34 COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW Vol. 13, No. 7 



By feeling the tension on the towing warp, which runs alongside the boat to the 

 stern before dropping below surface, the skipper can usually tell when he has a catch, 

 at which point he says "Let's air 'em," and 'the drags are hauled up. They are brought 

 alongside the boat and lifted on deck by a second winch cable. Thereafter, the same 

 cable is attached to the chains which project from the bottom of each drag, and a few 

 turns of the drum tips the drags upside dovm, usxially two at a time, dumping the con- 

 tents on the reinforced deck. 



When all the drags are en^jtied, they are lovrered to the deck, arranged for the 

 next drag, and again are dumped overside. The crew at once begins sorting the scal- 

 lops from the debris — five bushel baskets in one haul are considered good — and then 

 all hands get to work at the shucking table, including the skipper, who locks the 

 steering wheel to keep the vessel on its course. 



***** 



FISHERIES OUTLOOK FOR 1951 : On the assumption that the economic outlook today 

 is dominated by international political factors, the year 1951 promises to be a good 

 one for the Canadian fishing industry as a whole, points out the Canadian Department 

 of Fisheries in its Market Bulletin No. 5 ( Canadian Fishery Iferkets ).iL/ 



Canadian fisheries production is expected to be at or slightly above last year's 

 level. In the Atlantic provinces, bigger catches of groundfish may be made with the 

 help of additional trawlers and draggers, though the haddock fishery in Newfoundland 

 has gotten off to a poor start. The effort put into the halibut fishery will be re- 

 peated and prospects for herring and sardines appear to be better than last year. On 

 the other hand, there will be little incentive to increase shellfish landings because 

 of the softening of prices in the first half of this year. The inland fisheries may 

 somewhat exceed their production levels of 1950. No significant changes, apart from 

 the normal cyclical variations of the different salmon species, are expected on the 

 West Coast. 



Market conditions on the whole should show an improvement over last year. In 

 North Ataerica (our great fresh, frozen, and shellfish market), the high level of 

 economic activity will sustain a correspondingly great demand. Tne market for 

 groundfish fillets will remain basically strong, in spite of increased supplies 

 from Canada and other countries. The U. S. market, in particular, is apparently 

 still capable of very considerable expansion. Some adjustments in relative prices 

 may, however, be required to restore the balance between supplies of the various 

 species. Such relative adjustments may also be needed to clear comparatively heavy 

 stocks of a few other varieties of frozen sea fish (e.g. halibut). Inland fish is 

 likely to have another year of good demand at favorable prices. There have lately 

 been signs of weakness in the shellfish market, attributable mainly to increased 

 supplies. '.Vhile these will continue, there is again no reason to believe that, in 

 the generally prosperous circumstances of today, an aggressive sales policy could 

 not succeed in a corresponding expansion of the market. 



The domestic market for canned fish, which has been grov;ing quickly over the 

 last two years, is expected to continue quite strong. Export markets for these com;- 

 modities have been limited mainly by govermrental restrictions in consuming countries. 

 In Europe, the principal foreign canned fish market, the exchange situation this year 

 is appreciably better than in 1950 and some inprovement is also evident in other 

 areas that formerly bought sizable quantities of Canadian canned fish. Tariff con- 

 cessions made by the United States and European countries and expected to come into 

 effect about the middle of the year will be apother favorable influence. 



y SEE p. 93 OF THIS ISSUE. 



