amount of attention paid to measures designed to forestall accidantc, 

 A disproportionate number of the insurance claims analyzed were filed 

 for company-ouncd vessels. 



Of the 3U mechanical failures, 7 vere attributed to reduction 

 gear and clutch mechanism failures. Ifydraulic clutches appeared to be 

 lees vulnerable. The weakening of rudder fastenings, perhaps by elec- 

 trolysis and the disablement of the steering mechanism, resulted in 6 

 other accidents. Of the 5 fires, 3 were caused by inadoqxxately pro- 

 tected exhausts and 2 by faulty wiring. Four accidents wore associated 

 with inadequate anchorage. Two breakdowns were caused by water in the 

 fuel. 



Systematic inspection and maintenance of equipment might have 

 prevented many or the accidents included in the sample which was analyzed. 

 It has been suggested that a check list for captains and shore mechanics 

 be established as an aid in accident prevention. 



Statistics on Fishing Craft 



Shrimp fishing as a full-time occupation is of importance 

 only in the South Atlantic and Gulf Area. The statistics on fishing 

 craft cited in the following paragraphs, therefore, relate to opera- 

 tions in this area only. 



The growth in the number of vessels, motor boats, and shrinp 

 trawls engaged in the shrimp fishery in the gouth Atlantic and Gulf 

 Area over the quarter century from 1930 to 19% is illustrated by 

 figure II - 16« In 1930 the fleet consisted of 283 vessels and 2,ll4U 

 motor boats. Estimates for 19% indicate that the number of vessels 

 and boats by that year had grown to 3,71^ and 3»818, respectively. 

 The total number of shrimp trawls in the shrimp fishery in the area 

 in both years corresponded roughly to the combined nuirdser of vessels 

 and motor boats <, Some vessels have recently started operating with 

 two trawls at a time. 



In the decade 19ii5-1955 the number of shrimp vessels fishing 

 in south Atlantic and Gulf waters has more than doubled, whereas the 

 number of motor boats has increased by approxiriiately 30 percent. 



In 1930, of the total number of motor vessels five net tons 

 and over in the United States fishing fleet, 6.5 percent engaged in 

 snrimping. Twenty-five years later three out of everj"- ten vessels 

 were so engaged. In spite or the absence of complete statistics on the 

 distribution of the United States motor vessel fishing fleet over the 

 individual fisheries, it appears that today more vessels are engaged 

 in shrlmpijig than in fishing for any other variety of fish or shellfish. 

 Tne isolated statistics that are available reveal that in 1951 some 

 1,^10 vessels, or about 15 percent of the total number of vessels in 

 tne domestic fleet, were fishing for tuna and/or other species on the 



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