CHAPTER E 



AGENTS OF PRODUCTION 



ABSTRACT 



DURING 1955 THERE WERE ABOUT 3,715 VESSELS AND 3,818 MOTOR 

 BOATS ENGAGED IN TRAWLING FOR SHRIMP IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC AND GULF 

 AREA. THE AVERAGE CAPACITY OF CRAFT IN THE VESSEL CATEGORY IS APPROXI- 

 MATELY 18 NET TONS, A MODERN AND WELL-EQUIPPED SHRIMP VESSEL COSTS IN 

 THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $70,000, IF OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION. AND IN THE 

 NEIGHBORHOOD OF $45,000 - $50,000, IF OF WOODEN CONSTRUCTION. 



DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE AVERAGE VESSEL AS WELL AS LAY. 

 OUT ON BOARD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL SHORTCOMINGS. THE URGER VESSELS IN 

 PARTICULAR THOSE FISHING THE CAMPECHE GROUNDS. SHOULD BE OF STURDY 

 CONSTRUCTION. FORETIMBERS, KEELS. KEELSONS. DECK-BEAMS AND FRAMES 

 SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED AND TREATED WITH COPPER PRESERVATIVE FASTEN- 



NGS SHOULD BE IMPROVED AND HIGH QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL BO^TS USED 

 WED^E^TYPE NAILs''^^"'^^^^ GALVANIZED NAILS SHOULD BE USED IN PLACE OF 



"'^'-'- DEITER I ORATION CAN BE COMBATTED WITH COPPER AND CHROMATE 

 PAINTS WHICH RETARD SHIPWORM PENETRATION AND THE EFFECTS OF DRY ROT 

 DRYDOCKING AT THREE- OR FOUR-MONTH INTERVALS I S RECOMMENDED . 



^^„„^^ """"^ SHRIMP TRAWL, WHICH IS THE PRINCIPAL GEAR IN THE FISHERY 

 CORRESPONDS TO THE OTTER TRAWL. OTHER TYPES OF TRAWLS SUCH AS THE 

 BEAM TRAWL, AS WELL AS DIP AND CAST NETS AND HAUL SEINES, ARE USED 

 PRIMARILY IN THE SMALLER FISHERIES OUTSIDE THE SOUTH ATUNTIC AND GULF 

 AREA. THE USE OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL MAY EXTEND THE SERVICE LI FE OF 

 NETTING IN SOME FISHERIES. HYDRAUL ICALLY DRIVEN WINCHES ARE CONSIDERED 

 SUPERIOR TO WINCHES ACTIVATED BY THE MAIN ENGINE. t-ONSIDERED 



IN THE OFFSHORE FISHERY, AND TO AN INCREASING MFASIIRF IM Tur 

 INSHORE FISHERY ALSO, DIESEL MOTORS ARE USED. SINCE THE oStUY fSr ^N 

 ENGINE MAY REPRESENT A CONSIDERABLE PORTION 6f THE BOAT OWNER'S INVF^T 

 MENT. CARE SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN THE SELECTION OF THE mS?? EF? I C I e" 



jR^A^^^S^^SL^r^E^^Oli^D:'"^'^^^*^' ''' ^^^^^*^'°^ ^° O.Sl.¥/^VsZo 

 BOTH BLAST:^^^^'?SE^;YD^^5-^^E^^riN^^T;^L:?Ss";^E^ l^cZjlT.r 'tH"'''' 



usEV'iHi's'EimS'' " ™' °''' "'"^'"^'^ ^° eveTSore'w?S£spread 



„^^^^, """"^ PRINCIPAL ITEMS OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT FOUND ON SHRIMP 

 nPru^f/^Loi^^^'^'''^ ''"-°^S, DEPTH RECORDERS. AND RADIO TELEPHONES 

 OF THESE, DEPTH RECORDERS ARE CONSIDERED AS POSSIBLY THE MOST VALUABLE 

 FISHING AND NAVIGATING AIDS. PROVIDED CREWS ARE NSTRUCTED IN THE PROPER 

 USE AND MAINTENANCE OF THIS EQUIPMENT. MNorKuuiLU IN THE PROPER 



OWNERSHIP OF SHRIMP VESSELS IS DIVIDED BETWEEN INnFPFNnrMT 

 FISHERMEN. PROCESSORS AND DISTRIBUTORS CONNECTED WITH THE M SHI NG 

 INDUSTRY, AND OUTSIDE INTERESTS. THE PRODUCT VI TY OF OWErIqPERATED 

 VESSELS. AS INDICATED BY DATA FOR A SAMPLE OF VESSEL OPERATIONS? IS 



SAME Waters' '"*' °' ''"'''' skippered by hired captaTns fIsSin^ ?he 



A SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED PERSONNEL IN THE FISHERY HAS INSPlRFn 

 PROPOSALS FOR THE LAUNCHING OF A COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WITH 

 INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORT. A RESERVE OF TRAINED AND SMLuS 

 FISHERMEN IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO THE INDUSTRY ^'KILLED 



.^^„^ """^^ INTERESTS OF THE FISHERMEN ARE REPRESENTED BY TRADE 

 ASSOCIATIONS, FISHERMEN'S COOPERATIVES, AND FISHERMEN'S UNIONS THF 

 FUNCTIONS OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS VARY TO A GREAT EXTEN^ N tAe I R 

 EFFORTS TO PARE DOWN COSTS OF DISTRIBUTION, COOPERATIVES N SOME 

 INSTANCES. HAVE EFFECTED INTEGRATION OF FUNCTIONS FROM M SHI NG THROUGH 

 To^^M v'?^ T ^^^OLESALE DISTRIBUTION. UNIONS ARE OF IMPOrIanCE 

 LOCALLY IN THE WESTERN GULF AREA WHERE THEY PARTICIPATE IN NEGOTl AT mr 

 MINIMUM EX-VESSEL SHARING PRICES. THESE PRICES FORM THE BASIS FOR 

 THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAY. THE LAY SYSTEM IS THE PREDOMINANT 

 METHOD OF SHARING PROCEEDS FROM THE CATCH PREDOMINANT 



61 



