Figure 8. Trap being hauled aboard with catch 
of red snapper. (Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 
photo) 
It is of particular interest that pound nets 
yielded only $3 million worth of fish in 1966; yet 
they once were the most efficient gear for catching 
salmon in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Only 
20 years ago, more than 600 were in operation, 
catching salmon far more efficiently than any 
other gear since developed. The small fishermen, 
more numerous than the pound net operators, 
were successful in having legislation passed to 
outlaw these “‘overly-efficient traps.” 
An analysis of 9,251 fishing operations” indi- 
cates that 80 per cent of the vessels used were less 
than 60 feet in length, while only 4 per cent were 
greater than 90 feet. The following is a percentage 
breakdown of the gear type used in the 10,666 
vessels represented by the analysis: 
Otter Trawling 37.6 per cent 
Troll Lines 15.1 
Purse Seining NES, 
Gill or Trammel Nets 9.8 
Dredging 8.0 
aN fishing operation is defined here as a company, 
partnership, or individual proprietor. 
VI-142 
Pots and Traps 6.0 
Long Lining 4.1 
Other Gear 1S 
Although electronic gear has been well devel- 
oped as navigational, safety, and fishing aids for 
the last decade, few vessels have installed the full 
array of available equipment. 
Agriculture, road building, and other heavy 
equipment industries have long recognized hydrau- 
lics as a versatile, efficient means of transmitting 
power. Yet, only now is it beginning to find 
widespread use in the U.S. fishing industry. New 
developments are being implemented in the new 
tuna seiners and king crab vessels being built and 
converted on the West Coast for the Alaskan 
fisheries. The problem is not that fishermen, 
shipyards, or naval architects who design vessels 
are backward. Systems of this type usually must 
be built into vessels, and when a new vessel is 
built, it usually has this gear. However, hydraulic 
gear is an exception as it generally was added to 
tuna vessels (even old ones) during the purse seine 
revolution. 
4. Trends of Fishing Vessels 
Design trends are to: 
—New hull shapes for greater speed, sea handling, 
carrying capacity, and safety. 
—Introduction of more multi-purpose concepts. 
Construction trends are to: 
—Increased use of metals and less of wood, leading 
to stronger, more roomy vessels and greater 
versatility in layout of quarters and holds. 
—Lower maintenance costs due to better materials 
such as steel alloys and anti-corrosive paints. 
Propulsion trends are to: 
—Greater horsepower for more speed. New engines 
have lower weight-to-horsepower ratios, requiring 
less space and increasing hold capacity. (Increased 
speed is especially important for tuna vessels.) 
—Greater horsepower for better dragging power 
for trawlers (which in this case may be more 
important than greater speed). 
