SCIENCE AND THE SEA 



60 Hudson Street 



New York 13, N.Y., U.S.A. 



The American Telephone & Telegraph Co. 

 Long Lines Department 

 32 Avenue of the Americas 

 New York 13, N.Y., U.S.A. 



Commercial Cable Company 

 Marine Superintendent 

 67 Broad Street 

 New York 5, N.Y., U.S.A. 



(b) If a cable is hooked the fisherman should cut his gear 

 and forward a claim to any of the above who will see 

 that the claim is forwarded to the company whose cable 

 is involved. 



(c) Trench the cable in areas where damage is likely to oc- 

 cur. This has already proven effective in relaying four 

 transatlantic cables across the active trawler area 

 southwestward of Ireland. Unfortunately, the rocky 

 bottom and strong current off Newfoundland make the 

 problem of burying the cables in that area extremely 

 difficult and the means to accomplish this are not now 

 available. 



(d) Remove abandoned cables. Cable companies have re- 

 placed the original cables with more heavily armored 

 types in fishing areas, but numerous abandoned cables 

 remain on the bottom and are a hazard to the fishermen. 



Some cables carry voltages in excess of 2,000 and any attempt 

 to cut these on deck would be extremely hazardous. 



A pressing need for closer cooperation between the fishing and 

 communication industries is evident. Fishermen lose far too much 

 time and gear because of cables laid in fishing areas. Cable breaks 

 and service interruptions are far too frequent to be condoned. The 

 development of an improved trawl gear, invulnerable to cable fouling, 

 would be a step in the right direction. Diversion of the cables to 

 waters clear of fishing areas, or into unified routes which could be 

 charted across larger fishing areas, might appear to lead to a satisfac- 

 tory solution. However, this has already been attempted by one cable 

 company which spent considerable time and money for major re-rout- 

 ings of the cables northward on the advice of qualified fisheries experts 

 only to find that the fish also moved northward. 



New factors which might revolutionize both industries may 

 materialize in the future. The number of cables laid across fishing 

 areas may decrease with the use of modern coaxial design cable using 

 submerged repeaters. Improvement in fish detection technique may 

 change fishing methods. Another development which appears pro- 

 mising is the use of mid-water trawling or otter boards that swim. 

 This would not only avoid damage to the cables but would also greatly 

 reduce the power expended by towing present day otter boards along 

 the bottom. This waste of power amounts to as much as 30 percent 

 of the trawler's main propulsion. But, while waiting for these de- 

 velopments, a practical policy of eliminating the present hazards and 

 inconveniences should be undertaken. The problem of compatibility 

 must be solved in an effort to serve the best interests of both the fish- 

 ing and ocean cable industries. 



A diesel powered trawler proceeding seaward from a New England port. 



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