﻿SECTION 
  6 
  - 
  GULF 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  landings 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  shellfish 
  at 
  ports 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States 
  (West 
  Coast 
  of 
  

   Florida, 
  Alabama, 
  Mississippi, 
  Louisiana, 
  and 
  Texas) 
  were 
  1.7 
  billion 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $166.6 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  — 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  83.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  (5 
  percent) 
  and 
  $14. 
  3 
  million 
  (9 
  percent) 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  

   Record 
  landings 
  of 
  menhaden 
  and 
  excellent 
  landings 
  of 
  shrimp 
  were 
  major 
  factors 
  contributing 
  to 
  

   the 
  greater 
  volume 
  and 
  value. 
  Fishermen 
  received 
  high 
  prices 
  for 
  shrimp 
  during 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  Louisiana 
  led 
  in 
  volume 
  of 
  landings 
  with 
  a 
  record 
  1.1 
  billion 
  pounds 
  (65 
  percent), 
  followed 
  

   by 
  Mississippi 
  with 
  2^7.8 
  million 
  (17 
  percent); 
  Texas, 
  147.0 
  million 
  (9 
  percent); 
  Florida, 
  West 
  

   Coast, 
  115.5 
  million 
  (7 
  percent); 
  and 
  Alabama, 
  29.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  (2 
  percent). 
  Compared 
  with 
  

   1969, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  landings 
  increased 
  in 
  all 
  States 
  except 
  Alabama. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  land- 
  

   ings 
  ($61.1 
  million) 
  was 
  up 
  12 
  percent; 
  Texas 
  ($53.3 
  million) 
  , 
  up 
  13 
  percent; 
  Florida, 
  West 
  Coast 
  

   ($31.2 
  million), 
  up 
  6 
  percent; 
  and 
  Mississippi 
  ($11.1 
  million), 
  up 
  5 
  percent. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  land- 
  

   ings 
  in 
  Alabama 
  ($9.9 
  million) 
  declined 
  6 
  percent. 
  

  

  Fishermen 
  and 
  vessels 
  . 
  Commercial 
  fishermen 
  numbered 
  24,891 
  — 
  a 
  decline 
  of 
  227 
  compared 
  with 
  

   1969. 
  A 
  decrease 
  of 
  420 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  boat 
  and 
  shore 
  fishery 
  accounted 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  decline. 
  

   Vessels 
  (craft 
  of 
  5 
  net 
  tons 
  or 
  more) 
  numbered 
  4,320 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  1969 
  . 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  recordsof 
  theU.S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Transportation, 
  249 
  vessels 
  with 
  home 
  ports 
  

   in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  received 
  first 
  documents 
  as 
  fishing 
  craft 
  in 
  1970. 
  Of 
  this 
  number, 
  235 
  were 
  

   newly 
  constructed. 
  About 
  135 
  of 
  them 
  joined 
  the 
  Gulf 
  shrimp 
  fleet; 
  and 
  another 
  51, 
  built 
  for 
  U.S. 
  

   citizens 
  in 
  the 
  fishery 
  trade, 
  operated 
  out 
  of 
  countries 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  The 
  remaining 
  vessels 
  

   either 
  entered 
  the 
  commercial 
  fishery 
  for 
  oysters 
  , 
  red 
  snapper, 
  menhaden, 
  and 
  other 
  species, 
  or 
  

   were 
  used 
  as 
  charter 
  craft. 
  

  

  Processed 
  products 
  . 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  processed 
  seafood 
  items 
  was 
  $325.7 
  million--an 
  increase 
  of 
  

   $16.1 
  million 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Louisiana 
  led 
  in 
  production 
  with 
  products 
  valued 
  at 
  $102.4 
  

   million, 
  followed 
  by 
  Texas 
  with 
  $88.9 
  million; 
  Florida, 
  West 
  Coast, 
  $80.8 
  million; 
  Mississippi, 
  

   $33.0 
  million; 
  and 
  Alabama, 
  $20.6 
  million. 
  The 
  five 
  States 
  had 
  13,427 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  817 
  

   wholesaling 
  and 
  processing 
  plants. 
  

  

  Weather 
  . 
  In 
  August, 
  the 
  shrimp 
  industry 
  at 
  Aransas 
  Pass 
  and 
  Rockport, 
  Tex. 
  , 
  was 
  badly 
  damaged 
  

   by 
  hurricane 
  Celia. 
  The 
  winds 
  reached 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  about 
  145 
  m.p.h. 
  and 
  sank 
  36 
  large 
  shrimp 
  

   trawlers, 
  beached 
  32, 
  and 
  severely 
  damaged 
  the 
  hulls 
  of 
  38. 
  In 
  addition, 
  about 
  25 
  small 
  shrimp 
  

   trawlers 
  were 
  either 
  destroyed 
  or 
  badly 
  damaged. 
  Many 
  processing 
  plants 
  onshore 
  were 
  also 
  dam- 
  

   aged 
  extensively. 
  The 
  total 
  loss 
  to 
  fishing 
  craft 
  and 
  shore 
  installations 
  was 
  estimated 
  at 
  a 
  min- 
  

   imum 
  of 
  $3 
  million. 
  

  

  Menhaden 
  . 
  Landings 
  were 
  a 
  record 
  1.2 
  billion 
  pounds 
  — 
  5 
  percent 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  the 
  former 
  

   record 
  year. 
  The 
  menhaden 
  fishery 
  had 
  76 
  purse 
  seiners 
  operating 
  in 
  1970 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  1969. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  coastal 
  waters 
  of 
  Louisiana. 
  Record 
  landings 
  of 
  959.8 
  million 
  

   pounds 
  in 
  Louisiana 
  accounted 
  for 
  7 
  9 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  production. 
  

  

  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  prices 
  of 
  menhaden 
  meal 
  and 
  oil 
  increased 
  despite 
  greater 
  production 
  

   in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States 
  . 
  The 
  improved 
  prices 
  resulted 
  mainly 
  from 
  a 
  decline 
  in 
  total 
  available 
  supplies 
  

   in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  In 
  1970, 
  imports 
  of 
  fish 
  meal 
  (251,500 
  tons) 
  were 
  30 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  

   1969, 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  quantity 
  imported 
  since 
  1961. 
  

  

  Shrimp 
  . 
  For 
  the 
  fourth 
  consecutive 
  year, 
  landings 
  exceeded 
  200 
  million 
  pounds. 
  Landings 
  of 
  230.5 
  

   million 
  pounds 
  (heads-on) 
  were 
  15 
  percent 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  , 
  and 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  record 
  237 
  . 
  2 
  

   million 
  pounds 
  taken 
  in 
  1954. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  landings 
  increased 
  in 
  all 
  States. 
  Louisiana 
  

   led 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  consecutive 
  year 
  with 
  90.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  (up 
  10 
  percent), 
  Texas 
  was 
  next 
  with 
  

   88.3 
  million 
  (up 
  25 
  percent); 
  Florida, 
  West 
  Coast, 
  26.6 
  million 
  (up 
  16 
  percent); 
  Alabama, 
  15.0 
  

   million 
  (up 
  nearly 
  1 
  percent); 
  and 
  Mississippi, 
  9.6 
  million 
  (up 
  8 
  percent). 
  

  

  526-460 
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