﻿208 
  

  

  GULF 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  Theexvessel 
  value 
  of 
  landings 
  was 
  a 
  record 
  $108.2 
  million--an 
  increase 
  of 
  7 
  percent 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  1969 
  . 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  declined, 
  however, 
  from 
  50 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  47 
  cents 
  

   in 
  1970, 
  probably 
  because 
  shrimp 
  supplies 
  were 
  abundant. 
  Jumbo 
  and 
  large 
  shrimp 
  (under 
  15 
  to 
  30 
  

   tails 
  per 
  pound) 
  averaged 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  cents 
  less 
  per 
  pound 
  than 
  in 
  1969; 
  medium 
  shrimp 
  (31 
  to 
  50 
  tails 
  

   per 
  pound) 
  were 
  10 
  to 
  11 
  cents 
  less; 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  shrimp 
  were 
  4 
  to 
  8 
  cents 
  less 
  per 
  

   pound 
  . 
  

  

  Fishing 
  on 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  grounds 
  improved 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Record 
  catches 
  from 
  

   the 
  inshore 
  and 
  offshore 
  waters 
  between 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  Louisiana-Texas 
  border 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  substantially 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  production. 
  The 
  59.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  (heads-off) 
  taken 
  from 
  

   these 
  waters 
  increased 
  19 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  and 
  14 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1963, 
  the 
  

   former 
  record 
  year. 
  Waters 
  from 
  three 
  areas 
  yielded 
  catches 
  that 
  increased 
  26 
  percent 
  each 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  1969 
  — 
  off 
  Texas 
  (44.4 
  million 
  pounds), 
  off 
  the 
  Mexican 
  coast 
  west 
  of 
  long. 
  94 
  W. 
  

   (5.2 
  million), 
  and 
  off 
  the 
  northwest 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  (2.5 
  million 
  pounds). 
  The 
  Sanibel-Tortugas 
  

   grounds 
  produced 
  11.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  a 
  16-percent 
  gain 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Catches 
  declined 
  

   slightly 
  on 
  the 
  Obregon-Campeche 
  grounds 
  and 
  from 
  Pensacola 
  to 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  River. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  composition 
  was 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  1959. 
  Brown 
  shrimp 
  were 
  56 
  percent 
  of 
  

   the 
  total 
  landings; 
  white, 
  32 
  percent; 
  pink, 
  11 
  percent; 
  and 
  sea 
  bobs 
  and 
  royal 
  red 
  shrimp, 
  1 
  

   percent. 
  Jumbo 
  and 
  large 
  shrimp 
  accounted 
  for 
  38 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  landings, 
  compared 
  with 
  33 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  in 
  1969; 
  medium 
  shrimp 
  were 
  27 
  percent, 
  compared 
  with 
  29 
  percent 
  in 
  1969; 
  and 
  small 
  shrimp 
  

   were 
  35 
  percent, 
  compared 
  with 
  38 
  percent 
  in 
  1969. 
  

  

  Hard 
  blue 
  crabs 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  34.0 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $2.8 
  million 
  increased 
  2 
  percent 
  in 
  vol- 
  

   ume^ 
  but 
  declined 
  9 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Florida, 
  West 
  Coast 
  landings 
  of 
  14.8 
  

   million 
  pounds 
  were 
  3.2 
  million 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  and 
  accounted 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  thegain. 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  landings 
  (2 
  million 
  pounds) 
  increased 
  16 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Louisiana 
  landings 
  of 
  

   10.3 
  million 
  pounds 
  was 
  12 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  but 
  the 
  third 
  best 
  yield 
  since 
  1955. 
  Land- 
  

   ings 
  in 
  Texas 
  of 
  5.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  only 
  slightly 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  record 
  6. 
  3 
  million 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  Alabama 
  landings 
  of 
  1.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  the 
  smallest 
  since 
  1963. 
  

  

  Oysters 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  17.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  meats 
  were 
  2.1 
  million 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1959 
  and 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  landings 
  since 
  1956. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  landings 
  declined 
  in 
  all 
  States 
  except 
  Texas. 
  

   Landings 
  along 
  the 
  West 
  Coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  (3.6 
  million 
  pounds) 
  declined 
  27 
  percent, 
  principally 
  

   because 
  oysters 
  were 
  scarce 
  on 
  the 
  major 
  reefs 
  of 
  Florida 
  near 
  Apalachicola 
  . 
  A 
  poor 
  fall 
  season 
  

   contributed 
  to 
  the 
  decline. 
  Alabama 
  landings 
  of 
  279 
  ,000 
  pounds 
  were 
  42 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  

   and 
  the 
  smallest 
  landings 
  in 
  40 
  years. 
  Many 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  had 
  only 
  partially 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  

   devastating 
  effects 
  of 
  hurricane 
  Camille 
  in 
  19 
  69, 
  and 
  in 
  addition 
  the 
  Alabama 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  had 
  

   been 
  hindered 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  by 
  pollution. 
  In 
  Mississippi, 
  landings 
  of 
  548,000 
  pounds 
  declined 
  

   62 
  percent 
  — 
  principally 
  because 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  had 
  been 
  decimated 
  by 
  hurricane 
  Camille 
  in 
  1969. 
  

   Louisiana 
  landings 
  of 
  8.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  6 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  — 
  reflecting 
  the 
  shortage 
  

   of 
  oysters 
  on 
  many 
  reefs. 
  In 
  Texas, 
  landings 
  of 
  4.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  increased 
  24 
  percent. 
  Texas 
  

   producers 
  profited 
  by 
  the 
  shortage 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  other 
  areas 
  and 
  trucked 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  to 
  

   Alabama, 
  Mississippi, 
  and 
  Louisiana. 
  

  

  Spiny 
  lobsters 
  . 
  Record 
  landings 
  of 
  7 
  . 
  1 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  a 
  record 
  $4.2 
  million 
  were 
  2.4 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  pounds 
  (52 
  percent) 
  and 
  $882,000 
  (27 
  percent) 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1959. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  

   declined 
  from 
  71 
  cents 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  50 
  cents 
  in 
  1970. 
  

  

  In 
  1969, 
  United 
  States 
  fishermen 
  made 
  substantial 
  catches 
  in 
  waters 
  off 
  the 
  Bahama 
  Is- 
  

   lands. 
  In 
  1970, 
  however, 
  they 
  could 
  no 
  longer 
  fish 
  for 
  lobsters 
  in 
  these 
  productive 
  areas 
  because 
  

   the 
  Bahamian 
  Government 
  had 
  established 
  a 
  12-mile 
  territorial 
  sea 
  limit 
  which 
  was 
  enforced 
  rig- 
  

   orously. 
  Consequently, 
  U.S. 
  flag 
  vessels 
  searched 
  other 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  for 
  lobsters 
  and 
  found 
  

   an 
  abundance 
  of 
  them 
  off 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  Central 
  and 
  South 
  America. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  catches 
  taken 
  off 
  

  

  