Fin whale killed bv Soviet whale killer vessel. After the whales 

 are killed, they are filled with air and marked with buoys, radar 

 reflectors, and sometimes radio transmitters for pickup by 

 factory ships. 



two fleets apparently operated far offshore in the central 

 and eastern North Pacific. In 1966, as in the previous 3 

 years, one fleet was to hunt whales in the North Pacific 

 on its return to tlie Soviet Union from the Antarctic. In 

 late May the Far East Fisheries Administration received 

 another whale factory sliip and announced that the ship 

 would also operate in the North Pacific in 1966. 



The number of whales killed in the North Pacific by 

 the Soviets has increased annually, rising from 1,881 in 

 1959 to 12,267 in 1966 (table 8). 



Table 8.-U.S.S.R. North Pacific whale harvest, 1959-66 



Norsk Hvalfangst-Tidende, 1965 and 1966. 



Taken for research. 



HALIBUT AND SABLEFISH FISHERY 



In recent years the Soviets have remarked on the 

 resources of halibut and sablefish off Alaska. Despite 

 these usually optimistic reports, there is no evidence that 

 the Soviets have developed a commercial-scale fishery 



for these species. It must be borne in mind that Soviet 

 references to halibut usually include species other than 

 Pacific halibut, on which the long-standing United States 

 and Canadian halibut fishery relies. Soviet references to 

 halibut include Greenland halibut, arrowtooth flounder, 

 and Asiatic arrowtooth flounder (Lestev, 1963. and 

 Novikov. 1960). 



There have been several fragmentary reports of Soviet 

 exploratory trawling for halibut in the Bering Sea. 

 According to Zakryzhevskiy and Kulikov (1963), one 

 such venture began in February 1962 by two research 

 trawlers which trawled at depths of 200 to 400 m. 

 (109-382 fathoms) in the southeastern and central 

 Bering Sea from the Krenitzin Islands near Unimak Pass 

 to long. 174° E. Favorable trawling bottom was located 

 and in addition to halibut, encouraging catches of 

 yellowfin sole, sablefish, flathead sole, pollock, cod, 

 rockfishes, and grenadiers were reportedly made. 



A Japanese trade journal stated that in October 1964 

 the Soviets dispatched three BMRT factory trawlers to 

 fish for halibut in the eastern Bering Sea. They were 

 reportedly to trawl in depths of 300 m. (160 fathoms). 

 These three factory trawlers were shortly joined by two 

 additional BMRT's, and all five fished in the central 

 Bering Sea well northwest of the Pribilof Islands. Their 

 quota was reportedly to be 16,500 tons. In 

 mid-December, two of the BMRT trawlers returned to 

 port to unload. One of these vessels reportedly caught 

 165 tons of halibut and 24 tons of sablefish. and the 

 other reportedly delivered 360 tons of halibut and 

 sablefish. By the end of December, the other trawlers 

 involved in this fishery began appearing in other areas, 

 fishing for other species. It is probable that ice 

 conditions forced termination of the fishery, and it 

 appears doubtful that the quota of 16,500 tons was 

 achieved. 



In October 1965 Soviet sources revealed that a group 

 of BMRT factory trawlers was to be dispatched to fish 

 for sablefish and halibut at depths of 500 to 600 m. 

 (250 to 300 fathoms) in the central Bering Sea. Results 

 of this expedition were never made known. 



In 1966 the Soviets continued to study the potential 

 for a halibut and sablefish fishery otT Alaska. There were 

 frequent reports of individual research vessels 

 conducting experimental trawling for halibut and 

 sablefish at depths of 200 to 750 fathoms in the North 

 Pacific and Bering Sea. Some of these vessels are known 

 to have operated on favored halibut fishing grounds off 

 Alaska. One SRTM freezer trawler cauglit 1 to 1.5 tons 

 of halibut and sablefish per individual drag or tow in the 

 Bering Sea during a 1 -month reconnaissance expedition. 

 Another research trawler in the central Bering Sea 

 cauglit up to 9 tons of halibut and sablefish per 1-hour 

 drag or tow in the central Bering Sea. 



Administrators of the Far East fisheries have 

 expressed the view that they prefer to keep the trawlers 

 engaged in the proven fisheries for perch, hake, flounder, 

 and shrimp rather than risk reequipping the vessels for a 

 somewhat speculative deep-water trawl fishery for 

 halibut and sablefish. It is quite conceivable, however, 

 that as more information is gathered on deep-water 

 trawling, the Soviets will initiate such a fishery in the 

 Alaska area. 



31 



