APPENDIX III APPENDIX ITI 
OBSTACLES INHIBITING GROWTH AND 
DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERY 
High operating costs, the magnitude of the harvesting 
capacity, and the limited size of the harvestable resources 
are obstacles to growth and development of the U.S. shrimp 
fishery. 
Resource Availability 
The primary obstacle inhibiting growth of the fishery 
is the limited amount of resource available for harvest. 
Opportunities to commercially develop or improve existing 
stocks, previously discussed, are coupled with specific 
inhibiting factors. Environmental deterioration is a 
potential problem which could affect existing stocks. 
Stock improvement 
Improved resource availability for the North Atlantic 
shrimp depends on effectiveness of the management program 
implemented by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commis- 
sion. The Commission closed the season indefinitely in 
1976 and is waiting for recommendations for 1977. While 
biologists believe that reductions in landings will be 
necessary to permit the stock to rebuild, additional data 
on catch effort and the rate of stock replacement is needed 
to make appropriate recommendations for management. 
The present State management systems in the South 
Atlantic are operating under several constraints, including 
biological information gaps such as mortality, growth, and 
spawner-recruit information, inadequate catch and effort 
statistics, insufficient social and economic data, lack of 
jurisdiction in waters outside State control, and enforce- 
ment problems. 
Commercial development 
Commercial development of the unused resource avail- 
able in Alaskan waters depends on harvesting being econom- 
ically viable, as the unused resources are in high-risk 
and high-cost areas. 
The Bering Sea segment of the fishery is depleted-- 
stocks have been so reduced that fishing effort must be 
greatly reduced so that stocks can replenish themselves. 
Commercial development of the royal red shrimp and 
rock shrimp of the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico is 
limited. Research efforts so far have not shown that 
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