the Atlantic coast on their northward migration in late spring and sum- 

 mer, and that lesser movements of other species occur, northward in 

 summer and southward in winter . 



Two independent lines of development in a tuna fishery in Gulf and 

 Caribbean waters are possible. One of these involves fishing by rela- 

 tively small, short-range vessels inshore or close to a base and often 

 on a seasonal or part-time basis. Fisheries of this character are now 

 in various stages of development, 



A small but successful live bait fishery has been developing in 

 Cuba since 1942 (Rawlings,1953) « The production of this fishery in 1952 

 amounted to about 3,000,000 pounds of raw eviscerated tuna, mostly tak- 

 en within Cubcin territorial waters. The canned product, processed and 

 marketed within Cuba, is estimated to satisfy about 85 percent of the 

 present Cuban market demand and replaces a canned tuna product formerly 

 imported from Spain. 



The French Colonial Administration expects delivery of a 60-ton 

 purse seiner at Martinique in 1953 to be used chiefly in fishing for 

 yellowfin an d blackfin occurring seasonally over banks near Martinique, 



As a part-time activity, a fish processing firm at Beaufort, South 

 Carolina processes relatively small quantities of the little tuna taken 

 from inshore waters of the Atlantic and Gulf States, The stodcs of lit- 

 tle tuna on which this production is based occur within the limits of 

 the continental shelf along the Middle and South Atlantic and Gulf 

 States and are believed to be adequate for considerable expansion of 

 fishing for the species (Carlson, 1951) « 



The existence of a successful live bait fishery for tuna in Cuba 

 is evidence that Caribbean tuna stocks can be exploited. That local, 

 seasonal fishing for tuna off the Atlantic and Gulf States, Puerto 

 Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as in Caribbean countries will be 

 gradually and slowly expanded is a reasonable expectation, HoweverySuch 

 an expansion should be expected only where canning facilities and favor 

 able market conditions exist, and production should be expected to rsraain 

 small relative to the landings of American tuna vessels of the long- 

 range fishery. 



The second line of development of tuna fishing in the western North 

 Atlantic involves the use of long-range refrigerated fishing vessels and 

 is potentially a source for much greater production. No operations by 

 long-range commercial fishing craft have been attempted up to the 



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