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COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



OFF MID-ATLANTIC COAST: 



U.S.S.R. 1 No vessels of the Soviet fishing 

 fleet were sighted off the U.S. mid-Atlantic 

 coast during July. Soviet fishing vessels 

 were last observed in this area in May 1966 

 and moved north to fish in the vicinity of 

 Georges Bank off New England. 



* * * * * 



IN THE GULF OF MEXICO 

 AND CARIBBEAN SEA: 



Cuba: No Cuban vessels were reported 

 fishing close to U. S. coasts in the Gulf of 

 Mexico during July. Although 13 fishing craft 

 were identified as Cuban, these vessels were 

 engaged in fishing close to the Cuban coast. 



U.S.S.R.: No Soviet fishing vessels were 

 reported active close to U. S. shores in the 

 Gulf area in July. Although not confirmed by 

 reports received during the month, it is be- 

 lieved possible that about 12 Soviet fishing 

 vessels reported in June are still active in 

 the general area of Campeche Banks off the 

 Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. 



OFF PACIFIC NORTHWEST 

 (Washington and Oregon States): 



U.S.sTr.: Throughout July 196 6, a Soviet 

 fishing fleet operated off the Washington 

 coast primarily for Pacific hake. This fleet, 

 consisting of stern trawlers, side trawlers, 

 and support vessels, moved up and down the 

 coast working on the heaviest concentrations. 

 Upon leaving an area, at least one scout ves- 

 sel was left behind to check 'on the abundance 

 of fish. When the fish schooled again in the 

 area, a portion of the fleet would return. 

 Previously, the fleet had concentrated on Pa- 

 cific ocean perch and other rockfish, but 

 beginning in June, hake was the principal 

 species fished. 



At no time was a Soviet vessel observed 

 within United States territorial waters nor 

 were any vessels seen gill-netting salmon. 

 The greatest number of Soviet vessels sighted 

 off the Pacific Northwest coast was on July 

 7, when Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 agents counted 109 Soviet vessels off the 

 Washington coast. On July 20, 94 vessels 

 were sighted in the area, but by the end of 

 the month the fleet was back up to 106 units. 



3lC ?Ii 7'fi Sic !'fi 



OFF ALASKA: 



U.S.S R. : "Fishing effort in the Gulf of 

 Alaska during July was reduced to about 50 

 vessels, half as many as in June and the low- 

 est level since the winter of 1963-64. This 

 resulted from the transfer of the perch fleets 

 to off the coasts of British Columbia, Wash- 

 ington, and Oregon. Only a few factory 

 trawlers and one freezer trawler conducted 

 perch operations in the Gulf during July. A 

 small fleet of trawlers fished for perch along 

 the central and western Aleutians. 



The three Soviet king crab fleets, com- 

 posed of three factoryships and about eleven 

 tangle net-setting trawlers, terminated oper- 

 ations on the Bristol Bay flats by mid -month. 



One of the three Soviet whaling fleets op- 

 erating in the North Pacific was reported in 

 the western Aleutians. The remaining two 

 fleets conducted operations in the eastern 

 and central North Pacific. 



Japan : At the end of July, about 200 Ja- 

 panese fishing and support vessels were oper- 

 ating in waters off Alaska (around the same 

 number as at the end of June). The high-seas 

 salmon mothership fleet ended operations on 

 July 12 and returned to Japan. 



About 20 Japanese vessels (factoryships 

 and trawlers) continued fishing for ocean 

 perch in the central and western Gulf of 

 Alaska. One fleet of 3 vessels, operating in 

 this fishery in June, had left. 



Four Japanese fish meal factoryships with 

 about 100 trawlers continued operations in 

 the eastern and central Bering Sea. 



In the shrimp fishery, one small factory- 

 ship and about 15 trawlers continued fishing 

 north of the Pribilof Islands. Two other 

 trawlers continued shrimp fishing in the area 

 of the Shumagin Islands. 



Two king crab factoryships accompanied 

 by 10 catcher boats continued fishing through- 

 out the month on the Bristol Bay flats. 



As at the end of June, 3 whaling factory- 

 ships and their 30 killer boats were spread 

 from the western Gulf of Alaska to the far 

 Aleutian chain. 



In late July, when it appeared that the pink 

 salmon catch in the Cook Inlet area would 



