﻿PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  245 
  

  

  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  144 
  percent 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969; 
  in 
  Oregon, 
  it 
  was 
  13.1 
  million 
  pounds--an 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  of 
  165 
  percent. 
  Biologists 
  attributed 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  excellent 
  results 
  achieved 
  

   by 
  intensive 
  hatchery 
  programs 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  both 
  States. 
  A 
  cooperative 
  effort 
  by 
  industry, 
  State, 
  

   and 
  Federal 
  agencies 
  has 
  improved 
  the 
  water 
  quality 
  of 
  Oregon's 
  Willamette 
  River--a 
  stream 
  once 
  

   too 
  polluted 
  to 
  sustain 
  fish 
  life 
  . 
  The 
  installation 
  of 
  modern 
  fishways 
  at 
  the 
  industrial 
  complex 
  at 
  

   Willamette 
  Falls 
  will 
  further 
  aid 
  salmon 
  migrations. 
  In 
  1970, 
  scientists 
  observed 
  the 
  salmon 
  mi- 
  

   grations 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  television 
  camera 
  and 
  video 
  tapes 
  — 
  a 
  method 
  developed 
  by 
  NMFS 
  engi- 
  

   neers 
  . 
  They 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  spawning 
  run 
  of 
  silver 
  and 
  fall 
  chinook 
  salmon 
  had 
  exceeded 
  all 
  re- 
  

   cent 
  migrations 
  . 
  

  

  California 
  landings 
  of 
  chinook 
  and 
  silver 
  salmon 
  were 
  6.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $5 
  .1 
  mil- 
  

   lion--a 
  gain 
  of 
  7 
  percent 
  in 
  volume 
  and 
  33 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  pack 
  of 
  canned 
  salmon 
  was 
  3,822,200 
  standard 
  cases 
  worth 
  a 
  record 
  $138 
  .7 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  — 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  1,271,300 
  cases 
  and 
  $48.4 
  million 
  compared 
  with 
  1959. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  largest 
  

   pack 
  since 
  1966. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  gain 
  was 
  in 
  Alaska 
  where 
  the 
  pack 
  of 
  1,705,500 
  cases 
  of 
  red 
  sal- 
  

   mon 
  was 
  nearly 
  1 
  million 
  cases 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  . 
  The 
  pack 
  of 
  pink 
  salmon 
  in 
  Alaska 
  (1 
  , 
  328, 
  500 
  

   cases) 
  also 
  increased 
  sharply 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  Alaska 
  accounted 
  for 
  93 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  canned 
  pack 
  of 
  salmon 
  and 
  90 
  percent 
  of 
  its 
  value. 
  

  

  Tuna 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  378.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $71.5 
  million 
  were 
  53.3 
  million 
  pounds 
  and 
  $19. 
  2 
  

   million 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  The 
  harvest 
  was 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  record 
  389.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  taken 
  

   in 
  1950. 
  A 
  marked 
  increase 
  in 
  landings 
  of 
  skipjack 
  tuna 
  (up 
  57 
  percent) 
  and 
  slighter 
  increases 
  in 
  

   albacore 
  (up 
  17 
  percent) 
  and 
  yellowfin 
  tuna 
  (up 
  15 
  percent) 
  accounted 
  largely 
  for 
  the 
  gain. 
  Blue- 
  

   fin 
  tuna 
  landings 
  declined 
  sharply 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  

  

  Albacore 
  landings 
  of 
  56.1 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  8.0 
  million 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  The 
  harvest 
  

   was 
  the 
  third 
  largest 
  on 
  record 
  — 
  exceeded 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  72.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  taken 
  in 
  1950 
  and 
  the 
  

   60.8 
  million 
  taken 
  in 
  1963. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  albacore 
  remained 
  in 
  northern 
  California 
  waters 
  from 
  

   July 
  to 
  early 
  November. 
  The 
  resulting 
  California 
  production 
  of 
  29.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  was 
  twice 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  . 
  The 
  albacore 
  runs 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Northwest 
  were 
  rather 
  erratic, 
  and 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  often 
  hampered 
  by 
  strong 
  northwesterly 
  winds 
  and 
  rough 
  seas 
  . 
  Few 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  Au- 
  

   gust 
  (usually 
  the 
  best 
  month), 
  but 
  exceptionally 
  good 
  fishing 
  in 
  September 
  partly 
  compensated 
  for 
  

   the 
  disappointing 
  August 
  production. 
  In 
  Washington, 
  albacore 
  landings 
  of 
  4.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  829 
  , 
  000 
  pounds; 
  but 
  in 
  Oregon, 
  landings 
  of 
  21 
  .8 
  million 
  declined 
  8 
  .0 
  million 
  pounds 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  1969. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  increased 
  from 
  22 
  cents 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  nearly 
  27 
  cents 
  

   in 
  1970. 
  

  

  Bluefin 
  tuna 
  landings 
  of 
  8.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $1.6 
  million 
  declined 
  43 
  percent 
  in 
  vol- 
  

   ume 
  and 
  34 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  smallest 
  production 
  since 
  1952. 
  The 
  

   average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  was 
  18 
  cents 
  — 
  almost 
  3 
  cents 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  In 
  early 
  July, 
  fishermen 
  

   made 
  fair 
  catches 
  of 
  bluefin 
  tuna 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Baja 
  California. 
  The 
  fishery 
  developed 
  quickly 
  

   in 
  all 
  areas, 
  and 
  by 
  early 
  August 
  fishermen 
  had 
  taken 
  a 
  substantial 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  bluefin 
  har- 
  

   vest. 
  Beginning 
  in 
  late 
  August, 
  two 
  U.S. 
  vessels 
  based 
  in 
  Puerto 
  Rico 
  fished 
  for 
  bluefin 
  tuna 
  off 
  

   the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  They 
  returned 
  to 
  Puerto 
  Rico 
  in 
  late 
  September 
  with 
  about 
  

   1,500 
  tons 
  of 
  mixed 
  bluefin 
  and 
  skipjack 
  tuna. 
  

  

  Skipjack 
  tuna 
  landings 
  of 
  75 
  .9 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $12 
  .1 
  million 
  were 
  30.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  

   and 
  $5.0 
  million 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1959. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  was 
  16 
  cents 
  — 
  compared 
  with 
  

   13 
  cents 
  in 
  1959. 
  The 
  skipjack 
  fishery 
  was 
  generally 
  slow 
  until 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  when 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   landings 
  were 
  made. 
  Early 
  in 
  October, 
  however, 
  excellent 
  catches 
  of 
  skipjack 
  were 
  taken 
  off 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Baja 
  California. 
  Several 
  vessels 
  made 
  trips 
  of 
  1 
  1 
  to 
  20 
  days 
  with 
  almost 
  full 
  loads 
  of 
  

   skipjack 
  tuna 
  . 
  

  

  