pasture lands. Zones of low productivity, not exceeding the 

 productivity of deserts, occupies some 63% of the area of the ocean. 

 The 37% of the ocean occupied by productive regions accounts for over 

 70% of the primary production. The edible benthos is still more 

 strongly restricted to the periphery of the ocean, 58% being 

 concentrated at depths of less than 200 m and 90% at depths of less than 

 100 m. 



According to approximate calculations, the total quantity of 

 zooplankton accessible to animals of higher trophic levels, principally 

 fish, is about 6-20 billion tons. The biomass of the benthos is 

 relatively low, not over 2.5 billion tons within the limits of the 

 commercial depths (down to 1,000 m) , including about 1 billion tons of 

 edible benthos. 



The results of complex oceanographic and fishing-industry studies 

 of the World Ocean, undertaken in recent years, have allowed us to 

 direct the development of Soviet fishing primarily toward the 

 utilization of the biologic resources of the ocean which, in combination 

 with the construction of a large, modern fishing fleet, has allowed us 

 to achieve a rapid increase in the total catch and significant 

 improvement in the quality of fish products supplied to our 

 population. At the present time, the sea and ocean fishing industry of 

 the USSR provides over 90% of the total fish catch eaten in the nation, 

 and it is assumed that this industry will continue to play a dominant 

 role in Soviet fishing in the future (Table 3). 



Table 3. USSR fish catch (t-lO^). 



Catch 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1975 



Thousands of Soviet fishing, transportation and processing ships, 

 utilizing the stock of fish available in the World Ocean, achieved an 

 increase of the fish catcii of the USSR from 2.7 to 10.3*10° t in 1955- 

 1975. During these years, some 55 million tons of seafood were 

 caught. The Soviet catch today represents about 14% of the world's 

 production of seafood. 



The increase in the total catch of sea fish has occurred primarily 

 on the continental shelf and in the upper portion of the continental 

 slope, as well as peripheral oceanic regions, especially in the southern 

 hemisphere, which is less extensively fished. At the same time, there 

 has been a relative decrease in the significance of traditional species 



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