74 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



United Kingdom (Contd.): 



mation was gathered to permit a decision on 

 whether to carry out further explorations. 



NEW PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES: A 

 dozen new products, including various tj^pes 

 of sausage and crisps, have been developed 

 to miake possible use of species which, though 

 easy to catch, are otherwise discarded or 

 bring an uneconomical price. Some of them 

 have been introduced to manufacturers. Pre- 

 liminary trials have taken place on the pre- 

 packaging of wet or thawed fish for retail 

 sale. Acceptability trials of ocean perch 

 were held in factory and school lunch rooms. 



FUTURE RESOURCES : The Authority's 

 hatchery at Port Erin, established in 1964, 

 produced last year some 400,000 plaice and 

 a few thousand soles. Some 250,000 plaice 

 were used for stocking the experimental sea- 

 lock enclosure at Ardtoe, Argyll, in August 

 1965, but because of the excessive inflow of 

 fresh water following heavy rainfall and be- 

 cause of the attacks of shore crabs and eels, 

 only a few hundred fish now survive. Vigor- 

 ous measures have been taken to overcome 

 these difficulties and hazards. 



With the cooperation of electricity auth- 

 orities, preliminary experiments began in 

 1966 on the rearing of fish in warm water 

 condense outfalls of two power stations (Car- 

 marthen Bay and Hunsterston). Larger fa- 

 cilities to investigate the feasibility of rear- 

 ing fish to marketable size are being designed. 



The Authority's pilot-scale oyster hatch- 

 ery at Conway was completed in time to 

 make the first trials in August 1965. After 

 initial setbacks, an unbroken series of suc- 

 cessful broods was experienced in January- 

 March 1966. 



INSHORE VESSELS: Although the Scottish 

 Committee is still awaiting the final report 

 on the research into fungal attacks on wood- 

 en fishing vessels, the fungus has been iden- 

 tified, and measures introduced for the treat- 

 ment of timbers should prevent repetition of 

 outbreaks. 



ECONOMIC RESEARCH: A Fisheries 

 Economic Research Unit was established by 

 the Authority in Hull in September 1965, but 

 delays in recruiting professional economists 

 have slowed the work of this Unit. 



The Unit's work is in two main channels: 

 (1) studies necessary for day-to-day policies, 

 and (2) development of a research program 

 into production and distribution. This in- 

 cludes studies of the sale of wet fish in super- 

 markets and of the buying practices of insti- 

 tutions; planning has begun on surveys of the 

 economic situation of coastal wholesalers 

 and the catering market. 



The Unit also supervises associated re- 

 search projects commissioned from univer- 

 sities. A study by the University of Oxford 

 of the components of the demand for fish and 

 a forecast of its development up to 1975 are 

 well advanced. The University of Hull is 

 studying the productivity of labor in the deep- 

 water section of the industry, and likely de- 

 velopments of wages and manpower supply, 

 again up to 1975. A contract with a univer- 

 sity for a study of inland wholesale markets 

 is under consideration. 



The essential purpose of the economic re- 

 search program is an appraisal of the future 

 development of the industry, of its place in 

 the national economy, and its relation to fish- 

 ing industries in other countries. 



Administration : With increased landings, 

 the Authority's income from the general levy 

 rose tot587,000 ($1,643,600), and provided 

 a surplus of 1.82,000 ($229,600), However, 

 with growing commitments on research and 

 a probable fall in levy receipts, a deficit is 

 estimated for the current year, although the 

 effects will be cushioned by the accumulated 

 surplus which stood at -£.340,000 ($952,000) 

 at the end of the year. 



Training : A small increase in the appro- 

 priation for maintenance grants to fishermen 

 and new entrants taking training courses 

 brought training expenditures for the year to 

 t49,500 ($138,600); 904 fishermen and boys 

 received grants. 



The Authority welcomed the Minister of 

 Labor's announcement that he intended to 

 set up an Industrial Training Board for the 

 fishing industry, and informal discussions 

 have taken place with the Department and 

 sections of the industry, mainly upon the 

 scope of its jurisdiction. The Authority 

 would prefer a Board whose activities cov- 

 ered all sections, but a decision has yet to 

 be taken on the issue. 



