The decline in the rate of catch has caused voyages to 

 lengthen. This has raised problems of maintaining standards 

 of quality. Boxing the catch at sea in up-to-date containers has 

 been tried out on a pilot scale from several trawling ports in 

 the past eighteen months. Much valuable information has 

 been gained about the suitability of box design and methods 

 of handling, stowage and landing of the boxes. 



A possible alternative method to straightforward stowage of 

 fish in ice, which stops short of freezing at sea, has been the 

 subject of intensive study recently. Known as superchilling, 

 the technique is already in use aboard Portuguese trawlers and 

 the possibility of applying the principle to British trawlers is 

 being examined. It has long been known that bacterial spoil- 

 age, which is slowed down by keeping fish at ice temperature, 

 can be reduced further by lowering the temperature of stowage 

 a few degrees below 32° Fahrenheit. It is now possible to de- 

 vise fish rooms that can maintain the iced fish at an accurately 

 controlled temperature of about 28° Fahrenheit, with the result 

 that the useful storage life of the fish can be extended by about 

 a week. 



The possibility of carrying out commercial trials with the 

 new method is being considered, following a demonstration of 

 examples of super-chilled fish prepared experimentally. One 

 disadvantage of the method is that the fish are partially frozen 

 at this low temperature and need to be allowed to warm a little, 

 either just before or just after landing, to make them soft enough 

 for filleting and processing. Another drawback is that there is 

 some loss of textural quality, with slightly increased drip loss on 

 thawing. Moreover, the costs involved are quite substantial so 

 that it might prove more economical to go one step further by 

 installing facilities for quick-freezing instead. 



A number of distant water trawlers are now earning some an- 

 tibiotic ice for fish stowage as a means of extending the shelf 

 life of the earliest-caught part of the catch. 



Research into all aspects of freezing at sea is continuing apace. 

 Experimental work is now being concentrated on improving 

 the design of freezing plant for use in these vessels and on further 

 development of a number of types of thawing plant for use on 

 shore to handle the frozen catches coming in. 



Research is also continuing on the problems associated with 

 the freezing at sea of fish fillets. Because of problems of rigor 

 mortis, these do not behave during freezing in quite the same 

 way as whole fish if the fish are processed immediately after 

 catching. 



As a result of an extensive series of measurements taken 

 during normal operating conditions, a much more compre- 

 hensive picture is now available of the exact requirements 

 of the trawl winch and main propulsion systems of stern-fishing 

 freezer trawlers. These investigations also led to suggested 

 changes in operating practice that should lead to useful savings 

 in time, fuel and wear and tear on fishing gear. They also 

 show the need for improved winch brakes and controls as 

 well as the desirability of instruments to indicate to the skipper 

 the tension in the trawl warps. Prototype warp meters have 

 been installed for trial in two vessels already and the skippers 

 have been enthusiastic in their reception of this new fishing aid. 



The British Fishing Industry has recognised that the taking 

 of measurements of the kind just described in commercial fish- 

 ing conditions can form a sound basis for the development of 

 improved ships and equipment. For this reason several owners 

 have provided permanent facilities for research workers in their 

 new vessels. The study of the speed of these ships in a seaway 

 as compared with measured mile performance and the re- 

 cording of stresses, motion, fuel consumption and other factors 

 affecting costs and performance have begun — using automatic 

 recorders and experimental data loggers as well as human ob- 

 servers. Moreover, work is now in hand to develop a system 

 by which the skipper will be continuously informed of net 

 spread, headline height and other matters concerning the trawl 

 and its behaviour when being towed along the sea bed. 



We in Britain are far from alone in giving this added 

 emphasis to research and development. The pee of techno- 

 logical change is quickening throughout the fishing industries 

 of the world and there is now a much greater interest in finding 

 out what the other man is doing. I am confident, therefore, 

 that we can look to continued improvements in gear and 

 methods of fishing. But all such improvements merely add 

 to the intensity of fishing that is already increasing rapidly with 

 the growth of the Japanese and Communist fishing fleets. 

 While nothing must be done to arrest or slow down the rate of 

 economic progress, we must not let mislead to our ruin:, the 

 international control of the fishing intensity together with other 

 effective measures of conservation and international means 

 of enforcement are imperative if commercial fishing industries 

 are to continue making their contribution to the satisfaction 

 k of growing world demands for protein. 



Undoubtedly there are many areas of the sea which are 

 virtually virgin. The east coast of South America readily 

 springs to mind, but there are difficulties in establishing shore 

 bases and factories in some countries in that area. Again, 

 there are many prolific grounds in the Arabian Sea and the 

 Arabian Gulf but the varieties of fish found there are not those 

 to which our consumers are accustomed. We may be faced, 

 however, with the need to reeducate the public. In any event, 

 much more needs to be done to explore and to assess the 

 value of fishing grounds the world over. While the intensive 

 fish farming of inland lakes may provide a long-term answer 

 to increasing supplies of certain varieties on a commercial 

 basis, it must be the world's oceans that continue to provide 

 the bulk of the world's fish supplies. 



Let us hope that our effectiveness as fish killers does not 

 for long continue to outpace our effectiveness as fish con- 

 servers. The present disparity between the two unfortunately 

 finds its reflection in this paper. I cannot pretend to have 

 said much on harvesting proper; my emphasis has been on 

 more efficient means of tracking down and killing our quarry — 

 on improving our prowess as hunters — while adding my cry 

 against the consequences of our actions. I trust that those 

 who at this Conference are concerned with conservation can 

 hold out the prospect of an early redress of the situation — a 

 transformation of hunting into husbandry, of a kill into a 

 harvest — where we can all boast of being at work, as at home, 

 good husbands! 



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