NEW ENGLAND FISHERIES 



The decline of the New England haddock fishery continued. Haddock landings decreased 

 from the 45.8 million pounds taken in 1969 to 26.9 million in 1970 — the smallest production on 

 record. The 1953 year class of haddock, one of the largest on record, was overfished by both for- 

 eign and domestic fleets in 1965 and 1966. There has been no successful year class since 1963. 

 A survey by the NMFS research vessel, Albatross IV , showed that the 1969 year class of haddock 

 was poor on Georges Bank — the sixth continuous year of markedly low indexes. As a result, had- 

 dock will probably not be plentiful for at least 3 years on that Bank. The survey also showed that 

 the abundance of the 1969 year class of haddock on Browns Bank had improved substantially, but 

 because of previous poor year classes the fish were expected to decrease during the next 3 to 4 

 years. As conservation measures, the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fish- 

 eries (ICNAF) instituted catch quotas and closed seasons on Georges and Browns Banks. 



Imports of groundfish fillets (including blocks) were a record 458.8 million pounds — 32.0 

 million (8 percent) more than in 1969, the former record year. The available supply (U.S. produc- 

 tion plus imports) of groundfish fillets and blocks in the United States was a record 501.7 million 

 pounds--a gain of 27.7 million compared with 1969. U.S. production of 42.9 million pounds was 

 only about 9 percent of the total amount available for consumption. In 19 50, U.S. production was 

 67 percent of the total. 



Flounders . Landings were 103.9 million pounds worth$15.4 million — a gain of 4 . 2 million pounds 

 and $2 . 1 million compared with 1969 . All species increased in volume except dab and fluke. Black- 

 back flounder production increased from 20.9 million pounds in 1969 to 22.3 million in 1970. Yel- 

 lowtail flounder landings of 67.3 million pounds worth $9.9 million increased 4 percent in quantity 

 and 16 percent in value compared with 1969. Yellowtails accounted for 65 percent of the volume 

 and 64 percent of the value of the total flounder production. The yellowtail flounder resource, how- 

 ever, has been overfished by both domestic and foreign fleets during the last several years. Ac- 

 cordingly, ICNAF has recommended proposed regulations for member nations fishing the resource. 

 Beginning in 1971, the fishery will be regulated by closed seasons, catch quotas, and trawl mesh 

 size regulation. 



Sea herring . The herring industry had a poor year. Landings of 66.3 million pounds declined 3 

 percent compared with 1969. In Maine, where sea herring are used principally to pack canned 

 sardines, landings declined sharply from 54.2 million pounds in 1969 to 36.6 million in 1970. It 

 was the smallest harvest since 19 38 , and far below the record 185 . 5 million pounds landed in Maine 

 in 1950. Fishing was poor in the Gulf of Maine, and canneries did not operate at full capacity 

 during the year. The pack of Maine sardines was 806,500 standard cases worth $11.2 million — 

 compared with 1, 042, 800 cases worth $11.5 million in 1969 . The pack was the smallest since 1938. 

 Twenty-one canneries packed sardines in 1970 — the same number as in 1969. Imports of sea her- 

 ring from Canada into Maine ports were 78.5 million pounds--compared with 94.5 million in 1969 

 and 165.8 million in 1968. 



In 1970, the Maine Sardine Council made a grant to The Research Institute of the Gulf of 

 Maine (TRIGOM) for a joint study with the Maine Medical Center on the effect of environmental 

 conditions on the habits, supply, and movement of herring along the Maine coast. The study will 

 supplement the biological research carried on by State and Federal agencies during the past 25 years . 



Sea herring landings in Massachusetts increased from9 .9 millionpounds in 1969 to a near- 

 record 27.4 million In 1970. Most of the catch was taken from Jefferys Ledge. About one-third 

 of the catch was cut into butterfly fillets and exported frozen to Europe. The rest of the catch was 

 made into meal and oil. In addition to the domestic landings, about 23.4 million pounds were taken 

 by foreign vessels outside the U.S. 12-mile limit and transferred to U.S. carrier vessels for de- 

 livery to domestic fish meal plants. Such shipments are treated as duty-free imports by Bureau 

 of Customs regulations. 



Unclassified industrial fish. Landings of unclassified species of fish for processing into fish meal 

 and oil were 51.6 million pounds — compared with 72.8 million in 1969. Nearly 58 percent of the 

 landings were made at Point Judith, R.I. , and most of the remainder at New Bedford and Gloucester, 



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