in 1958-66 (table 2), and fishing in these years began 

 between March and early May and continued into 

 October. The effort increased in both 1959 and 1960 

 and remained at a high level through 1962. The annual 

 catch increased from 31.200 tons in 1958 to an 

 estimated 440,000 tons in 1962, but the catch per unit 

 of effort and average size of the species decreased in 

 these years. This development combined with a 

 depressed world meal market at that time led to a 

 reduction of effort in 1963. The number of vessels 

 varied widely in 1963-66, and so did the annua! catches 

 which ranged from an estimated 180,000 tons in 1963 

 to an estimated 350,000 tons in 1966. 



Table 2.— Number of vessels in the Japanese fish meal 

 and oil fishery off Alaska, 1958-66 



Factory ships 



Trawlers 



1958 

 1959 

 1960 

 1961 

 1962 

 1963 

 1964 

 1965 

 1966 



Dumber 

 1 

 2 

 5 

 5 

 It 

 2 

 I, 

 3 

 4 



Number 



20 



44 



125-135 



125-135 



112 



54 



119 



65 



Japanese factory ship and two of her accompanying trawlers in 

 the eastern Bering Sea. The trawlers' catches of groundfish are 

 delivered to the factory ship primarily for production of fish 

 meal and oil and minced fish meat. 



In a typical fish meal and oil operation, the trawlers 

 fish within a 5- to 10-nautical mile radius of their factory 

 ship, which is generally anchored, and deliver their 

 catches to the factory ship for processing. Several of the 

 trawlers use otter trawls with detachable cod ends. As 

 they approach the factory ship, these vessels are met by 

 a "kawasaki" (work boat), which carries a cable leading 

 from a winch on the factory ship. The cable is attached 



to the cod end filled with fish, and the entire cod end is 

 hauled aboard the factory ship. The trawler gels an 

 empty cod end from the kawasaki and resumes fishing. 

 The cod end with fish is emptied on deck of the factory 

 ship. The large flounders (mostly yellowfin sole) and 

 othci desiiable bpctics aie selected lium ihc cali-hcb and 

 are frozen. The remaining fish are reduced to meal and 

 oil. In 1966 at least one of the fish meal and oil factory 

 ships in the eastern Bering Sea used walleye pollock to 

 make minced fish meat. Minced fish meat is an 

 ingredient in fish sausage and cake in Japan. 



The larger sole and other desirable species of fish being selected 

 from tons of groundfish on deck of a Japanese factory ship in 

 the eastern Bering Sea. The selected fish are frozen for human 

 consumption, and the remaining mass of fish are reduced into 

 meal and oil or made into minced fish meat. 



Groundfish stored in bins on deck of a Japanese factory ship in 

 the eastern Bering Sea. After the desirable fish to be frozen for 

 human consumption have been removed from the catches 

 delivered to factory ships, the fish are stored on deck for 

 subsequent conveyance below deck where facilities for reduction 

 and minced meat production are located. 



