BecauEC of the amount oi" inton^Dt aroused in the industiy by 

 the catches of yellowfin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico by the vessel Oregon 

 of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the course of recent ezplora- 

 tions, tJiought has been given to the use of shrimp vessels as tuna long- 

 line boats. The design of the Florida- type shriinp vessels is not con- 

 sidered favorable for this tyjje of fishing. Uheel house fon/ard and deck 

 space aft make it difficult for the captain to guide the vessel, to 

 loxror the gear, to pick-up, and to watch the action at the line hauler 

 which would be mounted somevjhere near the winch installation, A lower 

 riding vessel would be better for hauling the fish aboard. Furthermore, 

 on vessels engaged part-time in the tiina fishery, freezer equipment would 

 be necessary to hold the catch. 



One 110-foot twin-engine shrimp vessel from Brovmsville, Texas, 

 is being fitted out for tuna long-lining. Loran and depth sounders have 

 been installed but to date neither has been used in either fishing or 

 shrimping operations. The ovmer-captain plans to operate the vessel for 

 tuna or for shrimp, as conditions warrant. Brine-freezing facilities for 

 30 tons of tuna have been installed. 



The observations of First Research Corporation on the subject 

 of dual-purpose vessels irere recorded as follows: 



A recently built vessel has been equipped as a refrigerated 

 vessel with the dual-puiTDose of being employed in the menhaden 

 fishery as well as the shrimp fisheiy. She is an 86-footer and 

 carries a separate crew for each operation. Although she fished 

 menhaden this past siumier (1955) it is not known how successful 

 she has been. 



It is believed that the crawfish and pelagic fisheries 

 in the GifLf along the Central American coast and in the West 

 Indies, might offer excellent opportunities for a dual-purpose 

 refrigerated vessel. In British Columbia, a fevj multi-purpose 

 vessels vjhich are equipped for salmon seining, herring sein- 

 ing, dragging, and packing have been designed in the past few 

 years. Some of the newest boats can perform as many as five 

 different types of fishing operations. A few multi-purpose 

 vessels have been developed for the New England fisheries vdth 

 some success. One vessel built in 19^1 is equipped for both 

 trawling and scallop-dragging. 



VESSEL PROBUGTIVITY 



Vessel productivity depends on so many variables that the 

 exact relationship between measurable statistical determinants and size 

 of catch is difficult to ascertain. The fishing success of some shrimp- 

 ing operations may now and then be due primarily to "fisherman's luck". 

 In discussing the fact that white shrimp often travel in dense schools, 

 Hildebrand states: 



156 



