—Developing techniques that allow harvest of the 
more abundant smaller organisms in the food 
chain. 
It is felt by many that the most urgent needs 
are to apply existing technical knowledge and to 
secure adequate capital for new vessel construc- 
tion. This should be done by making investment 
capital more readily available to fishermen willing 
to upgrade their equipment. This subject is dis- 
cussed more thoroughly in the report on the 
fishing industry by the Panel on Industry and 
Private Investment. 
1. Present Limitations 
A recent report described how an engineer 
might be impressed with the modern electronic 
equipment available to locate stocks of fish, 
navigate precisely, and stay in contact with other 
fishermen and shore facilities.? However, he also 
might be disillusioned with the relative antiquity 
of the fishing gear and the fishing captain’s almost 
total lack of information concerning its perform- 
ance. He might ask several questions the captain 
would be unable to answer: 
—Why do catch rates sometimes vary greatly 
between nets concurrently fishing the same spe- 
cies? 
—How many fish are present on the grounds? 
—What is the speed of the net over the bottom? 
—What is the net’s speed through the water? 
—What changes occur to the net when towed fast 
or slow? 
—How many pounds of tension are exerted on the 
webbing? 
—What effect do wind, tide, and current have on 
gear performance? 
—How long does it take for the net to reach 
bottom? 
—When does it leave the bottom? 
3 McNeely, R.L., ‘‘Marine Fish Harvest Methods— 
Recent Advancements and Future Engineering Needs,” 
MTS Journal of Ocean Technology, April 1968. 
VI-146 
—Does the net catch as many fish in the first 15 
minutes of towing as in the last 15 minutes of 
towing? 
—How can it be determined whether the net is 
torn during a drag? 
These are just a few examples to describe the 
trial and error procedures of fishermen. They show 
the need for additional development in fishing 
systems and imply that many problems are phys- 
ical and, therefore, need engineering solutions. 
2. Future Requirements and Possibilities 
a. Fishing Vessels New concepts are foreseen in 
designing fishing vessels and deck machinery that 
would allow more time for fishing and require less 
time for handling gear. The major emphasis should 
be on developing entirely new vessels and fishing 
strategy. Perhaps such unconventional hull designs 
as hydrofoils and catamarans should be consid- 
ered. Submersibles offer unique advantages in a 
supporting role, their ultimate uses yet to be 
determined. 
Typical submersible advantages include free- 
dom from the effects of sea surface conditions, 
ability to operate under ice, better fish detection 
capabilities, and the ability to observe the per- 
formance of fishing gear and fish reaction to the 
gear. 
A systems analysis should be made of major 
U.S. fisheries to determine optimum fishing strat- 
egy, possibly introducing radical changes in fishing 
practices. For example, it could lead to high speed 
fish detector vessels or aircraft, highly automated 
fishing vessels capable of remaining on the fishing 
ground for long periods, high speed vessels to 
transport catches to shore, and floating processing 
plants. 
b. Search (J.) Predictions The value of environ- 
mental information to the fisherman is well 
recognized. The value of predictions lies in effect- 
ing improvement in locating and catching fish. 
Even now, ocean environment predictions are of 
great economic value in the North Pacific albacore 
fishery, the Gulf shrimp fishery, and others. Yet 
the collection, analysis, and use of oceanographic 
information by fishing captains is seriously defi- 
cient. Fishing vessel masters make decisions daily 
