APPENDIX IIT APPENDIX III 
Fishing fleet 
The trawl net is the predominant commercial gear used 
worldwide for catching groundfish. The trawl net is towed 
through the water, on or close to the bottom, by any one of 
a variety of large and small fishing vessels. 
One major exception to the trawl fishery is the longline 
halibut fishery of the northeastern Pacific, where trawls are 
barred to U.S. and Canadian fishermen. Other gear is also 
used by U.S. vessels to catch groundfish. Pots and traps are 
commonly used for sablefish; gillnets, troll, handline, purse 
seine, and beach seine gear are also used to catch groundfish. 
Trawling in the North Pacific Ocean began in the early 
1930s and is a relatively young industry compared to the 
salmon and halibut fisheries which were already well estab- 
lished at the turn of the century. 
Most U.S. and Canadian vessels in the North Pacific are 
much smaller than those of other countries. U.S. and 
Canadian vessels operate on fishing grounds which, for the 
most part, are close to homeports, and catches are landed in 
an unfrozen, unprocessed condition. In contrast, Japanese 
and Soviet vessels fish far from home ports and they must 
have onboard processing and freezing for their extended 
operations. 
The American west coast trawler typically is an aging 
boat of 50 to 75 feet, owned and skippered by one man. It 
works with a crew of three to five men. This small crew 
makes west coast trawling economically possible. Only a 
few larger modern trawlers are fishing on the west coast. 
West coast trawlers may operate out of several coastal 
fishing ports with relatively short runs to fishing grounds. 
The only vessels making fairly long trips are those from 
Puget Sound ports in Washington. These boats work off the 
northwest coast of Vancouver Island and as far north as 
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