OPERATING COSTS 



No basis exists for providing comparison between operating costs 

 of tuna vessels in the tuna fishery and in the frozen-salmon industry. 

 This is because in the first instance the vessel operates as a fishing 

 vessex with all crew members working on a share basis, that is, sharing 

 in the profits and the expenses of the fishing venture o In the second 

 instance the vessel operates as a factory ship, and the owner alone 

 assumes the financial risks o He pays the crew, pays all eir^enses of the 

 voyage, and buys at prevailing prices the fish received ly 'one vesselj 

 and his profit, if any, is the difference between the total operating 

 costs and the gross income from the voyage « It is possible for him to 

 lose a large sum of money if the voyage proves a failure > By having the 

 salmon custom-canned for his account he assumes a further i'.' sk since he 

 then speculates as well in the canned-salmon market. 



Both the gill nets and the gill-net boats are furnished by the 

 vessel owner« Gill r-.ets to outfit one catcher boat cost .^500, These 

 have a life of 1 year for the web and 3 years for the cork and lead 

 lines-. The gill-net boats cost JJ6^000 to $7*000 each and have a life 

 of 5 year?.. Assuming «t fleet of eight catcher boats, the boat and nets 

 require a:n outlay of more than $50,000. On an accrual basis, the 

 annual cost for these items would approximate $ll;^000. Maintenance and 

 overhaul of the equipment is estimated at 5 percent of cost per arjium. 



The number In the crew varies with the size of the freezer-ship. 

 Small ships of 150 to 200-ton3 carrying capacity may carry as few as 6, 

 while large ships of more than 500-tons carrying capacity sometimes 

 carry lli or 15 men. The wage scales for crew members are complicated, 

 consisting of a combination of straight wages, overtime, percentage, 

 run-money, and bonuses. Wage expenses and other data for a large tuna- 

 type vessel engaged in the Alaska salmon-freezing trade are shown in 

 table 70. 



OT^IER ASPECTS 



Bristol Bay, Alaska, is 3.«220^/ miles from San Diego, the home 

 port of most tuna vessels. This distance is computed via Seattle to 

 Nushagak Bay. 



16-/ San Diego to Nushagak Bay direct, 2,820 nautical miles. Via Seattle 

 and Ketchikan;, 39570 nautical miles. 



230 



