FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 79, NO 2 



nmi. Similar curves result for vessel 2. It can be 

 easily seen that under the port delivery mode a 

 large increase in break-even price results from 

 increasing the distance from 65 to 220 nmi (at 10 

 t/d these prices are $414/t and $545/t, a 32% in- 

 crease). Under the sea delivery mode, however, the 

 increased distance results in only a 6% increase in 

 price ($289/t to $305/t at 10 t/d). Thus, any esti- 

 mates of feasibility for the sea delivery mode are 

 liable to be insensitive to changes in the distance 

 to the fishing ground. 



Feasibility of Groundfish Harvest 



Table 5 lists the average species composition of 

 the catches of three U.S. vessels fishing for two 

 joint venture corporations in the Gulf of Alaska 

 during 1979 and presumably targeting on Pacific 

 cod and walleye pollock. In addition, the species 

 composition obtained by Soviet factory trawlers 

 targeting on sole in the Bering Sea and Korean 

 factory trawlers targeting on walleye pollock in 

 the Aleutians during 1978 is given (National 

 Marine Fisheries Service^^). Also listed in Table 5 



'^National Marine Fisheries Service, Foreign Observer De- 

 partment. 1980. Unpubl. manuscr., n.p. Northwest and 

 Alaska Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 

 NOAA, Seattle, WA 98112, 



Table 5. — Recent ex-vessel prices offered by a joint venture 

 corporation and average species composition and average catch 

 rates of groundfish taken by: 1) U.S. vessels fishing for joint 

 ventures in the Gulf of Alaska during 1979, 2) Soviet factory 

 trawlers fishing in the eastern Bering Sea during 1978, and 3) 

 Korean factory trawlers fishing in the Aleutians area during 

 1978. Source: National Marine Fisheries Service itext footnote 

 14). 



Species 



Ex-vessel 

 price 



Percentage composition 



are the ex- vessel prices offered by one of the joint 

 venture firms as of the end of 1979. If U.S. trawlers 

 catch the same species mix and receive the same 

 prices, the expected average ex-vessel price per 

 metric ton will be $169 if targeting on Pacific cod 

 and walleye pollock, $217 if targeting on sole, and 

 $121 if targeting on walleye pollock. Table 6 pre- 

 sents the average catch rates, as predicted by the 

 model, which would allow owners of vessel types 1 

 and 2 to break even, given the expected ex-vessel 

 price and operating conditions for each of the three 

 targeting strategies. I would now like to deter- 

 mine if these catch rates are feasible. Unfortu- 

 nately, since the trawl fishery for groundfish in 

 western Alaska is new to U.S. vessels, there is a 

 paucity of U.S. commercial catch rate data. 



Although the average catch rate for the three 

 U.S. vessels fishing for joint ventures in 1979 was 

 not available, a single U.S. vessel (25 m in length) 

 fishing experimentally for one of the joint venture 

 companies in the Shumagin area during 1978 av- 

 eraged 11.8 t/d on the grounds. This vessel fished 

 for only a short period, but the catch rate steadily 

 increased from 4.8 to 22.3 t/d as the weather im- 

 proved and experience was gained (Ely^^). In light 

 of these results, the catch rates of 17 and 9 t/d 

 required by vessel types 1 and 2, if targeting on 

 Pacific cod and walleye pollock and delivering to a 

 floating processor, are considered feasible. Even 

 the catch rates of 25 and 13 t/d required by the 

 same vessels if landing their catch in port may be 

 feasible; however, the vessel owner's margin for 

 profit (if any) is substantially reduced. Again, 

 these catch rates are fairly sensitive to the price of 

 fuel (considered here to be $0,277/1). An increase 

 in the price of fuel to, say $0,528/1 ($2.00/gal) 

 without a subsequent increase in groundfish 

 prices, would lead to required catch rates of 21 and 



'Yellowfin sole and Alaska plaice. 



'■"■R. C. Ely, American Fisheries Corporation, Anchorage, AK 

 99503. Report on progress of the KMIDC'Davenny pollock joint 

 venture in the Gulf of Alaska. Report given to the North Pacific 

 Fishery Management Council in public hearings. November 30, 

 1978. 



Table 6.— Expected ex-vessel prices and required break-even catch rates by target 

 strategy, vessel type, and mode of operation. 



Required break-even catch rate 

 (td on grounds) 



310 



