48 SALMON GEAR LIMITATION 



mum indivisible unit is one day of fishing, and the present 

 fleet is capable of catching a dangerously large proportion of 

 given populations in even one day. 



We conclude that there are substantial advantages, in terms of 

 both sound management and economic benefit, to be gained from 

 reducing the size of the salmon fleet of Puget Sound from present 

 levels. Again, neglecting for the moment the question of how to 

 accomplish this, how far should the reduction go? One has only to 

 glance at the catch statistics, particularly for the dominant pink 

 and sockeye salmon, to realize that wide variations in the availability 

 of fish — sometimes predicted and sometimes not — are the rule 

 rather than the exception. Clearly, then, we cannot expect to find 

 one level of fishing capacity that is ideal for all circumstances. If 

 the fleet is cut down too far, it may be unable to harvest fully ab- 

 normally large runs, particularly if they are unexpected. On the 

 other hand the fundamental goal of the industry is to obtain the 

 largest net economic benefit from the resource, and it is unwise to 

 maintain a large and costly standby fleet, just to be sure of harvesting 

 the occasional unpredicted large run. 



The proper answer hinges on a number of factors that cannot 

 be answered fully except in the light of experience. A major con- 

 sideration is the question of how the reduction in the fleet is accom- 

 plished. If it is done by methods which tend to leave the more 

 skilled and professional fishermen in possession of licenses, then 

 the reduction in gear will not bring a proportionate reduction in 

 harvesting capacity. Moreover, on a four- or five-day fishing week 

 there is still room for a considerable increase in the intensity of 

 fishing eff"ort if the size of the runs warrants it. It has been pointed 

 out that the real problem occurs only when an unexpectedly large 

 group of fish appears at the very start of the season. Given three 

 or four days notice, emergency procedures could easily be devised 

 for licensing additional vessels attracted from Alaska. 



The detailed analysis summarized in the third section of this 

 report suggests that a reduction of one-third would represent a safe 

 target. The fleet would still have ample catching capacity, yet the 

 reduction would be large enough to produce important benefits in the 

 form of higher incomes and more effective management. As long as 

 flexible control over fishing time is retained, a moderate amount of 

 capacity in excess of that required for an average year would seem 

 to be suflicient for a fully economic operation, and the time required 



