forward gallows of the towing vessel, the bottom warp at the same side of the bag mouth to the after gallows of the vessel. The warp is separated from the net bag by long ropes called "bridles." The top one is a 20-fathom, 3-4 inch Manila rope, the bottom one a 23-fathom rope loaded with chain or iron sinkers of about 60-70 kilos (132-154 pounds). The connection between warps and bridles is formed by slip hooks, which facilitate rapid unshackling when the vessels approach one another after about 15 minutes' towing. The bridles are taken aboard by the cutter which hauls the trawl. The actual hauling is effected by pulling in the bottom lines, whereupon the mouth of the trawl is closed and the gear rises to the surface. The implement is towed between two cutters, which work side by side at a distance of 100-250 metres, and it is chiefly used at night. The gear is regulated to the depth of the herring shoal, as indicated by the vessel's echo-sounding device, by shooting the warps as required. The depth at which the trawl works is greatly dependent on the length of warp employed and the speed at which the implement is towed. Experience gives some degree of certainty in assessing the approximate working depth from these factors, but a device has been produced which increases this certainty. This is an angle gauge which is attached directly to the warp and from which the angle between the surface and the position of the warp can be read. With the aid of a special table the depth of the implement can then be calculated with ease. The angle gauge is a relatively cheap instrument. With the appliances, a floating trawl at present costs not quite Kr. 4,000 (approximately $579). The cost of an echo-sounding device and its installation is about Kr. 15,000 (approximately $2,172). A number of cases have occurred where the floating trawl has been towed into a shoal of herring so large that it has burst and the catch has been lost. To avoid this loss of both catch and time a Danish fisherman has designed a "catch measurer." The increasing pull of the fish in the trawl is registered electrically, enabling a constant control to be kept on the amount of fish in the gear. This can then be hauled when a convenient catch has been made. The measurer is placed on the boat deck, where the load in the trawl can be read at any time. It works on the principle that the pull in the trawl is transmitted to a compression spring which switches on an electric current when the pull has reached a certain strength. This instrument, for which a patent has been applied for, has been tested out in only a few vessels as yet but seems to function as intended. The good experience which Danish fishermen have had with the floating trawl so far has caused it to be installed in a large number of vessels, though up to now it has been used in practice for herring and sprat fishing only. Much interest has been shown in it in fishing circles in other countries. -- It is probable that, with heavier material and larger meshes, the gear can be used for fishing other shoal fish e.g. mackerel -- but no experience is yet available. A floating trawl specially adapted for catching cod is being tested by Danish fishermen working this summer off West Greenland. It will be necessary to change many details in the implement and the method of using it, when it is employed for catching fish other than herring and for fishing in other waters. But there is every sign that Danish ingenuity has succeeded once again in giving to sea fishing a new, practical and effective gear - a means of exploiting the wealth of fish in the ocean a great deal more efficiently than has been possible in the past. NOTE: Values converted on the basis of one Danish kroner equals 14.4778 cents U. S. France NEW FISH MEAL PLANT UNDER CONSTRUCTION: A new factory is under construction on the coast of France about 40 miles northeast of Le Havre which will manufacture feed for livestock. Fresh fish will be the principal raw material, according to a December 5 report from the American Consul at Le Havre. 毎日 German Federal Republic FISH OILS: For more than 10 years, the consumption of fats and oils in Germany has been restricted due to the insufficiency of supply, states a September 30 report from the American Consulate at Bremerhaven. Strenuous efforts have been made to develop domestic sources of edible fats and oils, and fish oil has become a highly prized commodity. Growing supplies of imported fats and oils are decreasing the demand for fish oil and fish fat, and black-market prices are little above the official prices. However, sea fish still are of importance in Germany's fats and oils supply, accounting for about 10 percent of the domestic production or about 2 percent of the total consumption. Fish oil is produced in two ways. Fish liver oil is produced on the catching vessel at sea by the simple steam process which extracts between 70 and 80 percent of the oil contained in the livers. Ordinary fish oil is extracted by the fish meal factories ashore from inedible fish waste. From both types of fish oil, an edible, odorless and tasteless fat is being produced by several companies. According to the producers, the fat can be used unblended for any cooking purpose. Only certain types of sea fish are used in Germany as a source of liver oil. The cod and haddock are the two principal sources, although ling and dogfish are also treated. When the extraction process is carefully and efficiently carried out, about 2.6 gallons of liver oil are obtained from a metric ton of cod or haddock. Yearly production of fish liver oil in Germany is estimated now to be around 317,000 gallons per year. Only a small proportion of this is used for medicinal purposes. The ordinary fish oil is obtained as a byproduct by the fish meal factories and fish smoking plants, and is quantitatively more important as a source. This ordinary fish oil is obtained in the fish meal factories by grinding and pressing fish waste. During the herring season, additional quantities of oil are produced by collecting the drippings from the herring being smoked. The yearly production in Bizonal Germany is estimated to be around 1,321,000 gallons. Some of this oil is used in paint manufacture. Despite processers' claims that unblended fish fat is suitable for all homecooking uses, the average consumer does not seem to value fish fat very highly. When conditions return more to normal, it is expected that fish oils will be used either for paint or for blending into edible fats. NEW TRAWLERS FLANNED: One Bremen trawler company has plans ready for the construction of a fishing vessel 560 gross registered metric tons, according to a December 2 report from the American Consulate at Bremen. Although German trawling circles successfully pressed their demand to build trawlers up to 650 metric tons, the fact that the trawler speed is still restricted probably will prevent German firms from building up to the 650-ton limit prescribed in the agreement of 1949 between the Allied High Commission and the German Government. PRESENT RESTRICTIONS ON GERMAN SHIPBUILDING RELAXED:1/ The terms of agree ment reached by the three powers for the relaxation of the present restrictions on German shipbuilding were communicated by the High Commission to the Chancellor and are included in the text of protocol of agreements reached between the Allied High Commissioners and the Chancellor of the German Federal Republic on November 22, 1949. This text was made public by the U. S. Department of State on November 24, 1949. With reference to German shipbuilding, the main provisions now agreed upon are as follows: The construction of ocean-going ships excluding those primarily designed for passengers, and tankers up to 7,200 tons, fishing vessels up to 650 tons and coastal vessels up to 2,700 tons not exceeding 12 knots service speed may begin forthwith. The number of such ships to be constructed shall not be limited. The Federal Government may, with the approval of the High Commission, acquire or construct before December 31, 1950, six special ships exceeding these limitations of size and speed. Further particulars on this point were communicated to the Chancellor. 1 Also see Commercial Fisheries Review, May 1949, page 41. Republic of Haiti UNITED NATIONS MISSION RECOMMENDS EXPANSION OF FISHERIES: Desiring to take advantage of United Nations technical asistance in planning for the economic development of Haiti, the Haitian Government on July 10, 1948, requested a United Nations Technical Mission to examine the problems of and the conditions affecting the economic development of Haiti primarily in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, industry, and related activities. With reference to fisheries, the report of the United Nations Mission of Technical Assistance to the Republic of Haiti (Mission to Haiti) released in July 1949 contains the following recommendations: As concerns fishing waters, both coastal and inland: 1. Appropriate regulation should be instituted to guard against pollution by industrial was te (such as pulp from sisal de cortication and pulp and fermenting juices from the processing of coffee) causing destrucof fish; As concerns marine fisheries: 2. As the logical course for Hai ti to pursue is to concentrate on raising the output of the present fishery industry within its traditional frame, measures should be taken, by means of gradual introduction of new methods, by making available better equipment, and by propagating the use of such me thods and equipment, to improve the yield of that industry; 3. To assist in fostering the development advocated in recommendation 2, the Government may sponsor a modest project for experimental fishing, helpful in detecting needs and in testing modifications and improvements in methods, procedures and equipment which would be worth while trying in the local fishery; a model fishing vessel, power driven and relatively small in size should be provided for operating this project; 4. As reliable information on the occurrence in Caribbean open waters of oceanic migratory fish--a seafood resource of great potentiality--would be of value to all the countries in the region, the possibility of instituting a thorough survey, jointly sponsored by them, for seeking that information and for determining the characteristics and catchability of the species passing through these waters should be explored; while Haiti cannot alone undertake any large-scale experiment of this nature, judicious steps to encourage the reporting of relevant observations by operators in Haitian and adjacent waters may well be considered; As concerns fish culture: 5. Since fish culture in ponds seems the only means capable of expanding the supply of fish from local resources (as distinct from supplies obtained through import) to a volume reasonably close to total consumption requirements, the Government should give full consideration to the feasibility of developing pond culture on an intensive scale (that very real difficulties would be encountered in the realization of that development must be fully recognized; considerable experimentation calling for expert advice would be needed); 6. Before deciding on a programme of pond culture development, the services of a first-rate specialist familiar with successful practices in other countries should be secured for making an extended survey; if in the light of such survey decision is taken to embark seriously on fish farming, the specialist should be retained for a number of years to lay out pilot operations and supervise their implementation; further, steps should be taken to train at least two local men in the principles of fish culture, these men to be responsible for following up the plans of the specialist; 7. As there is need for efficient pond culture throughout the Caribbean, the possibility of enlisting the co-operation of the various countries of the region in a jointly sponsored programme of research and experimentation under supreme guidance of one and the same specialist should be explored; As concerns processing, handling and marketing of the fish: 8. Active steps should be taken for improving the quality of the processed fish supplied to the market--to this end a much better grade of local solar salt than is now used should be produced, which could, in fact, be done without any great increase in cost; 9. As salting is the cheapest and most acceptable method for processing fish under Haitian conditions, careful and continued experiments should be undertaken at once to determine the best methods for wet and dry salting of the various types of fish under the particular climatic conditions obtaining in the different parts of the country; 10. While there is little immediate need for additional facilities for the handling and marketing of the fish, organized measures should be taken for improvement of these facilities and for their amplification in the event of a substantial expansion of the fish production. LOCALLY-BUILT BOATS USED IN FISHING AND TRANSPORT ARE MADE OF HEAVY ROUGH-HEWN TIMBERS. Iceland ICED FISH EXPORTS, 1948: Iced fish exports, Iceland's highest export commodity in value, accounted for 22.8 percent of the total exports from Iceland in 1948, according to a November 3 report from the American Legation at Reykjavik. A little more than 125,400 metric tons (valued at $13,888,900) were delivered to the United Kingdom and Germany. Of this total, the United Kingdom received 61,100 tons (valued, $7,174,964) and Germany 64,300 tons (valued, $6,713,936). Of the total amount of iced fish delivered to these countries, 95 percent was carried in Icelandic trawlers, while the balance was transported in trawl boats and carriers. Although the fish were generally delivered direct from the fishing grounds to the foreign ports, the trawlers did put into an Icelandic port to secure supplies and discharge about one-half of the crew before transporting their cargoes to Europe. Icelandic trawlers in 1948 made a total of 504 trips--262 to the United Kingdom and 242 to Germany. Trawler activities during 1948 on the whole were very successful, although several of the old vessels did not operate at a profit. Practically all of the iced fish that Iceland could supply and deliver was accepted by the United Kingdom and German markets. Since fish production in other countries selling to the United Kingdom and Germany increased considerably during 1949, Iceland's trawler operations during this year were not so successful. Outlook for 1950: It is believed that the United Kingdom and Germany, which have increased their own output, will not contract in 1950 for large quantities of iced fish as they did in 1948 and 1949. Consequently, a large part of the catches in 1950 probably will have to be salted since trawler fish generally is not quick-frozen (usually fresh fish, not over 24 hours old, is used for that purpose). WOULD SEEK EXTENSION OF TERRITORIAL WATERS: It is not unreasonable to assume that in the near future Iceland may carry its case for the extension of its territorial waters and the protection of sea life to one of the United Nations' agencies, according to an American consular report of December 1. From Iceland's standpoint the country is justified in seeking international agreement on the protection of sea life, according to an article appearing in the newspaper Althydubladid of November 16, 1949. During the past year, innumerable foreign vessels have engaged in demersal fishing and there are definite signs pointing to overfisning in Icelandic waters. Iceland is particularly concerned because its livelihood is almost entirely derived from the sea. The following are translated excerpts from the newspaper article: First of all, territorial waters must be extended. The resigning cabinet took a bold step when it terminated the old Agreement with the British concerning territorial waters. This matter must be follow ed up and a great deal depends on the decision reached by the Permanent Court of International Justice at the Hague in the case of the British versus the Norwegians.2 1/See Commercial Fisheries Review, February 1949, p. 45 2/See Commercial Fisheries Review, November 1949, p. 56. |