52 U.S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



HALIBUT 



Anticipatino; continued unsettled market conditions, members of 

 the Fishing Vessel Owners Association at the beginning of the 1932 

 season adopted a system of voluntary curtailment of fishing effort 

 in an attempt to stabilize prices at levels that would permit the oper- 

 ation of their vessels at a reasonable profit and at the same time pre- 

 vent the building up early in the year of large stocks of frozen 

 halibut to become a detriment to the fresh-halibut market as the sea- 

 son advanced. The restrictive measures were stringent, calling for 

 a number of lay-off periods aggregating about 2 months for each 

 vessel in the association. As these measures were well supported, 

 their object would probably have been attained but for the unforeseen 

 abundance of halibut on the fishing grounds. Notwithstanding the 

 curtailed operations, the catches were larger than in 1931 and the 

 prices were the lowest recorded for manj^ years. The amount landed 

 at Alaska ports, however, showed a sharp decline, as the bulk of the 

 catch was transported direct to Seattle from the fishing banks. 



Halibut livers became an important source of revenue to the fisher- 

 men in 1932, in some instances providing the only profit gained on a 

 fishing trip. Several large pharmaceutical concerns purchased the 

 livers through halibut buyers in Alaska and Pacific coast ports. 



The International Fisheries Commission, under the direction of 

 Dr. William F. Thompson, continued the life-history studies of the 

 Pacific halibut. The Canadian vessel Zapora was chartered by the 

 commission to transport its staff of scientific investigators to points 

 along the British Columbia and Alaska coasts, where collections of 

 halibut eggs and larvae were made and investigations of the general 

 trend of the fishery were carried on. Important regulations were 

 promulgated by the commission, effective February 13, 1932, dividing 

 the waters into four areas, limiting the catch in specified areas, and 

 requiring that all registered vessels engaged in halibut fishing should 

 be licensed by the commission and should make statistical report 

 thereto. 



In the Alaska fishery statistics are included only the output and 

 operating units of the Alaska fleet, which comprises all American 

 vessels landing more than one half of their catch in Alaska or British 

 Columbia ports rather than in the States. There were 459 persons 

 engaged in the industry in 1932, as compared with 946 in the preced- 

 ing year, and the products totaled 13,552,296 pounds, valued at 

 $493,052. Landings of halibut in Alaska totaled 4,562,988 pounds, 

 valued at ij^l34,652. In 1931 the landings of the Alaska fleet were 

 20,425,633 pounds, valued at $1,352,687, while landings in Alaska 

 totaled 9,626,118 pounds, valued at $608,480. Thus the decrease in 

 fares of the Alaska fleet was 6,873,337 pounds, or approximately 34 

 percent in quantity and 64 percent in value, while landings at Alaska 

 ports decreased 5,063,130 pounds, or about 53 percent in quantity 

 and 78 percent in value from the preceding year. 



These statistics are compiled from data collected by the Interna- 

 tional Fisheiies Connnission and by Bureau agents. The amount 

 of halibut livers landed by the Alaska fleet was not reported, but it 

 was stated that there were altogether about 500,000 pounds of halibut 

 livers, valued at about $60,000, landed at Alaska and Pacific coast 

 ports during 1932 by American vessels. 



