In Biloxi, Miscissippi, where it is estimated that 8^ purcont of the 

 boats are canneiy owned, a different type of tjhare arranf.^cmont prevails. 

 Hero the most frequently iised method is a five-v.'ay split. One share 

 poes to the cannerj-", one to the capta;Ln, one to each of the two crew 

 members and one to the rig. The boat rig consists of nets, net doors, 

 cable, electronic equipment — such as depth recorder, radio direction 

 finder, ship-to-shore telephone — shovels, blocks and falls, etc. On 

 the cannery-ovmed boats, the share allocated to the rig is charged 

 against the cost of the rig until it is paid for. \Ihon this is accom- 

 plished, the split is then four ways, vjith the captain and the two man 

 in the crow each receiving one share and the company one share. TOien 

 gear is worn out, damaged or lost, the share to the rig is once more 

 instituted until all the gear has again been paid for. If a crev/ 

 member leaves a vessel on which he has helped to pay for the rig, he 

 is entitled to his share of one-half of the replacement value of the 

 rig. Thus, if a vessel has equipment that costs $1,200, a cre\'f member 

 leaving the boat is entitled to one-third of one-half of the value of 

 the rig— in this case, to one-third of $600, or (^200. Similarly, a 

 crew member talcing the place of one who has left the vessel woiild be 

 required to "buy on" or pay $200 for a share of the rig. This payment 

 would be deducted from his share of the catch. 



The canning companies seem to feel that it is equitable for 

 captain and crew to pay for the gear items, and point out that the 

 company pays the original cost of the gear and stands to lose money 

 if production is poor. A practical result of this rig agreement, a 

 field survey shovjed, was that creijs in this area were much more con- 

 siderate of the materials they partly owned than they xrere elsexirhere 

 where they had no ownership interest in the gear. No creinnen or cap- 

 tain interviewed in the coiu'se of the sui'vey expressed objections to 

 the rig agreement or considered the share allotted to the rig excessive. 



A similai' share agreement exists in Alabama. 



Another type of agrceinent encuunte--: -d now and then provides 

 for the compensation of crews on th^j basis of a fixed price per poimd 

 of shriiiip caught- The price paid depends on the quality and size 

 count of the shrirnp landel. The fishermen in these circumstances divide 

 the trip receipts among themselves according to an agreement. 



Except in the case of small vessels which measure the length 

 of trips in teims of hours, and where the nocessitj'- for carxying gro- 

 ceries aboard ship is eliininated, the crexr is responsible for paying 

 the food bill. On Campeche trips, where food supplies avoragijig around 

 .U2f^0 for a one-month trip must be taken along, the crew will pay for 

 the groceries but the boat owner will guarantee payraent to the store. 

 This moans that in case the crew upon return from the fishing trip is 

 unable to pay for the groceries the boat ovmer V7ill pay the bill. 



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