52 



Canada (Contd.): 



operating from each Maritime Province. One 

 vessel uses trawls; the other 2 use traps-- 

 steel framework with "poly" netting. Each 

 trap can hold up to 300 pounds. Several large 

 concentrations of spider crab have been found, 

 including one estimated to be several miles 

 long and six miles wide. The experiment also 

 involves biologic studies and ways the spider 

 crab can be processed for marketing. 



Rock Crab May Supplement Lobster 



The rock crab may become a valuable sup- 

 plement to lobster catches, particularly if 



more efficient processing methods would per- 

 mit higher prices to the fishermen. Its small 

 size, low meat yield, high processing costs, 

 low prices, and the difficulties in regulating 

 a trap fishery for rock crab during closed 

 lobster seasons tend to rule out an independent 

 fishery. 



The Jonah crab (Cancer borealis ) does not 

 seem to be caught in lobster traps in suffici- 

 ent quantities to warrant appreciable com- 

 mercial use--but information on seasonal and 

 geographic variations in abundance is scarce. 

 The red crab ( Gervon quinquedens ) shows real 

 promise, particularly in conjunction with a 

 deep-water trawl fishery for lobsters. 



RARE MARINE SPECIES CAUGHT OFF CALIFORNIA COAST 



A new species of angler fish and the largest whale fish on record have been caught in 

 the San Clemente basin of the Pacific Ocean by marine biologists from the University of 

 Southern California. The whale fish may also be a new species. 



Both prize biological specimens were taken on the same day by researchers aboard the 

 research vessel Velero IV, operated by the University of Southern California's Department 

 of Biological Sciences and the Hancock Foundation. While using a large net, the research 

 team caught both fish in the 7,000-foot deep waters south of San Clemente Island, 60 miles 

 off the California coast. The cruise of the Velero IV is part of an investigation the Univer- 

 sity is making on mid-water organisms. The study, financed by a $43,400 National Science 

 Foundation grant, will seek to identify various types of fish in open water and to determine 

 how their living habits relate to their environment. 



The angler fish was identified as a Gigantactis , but when studied for further classifica- 

 tion it could not parallel any of the nine known species of that genus. The fish differed from 

 any known species, first of all, because it had more pectoral fin rays than any other. The 

 bony structure inside the head, which enables the fish to open and close the lower jaw to wash 

 water over the gills, was much better developed. Angler fish are so named because they 

 have antenna-like filaments with light -producing photophores which serve the fish as a lure 

 or bait. In the specimen taken, the 'bait" had many more appendages than other species and 

 a different and more slender shape. Most angler fish of that genus are less than a foot in 

 length. This specimen was 16 inches from the tip of the snout to the end of the vertebral 

 column. It was the largest of its kind ever discovered. 



The whale fish, largest in its family, is a member of the Gvrinomimus genus. It was 

 more than a foot long. Like all whale fish, it had a large head, tiny eyes, gaping jaws, and 

 lateral line pores. One of the marine biologists said that it was not possible at the present 

 time to classify the whale fish with any of thefour known Gyronomimus species. Astudywas 

 to be made of all its characteristics before the determination can be made. 



