may be demonstrated by considering the 

 fisheries contribution to the net value of 

 total production in the area, its absorp- 

 tion of labor force, aind its role in the 

 manufacturing industries. 



The primaiy fishery in the Atlantic 

 Provinces contributes about 5 percent of 

 the net value of commodity production in 

 the area, (table II-5). In Newfoundland 

 and Nova Scotia, its share is about 7 per- 

 cent, in Prince Edward Island, about 8 per- 

 cent. Fishing operations for Canada as a 

 whole contribute only 0.6 percent of the 

 net value of commodity production. Fish 

 processing is a major part of the manufac- 

 turing complex of the Atlantic region. If 

 the net value of production contributed by 

 fish processing (i.e. the value added by 

 manufacturing to the raw material) is com- 

 bined with the net value contributed by 

 the primary fishery, the sum represents 

 nearly 9 percent of annual net product 

 values. In Newfoundland, the fishery 

 represents about one-eighth of the commod- 

 ity base of the Province; in Nova Scotia, 

 the figuiB is almost 11 percent. 



Fishing and fish processing in the 

 Maritime Provinces absorb proportionally 

 ten times as much of the labor force as in 

 New England, in Newfoundland, in 19^0, 

 fully 20 percent of the labor force wds in 

 the primary fishing industry, as contrasted 

 to 0.6 percent in all New England, (table 

 n-6). In New England, only 0.7 percent of 

 manufacturing employmsnt is based on fish 

 processing; 15.6 percent, or proportionally 

 twenty times more such employment, is so 

 oriented in the Atlantic Provinces, (table 

 II-7) . In Newfoundland and Prince Edward 

 Island over 25 percent of manufacturing 

 enployment is in fish processing. 



In terms of manufacturing employment 

 in 1955, fish processing was the leading 

 industry in Prince Edward Island and Nova 

 Scotia, second in Newfoundland, and third 

 in New Brunswick. In salaries and wages 

 paid, fishing processing was the leading 

 industry in Prince Edward Island, second 

 in Newfoundland, third in Nova Scotia, and 

 fourth in New Brunswick. In sales value 

 of. factory shipments, it ranked first in 

 Nova Scotia, second in Newfoundland and 

 Prince Edward Island, and third in New 

 Brunswick, (table II-8). 



Clearly, fishing and fishery related 

 activities play a prominent role in the 

 economic life of the Atlantic Provinces. 

 It is, moreover, an industry which, un- 

 like the coal industry of Nova Scotia, 

 continues to expand and to be one of the 

 inqjbrtant assets of the region. 



3. Structure Of The Fishing Industry 



As in New England, the most valuable 

 groundfish species landed on Canada's 

 Atlantic Coast are cod, haddock, and ocean 

 perch. Again as in New England, haddock, 

 on a value pejr pound basis is the most Im- 

 portant species, with cod and ocean perch 

 following in that order. Unlike New Eng- 

 land, however, in aggregate landings cod 

 is the largest income contributor followed 

 by haddock and ocean perch. 



The Canadian Atlantic Coast (includ- 

 ing Quebec) produced aggregate groundfish 

 landings 2.7 times that of New, England in 

 1957 with a landed value 1.2 times that of 

 the latter. While in New England, cod 

 accounted for only 10 percent of landings 

 and 11 percent of value, in Canada it 

 represented 73 percent of landings and 70 

 percent of value. Newfoundland fishermen 

 are especially dependent upon cod. It 

 has represented 60-65 percent of the value 

 of their landings in recent years. New- 

 foundland cod landings comprise about two- 

 thirds of the total for the Atlantic 

 region'. Haddock represented 55 percent of 

 the total value of groundfish in New Eng- 

 land but only 20 percent in Canada. Ocean 

 perch amounted to 28 percent of New Eng- 

 land's landed value but only 5 percent of 

 Canada's. Haddock and ocean perch each 

 represented Uo percent of New England 

 landings; in Canada combined they accounted 

 for only 20 percent of landings, (table 

 II-9) . 



Cod landings by Canadians are over 

 twenty times the amount caught by New Eng- 

 land fishermen. The Atlantic Provinces 

 land about as much haddock as New England, 

 while New England vessels caught about 

 three times as much ocean perch. Canadian 

 fishermen caught 1.7 times as much pollock 

 and 2.3 times as much hake and cusk as 

 New Englanders. 



16 



