Fishing Troubles

Up & down both coasts last week some 125,000 weather-worn fishermen bemoaned a wartime paradox: despite high prices and the biggest demand ever, many a fisherman loafs at home while many a home goes without fish. Chief reason: more than 400 of the biggest and most efficient fishing boats, Navy-manned, are now hard at work as mine sweepers and patrol boats. Japanazi submarines keep all but the most daring fishermen close inshore.

New England has been hardest hit. At least three Boston fishing boats have been sunk; the Government has already taken 76 of the largest boats and more are sure to go. There is practically no fishing on George's Bank (200 miles out of Boston) or Sable Island Bank (500 miles out), for centuries the nearest and best East Coast fishing grounds. Thus Boston's long, scale-paved Fish Pier took in only 114,664,000 lb. in the first six months of this year v. 153,838,000 lb. a year ago. The June catch was only two-thirds as big as in 1941.

But as the catch slumped, fish prices rose. Boston prices averaged $5.74 per 100 pounds in the first half year--17% above last year. Many a deck hand earns up to $200 a week--when he works at all. Trawlers sometimes get $10,000-plus for a single catch.

In Portland, Me., the once lush swordfishing business is dead. Time was when a single crew caught over 600 of the huge fish in a single 12-14-week season, sold them for $40,000 and up.

West Coast fishermen have troubles too. The sardine haul normally runs over a billion pounds a year (onefourth of the entire U.S. catch), goes into food, fish oil, fish meal and fertilizer. But this year bad weather, the loss of Jap and Italian crewmen, and Navy restrictions on when & where fishermen can fish have slashed output as much as 50%. The valuable tuna catch has also slumped, for the big fish are caught only in deep water far offshore. Fish prices have not risen as in New England. Reason: the Government is buying the entire 1942 sardine and tuna catch at Henderson prices.

Salmon packers last year sold about 7,500,000 cases for some $60,000,000. This year the loss of many an Alaskan salmon will cut the total to 5,500,000 cases--maybe less. Whatever the pack is, the Government will take it. Meanwhile the industry worries about higher costs (wages are up 25%) and where to find more canning employes (the Japs have gone to concentration camps, the Filipinos to war and better jobs).

Sports fishermen are also hamstrung by wartime restrictions. Last year in Long Island Sound they landed more summer flounder than all commercial fishermen; in some parts of Puget Sound the private salmon catch far outweighs the industrial catch. One hitch: a fat portion of the sport catch is usually wasted; sportsmen can neither sell nor give it all away.

Despite troubles and amateur competition, the big fishing companies have done well. Atlantic Coast Fisheries reported $495,000 profit in the year ended April 30, highest since 1928 and seven times the preceding year. Booth Fisheries earned $429,000, highest ever and almost double the year before. But both companies figure the spree is over: their fishing equipment is going to war, their taxes and operating costs are going to the sky.

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