October 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



STATES 



Alabama 



LANDINGS AND FISHERY TRENDS, 1965 



During 1965, fishery landings in the Ala- 

 bama coastal area (including the Alabama- 

 Tombigbee River system) totaled 17.8 million 

 pounds valued at $5,0 million- -up 18 percent 

 in quantity and 25 percent in value over 1964. 

 Leading items in 1965 were: shrimp (9.6 

 million pounds, heads-on weight), red snap- 

 per (2.5 million pounds)., blue crab (1.8 mil- 

 lion pounds), and mullet (1.5 million pounds) -- 

 87 percent of the total 1965 landings was 

 made up of these items. 





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Shrimp: The 1965 shrimp landings of 9.6 

 million pounds (heads-on weight) valued at 

 $3.6 million were up 2.4 million pounds from 

 the previous year; the ex-vessel value was up 

 $1.0 million, or 39 percent. Brown shrimp 

 made up 80 percent of the landings, white, 19 

 percent, and pink, 1 percent. Ex -vessel 

 shrimp prices were high through May with 

 few fluctuations except for minor price in- 

 creases for the larger sizes. Prices de- 

 clined on all sizes during June after the 

 brown shrimp season opened. Gradual price 

 increases began in late August 1965 and con- 

 tinued through the end of the year. 



Oysters: The 1965 oyster landings of 

 492,000 pounds of meats were valued at 

 $207,000. Landings were down 51 percent 

 from 1964, the decline due to pollution of oyster 

 reefs in the western portion of Mobile Bay 

 during the spring season. The demand for 

 shucked oysters was very strong during the 

 fall season after hurricane "Betsy" disrupted 

 the harvesting of oysters in Louisiana and 

 Mississippi waters. 



Crab: Landings of hard blue crab in 1965 

 were about 1.8 million pounds with an ex -ves- 

 sel value of $153,000, only a slight increase 

 from 1964, but the value was up 39 percent. 

 The value increase was due to a greater 

 quantity of pot-caught crabs. Crabs taken by 

 pots command higher prices than those caught 

 by otter trawls incidental to shrimp fishing. 



Alabama Landings, 1965 and 1964 



Species 



1965 



1964 



Quantity 



Value 



Quantity 



Value 





Lbs. 



$ 



Lbs. 



$ 



Fish 











Jluefish .... 



5,401 



508 



10,973 



691 



Juffalofish . . . 



100,285 



11,968 



67, 695 



6,937 



Zatfish .... 



38,578 



10, 168 



45,253 



11,421 



Croaker .... 



15,219 



1,258 



3,195 



271 



3runi: 



3,079 



212 



17,312 



1,429 



Black .... 



Red or redfidi 



3,658 



553 



19,295 



3,041 



rlounder . . . 



300,669 



46,651 



162,088 



24,836 



Grouper . . . 



388,622 



42,664 



304, 542 



43, 524 



lewfish . . . 



134,049 



13, 399 



118,450 



11,747 



King whiting or 











kingfish . . . 



607,741 



36,772 



574,759 



28, 892 



Mullet .... 



1,508,490 



69, 188 



1,071,981 



55,620 



Paddlefish or 











spoonbill cat . 



16,552 



2,069 



9,962 



1,270 



Pompano . . . 



1,677 



934 



1,645 



827 



Sea catfish . . 



19,286 



1,322 



12,801 



684 



Sea trout: 











Spotted . . . 



53,769 



13, 866 



64,601 



16,472 



White . . . 



108,055 



6,840 



65,120 



3,264 



Sheepshead: 



9,550 



1,378 



15,401 



2,319 



Fresh -water . 



Salt-water . 



15,578 



1,182 



34,711 



2,374 



Snapper, red . 



2, 494, 945 



707,302 



2, 392, 875 



685,133 



Spanish mackerel 



14, 326 



1,782 



74, 139 



8,35J 



Spot 



14,892 



744 



13,659 



701 



Other fish . . . 



261 



19 



485 



3^ 



Totel fish 



5,854,682 



970,779 



5,080,942 



909,845 



Shellfish 











Crabs, blue, hard 



1,812,338 



153, 409 



1,761,725 



110, 33E 



Shrimp, heads-on 



9,619,542 



3,654,173 



7,214,738 



2, 629, 814 



Oysters 



492, 498 



206,683 



1,005,260 



324, 12E 



Squid 



6,034 



516 



4,168 



3SC 



Total shellfish 



11,930,412 



4,014,783 



9,985,891 



3,064,624 



Grand total . 



17! 785! 094 



4,985.562 



15,066,833 



3,974,46£ 



Note: Landings ar 



e round weight for all species except oysters | 



which are in pou 



nds of meats 



(8.75 pounds per gallon 



). 1 



Finfish: Landings of finfish (salt- and 

 fresh -water) at Alabama ports during 1965 

 were about 15 percent higher than in 1964 

 due to increased catches of nearly all major 

 species. Red snapper was the leading spe- 

 cies accounting for 43 percent of the total 

 finfish landings and 73 percent of the value. 

 Fresh -water fish species caught in the Tom- 

 bigbee, Alabama, and Mobile river systems 

 were landed in larger quantities than in 1964. 

 Except for mullet, prices for most species 

 were relatively high with little price fluctua- 

 tions during the year. Heavy mullet landings 

 on occasions resulted in lower prices. 



Local shipyards operated at capacity dur- 

 ing 1965, and there was a trend to construct 



