with more ready access than foreign fishermen to 
the more lucrative but restricted U.S. fresh fish 
markets. 
e. Public Image of the Fleet It is precisely this 
fishery in New England (as well as California, 
Oregon, and Washington) which is the origin of the 
popular view that the entire U.S. fishing industry 
is decadent, declining, and composed of overaged, 
inefficient, and obsolete vessels and men. It is this 
fishery that is the cause of the widely published 
reports that the Russians are catching all the fish 
and crowding U.S. fishermen off their own fishing 
grounds. The reasons for this, as indicated above, 
are not those generally stated. It should be 
emphasized that this decadence of the fleet is not 
due to negligence of the fishermen and is not 
typical of the entire industry. 
Figure 3 
VESSEL UTILIZATION BY FISHERY FOR THE U.S. FLEET, 1962 
Average Average Average Average 
Fishery trips per days at sea days at sea gays Ness 
year per trip per year Gauhliged 
per year 
Gillnet/Drift . . . . . 72 1.9 137 115 
N.A. Trawler*. 2 2 17 12.1 200 52 
N.A. Dragger . . . . 80 2.87 223 29 
Oyster Dredge. . .. . 21 4.4 93 159 
Clam Dredge : 139 12 167 85 
Swordfish . . . . . . 15 5.2 76 176 
Menhaden Seiner. . . . 48 255 121 1231 
Shrimp Trawler... 25 57° 142 110 
Snapper Boat. . .. . 18 Loy.) 97 (15) 
TunaSeiner . . . . . 7 18.0 11555) 119 
Salmon Seiner. . . . . 14 5.7 80 172 
Halibut Boat . . . . . 6 14:2 85 167 
Salmon Troller . . . 18 5.8 105 147 
Salmon and other Gillnet . 16 4.4 We 180 
Pacific Dragger . . . . 24 4.9 117 135 
GrabiBoat =e -) e 53 23 121 131 
HerringSeiner. . . . . 11 9.6 102 150 
Eobstere. 2). oes 86 1.6 137 115 
Mackerel and Sardine . . 14 5.6 80 172 
Industrial Fish. . . . 24 5.0 120 132 
Pound Boat ; 136 1.1 150 102 
TunaClipper . . . . . 6 40.0 250 2 
Whaler 3) ees ot 96 2.0 193 59 
Senility) 5 4 5 o Beas o 19 10.0 190 62 
TunaTrollers. . . . . 8 15.0 122 130 
Cannery Tender . . . . 50 3.0 150 102 
Gharter an a) s  & 21 Be/ 77 175 
Longliner . . . . . . 92 eZ. 111 141 
1 Assumes a 252 working-day year. Saturdays, Sundays, and eight holidays have been excluded. 
228 represents small draggers. Large draggers average 5.6 days. 
ay) represents medium trawlers. Large trawlers average 15.1 days. 
4 NLA. = North Atlantic. 
5 Vessels chartered for unspecified fisheries. 
Source: Basic data from a private survey of the fishing industry by Fish Boat magazine. 
VI-139 
