changing structiire of the fishery has 

 meant increased costs to the New England 

 fleet. Large trawlers, which account for 

 the bulk of ocean perch landings, (table 

 lV-3), cannot land sufficiently large 

 quantities by short trips to local grounds. 

 Consequently, trips must be made to the 

 more productive distant banks: the Grand 

 Bank and the Gulf of St, Lairrence. These 

 longer trips in large trawlers increase 

 almost every cost involved in fishing; 

 increased labor costs; increased food and 

 fuel costs; increased repair and mainte- 

 nar.ne ccstc; increased insurance costs. 

 CoTipcunding these increased costs is the 

 declining rate of catch per day on these 

 distant banks. When the rate of produc- 

 tivity reaches a point of stabilization 

 then, costs and prices may also stabilize 

 but the likelihood is that this will occur 

 at higher levels of cost. Little wonder 

 that, faced with the prospect of a high- 

 cost fishery, Gloucester has been gradu- 

 ally shifting to alternate species, prin- 

 cipally v±Liting. 



In contrast with Gloucester, landings 

 of ocean perch have been increasing stead- 

 ily in the Maine ports of Portland and 

 Rockland, (cf. table IV-1). These two ports 

 are heavily dependent on the ocean perch 

 fishery. Ocean perch landings in Portland 

 account for sone two- thirds of all food 

 fish landed; in Rockland, ocean perch 

 accounts for more than 90 percent of all 

 food fish landed. As a result, both ports 

 are very sensitive to any price decline 

 or increase in cost, 



God Resource 



In the 19th century, when NevT England 

 salted much of its fish, cod was the most 

 important fishery of the region. With the 

 introduction of quick-freezing and fillet- 

 ing, however, the salt cod trade declined 

 as the market for other species developed. 

 As a result of this contraction of the 

 market for cod there has been a gradual 

 decrease in cod landings in New England 

 ports. At the t\irn of the century, annual 

 landings of cod in New Ehgland averaged 

 some 200 ndllion pounds. In recent years, 

 arihual landings have fluctuated about 30 

 ndllion pounds. 



Currently, about half the cod catch 

 is taken by large otter trawlers in con- 



Junction with the haddock fishery; the 

 remainder is taken by small-boat operators 

 >rtio fish profitably with various gears at 

 appropriate seasons. Thus, about half the 

 New aigland landings since 1931 have come 

 from Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine; 

 but fisherman primarily in search of cod 

 generally go to the Nova Scotia banks or 

 beyond, where cod occur in greater abun- 

 dance and are larger in size. The bulk of 

 the cod catch is landed at Boston, and the 

 greater part of the remainder is landed at 

 the ports of Gloucester and New Bedford, 



Without a rejuvenation of the market 

 for cod - which is unlikely in the fore- 

 seeable future - it is most probable that 

 the cod fishery will retain its present 

 statxis: an incidental fishery for the 

 larger trawlers fishing primarily for 

 haddock and ocean perch, and a primary 

 fishery for small boats f lahing prihcipally 

 for cod. 



Pollock 



There is no "fishery" for pollock in 

 New England, such as there is for haddock 

 or ocean perch. Pollock is landed inci- 

 dentally by trawlers fishing for the latter 

 two species. 



Some 90 percent of all pollock taken 

 by the New En^and fleet is landed at the 

 ports of Boston and Gloucester, In the 

 period from 1939 to 19ii8, annual landings 

 of pollock in New England averaged some 

 33 million poimds. Since that time, how- 

 ever, landings have declined to an annual 

 average of 22 million pounds. 



The species is popular in fresh fish 

 markets, and is sold also as frozen fillets. 

 It has a good flavor, white meat, and a 

 firm texture. In addition, it has been 

 canned as fish flakes. There is no great 

 demand for the fish, however, and as a 

 result, the reso\a:ce is probably under- 

 exploited. 



Cuak 



Little is known of the ctisk resource 

 except that it has never been very abun- 

 dant. Landings have never been iji5)ortant 

 in New England, and have declined sharply 

 from 8 million pounds in 19ljiO to 1,3 

 million pounds in 1959. 



57 



