent; and 

 Middle Atlantic, 25,000 pounds, declined 4 percent. Landings in the New England States were 5.6 million 

 pounds, up 55 percent from 1974. The Gulf States had no production of alewives in 1975. 



Anchovies . See Section 7.— Pacific Coast Fisheries. 



Clams . Landings yielded 113.4 million pounds (meat weight) valued at $43.4 millionja decrease of 7 percent in 

 volume, but an increase of 5 percent in value compared with 1974. The principal reason for the decline in 

 harvest was a decline of 9 million pounds (10 percent) in surf clam landings. 



Surf clams were 77 percent of the total clam landings but only 29 percent of the value. Virginia 

 led in surf clam landings with 39.1 million pounds, 33 percent less than in 1974. New Jersey was second with 

 35.6 million pounds of meats, up 57 percent from the previous year. Virginia and New Jersey accounted for 

 86 percent of the total surf clam landings in 1975. 



Hard clams led in value of landings with 49 percent of the total, but only accounted for 13 

 percent of the total volume. Surf clams were second in value with 29 percent of the total. Soft clams were 

 third in both volume (8 percent) and value (20 percent). The remaining 2 percent of clam landings consisted 

 of cockle, geoduck, ocean quahog, razor, and mixed clams. The Middle Atlantic States led in both volume (47 

 percent) and value (51 percent) of landings followed by the Chesapeake States with 41 percent of the total 

 volume and 21 percent of the total value. 



Crabs . Landings of all species of crabs were 306.1 million pounds valued at $81.0 million, down 8 percent in 

 volume and 5 percent in value compared with 1974. Landings of all species of crabs declined except for 

 dungeness, king, and rock crabs. Landings of hard blue crabs were 134.7 million pounds— down 10 percent 

 from 1974, the record year. In the Chesapeake States, landings of hard blue crabs (59.1 million pounds) 

 decreased 10 percent; landings in the South Atlantic States (30.5 million) decreased 20 percent; and landings 

 in the Gulf States (38.7 million pounds) decreased 4 percent. However, landings from the Middle Atlantic 

 States of 6.4 million pounds increased 29 percent over 1974. Virginia led in production with 34.8 million 

 pounds, followed by Maryland with 24.3 million and Louisiana with 17.1 million pounds. The three States 

 together accounted for 25 percent of the total landings of hard blue crabs. Dungeness crab landings were 18.4 

 million pounds worth $11.4 million— 31 percent more in volume and 23 percent more in value than 1974. 

 Landings of king crab (97.6 million pounds) increased 3 percent, and were the highest since 1968. The snow 

 crab fishery (46.9 million pounds) showed a 27-percent decrease in landings in 1975, mainly because of poor 

 market conditions and high inventories in cold storage. A price dispute between fishermen and buyers almost 

 halted snow crab fishing during part of the 1975 fishing season. 



Flounders . Landings were 161.6 million pounds valued at $44.3 million, a decrease of 815,000 pounds, but an 

 increase of $8.5 million compared with 1974. The value increase was attributed mainly to the scarcity of the 

 yeUowtail flounder which caused prices to rise from an average of 25 cents per pound in 1974 to 36 cents per 

 pound in 1975. Landings from the Atlantic States accounted for 64 percent of the total flounder catch, 

 followed by the Pacific Coast States with 35 percent and the Gulf States with 1 percent. Landings of Pacific 

 flounders were 56.6 million pounds worth $8.6 million, an increase of 2.1 million pounds in volume and 

 $517,000 in value. Almost all of the U.S. catch of Atlantic flounders is taken in waters subject to the 

 regulations by the International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) catch 

 recommendations. The U.S. catch of yellowtail flounder, which has fallen steadily from 72.0 million pounds in 

 1972 to 42.9 million pounds in 1975, has been the subject of great concern. The ICNAF has sharply reduced 

 the yellowtail catch quota for aU nations and given the United States almost all (99 percent) of the total 

 allowable catch in 1975 and 1976 in waters off the U.S. Atlantic Coast. 



Groundfish . Landings of Atlantic groundfish (Atlantic ocean perch, cod, cusk, haddock, hakes, pollock, and 

 whiting) were 182.0 million pounds valued at $29.5 million, an increase of 6 percent in volume and 25 percent 

 in value over 1974. Larger landings of haddock (up 97 percent) and whiting (up 43 percent) were responsible 

 for the increase. Cod was the leading groundfish in both volume and value. Landings of Atlantic cod were 



