CHAPTER 5 



The Bottom Fisheries 



John A. Peters 



The various terms bottom fish, ground fish, and demersal fish are used 

 to describe the kinds of fish that five on or near the ocean bottom in a 

 range ordinarily limited by the continental shelf. On the East Coast of 

 the United States this range extends out in places over 200 miles, while 

 the West Coast is characterized by a much narrower shelf extending only 

 about 10 miles. On this relatively narrow strip of ocean floor live and 

 breed the fish which together comprise one of the most lucrative fisheries 

 of the United States. In New England, ocean perch, haddock, whiting, 

 cod, pollock, and the various flounders and soles are the most important 

 of New England's fisheries resources. These, plus the West Coast species 

 such as halibut, rockfishes (including Pacific Ocean perch), Pacific cod, 

 and the "soles" native to that coast, account for over 13 per cent of the 

 fish landed in the United States with total landings of about 674 million 

 pounds valued at 47 million dollars^ ^ 



In the following sections the handling methods that are used aboard 

 the vessel and ashore for these important species are described in detail. 



Haddock 



The haddock fishery is presently New England's most valuable ground 

 fish resource. With landings of 112,629,000 pounds in 1959, this fishery 

 nationally ranked 11th both in pounds landed and in value of the catch ^^ 

 Landings have varied greatly in the past, ranging from a high of about 

 294 million pounds in 1929 to a low of 45 million in 1934. The growth 



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