SPECIES COMPOSITION OF INDUSTRIAL TRAWL LANDINGS 

 IN NEW ENGLAND, 1957 



INTRODUCTION 



The industrial trawl fishery has been growing rapidly in New 

 England since its start in 1949 (Snow 1950 and Sayles 1951). These 

 landings of so-called 'trash fish" have excited the interest of menribers 

 of the fishing industry since that time. Since the beginning there have 

 been many complaints from sportsmen and fisherinen to the effect that 

 large quantities of valuable food species, particularly the yellowtail 

 flounder, were being utilized for animal food. Others claimed that 

 excessive quantities of small fish of various other species were likewise 

 being wasted. 



In order to clarify the situation and help to settle the considerable 

 amount of discussion about the industry, research on the fishery was 

 started .jt Woods Hole with Saltonstall-Kennedy funds in 1955. Initially, 

 the project was primarily concerned with the effect of the fishery on the 

 yellowtail flounder. Much of the original controversy now appears to 

 have been unwarranted while other problems, equally serious but not 

 so obvious, have come to li.ght. Many of the species involved merited 

 study and accordingly the research emphasis was shifted to a study of 

 the species complexes involved in each major fishing area and to the 

 significance of hydrography on their structure. In addition, a compre- 

 hensive life history study of the red hake, the mainstay of this fishery, 

 wns begun. 



Until 1957, the greater part of the Nev/ England landings were 

 mnde at Ft. Judith from the fishing grounds off southern New England. 

 In 1957, due to the marked decline of the menhaden population in the 

 Gulf of Maine, there was a notable increase in industrial trav/1 fish 

 landings at Gloucester. In the event that a relatively stable industrial 

 fleet develops at Gloucester, it is felt that the overall landing for New 

 England could easily double in the next few years. 



