GENERAL REVIEW 



tuna and Imported canned) was a record 509. 9 million pounds . About 40 percent of the U.S. supply 

 was packed from domestic landings — slightly more than In 1969. 



Per capita consumption of canned tuna, which was 2.0pounds In 1960, reached 2.5pounds 

 In 1970. 



Shrimp . Landings of a record 357.5 million pounds (heads-on) worth a record $129.8 million were 

 48.9 million pounds(15 percent) and $5.3 million (4 percent) more than in 1969. Contributing sub- 

 stantially to the greater production were Pacific Coast landings of 92.9 million pounds (up 49 per- 

 cent) and Gulf States landings of 230 . 5 million (up 1 5 percent) . In the Pacific Coast States , Alas- 

 ka landings were 80 percent of the total. The shrimp fishery in Alaska has trended sharply upward 

 since 1959 when landings were 13.1 million pounds — at that time a record harvest. In the Gulf 

 States, landings exceeded 200 million pounds for the fourth consecutive year. However, New Eng- 

 land landings (23.5 million pounds) declined 17 percent compared with 1969, and South Atlantic 

 States landings (20.6 million) declined 25 percent. The exvessel value of landings increased in 

 all areas except the South Atlantic States. 



Crabs . Landings of crabs, all species, were 277.2 million pounds worth $39.2 million — a gain of 

 19.9 million pounds but a decrease of $3.9 million compared with 1969. Hard blue crab landings 

 increased sharply — from 132.3 million pounds in 1969 to 145.4 million in 1970. Catches improved 

 in all areas. Record landings of both Dungeness crabs (58 . 5 million pounds) and snow crabs (14.5 

 million) also contributed substantially to the greater volume. The harvest of king crabs (52. 1 mil- 

 lion pounds), however, was the smallest since 1961, and landings of soft blue crabs (2.7 million) 

 declined 41 percent. The decline in exvessel value reflected a decline of about 2 cents in the a- 

 verage price per pound received by fishermen for landings of Dungeness, king, and hard blue crabs. 



Anchovies . Record landings of anchovies in California were 192.5 million pounds — a gain of 57.2 

 million (42 percent) compared with 1969, the former record year. In 1970, greater fishing effort, 

 early season price agreement, and favorable market prices for anchovy meal contributed to the in- 

 creased landings. The anchovy fishery (used principally for reduction to meal and oil) was in its 

 sixth consecutive year. 



Flounders . Landings of 168.5 million pounds worth $23.1 million were 6.3 million pounds and 

 $3.2 million more than in 1969. Flounder landings on the Pacific coast (46.0 million pounds) de- 

 clined 3 percent compared with 1969. On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts the flounder production was 

 122.5 million pounds — a 7-percent gain over 1959. Landings of blackback (24.3 million pounds), 

 fluke (5.7 million), and yellowtail flounders (71.3 million pounds) all increased moderately com- 

 pared with 1969. Yellowtail flounder landings were 60 percent of the Atlantic and Gulf flounder 

 harvest. Overfishing of the yellowtail flounder resource by both domestic and foreign fleets during 

 recent years has led the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) to 

 recommend proposed regulations for member nations fishing the resource. Beginning in 1971, the 

 fishery will be regulated by closed seasons, catch quotas, and minimum mesh size of trawls. 



Groundfish . The Atlantic fishery for groundfish (cod, cusk, haddock, white hake, pollock, and 

 ocean perch) yielded 149.6 million pounds worth $15.5 million — a decline of 22.7 million pounds 

 and $157,000 compared with 1969. Haddock landings of 26.9 million pounds were 18.9 million 

 less than in 1959 and the principal cause of the decline. The haddock production was the smallest 

 on record. Results of a survey made by the NMFS research vessel. Albatross IV , showed that had- 

 dock will probablynot be plentiful for at least another 3 or 4 years — particularly on Browns or Geor- 

 ges Banks, formerly among the most productive haddock fishing grounds. As conservation mea- 

 sures, ICNAF instituted catch quotas and closed seasons for both fishing areas. Compared with 

 1969, landings of three other groundfish species declined. The cod harvest of 53.2 million pounds 

 was 7 percent less than in 1969. Landings of pollock (8.8 million pounds) and ocean perch (55.3 

 million) also declined slightly. Cusk and white hake were the only species landed in greater vol- 

 ume than in 1959 . 



