﻿SECTION 
  1 
  - 
  GENERAL 
  REVIEW 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  yielded 
  a 
  harvest 
  of 
  4.9 
  billion 
  pounds 
  worth 
  

   a 
  record 
  $613.1 
  million 
  — 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  580.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  (13 
  percent) 
  and 
  $86.6 
  million 
  (16 
  

   percent) 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Landings 
  were 
  the 
  best 
  since 
  1962, 
  the 
  record 
  year. 
  There 
  were 
  

   record 
  landings 
  of 
  Gulf 
  menhaden, 
  shrimp, 
  yellowfin 
  tuna. 
  Pacific 
  anchovies, 
  surf 
  clams, 
  Dun- 
  

   geness 
  and 
  snow 
  crabs, 
  American 
  (northern) 
  and 
  spiny 
  lobsters; 
  and 
  near-record 
  landings 
  of 
  alba- 
  

   core 
  tuna. 
  Landings 
  of 
  Atlantic 
  menhaden, 
  salmon, 
  spot, 
  and 
  blue 
  crabs 
  also 
  increased 
  signifi- 
  

   cantly 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Declines 
  occurred, 
  however 
  in 
  landings 
  of 
  alewives 
  , 
  haddock, 
  sea 
  

   herring, 
  jack 
  mackerel, 
  mullet, 
  and 
  sea 
  scallops. 
  

  

  Fishermen 
  took 
  898. 
  3 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  shellfish 
  worth$286.1 
  million, 
  anaverage 
  of 
  near- 
  

   ly 
  32 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  — 
  slightly 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  . 
  Shellfish 
  accounted 
  for 
  47 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  value, 
  

   but 
  only 
  18 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  U.S. 
  landings. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  shellfish 
  exceeded 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  

   finfish 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  England, 
  Middle 
  Atlantic, 
  Chesapeake, 
  South 
  Atlantic, 
  and 
  Gulf 
  States. 
  

  

  Disposition 
  of 
  landings 
  . 
  In 
  1970, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year, 
  landings 
  for 
  human 
  food 
  (2.5 
  billion 
  

   pounds) 
  exceeded 
  the 
  quantity 
  taken 
  for 
  industrial 
  products 
  (2.4 
  billion 
  pounds). 
  NMFS 
  statisti- 
  

   cians 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  1970 
  landings 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  follows: 
  2,537 
  million 
  pounds 
  (round 
  weight) 
  

   for 
  human 
  food--of 
  which 
  1,479 
  million 
  were 
  used 
  fresh 
  and 
  frozen, 
  987 
  million 
  were 
  canned, 
  and 
  

   71 
  million 
  were 
  cured; 
  and 
  2,380 
  million 
  pounds 
  for 
  industrial 
  purposes 
  — 
  of 
  which 
  115 
  million 
  were 
  

   used 
  fresh 
  or 
  frozen, 
  163 
  million 
  were 
  canned, 
  and 
  2,101 
  million 
  were 
  reduced 
  into 
  meal, 
  oil, 
  and 
  

   solubles. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  items, 
  the 
  quantity 
  processed 
  into 
  industrial 
  products 
  includes 
  

   fish 
  used 
  for 
  bait, 
  fed 
  to 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  and 
  pets, 
  and 
  manufactured 
  into 
  such 
  items 
  as 
  shell 
  

   buttons, 
  and 
  pearl 
  essence 
  and 
  novelties. 
  

  

  Per 
  capita 
  consumption 
  . 
  The 
  per 
  capita 
  consumption 
  of 
  commercially 
  caught 
  fish 
  and 
  shellfish 
  in 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  was 
  11.8 
  pounds 
  (edible 
  weight) 
  --compared 
  with 
  11.2 
  in 
  1969. 
  

  

  Per 
  capita 
  consumption 
  of 
  commercially 
  caught 
  

   fish 
  and 
  shellfish, 
  1961-70 
  

  

  (Edible 
  weight) 
  

  

  Year 
  Pounds 
  Year 
  Pounds 
  

  

  1961 
  10.7 
  1966 
  10.9 
  

  

  1962 
  10.6 
  1967 
  10.6 
  

  

  1963 
  10.7 
  1968 
  11.0 
  

  

  1964 
  10.5 
  1969 
  11.2 
  

  

  1965 
  10.9 
  1970 
  11.8 
  

  

  Note:--Data 
  have 
  been 
  revised 
  for 
  1963, 
  1966, 
  1967, 
  and 
  1969. 
  

  

  Principal 
  States 
  . 
  Louisiana 
  again 
  led 
  the 
  Nation 
  in 
  volume 
  of 
  landings 
  with 
  1. 
  1 
  billion 
  pounds 
  — 
  

   23 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  U.S. 
  landings. 
  California 
  was 
  next 
  with702.7 
  million 
  pounds, 
  followed 
  by 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia, 
  550.6 
  million; 
  Alaska, 
  545.3 
  million; 
  Mississippi, 
  301.0 
  million; 
  and 
  Massachusetts, 
  

   286.9 
  million 
  pounds. 
  These 
  six 
  States 
  had 
  71 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  U.S. 
  landings. 
  

  

  Alaska 
  led 
  all 
  States 
  in 
  exvessel 
  value 
  of 
  landings 
  with 
  $96.1 
  million--16 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  Nation's 
  landings. 
  California 
  was 
  next 
  with 
  $86.4 
  million, 
  followed 
  by 
  Louisiana, 
  

   $62.5 
  million; 
  Texas, 
  $53.6 
  million; 
  Massachusetts, 
  $47.0 
  million; 
  and 
  Florida, 
  $43.3 
  million. 
  

   These 
  six 
  States 
  accounted 
  for 
  63 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  exvessel 
  value 
  of 
  landings. 
  

  

  