September 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



71 



U.S.S.R. 



WILL EXPAND FISHING OFF 

 NORTH-AMERICAN COAST 



I N PACIFIC OCEAN: 



Following a 7 months' exploratory cruise 

 in the Pacific Ocean of the refrigerator - 

 trawler Orlan. the Soviet Union announced 

 that the vessel had discovered off the North 

 American coast new fishing grounds for an- 

 chovy, sardines, mackerel, and other import- 

 ant food fish. As a result, plans are being 

 made to send fishing fleets to exploit the new 

 grounds in order to produce additional thou- 

 sands of tons of fish. 



***** 



DEVELOP SEMIAUTOMATIC 

 CRAB PRODUCTION LINE: 



The Soviet Union is reported to have de- 

 veloped a semiautomatic continuous crab 

 production line for use aboard its crab fac- 

 toryships. Several of the lines were reported 

 to be undergoing tests aboard the vessels. 

 The new lines are expected to replace large 

 nunibers of skilled workers now processing 

 crabs manually. 



United Kingdom 



WHITE FISH AUTHORITY 

 ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1965/66: 



The British White Fish Authority's An- 

 nual Report for the year ending March 31, 

 1966, was summarized in the following news 

 release issuedby the Authority, June 29, 1966: 



Summary : Assuring future supplies of 

 fish was the main theme of the Authority's 

 work during the year. 



The Authority has encouraged the growth 

 in freezing the catch at sea. As of mid-1966, 

 Britain had 17 freezer-trawlers in opera- 

 tion, with a dozen more in prospect. The 

 fish they produce is making a significant 

 contribution to the British market and off- 

 setting falling supplies from some tradition- 

 al grounds where there are warning signs of 

 overfishing. 



With the same objective, the Authority, in 

 collaboration with the Fisheries Laboratories 

 and Torry Research Station, initiated explor- 

 atory fishing for hake in the South Atlantic, 



- -~ ^^5afe 



Fig. 1 - Britain's first conventional distant -water freezer-trawler 

 Ross Fighter . As of inid-1966, Britain had 17 freezer-trawlere 

 fishing. 



and an investigation of the techniques at sea 

 and on shore needed to use them to the best 

 advantage. 



Insuring against depletion of natural stocks 

 is also the objective behind the Authority's 

 marine fish-farming program. 



Marketing activities related to the policy 

 of assuring future supplies include the de- 

 velopment of new products from underutilized 

 species such as coley and ocean perch, and 

 promoting the consumption of such fish in 

 institutions. Marketing work is also being 

 done to improve fish packaging. 



Fig. 2 - Fish frozen at sea in blocks of 100 poimds are thawed out 

 in a thawing plant at Grimsby prior to filleting. 



In regard to grants for new trawlers, 

 economic circumstances delayed the planning 

 of future assistance, and it was not until 

 March 1966 that the Authority was able to 

 resume approval of grants for new trawlers. 

 The existing form of assistance will in due 

 course be replaced by special investment 

 grants, although arrangements will probably 

 be made to ensure against overbuilding. It 

 is hoped that the new system will be a con- 

 tinuing one, so that owners may plan invest- 

 ments more consistently. 



