October 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



11 



BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL 

 FISHERIES PROGRAMS 



Alaska Fishery Investigations 



KING CRAB TAGGING IN 



BERING SEA AND NORTH PACIFIC 



The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries re- 

 search vessel John R. Manning was in the 

 Shumagin Islands -Alaska Peninsula region 

 tagging king crab during July 1966. Despite 

 marginal weather conditions, 4,731 tags were 

 released by the middle of that month. Eleven 

 tags were returned to the Bureau's Auke Bay 

 Biological Laboratory for processing during 

 July. Six tags released in 1964, 3 released in 

 1963, and 1 Russian tag were included in the 

 returns. 



The vessel Sonny Boy completed in July 

 the planned station pattern in the Bering Sea. 

 The vessel occupied 90 stations, resulting in 

 the release of 1,150 tagged male king crab. 

 Upon completion of the station pattern, the 

 Sonny Boy intensified the tagging portion of 

 the program in an attempt to release an ad- 

 ditional 4,000 tagged male crab. 



Size frequency data and shell condition in- 

 formation were compiled from the first 60 

 stations sampled by the Sonny Boy. These 

 preliminary tabulations indicate large quanti- 

 ties of crab less than 110 millimeters (4.3 

 inches) in length. The crab found were pri- 

 marily recent molt crab, with skip-molt crab 

 occurring frequently. 



Alaska Fisheries Explorations and 

 Gear Development 



BOTTOMFISH EXPLORATIONS 

 OFF SOUTHEAST ALASKA 



The research vessel Commando , chartered 

 by the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, 

 left Juneau on July 18, 1966, for a 52 -day ex- 

 ploratory bottomfish survey. Explorations 

 during late July were conducted along the con- 

 tinental slope and shelf (70-150 fathoms) off 

 SoutheasternAIaska between Cape Spencer and 

 Cape Ommaney. Primary objectives were to 



locate trawlable fishing grounds and commer- 

 cial concentrations of Pacific ocean perch 

 (Sebastodes alutus). 



PRELIMINARY GEAR 

 STUDIES CONCLUDED 



The first phase of experimental fishing 

 with standard and modified shrimp try -nets 

 by the Bureau's Alaska Exploratory Fishing 

 Base was concluded this past July. Plans 

 were being formulated for phase two which 

 will test the standard and modified shrimp 

 try-nets in the Kachemak Bay area. Opera- 

 tions will be conducted out of the Bureau's 

 Auke Bay Biological Laboratory field station 

 at Kasitsna Bay. 



Note: See Commercial Fisheries Review . September 1966 p. 10. 



Central Pacific Fisheries 

 Investigations 



FIND RARE BIGEYE TUNA OFF HAW AH 



Fishermen aboard BCF's R/V Charles H. 

 Gilbert caught and landed alive in Honolulu 89 

 young bigeye tuna. They were about 20 inches 

 long- -under a year old. These small ones 

 are rarely seen and are not harvested. 



Researchers aboard R/V Towns end Crom - 

 well saw the fish playing around flotsam. A 

 hurried message brought up the Gilbert, the 

 Honolulu laboratory's other research vessel. 



Fig. 1 - A technician descends into the baitwell to net the young 

 bigeye tuna. 



