APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
with attraction and harvesting equipment installed on it, 
would pump the fish from the electrical field into onboard 
automatic processing machinery where the fish would be con- 
verted into fishmeal and oil. An alternative to this ap- 
proach would be to install electrical hardware and automatic 
processing machinery on the platform itself. Fish would be 
periodically pumped into automatic processors, and the re- 
sulting fishmeal would be stored on the platform to await 
collection by a shuttle boat. 
Thread herring is harvested with purse seines. Research 
indicates that herring-like fishes can be concentrated for 
purse seining by uSing tent devices, submerged three-dimen- 
Sional structures. Schemes have been proposed to put a 
string of tents in the water. After the last tent is set 
out, the fishing vessel would return to the first tent and 
harvest the schooled fish. 
Product development and processing 
Establishing herring-like fish fisheries is based 
largely on the industrial use of these species for fishmeal 
and oil products. The reduction technology used in the men- 
haden fishery is sufficient to process the herring-like fish 
into meals and oils. Although all the species are suitable 
for such use, a thread herring fishery is seen as a direct 
complement to the Gulf menhaden fishery. Thread herring 
yield as much oil, of equivalent quality, as menhaden yield, 
although at different times of the year. Therefore thread 
herring harvesting can be phased so as to stabilize the out- 
put of the fish oil industry. 
The herring-like fish also make good foodfish specialty 
products--smoked, cured, and pickled fish products and sar- 
dine packs. 
Marketing potential 
Markets currently exist for industrial and edible 
herring-like fish products. The United States imports large 
amounts of edible herring-like fish products, including 
canned anchovies and sardines, and canned, pickled, and 
smoked herring. 
OBSTACLES INHIBITING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 
Resource availability 
Stock estimates of herring-like fish in the eastern 
Gulf of Mexico have been made, but studies have not been 
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