GULF FISHERIES 



209 



foreign coasts were landed in Mississippi instead of Florida where the closed season for lobsters 

 was in effect. Lobster landings in Florida are prohibited by law during the closed season, regard- 

 less of the origin of the catch. 



Food flnfish . Compared with 1969, several major species including red snapper, mullet, Spanish 

 mackerel, groupers, and fresh-water catfish declined in volume. Red snapper landings were 8.5 

 million pounds — a decrease of 1.0 million and the smallest yield since 1954. Landings declined 

 In all States except Louisiana. The value of $3.8 million was $161,000 less than in 1969. Red 

 snapper landings were usually not sufficient to supply the market, and exvessel prices continued 

 to trend upward. The average price per pound was 45 cents — compared with 42 cents in 1969 and 

 34 cents in 1968. The higher prices, however, did not increase the profit margin appreciably for 

 vessel owners because smaller catches on Gulf of Mexico grounds caused snapper vessels to search 

 out new grounds farther afield, off the coasts of Central and South America. These long trips in- 

 creased operating costs. Mullet landings were 26 . 5 million pounds — 10 percent less than in 1969. 

 The average price of 8-1/2 cents per pound was about the same as in 1969. The Spanish mackerel 

 production of 8.2 million pounds was just slightly less than the record landings of the previous 

 year. Landings of both groupers (7 . 5 million pounds) and fresh-water catfish (4. 3 million) declined 

 2 percent compared with 1969. 



Compared with 1969, landings of several important species increased. Landings of 4.9 

 million pounds of spotted sea trout worth $1 .4 million increased 6 percent in both volume and value . 

 The pompano fishery, centered in Florida, reached a production of 906,000 pounds worth $1.0mil- 

 lion — an increase of 36 percent in volume and 59 percent in value compared with 1969. The aver- 

 age priceof 95 cents per pound in 1969 increased to $1.11 in 1970. Croaker landings of 7.4 mil- 

 lion pounds worth $989,000 were 2 . 2 million pounds and $315,000 greater than in 1969. The trawl 

 fishery for croaker increased markedly as fishermen strove to supply the market for croaker cre- 

 ated by the declining yield off the Atlantic coast. 



Pollution . The discovery of mercury pollution in a few bays and rivers along the Gulf coast, main- 

 ly in areas seldom fished commercially, resulted in nation wide publicity that curtailed sales of fish 

 and shellfish for a considerable time. 



The additional discovery of mercury in swordfish in proportions that exceeded the U.S. 

 Food and Drug Administration's definition of safe consumption levels discouraged a promising new 

 fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. Findings of the NMFS exploratory fishing program had indicated 

 that swordfish were available in the deep waters of the Gulf, especially during the winter — when 

 they are absent on the regularly fished grounds off the Atlantic coast. Acting on this information, 

 a few longliners from the Atlantic coast entered the fishery in the Gulf in 1968 and 1969, and made 

 good catches. Fishermen received excellent prices as fresh swordfish was usually not on the mar- 

 ket at that time of the year. Accordingly, several owners of Gulf shrimp trawlers converted their 

 vessels for the longline swordfish fishery and were ready to operate at the time the high mercury 

 content was discovered in swordfish. As a result of the discovery, vessel owners lost consider- 

 able fishing time and sustained financial loss in converting trawlers to longliners. 



Other information . Seasonal variations in landings of fish and shellfish in Florida, Alabama, Mis- 

 sissippi, Louisiana, and Texas can be ascertained from the monthly and annual landings bulletins 

 published in the Current Fishery Statistics Series by the Statistics and Market News Division in 

 cooperation with the respective States. Additional data on many aspects of the Gulf fisheries may 

 be found in the daily, monthly, and annual reports published by the NMFS Fishery Market News 

 Service in New Orleans, La. 



Acknowledgments . The following organizations helped collect the data appearing in this section: 

 Florida State Board of Conservation, Alabama Department of Conservation, Mississippi Marine Con- 

 servation Commission, Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission, and Texas Parks and Wild- 

 life Department . 



