per vessel fall from $155,900 in 1956 to 

 only $125,800 in 1957. 



Differences in trip activity are re- 

 sponsible to a degree for the differences 

 in landings and receipts between the more 

 and less successful trawlers. In 1956 and 

 1957 the more successful trawlers made 30 

 trips and 28 trips per year and the less 

 successful trawlers only 2I4 trips and I9 

 trips per year in the respective years. 

 However, differences in per trip activity 

 are far from the principal source of the 

 great differences in landings and receipts. 

 In the years 1953 and I95I4 the disparity in 

 the tri.p activity between the more and less 

 successful trawlers was slight. In 1953 

 and I95I4 the less successful trav/ler made 

 27 trips per year while the more successful 

 trawlers made 30 and 28 trips in the respec- 

 tive years. Yet in both years the more 

 successful trawlers reported profits while 

 the less successful incurred losses. This 

 reflects the operation of factors other 

 than trip activity. 



than $7,100 (in I95I4) and Were as low as 

 $5,900 in 1955. In 1956 and 1957 per- 

 trip receipts were only $6,500 and $6,600 

 respectively. The average annual landings 

 per-trip of these least successful trai;lers 

 has never been higher than 99,000 pounds 

 (in 1955). 



3. Productivity And Earnings 



Trawler per trip productivity has a 

 profound effect on the earnings of ground- 

 fish travflers: first, because each trip 

 is a separate venture and at the conclu- 

 sion of each trip the receipts are shared 

 between vessel and crev;; but most impor- 

 tant, because of the minimum guarantee of 

 $12 per day per man for dectiiands and $13 

 per day per man for officers, exclusive of 

 the captain, which prevails on the Boston 

 large travjler fleet. 



The existence of a minimum guarantee 

 severely restricts the earning ability of 

 large trawler fleets at low levels of per 



Equally as important is the signifi- 

 cant difference in per trip productivity of 

 the more and least successful of the trawl- 

 ers which furnished detailed operating re- 

 sults. The average annual per-trip land- 

 ings of the more successful 200 gross-ton 

 trawlers were, in all years 1953-57, higher 

 than 100,000 pounds per trip. Avei'age 

 annual per-trip receipts of these trawlers 

 Were never below $8,500 and were as high as 

 $9,500 in 1957. On the other hand, the 

 average annual per-trip receipts of the 

 least successful trawlers were never higher 



trip productivity since, at levels of 

 productivity which fail to allow the crew 

 members to earn $12 or $13 per day per man 

 after the paymant of crew expenses of food, 

 fuel, ice,. etc., the vessel operator must 

 in effect pay all joint and trip expendi- 

 tures, including wages, before receiving 

 any part of trip receipts. 



The effect of lovrer levels of per 

 trip receipts or the vessel share of these 

 receipts is illustrated in Exhibit A. A 

 vessel operator with per trip receipts of 



62 



