of fish, but reduced restrictions on imports of fishing 
gear. 
Developing Underused Species 
The common property nature of marine resources 
is part of the problem concerning the harvesting of 
species which now may be underused. Compared with 
the large risks involved, an investor willing to sponsor 
the harvest of underused species can realize only a 
minimal economic gain, because there is nothing 
comparable to patents or “leases” on fisheries. 
Beyond this major disincentive, a number of other 
problems hamper the development of underused spe- 
cies: 
e need for resource surveys and assessment to de- 
termine if there are, in fact, underused species 
and their extent; 
@ possible new harvesting techniques and _tech- 
nology; 
© different techniques for storage, processing, and 
product development; and 
e need for marketing and economic analysis. 
Table 3-9 notes some underused stocks that have po- 
tential for development. 
Resource Surveys and Assessments 
Although the NMFS Marine Resources Monitoring 
Assessment and Prediction Program (MARMAP) 
functions primarily to supply the information re- 
quired to manage and conserve the fishery resources, 
this program can collect data on the abundance and 
location of possible underused stocks as well. 
The NMFS Fishery Engineering Laboratory has 
been involved in developing new techniques for stich 
surveys. This laboratory is at NASA’s National Space 
Testing Laboratory in Bay St. Louis, Miss. The de- 
velopment of satellite and aircraft survey techniques 
has been facilitated by this arrangement. Satellite 
assessments may some day be able to predict the lo- 
cation of schools of certain species of fish with high 
accuracy. 
Harvesting Techniques and Technology 
There are questions avout the role that govern- 
ment should play in the development of techniques 
and technology which can be used commercially. 
Present policy directs NOAA’s research and develop- 
ment efforts at improving techniques for harvesting 
fish which are designed strictly to contribute to a 
better understanding, conservation, or use of the fish- 
ing resources. Occasionally, this work can lead to 
developments with commercial application. 
Storage, Processing, and Product Development 
Several possible underused species with economic 
potential, such as mullet or Pacific hake, are more 
perishable than most varieties. Changes in methods of 
shipboard handling and storage will have to be made 
Table 3—9—Underused stocks in U.S. waters with 
potential for development ' 
5-year 
average catch 
1970-74 1971-75 
Species 
million pounds 
California anchovy 
(central stock) 222 
Pacific hake (offshore 
stocks) 0 
Atlantic herring (offshore 
stocks) 37 
Round herring 0 
Jack mackerel 36.6 
Skipjack tuna (central and 
western Pacific) 11.0 
Atlantic squid (short-fin 
and long-fin) 3.3 
Croaker 16.4 
Mullet 33.1 
1 Adapted from U.S. Controller General, The U.S. Fishing 
Industry—Present Condition and Future of Marine Fisheries. 
to handle such fish. With support from the Sea Grant 
program, one such development has emerged. Re- 
searchers have found that when mullet are dipped 
in sodium ascorbate, their rate of decay can be 
slowed down significantly. They feel that further im- 
provements in this area will aid the development of 
a productive mullet fishery. At the present time, the 
short storage time has been a major obstacle to 
expansion of this fishery. 
Research sponsored at the University of Rhode 
Island has shown that New England squid have a 
tremendous economic potential either for export or 
home consumption. Americans are not inclined to use 
squid as are Europeans and Asians, but the develop- 
ment of canned and frozen squid could have a future 
market here. Food scientists and engineers at the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have 
designed and built a prototype of a squid eviscerating 
and skinning machine. 
MIT engineers also have begun a 2-year study to 
devise an automated process to remove the skin of 
the spiny dogfish shark. There are two constraints 
on the development of this fishery: first, the common 
name of the fish and second the high cost of manually 
removing the leathery skin. Stocks of spiny dogfish 
shark are abundant within U.S. waters, but are little 
used at the present. This project is part of the 
Gloucester fishery revival project discussed above. 
Another possibility is the use of wastes from 
harvesting and processing as new food sources for 
humans and as feed for animals. The Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations esti- 
mates that as much as 8 billion pounds of trashfish 
is discarded by shrimpers who catch 8 to 20 pounds 
III—33 
