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Finland, Denmark, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, and other 
countries. At the present time, the Soviet Union is building a larger 
proportion of its fishery vessels in domestic shipyards; however, foreign 
purchases still comprise a large and the most modern part of the 
fleet. 
One of the deciding factors in the development of the Soviet fishing 
fleet has been the need to operate on grounds progressively farther 
away from the U.S.S.R. coasts. In 1950, the average distance for 
the Soviet fleet to the fishing grounds was only 200 miles. This 
distance increased to 1,655 miles in 1965 and to over 4,000 miles 
in the late 1960’s. By 1975, 90 percent of the total catch was brought 
in by the high seas fleet. Industrial pollution and overfishing have 
been major causes for the drop in the coastal and freshwater catch, 
and have resulted in the Soviet fishing industry having to look farther 
afield for profitable grounds. 
Two major innovations which have contributed to the rapid increase 
in high-seas catch are the stern factory trawler and the flotilla fishing 
method. Prior to the mid-1950’s, fishing vessels had rather limited 
catch capability because their nets were hauled in over the sides. 
With too large a catch a side trawler would become unstable, so 
small nets were used, and the catch was therefore limited. 
The most important development in Soviet fisheries has been the 
invention in the United Kingdom of a new method of high-seas fishing 
whereby the vessel has a stern ramp through which the catch is 
brought aboard. These vessels, called stern factory trawlers, have 
greater stability and as a result are more seaworthy. Such a vessel 
can use much larger nets, hauling in about six times as much fish 
as a side-net trawler. These vessels come equipped with canning and 
freezing equipment on board for immediate processing of the incoming 
catch, and for reducing incidental catches and offal into fish meal 
for use as fertilizer. They can remain at sea and fish for up to 1 
year with periodic crew rotation, resupplying, and refueling. 
A second very important development is the concept of flotilla 
fishing. The Soviets adopted it after studying Japanese fishing opera- 
tions. A fleet fishing far from its home port must be able to remain 
at sea for extended periods of time to meet the costs of transit 
to and from the grounds. Fishing vessels must be supplied with fuel, 
water, salt, fishing gear, food, and other provisions, and fleet personnel 
must be provided medical care and recreational facilities. ‘‘Flotilla’’- 
type operations satisfy all these conditions. A flotilla of fishing vessels 
is under the control of a “‘Fleet Manager” (Nachalnik. Flota) whose 
headquarters are aboard a large mothership, which receives the catch 
from the trawlers, processes or semiprocesses it, and passes it along 
to refrigerated fish carriers or cargo vessels for transportation to home 
ports. A mothership also accepts fuel and supplies from tankers and 
from supply ships for distribution among the vessels of the flotilla. 
The large factory stern trawlers often operate independently, providing 
their own processing and transport services. 
The Soviet fishing fleet as a whole can be subdivided into five 
basic vessel groups: Motherships, fish processing and carrier vessels, 
factory trawlers, side trawlers and other fishing vessels. A sizable 
whaling fleet operates in Antarctica and in the Pacific. 
