expenses are deducted fron the employee fi' share of the proceeds before 

 division. Nets, rigsing, and gear are usually provided by the ovmer 

 or operator of the vessel. Generally whenever creus vjork on repairs 

 and maintenance of the vessel durirj stays in port they are paid extra 

 compensation. More commonly such repairs are performed by shore workers. 



Under some arrancements crews may obtain a part interest in 

 the fixed boat investment by helping to pay for the rig. Arrancements 

 of this sort are usually encountered in cannery ovmership. The acquisi- 

 tion of an ovmership interest provides the crevr an incentive for proper 

 care of fixed equipment. 



As far as the boat ovmer' s relations with the fish house are 

 concerned, tv;o types of operations have been observed: under one type 

 of arrangement the boat cnmer stays completely independent. This has 

 an advantage for the boat owner in that he can shift from one fishing 

 ground to another and put into the closest harbor or whichever port 

 appears most advantageous for his operations. Advance radio notice is 

 given of the boat arrival so that the fish house may have workers ready 

 to pack the catch. 



In another type of agreement the boat operator usually packs 

 with one fish house. The operator gives hira dock space to unload his 

 catch, takes care of his packing, and often disposes of his catch, 

 either buying it outright or acting as his agent. 



Boat Ovmers' Organizations 



In the shrimp industry individual boat oraiers may be affiliated 

 with trade associations, producers' cooperatives, or labor unions. In 

 some instances, the character of a specific organization makes classifi- 

 cation impossible. Activities of certain fishermen's xrnions, xjhich include 

 boat operators among their membership at times are in the natvire of co- 

 operatives marketing fishery products and have been considered as such 

 by Federal courts. ^ In other instances, an organization may act as a 

 labor union at one time, only to switch character and perform the func- 

 tions commonly connected vrith trade association activiti.es at some other 

 time. 



The types of organJ-zations encountered in the fisheries to a 

 large extent depend on the chai-acter of the industry in specific geo- 

 graphic markets. VJherever the interests of independent boat owners and 

 crews coincide, i.e. v.'here their primary concern is in maximizing receipts 

 from their catch through negotiation idth processors and dealers, they 

 tend to band together to form unions \iiich engage in price, and under the 

 lay system ultiiaately, therefore, wage determination. In the absence 

 of significant numbers of independent fishermen, the cleavage between 

 employer and labor on the producing end becomes more pronounced and or- 

 ganizations devoid of vessel oi-mer membership are encountered that can 

 be more properly clcissified as labor unions. V/herever boat oimers in 

 a given market are led to believe that profits could be favorably 



12/ 3li F supp. 970, 97h; 31? U. S. 1U3. 



108 



