Table 9. - AVERAGE ANNUAL EX- VESSEL PRICES FOR ALBACORE, YELLOWFIN. 

 YELLOWTAIL, 'AEST COAST, 1929 - 195 3 



AND 



l/ NOT AVAILABLE. 



y WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF CALIFORNIA LANDINGS. 



y BASED ON REPORTED CONTRACT PRICES FOR 1952 AND Fl R3T THREE MONTHS OF 1953. 



With this differential the fisherman still may be expected to 

 fish preferentially for yellowf in rather than skipjack. Duxing periods 

 of scarcity of fish, however, fishermen hesitate to pass up a good run 

 of skipjack on the chance of later finding yellowfin. Unier present 

 conditions it is not believed that the new price differential will cause 

 much change in the ratio of landings of these two species. BlTiefin 

 landixjgs are not expected to change in \olTme except in accordance with 

 normal fluctuations in abundance. 



Bonito and yellowtail, the tTinalifce fishes, will probably not be 

 caught and packed in significantly increased quantities by the domestic 

 industry unless there is an increase in the present domestic tariff on 

 importations of these products. The market for these species will prob- 

 ably continue to be supplied predominatly by foreign packers. Even if 

 a tariff increase should occur, expansion of the catching and processing 

 of these species by the domestic industry would be limited since the de- 

 mand for then is relatively weak compared to the species which cein be 

 canned amd sold as tuna. 



70 



