BOSTON PUBLIC L'BRARJ',
3 9999 06542 02
lllillllll ' /^U^PP^^^
OFFICE OF NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION
DIVISION OF REVIEW
EARNINGS OF FISHERMEN AND OF FISHING CRAFT
Appendix to
THE FISHERY INDUSTRY AND THE FISHERY CODES
By
John R. Arnold
WORK MATERIALS NO. 31
(Appendix)
df^;
Industry Studies Section
January, 1936
OrFICE 01^ NATIu:Ti\L RECOVEP.Y ADI : 1 1^1 STRATI Oi'I
DIVISION OF REVIEW
EARNINGS OF FISHER] :e1i AlII3 OF FISHIITG CRAFT
Appendix to
TIIE FISHERY IllDUSTRY AuD TxIE FIS.'IERY CODES
John R, Arnold
Industry Studies Section
January, 1936
9680
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I 0 sx E M 0 R I)
This report on "Th'?. Earnings of Fishermen and. of Fishin,^ Craft"
was prepa,red by John P., Arnold- of tne Ino.ustr^.^ Studies Section,
Li, D. Vincent in charge.
This is the first study of the subject to he atte-Tpted, It
was undertaJcen originally in connection vdth the niniin"'ain wage
provisions of the LIRA Fishery Code. It is no-: made an Ap'oendix
to Work Materials ilo, 31 on "The Fisherj'^ Industry and the Fishery
Codes", in the \-riting of ■■rhich it served as an iiaportniit source
of statistical information. The study nil! he found of interest
to the Fishing Industry and to investigators in the fields of
industry and lauoro
The report has "been made possible "by extensive cooperation
on the part of the Industry. The information c-'lled for hy the
questionnaire sent out was supplied "by the owners of more than
five hundred fishing vessels; and the recipients of many supple-
mentary inquiries, v/ith the rarest of exceptions, gave the hest
assistance in their power. The study is also under heavy obli-
ga.tions to the st.-iff of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Department
of Commerce — especially to the Division of Fishery Industries
and the Alaska Division in the Washington Office, and to the
statistical and technolo ;ical field force.
A pioneer study of so couplex a subject must necessarily be
somewhat provisional. Its publication will, it is hoped, invite
comment from the Industry and encourage further investigation \)y
other agencies.
At the back of this report ^7ill be found a brief statement
of the studies undertaken by the Division of Review,
L. C. Marshall,
Director, Division of Review.
13
%36
9680 -i-
TABLE OF C01IT£1TTS
Pa<s:e
I, The ScOT^e and Metliods of the StuC.v
Sources of Inf orna.tion 1
Limitation of Ori;'?:inal Stud^ to
Vessels 1
Returns to the (Questionnaire 1
Definition of the Industry 2
The Years Represented 2
Merits and Defects of the Schedules ,..,, 2
The Geographical Areas 2
The "Fisheries" 3
• •••••••
(Continued)
9680 -ii-
II, The Number and T^rpes of Fishing Craft
and Their O-v^mership and Command •
Sources of Information
Scope of the Bureau of Fisheries Data
Vessels and Boats 8
Sport and Transporting Vessels 9
The Number of Fishing Craft 9
Long Tim.e Variation in the Number
of Vessels 13
Relative Numbers of Vessels and Boats , 16
The Size of Fishing Vessels ,. 16
Types of Fi shing Gear 18
The Ownership of Fishing Craft 18
Ov/nership by Wholesale Dealers 22
Omiership and Command 22
Single and Multiple Oiimership 22
The Output of Fi shing Craft 24
Modes of Propulsion of Fishing Vessels 24
Idle Fishing Vessels 27
III, The Personnel and Occuoations of the
Fisheries , 29
Definitions of "Crew" pjid "Fishermen" 29
Number of Fi shermen • 29
Numbers of Vessel and Boat Fishermen 32
The Long-time Trend in Personnel 32
The Productivity of Fishery Labor 35
TiffiLE OF CGilTElITS
( Continued)
Regular and Casual Fi shermen 38
Non-liigratory Chai'acter and Low
Turnover of Personnel 41
Distinctions of Se::, Ra.ce and
National Origin 41
Si 26 of Fishing Crews 42
Employers, Employees and Independent
Operators 42
Distinctions of Rpjik and Occupation 44
Shore Workers 45
IV, The Production of the Fisheries 48
Sources of Information o 48
(Quantity and Value of the Catch 48
Production of the Fisheries in 1954 50
The Long-Time Trend of Production 50
Output of the Vessel ?and of
the Boat and Shore Fisheries 50
V. The Compensation of Fishing Crev/s 54
Variety of I.:odes of Payment i,. 54
Fi shing Lay s . . , . o 54
The Payment of Straight Wages 54
P.qyment at Piece Rates 55
Intermediate Systems of Pa^onent 55
Relative Importance of the
Various Modes of Compensation 55
Reasons for the Predominance of
the Share System . . . . o 56
Effects of the Share System 57
VI, The Operation of Fishing Vessels on Shares , 59
The Gross Stock 59
The principal Factors in a Lay 59
Specimen Operating Statement of
a Fishing Vessel Working on a Lay 60
(Continued)
9680
•111-'
TA2LE OP CGi^T£NTS
(Continued)
Operating Expense 60
Overhead or O^'mer ' s Expense , 61
Characteristics of Fishing Lays 61
Factors Governing the Earnings
of Crev/s 62
Classification of the Lays in Use 62
Estimates of Grev7 Earnings on
Share Vessels 67
The Estimates for 1934 and 1329 67
VII, The Earnings of Fishernen on Share Vessels ....,, 68
The '3r sic Data 68
Classification hy Tonnac© and
Its Significance 68
Missing Data for Operating Expense
and Their Sirniiican.ce 76
Comparison of Operating Ezcpense
and of Vessel mid Cre^rr S'iiares 79
The Data for Individual Crew Shares • 79
The Factor of Food Cost 80
Wages in Addition to or in Lieu of
Share s 81
VIII. Earnings on TJage and On Piece-Rate Vessels ,..,,, 86
Comparison of Share and Wage
Earnings 86
Relation of Wages to Value of Cat-^^n o........ 87
Lack of Expense Da.ta for Wage Vessels 87
Vessels Working on Piece Rates ,. 87
IX, Other Considerations Relating to Fishermen's
Earnings 88
Geographical Vari<'^tions 88
Periods of Actual Emplojrraent 88
Seasonal Variation in Active Emploj^-
ment , 90
(Continued)
i680 -iv-
TA3LE or COHTZHTS
( Continued)
Income From So^jrces Other Than
Fi shing ■ 91
The Total Volume of Earnings 91
X, The iil-^.rnings of Ranks and Occ"u:pations 92
The Compensation of Captains 92
Recipients of VJages in Addition to
Share s 95
Occupations and Compensation of 7age
Earners on Share Vessels •.... 95
Distribution of "7 age Rates on
Wage Vessels •.. 102
Summary of Coijpensat ion by RarJ-:
or Occupation 102
XI, O'-'ners' Expense and l^et Return and
the Capitalization of the Fisheries 105
The Data on O^-mer ' s E^roense , 105
Reliability of the Ovmer's Expense
Data 105
Practice with Respect to Depreciation 106
The Estimated Vifrite-Offs for Deprecia-
tion 106
Treatment of Repl cements of Gear 106
Fixed Capital of the Fisheries 106
Working Capital of the Fisheries 110
The 1908 Census Data on Investment 110
Profit and Loss in 1933 113
Conclusions suggested by the Data on
Ovmer ' s Expense ,.... 114
XII, The Earnings of Fishermen and of Vessels
in 1934 and 1929 115
Mode of Malcing Estimrtes for 1934 and
1929 115
Individual Crew Shares in 1934 and
1929 116
Changes in Crew Share and in Value
of Catch 116
(Continued)
9680 -V-
TigLE OF CO'ilTINTS
( Continued)
Page
Return to Vessel Garners in 1934
ajid 1929 120
i7ages in 1934 and 1929 122
XIII. The Earnings of Employee Fishermen and
Trapmen in the Salnon Ca,nning Industry 123
Scope of the Data 123
Sources of information 123
Inclusion of Boat and Shore Fishermen 123
Huraher of Fishermen and Trapmen 123
period of Employment 124
Method of Compensation , 124
Average Earnings of Employee Fishermen 125
Earnings of Trapmen « 125
Special Conditions of the Vfork 125
The Volume of Compensation 126
Compensation of Non-Employee Fishermen 126
Total Compensation of Alaska Salmon
Cannery Fishermen 127
XIV, Earnings in the Boat and Shore Fisheries 128
Distinction "between the Boat and
the Shore Fisheries 128
Number of Fishing Boats and Boat
Fishermen ,. 128
Employees and Entrepreneurs • , 129
The Value of the Boat and Shore Catch 129
Boat Fisheries of the liississippi Area 131
Size and Gross Income of Boat and
Shore Enterprises 134
Summary of Data on Typical Boat
Operations . 134
XV. The Returns to the Questionnaire and the
Si ze and Nature of the Sample 140
Difficulties of the Project , 140
Limitation of the Survey to Vessels 140
Seasonal Factor in the Voliome of
Re turns , 140
The Mailing List ' 141
The Returns to the Questionnaire 141
Supplementary Studies and Data 143
(Continued)
9680 -vi-
TaBLj: of COITTEIITS
( Continued)
Fa!g:e
Size and Representativeness of the
Saraple s 143
Tests of the Data for Internal
Consistency 149
Representation of Large and Snail
Vessels 150
Correction of Distortion "by
Weighting , , 151
General Reliability of the Data 153
APPEM)IXES
I, Additional Data on ii;a.rnings
In the Menhaden Fishery 155
II, The Schedules Used in Connection
with the Study 157
III, Breaicdovm of Classification of Lays or
Share Agreements (Tahle XIHl) "by Area
and Fishery, with Name of Lay "There
Reported „ , . 167
IV» Provisional Index of Monthly
Variation in the Nuinher of
Fishermen Actively Engaged in
Fishing and Earning Shares or
fege s , , 170
9680 -vii-
LIST 0? TABLES
TABLE Pa^-^e
I - Vessel Fisheries Covered by the Study,
With Principal Species Caught and Types
of Gear Employed, and Periods of Normal
Seasonal Operation, "by Area and
Fishery 4-5-6-7
II - Number and Net Tonnage of All Pishing
Vessels, by Area, 1929 - 1933 11
III - Number of All Fishing Boats, by
Area, 1929 - 1935 . 12
IV - Number and Net Tonnage of All Vessels
in Use in the Fisheries, by Area, 1908 -
1933 14
V - Distribution of All Fishing Vessels on
the Atlantic and G-ulf Coasts, by Net
Tonnage , 1929 17
VI - Average Value of Catch per Vessel, per
Ton and per Man for Sample Vessels,
by Tonnage Class and By Area and Fisherj'-,
1933 19-20
VII - Prooortion of All Vessels in the Fisheries
HThich Mere Onned by Corporations, by Area,
1926 21
VIII - Fleets of Sample Fishing Vessels Which
Tfere Reported as O^Tied by Single Persons,
Firms or Corporations, by Area and Size,
1933 23
IX - Average Value of Catch of All Fishing
Craft, by Area, 1929 - 1935 25
X - Number of All Vessels and Boats in Use
in the Fisheries, by Mode of Propulsion,
1908 - 1933 26
(Continued)
9680 -viii-
LIST OF TA3LES
(Continued)
TABLE Pa/^e
XI - N-umlDer of All Fisherinen, on Vessels and
on Bo?„ts and Ashore, hy Area, 1929 -
1955 50-51
XII - Niimber of Persons Conposing the CrerTS of
All Vessels in the Fisheiies, "by Area,
1908 - 1955 , . . , 55
XIII - Num'ber of Persons Report inf-^ the Occupation
of Fisherman or C^'-storraan in Connection
vath the Censuses of Population, in the
United States Proper and in Alaska, 1870 -
1950 \ , 54
XIV - Average Value of Catch per laan, All Fishing
Crpjft, hy Ai-ea, 1929 - 1955 56
XV - Q,uantity and Value of the Catch of the Fisheries,
i902 - 1904, 1908 and 1929 - 1954 57
XVI - Number of Regular and Casual Fishermen on
Boats and Ashore, Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
and the Great Lakes, 1929 - 1955 59
XVII - Estimated Classification of All Fishermen
by E]aplo;^nnent Status, 1955 , 45
XVIII - Estimated Huraher of Persons in Each Panic or
Occupation on All Fishing Vessels, 1955 47
XIX - Q;j.antity, Value and Average Price Per Po-ond
of the Catch of the Fisheries, "by Area,
1929 - 1955 49
XX - Estiraded Segregation of the Value of the
Catch of the Vessel and of the Boat and Shore
Fisheries, "by Area, 1955 51
XXI - Estimated Proportions of All Fishing Vessels,
of all Vessel Fishermen, and of the Total Value
of the Catch, of Vessels Using V-^rious Modes
of Compensating Their Crews , 56
XXII - Classification of Lays or Share J\greements in
Use on SaraDle Fishing Vessels, 955 65-64-65
(Continued)
9680 -ix-
LIST OF TA3LES
( Continued)
TABL£ Page
XXIII - Principal Factors C-overnin^ the Basic Earn-
ings of the Cre^TS of Sample Share Vessels,
ty Area and Fishery, 1933 66
XXIV -- NumlDer of Vessels, Avera/'e Tonnage, Niimber of
Fishermen and Average Crew for All Vessels
Included in the Sanple , by Mode of Compensa-
tion and by Tonnage Class, 1933 69
XXV - Number of Vessels, Average Tonnage, IJumber of
Fishermen and Average Creu, for All Vessels
Included in the Sample, by Mode of Compensa-
tion and by Ai^ea and Fishery, 1933 70-71-72
XXVI - Value of Catch and Earnings of Cre^7s, With Num-
ber of I'en and Earnings Per Kan, for All Sample
Vessels, by Mode of Compensation and by Ton-iage
Class, 1935 74
XXVII - Value of Catch and Earnings of Cre^,7S, V/ith Num-
ber of Men 8.nd Earnings Per Man, for .all Sample
Vessels, by Mode of Compensation and by Area and
Fishery, 1933 75
XXVIII - Value of Catch, Operating Expense, and Vessel
and Cre^T Shares, for Sample Share Vessels for
which Operating Expense was Reported, by
Tonnage Class, 1933 77
XXIX - Value of Catch, Operating Expense and Vessel
and Crew Shares, for Sample Share Vessels
for v;hich Opera ing Expense was Reported, by
Area and Fishery, 1933 78
XXX - Recipients of l/Vages in Addition to Shares on
Sample Share Vessels, "Jith the Value of
the Catch, The Crew Share and the Volume of
Additional "Yages, by Area and Fishery, 1933 .. 82
XXXI - Recipients of V/ages in Lieu of Shares on
Sample Share Vessels, with the Value of
the Catch, the Crew Share ajid the Volume of
"vYages, by Area and Fishery, 1933 83
(Continued)
9680 -X-
LIST OF TABLES
(Continued)
TABLE Pafc-e
XXXII - All Recipients of 7/ages on Sanple Share
Vessels, With tht= Value of the Catch, The
Crew Share and the Tot-^.l Volwne of Wages,
by Ai-ea and Fishery, 1953 84
XXXIII - iNTurnber of Wage Earners on Sanple -.Va.^'^^e
Vessels, V/ith ^^.ver.-^ge 'iTeelcs of Er.ployraent
and Aver-.ge Annual and Weekly Earnings, "by
Rpjik or Occupation and "by Area and Fishery,
1933 ". 89
XKXIY - Percentage Bonuses in Additi(vi. to Shres Paid
to r."em'bers of Sample Share Vessel Crews,
V/ith 1^'ura'ber of Vessels, N^jinber of lien, Value
of Catch and Vessel pjid Grew Snares, "by Area,
1933 93
XXXV - Recipients of Wages in Addition to Shares on
Sample Share Vessels, by Raiilc or Occupation
and "by Area and Fisher;/, 1933 96-97
XXXVI - Recipients of Vfeges in Addition to Shares on
Sample Share Vessels, ".Tith Volume of Wages
and Averr.ge Per iCan, "b,y Ranlc or Occupation and
"by Area ano Fishery, 1933 98
XXXVII - Recipients of WsLges in Lieu of Shares on
Sample Share Vessels, with Volume of Wages
and Average Per Man, by Pianlc or Occupation
and by Area and Fishery, 1953 99
XXXVIII - Distribution oi Wage Earners on Sanple Wage
Vessels According to Average "Teekly Earnings,
by Ai-ea, 1933 100
XXXIX - Distribution of Wage Earners on Sample '.7age
Vessels According to Average Jp.ehly Earnings,
by Rank or Occupat ion, 1935 , , 101
XL - Average Total Compensat ion for the Year of the
Principal Hanlcs or Occupations on Sample Share
and Wage Vessels , 1953 103
(Continued)
9680 -XI-
LIST OF TABLES
(Continued)
TABLE
'Pa.ff.e
XLI - Ormers' or Overhead Expense Reoorted for
Saraple Share Vessels, with iJumber of Men,
Value of Catch and Vessel and Crew Shares,
Classified as Showing Inclusion or Exclusion
of Depreciation and Net Profit or Net Loss,
hy Area, 1933
107
XLII - Estimated Original Cost of All Fishing Ves-
sels in Use in 1933, With the Normal Annual
Write-Off for Depreciation and the Normal
Annual Cost of Replacing Fishin'.;-- Gear, "by
Area 108
XLI I I - Distrihution of All Vessels in Use in the
Fisheries, by Age, 1926 109
XLIV - Capitalization of the Fisheries as Reported
hy' the Census of 1908 111-112
XLV - Estimated Average Share per Share Fisherman
on Sample Vessels, Crude and Weighted Ac-
cording to the Total Number of Lien in Each
Fishery, 1934 and 1929 Compared with 1933, by
Area and Fi shery
117
XLVI - Relation of Change in Average Crew Share Per
Man to Change in Aver.^g;e Value of Catch
per Vessel, for Sample Share Vessels, by
Area, From 1929 to 1935 ,
118
XLVI I - Average Vessel Share ajid Estimated Aversge
Or.iier's or Overhead Expense, Per Sample a/
Share Vessel, Crude and Weighted According
to the Total Number of Vessels in Each Fisherjr,
1934 and 1929 Compared with 1933, by Area ... 121
XLVI I I - Outstanding Data for the Boat and Shore
Fisheries, 1933 .and 1929 (1931 in the Case
of the Mississippi River Area) Compared with
1908
130
(Continued)
9580
-Xll-
LIST 0? TA3LES
(Continued)
TABLE Page
XLIV - Value of the Catch of the Boat and. Shore
Fisheries, Excluding the Mississippi River
Area, by Area and Fishery, 1933 132-133
L - Summary of Data for the Operation of T;;.?pical
Boats in Representative Boat Fisheries 135-136-
137-138-
139
LI - Nuri.her of Vessels for Which Returns u'ere made
to the Ori^-^inal Q;Aestionna.ire, Classified Ac-
cording to the Disposition of the Schedules
with Reference to the Sample, and the Reasons
Therefor 142
LII - Numher of Vessels in the Final SaiJiple, hy
Source of Do.ta 144
LI 1 1 - Number of All Fisliing Vessels and Vessel
Fishermen Compared with the Numbers Included
in the Final Spjuple, Kith Average Tonnage and
Average Crew, hy Area, 1933 145
LiV - Value of C^'tch of All Fishing Vessels and of
Sample Vessels, by Area and Fishery, 1933 .... 146-147-
148
LV - Distribution of Sample Vessels, 1933, and
of All Fishing Vessels pn the Atlantic and
Gulf Coasts, 1929, by Tonnage Class 150
LVI - Average Total Earnings per Man on Sample Share
Vessels, Crude and Weighted According to the
Total Number of Vessel Fishermen in Each
Fishery, by Area, 1933 152
9680 -xiii-
EARKINGS OF FISIIERliM
MID OF
FISHIIIG CRAFT
9680 -XIV-
-1^
3A.EimiGS OF FISHEPJA3IT
AilD CF
FISEirG CMFT
C'ilAPTi^H I
TH3 SCOPE AlID I/GTHODS OF THE STUDY
SOURCES OF IITFOPJvATIOlT
This study of the earnings of fishermen and of fishing craft was
originally iindGrtaV:en in connection with the minimum wage provisions
of the IT.R.A. Fishery Code, ap-orovcd "by the President on FeTDruar^^ 20,1934
The main "body of the data was obtained by means of a questionnaire sent
out in August, 1934, to recorded owners of fishing vessels of five net
tons and over. This is the scixcdule referred to in the tables that will
be introduced as the rciort proceods as the "IT .P. A. questionnaire on
earnings in the fishing industry."
Tlie difficulties of this inquiry, v/hich was the first of its
kind to be attempted, were considerable. The questionnaire, hov;ever,
produced what are believed to be rcorescntativo spjnples of infonna.tion
for most of the important vessel lislierics; and only in the case of a
few subdivisions were the returns, for various ropsons, less satisfac-
tory. Steps wore later tahen to fill tnese gaps oj special inquiries,
which are listed in Chapter XV. The data obtained "by means of these
supplementary studies wore consolidated with the returns to the original
questionnaire, and are incorporated in the tables.
LIMITATION OF OHIGIiTAL. STUDY TO VESSELS
For reasons exnlained in Chaoter XV tht> -original survey was con-
fined to the earnings of fishej^on on vessels- that is on craft of five
net tons or more- and did not "cover earnings in the boat and shore fish-
eries^, Y.-hich v/orh v-ith craft of les^. tlia.n five tons or v/ithout any
floating equipment. I^ter, however, it was forjid practicable to gather
figures of -a somev/hat different sort for representative boat fisheries.
These data are presented and discussed in Chapter XIV.
RETUPITS TO THE QUESTIOI-TlTAIPd]
The basic qucstionna.irc brovight in returns for 894 vessels in
active use for commercial fishiiig in 1333. The special conditions of
the industry, however, caused a considerable pro'oortion of these sched-
ules to be unusable. In txie end material relating to 302 of these ves-
sels was taken as the sanralc to be analysed. Subsequently, through the
medi-om of the suD'olementary studies above mentioned, comparable infor-
mation with regard to 55 additional vessels was obtained from other
sources, mailing the number included in the final sam^-jle 567. Data re-
lating to a groiri of 23 '?dditional meniiaden vessels in the South Atlantic
States were received toQ late to be incorporated in the body of the re-
port, but are summarized^.!! Appendix I
)680
~2-
The study deals only rith the fisheries in the popular sense
of the inu-ustry tliat catches or collects fish and other aquatic pro-
ducts. The -processing and the wholesale distribution of such products,
though covered "by the H .R A. Fishery Code, have "been disregarded for
present purposes.
Since the study was initiated in the summer of 1034 the origi-
nal questionnaire called for l'.v33 data. In the case of vessels v/orlc-
ing on shares, however, which constitute 7.''> ;oer cent of the total, it
has "been posciDle, by the use of subsidiary data on the prices of fish
and shellfish and of the supplies consiiined, ano on tJie terms of the
share agreements in use, to convert these 1933 figures into estimates for
1934 and also for 1322, which are believed to ap-^roximate the actual re-
sults of those years. Precisely corresponding estima.tes could not be
made in the case of vessels tiiat wor.'. on v/ages; bu.t some information has
been obtained with respect to the earnings of the latter and of the la-
bor employed on them, in 1934.
laZRITS AiTD DSITZCTS OF T?a SCHZDUL:^
Both the original Questionnaire and the supplementary schedules
by wiiich were obtained the information for converting the 1933 returns
to the basis of other years and the special data for the boat and shore ilsherie
are" repro-ducadin,.Appehdix II, They are there accompanied by comments on
the adequacy and effectiveness of the inquiries, and on the arrangement
of the forms. Since these were the first schedules ImowTi to ha-ve been
prepared for obtaining information Vidth regard to the earnings of fish-
ermen and of fishing craft, it is felt thia.t a record should be made of
the experience gained from their use. as a guide for similar projects in
the future.
TIE G30GRAP}:iCAL AR^S
In classifying the data geographically the United States has been
divided into six areas:
iTew England
middle Atlantic
South
Great L-akes
California
ITorthv/est and Alasl^
The Hiddle Atlantic area comprises the st'-^tes of IJew York, Penn-
sylvania, Hew Jersey and Delaware except the lake shores of the first
t\70 named^ which are included in the Great I^kes area. ITo returns to
the questionnaire v;ere received from Maryland, and it is consequently
convenient to make the break betv/een the i.iiddle Atlantic area and the
South at that point. The only fishing vessels in Maryland of five net
tons or over are small oyster dredges, and the Chesapeake region has
been a difficult one from which to obtain data of the kind called for
9630
"by tliG study.
The South, as the ter.Ti is used lor present purooses, includes all
the seacoast States from Virf:inia to Texas. The Pacific I'Torth\7est -
that is, the States of Oregon and Wasliini^'ton - has "been conuined v;ith
Alaska, "because the fisheries of the latter are so largely carried on
"by vessels working out of pijget So'ond that it is possible to distin-
guish them from the Washington fisheries only oy an arbitrary line.
Such"^a line is dra^-m "by the Bureau of Fisheries for the purpose of its
own publications; but its method is not airplicable to the present data.
The breakcTown of the country into areas vrhich is employed by
the Bureau of Fisheries is slightly different from timt just described.
The States of i.ia.ryland and Virginia are grouped in a separate Chesapeake
area. Washington and Oregon are consolidated into a Pacific area with J.
California; and Alaska is treated separately. Where the Bureau's fi-
gures are corirpared with data obtained in connection vith the study they
have been reclassified accordingly. In so.no of the tables, hoV'/ever,
the Bureau's ovra classification is used.
The Bureau of Fis.ieries has collected data v.-ith regard to one
area - the Missrssippi River and its tributaries - v/hich vi/as not covered
by the original study. Hot only has but one survey of this region been
made in recent years - for 1931 - but its fisheries are nov? carried on
entirely by boats of less than five tons. In discussing the boat and
shore fisheries in Cha.pter XIV, hov;cver, consideration lias been given to
the iviississippi Eiver fisheries.
Except where other'/;dse stated the name "United States" in this
report includes Alaska but excludes the Mississippi River area.
TH3 "FISHERIES
The six. areas above listed have been subdivided for the purooses
of the study into "fisheries". The latter ^-'ord is here used in a tech-
nical sense to mean a group of vessels or boats engaged regularly dur-
ing a substantial part of each year in taking fish or shellfish of one
species, or of a grouo of related or associated species, within well-
defined v/aters.
A li&t of these fisheries is given in Table I. Along with the
name of each appear the "orinciDal s-^ecies of fish or shellfish.
96G0
«4-
TABLE I
V3SSEL risH;5Hi::s ooy^-r3d by Tii:: study, vjith principal s?3CI3S
CAUGHT AIID TYP3S OF GHAH Zf^PLOYZD, AJ.ID P:]RI0DS OF WORI/iAL
SIASGIIAL 0P3RATI01J, 3Y A?:iA AITD FISHERY
Area and Fishery Pi-i?ici^al Si-^ocies
'rincipal Types Period of Hormal
of Gear Seasonal Q-oeration
II3W 3iT&IAlTD
Gro"u.ndf ish
Oyster
Scallop
Miscellaneous
iiiDTj: ATL.::^Tig
Oyster
Scallop
Pound net
Lis cellaneous
SOUTH
Red snapper
Oyster
Shrimp
Menhaden
Cod, haddock,
cush, hake, pol-
lock, halilDut,
flounder
Mackerel a/ iaackerel
Squeteague, sea
"base, scup
Oysters
Scallo"os
Flo "L'jid o r , ha d \o cl :
Swordfish
Oysters
Scallops
Sque t eague , s cup
"butt erf ish
T,7hiting
Flounder
Red snap'oer and
grouper
Oysters
Shrinrp
Lenliad.en
Line trawls;
otter trawls
Purse seines
Otter trav/ls
Dredges
Dredges
Otter trawls
Harpoons
Dredges
Dredges
Poimd nets ■
Otter trawls
Hand lines
Dredges
Otter trawls
Purse seines
Year round
Atd r i 1 -He V emb e r
December-April
Year roLind W
Yo9.ll. round
Year round
July-Septemher
Year round b/
Year round
Year round
Year round
H o V e m 0 e r- i/ay
Year roujid b/
Year roimd
ITorth Carolina-
Virginia;
July-Ho veml) c r
Florida;
A-oril-Deceraher
)680
-5-
TABLE I (Cont^d)
Area and Fishery Principal S'lecies
Principal Ty^es Period of liormal
oi" G-ear Seasonal Orjcration
SC'JTH (Continued)
Liscellaneous
GHHAT iai:es
Lake irie
Lakes Huron
and MichiiS^an
CALIFCMIA
T'-ong.
Squeteagi^e, flo"-m-
der,scup,sea bass,
rnul lei, i-ln^.;^ f i sii
? ike , p e rcli , ca rp ,
sar^er, slieepshead,
wlii t e 1 i sk , sucke r
rnul lot
Wni t e 1 f i sh , lake
herring, lake trout,
p e r ch , sucke is, inul let,
carp, T)ike, chulD
Tuna
Haul Seines;
:-:ill nets
Year rorjid c/
Shoal sill nets; Year roimd d/
"TOTJ-nd nets;
tra-D nets
Shoal gill nets; Year roimd d/
";)0uiid nets,
tra"o nets
T"un.a and Sardine e/Tuna
Sardine
liackerel
Sardine , konterc;/ Sardine
Sardine, Soutxiern
California
Paranzella
Alaska cod
Aiiscollaneous
Sardine
Flounder, gray fish ,
rockfishes,
skate, halibut,
ling-cod
Cod
Ja ra cuda , f lo'oiide r ,
r o ck f i s he s , s a Imo n ,
sea "bass, shad,
halibut, sablefish,
smelt
Hand lines
Purse seines;
liand lines;
lanpara nets
Purse seines;
lam^ara nets
laimara nets;
h.9,nd lines
Purse seines;
laTP^iara nets
x^iirse semes
Paranzella
nets
Hand lines
Set and hand
lines; ._ill
nets
Year round
Year round
ITo vemb o r-Au r i 1
Year Pound
Augu.st -
February
Hove nb e r -A •" r i 1
Year roLind
April-August
Year rouiid c/
)680
-6-
"TABLE I (Cont'd)
Area and Fishery Principal Species
CALIFOn-IIA (Continued)
Abalone
NOHTHVJZST Ai'ID
Principal Types Period of llonnai
of Gear Seasonal operation
Abalone outfits Legal season,
subject to
variation
ALASia
Halibut
Salmon
Halibut, sable-
fisli, ling-cod,
rockfishes
Salmon
Alaska herring
Alaska Cod
Miscellaneous
Herring
Cod
Shrimp
Flouiiders, lialibut,
sable fish,
ling-cod, rockf ish,
shad, smelt, steel-
head, trout
Line trav;ls
Traps; parse
seines; gill
nets; troll
lines
x'urso seines
Hand lines
Beam trav;ls
Travvl and set
lines; pound
nets; beam
trav/ls
i.^a rch-lTo vemb e r
Washington and
Oregon; Ray-
I'lovember
Alaska: June -
Augus t
June - S cp t emb e r
April-August
Ivkrch-October
Year round c/
a/ The figures for 10 of the 14 vessels in the mackerel fishery, which
are included in the tables in this report, cover the operations of
the mackerel fishing season only, and not the v/inter trawling opera-
tions .
b/ Oysters are dredged for the consuming market in the ITorth Atlantic
area from Se-otembor to April only; but many of the vessels and a
considerable proportion of tneir crcr/s are employed during the sum-
mer also in transplanting, starfisning and ether subsidiary work.
c/ The season varies for the different species and types of gear, but
the vessels ccnccrnod tend to operate in some way throughout the
year.
d/ Subject to interruptions of varying length in the winter.
These are due partly to the presence of ice on the lakes, and partly
to legal restrictions in the interest of conservation.
c/ The tuna vessels for which reports were received fell into t^o very
distinct groups, one consisting of large vessels engaged in the tima
fishery only, and the other of smaller vessels engaged in both the
36 80
^7-
TABL3 I
(Contiimed)
t-una and the Southern California sardine fishery. The classifi-
cation in tne ta"ble has been adopted to keep the data for these
groups separate for present purposes. It does not reflect a
practice of the industry.
that it produces, the principal tjnoos of fishing gear that it employs,
and the approximate duration of the season during v;hich its o^)erations
are normally carried on. In some cases a group of vessels constituting
a fishery in the sense just defined devotes itself to the catching of
different species of fish, sometimes with distinct types of gear, at dif-
ferent seasons. Important distinctions of this kind are shown as subheads
in Table I. The groups listed as "Liscellaneous'' in the table tend each
to include several minor fisheries. This is particularly trxie in the
South and in California.
In one instance- that of the groundf ishery of Hew England - a
systematic distinction has been dra^m in the size of the vessels engaged,
the data for those of less than 50 net tons being shown separately from
the data for those of 50 tons and over. This segregation has been made
because it nearly coincides with an important distinction in o^^nership.
All but three of the 49 vessels of 50 tons and over in the samrole for this
fishery consists of fleets o;;Toratcd by laige corporations, while those of
less than 50 tons are owned singly or in small groups by individuals or
partnerships or occasionally^ by small corporations.
The cxclujion from Table I cf some famil-iar fishery products is
explained by the fact tliat they arc v/holly or mainly taken by boats or
from the shore and not by vessels. This applies tc the bulk cf the catch
of lobsters, crabs, clams, mussels and soonges, of almost all river fish
and of some marine species like smelt.
The Bureau of Fisheries uses the term "fishery" in a sense slight-
ly different from the foregoing, though pernaps more correct from_ a
technical standpoint. In this usage the emphasis is put on a ty:oe of gear
rather than on a group of vessels. The result is, of course, that a ves-
sel is often included in more th^an one fishery, and this produces dupli-
cation which would be difficult to handle in connection with a study like |^^
the present.
If"**
~8-
CFAPTZR II
THE NLlvBLR AND TYPL3 OF FISHIl^G CRi^^ET Ai'D TIEIH OYmLHSlIIP
AID C0I.I:A.1:D
This Ciia.pter discusses tlie niunber and ty^pr/s of tlie craft en^^aged
in the fisheries of the . United States and their owner-ship and command.
The data to be considered relate mainly to the fisheries as a whole and
not to the samrole obtained for the purpose of the present study. These
fii^ures have been drawn from publications and -ujipublished records of
the Bureaus of i'^isheries and of the Census.
SOURCES OF IlIFOPJvIATIOH
The bulk of the data, gathered by the Bureau of Fisheries ap jears
in its annual report, Fishery Industries of the UTiited States. Before
the apoearance of this each year the most important tables are published
in separate advance bulletins. The latter series,^however, includes
some material which is not reproduced in the annual publication.
The Bureau of the Census, under authority of a special act of
Congress, made a conrplete survey of the fisheries for the year 1908.
This v/as published in 1911 as a S.:)ecial Report uiider the title
Fisheries of the United S'tates 1908. Tne Censuses of Water Trans-
portation of 1916 and 19^:^5 also contain data of pvhich use has been made.
The Censuses of Populo.tion since 1870 have included incomplete but
a'Toroximately comx-jarable figures on the number of persons engaged
in the fisheiues*
SCOPE OF TII5 BUREAU OF FISHERIES DATA
The Bureau of Fisheries made co'ontrywide surveys of fishing craft,
their crews, and their c.tch for each year from 1929 to 1932, except tkat
^he Mississippi River area v/as covered only fd.v 1931. The survey for
1933 omitted the South Atlantic and G-u.lf and the G-rea,t Lakes areas, ao
that the figaires for the latter for that year in several tables have
had to be estimated.
At the time of writing 1934 data liad been assembled by the Bureau
only for Alaska and for fragments of some other areas. The 1934 figures
referred to in the report are conseouently astimates, but have a
substantiaJ basis in unpublished mi^^terial.
Surveys made by the Bureau of Fisheries for years prior to 1929
covered only portions of the country at a time.
VESSELS AhD BOATS
The Bureau of Fisheries classifies fishing craft into vessels
and boats. The former, as already stated, are those of five net tons
and over, and the latter the small cra^ft which do not have to be
documented and rated for tonnage under the navigation lav/s. It is
believed^ however, th-^it in practice an appreciable number of fishing
vessels of more than five net tons escape documentation. Vi/'herever
9G80
.-9-
the term "vessel" or ""boat" is employed in this report it si ould be
understood as follov/ing the usage just indicated. T/Vhere reisrence to
vessels or boats indifferently is meant the terra "craft" is substituted.
The vessel and boat fisheries do not account for the whole output
of the industry, since substantial quantities of aquatic products are
taken from the shore, without the use of ciny floatin;-?; equipment.
SPORT Al^ro TRAlISPORTirG VESSELS
There are two IdLnds of vessels or boats connected with the fisheries
v/hich are not classified by the Bureau as fishing;; craft. The first includes
those used for sport only, and the second those emplo'/ed for transportation
and other auxiliary \ises, subsidiary to commercial fishing.
1^0 emuaeration seems ever to be rnacJ.e of the craft used only for
sport fishing. They are fairly numerous in parts of the country, especially
Florida and southern California. Within the last few years the depressed
market for fishery products has caused some vessels and boats formerly
used for commercial fishiri;^ to be devoted to this purpose. In some instances
vessels aiid, .boats used/i or 'sport compete with the local cominercial craft
by more or less frequent sales of their catches. During the depression
this was the cause of hard feeling in the places where the practice is
commonest .
There are several types of vessels or boats used for transportation
purposes. luany such craft, uaider the name of "buy boats", "run boats",
"pick-up boats" or "tenders", operate between wholesale establishments or
processing plants and fishing craft which are working offshore. They
may be owned by the shore establishments or may be independent enter-
prises. They are not often owned by the fishermen themselves. Small
pov/er vessels are at times used for towing fleets of dories, skiffs
or rowboats to fishing grounds, and in such cases are classed with these
transporting craft.
In Al:.-ska the locations of the plants that process almost the whole
of the catch is such as to make necessary the use of a large number of
tenders and other transporting craft. The Bureau of Fisheries, moreover,
puts the vessels and boats employed in connection with salmon traps in
Alaska in the transporting classification.
Many craft used by oyster cultivating conT[:anies for transplanting,
starfishing, dredging seed oysters, etc., are also included in this
c..,te; ;ory.
During the Depression some vessels and boats formerly used for
commercial fishing have been transferred to transportation and allied
services, as they have to sport fishing.
Except where otherwise stated vessels and boats used for sport
or transportation have been e xclu6.ed from the present study.
THE lIULfflLR OF FISHIjTG CRAJT
Table II shows, by area, the number of vessels engaged in the
9680
-10-
fisheries from 1929 to 1953, with their net tonnage. Table III shows for
the' same years the number of fishing boats.
Table II indicates that from 1929 to 1933 there v/as a decline of
16 or 17 per cent in the number of vessels engaged In the fisheries of
the" coiintry. Table III shows that the number of fishing bon.ts in use
declined about 18 percent from 1929 to 1932 . Tiiere v;as no further change
of consequence in 1933. In some fisheries the la.tter was the low year
of the depression v/ith respect to consumer demand and the prices paid to
fishernian, vmile in others 1932 v/as the worst. Taken together, tha
changes just mentioned seem to indicate a tendency in 1933, and perhaps
a little earlier, to substitute boats for- vessels as being cheaper to
operate 'under depression conditions.
!680
-ll-
TA5LE II
NUi:.IB2:n AI'jD IiET TOiri^AGE OF ALL FISHIA^C- VESSELS a/, 5y Area,
1929-1935
Area
193:
1932
1931
1930
1929
^ew Ensland
Vessels
Net Tons
Middle Atlantic
Vessels
iJet Tons
Chesapeake
Vessels
IJet Tons
South Atlantic
and Gull'
Vessels
i\Iet Tons
595 620 7C6 718 731
19,528 31,025 26,116 27,666 26,430
407 415 525 575 583
9,164 8,216 8,953 11,244 11,599
287 322 320 391 406
6,521 5,794 6,108 -7,370 7,359
470b/ 512 605 670 614
7,285 b/ • 7,487 9,487 10,645 10,349
Pacific
Vessels
Ilet Tons
Great Lakes
Vessels
Net Tons
Alaska
Vessels
Net Tons
United States and
Alaska
Vessels
Net Tons
929 937 940 863 799
27,155 26,432 25,134 24,931 21,362
459b/ 49 S 505 467 500
5,967b/ 6,419 6,585 6,100 6,700
507 446 532 690 734
7,587 6,364 3,416 12,225 12,609
3,654 3,750 4,181 4,374 4,367
83,007 81,737 91,799 100,181 96,488
Source: Bureau of Fisheries, Fishery Industries of the United States,
a/ Five net tons and over..
b/ Estimated by the author.
9680
-12-
TABLE III
mJlvBSR OF ALL FISHING BOATS a/, BY A2Zk,
1929 - 1933
Area 1933 1932 1931 . 1930 1929
•
New England
3,400
8,395_
8^874 _
3,787
11,617
Middle Atlantic
3,870
5,639
3,882
4,050.
4,596
Chesapeake
13,429
14,230
14,099
"13,820
13,415
South Atlantic
and Gulf
12, 8-1-9 b/
12 , 849
14,437
14,515
17,541
Pacific
6,547
6,029
6,749'
7,556
7,659
Great LaJ'es
3,1.59 b/
3,159
3,236
3,879
3,479
Alaska
4,218
4,138
4,960
5,253
5,420
Total of
Above Areas
52,472
52,439
56,237
57,850
63,527
Mississippi
Iiiver
£/
0/
14,546
£/
c/
United States
and Alaska
-
•>*•
70,783
"
0^
Source: Bureau of
Fislieries,
Fishery
Industries of
the United
States.
a/ Under five net tons.
by 1933 figure not available; it is believed not to vary materially
from the year preceding.
cj Data available for 1931 only. The fishing craft of this area
arc nov; all under fivo net -tons.
9680
-13- ■ ■
It may be that the figures for 1934, when they 136001116 available,
will show a reversal of this tendency. But the coct of operating the
larger types of fishing vessels is a serious problem under present
conditions, and may continue to be so even in the face of a considerable
rise in prices above today's level. J'or this reason the advantage of the
smaller and more cheaply operated boat may continue to show itself in the
relative numbers of the two classes.
LONG TIME VAPJATIOiJ IH TKJ Fu1.S,.:R OF VESSELS
To compar'j the nutnber of vessels in use in the fisheries over a
longer period than the -past five or six years it is necessary to include
those employed for transportation purpo.ses as well as fishing vessels
in the strict sense, since the Censuses of V/ater Transportation have not
segregated the two. A comparison on this basis, by area, is made in
Table IV.
Vessels which are used for sport fishing only are classified
under the navigation lav^^s as yachts, and a.re apparently not included
in the Census totals.
Cki the Atlantic and G-ulf coasts the proportion of transporting ■
vessels hardly changed from 1908 to 1929. In the case of the Great Lakes,
however, allov/ance has to be made for a relative increase in that item,
and in the case of the Pacific coast for a corresponding decrease.
-14-
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Table IV shows that hy no means all the decline in the number of
vessels in use in the fisheries durin;;,; ti.e past thirty years has been due
to the depression. Between the Censun of Water Transportation of 1926 and
the Bureau of Fisheries' survey of 1929, indeed, the fi.-;;ures indicate an
increase of 10 or 12 per cent; but from the Fisheries Census of 1903 to
the earlier Water Transportation Census of 1916 there was a drop of 28
per cent. Fr«im 1916 to 1926 the number was about stationary, This, hov;«
ever, was because a hea"wy increase on the Pacific coast offset a decrease
•f not far from the same amoujit in the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The net decline in the n-'oinber of vessels in use on the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts from 1908 to 1929 was just under 50 per cent. The nuniber in
the fisheries •f the Great Lalces, on the other hand, increa,sed more than
tw»~.thirds during this period, and the number on the Pacific ctast nearly
quadrupled; but these areas did not then account for large enough propor-
tions of the total t© permit the gains registered in them to offset the
greater part of the loss in the East and South. There were four principal
causes for the heavy decline in the number of vessels «n the Atlantic
and Gulf coasts:
(1) There was an extensive drop in the output of oysters in all •v
nearly all the producing States. From 1908 to 1920 this falling tff
amounted to 69 per cent in Connecticut, to 42 percent in New Y«rk,to
59 per cent in Maryland, to 14 per cent in Virginia, to 58 per cent in
South Carolina, to 82 per cent in Georgia, a^nd to 53 per cent in Florida,
The causes varied in different parts of the country. Ptllution of the
cultivated beds near large cities, popular fear '^f such pollution where
it may not really have occurred, the depletion tf natural beds, relatively
high prices to the consumer, and the closing of many old-fashioned
oystersbars under prohibition, all played a part. As a resU^t this one
devision of the industry accounted for more tlian half the gr«ss decline in
the nwnber of fishing vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from 1908
to 1929.
(2) The transition from sail to power propulsion, which is discussed
later in the chapter, made it possible to maintain a given ©r even a larger
catch with a smaller number of vessels, because of the reduced time spent
en route between ports and fishing groxmds,
(3) There was a heavy decline in the demand for salt fish, both for
domestic consumption and for export. This tended to eliminate vessels
operating from minor ports whica were not favorably situated to distribute
fresh fish. The effect v/as particularly marked in Massachusetts and Maine.
(4) There was a pronounced improvement in the efficiency of fishing
gear, especially through the introduction of the otter trawl. The effect
of this change in increasing the productivity per man is commented en in
Chapter III; but there was a more or less parallel effect in raising the
productivity per vessel, and consequently in reducing the number of
vessels required to maintain a given or even a larger Cctch. *
#This summary of the causes of the long-time decline in the number ©f fishing
vessels is largely based on material contributed by 0. E. Sette, Bureau of
Fisheries, Cambridge, Mass.
9680 .
-16-
Since the mid-1920 's the n-anbrr of fishing vessels on the Atlantic
and Crulf coasts has remained quite stahle, exce'ot for the decline due
immediately to the depression.
Table IV also rnalies plain the extent to which the fishing fleets
of the Pacific coast and of Alaska a,re creations of the past thirty years.
The number of vessels increased by 70 per cent from 1908 to 1916, and
then considerably more than doubled from the latter year to 1926. As the
proportion of transporting vessels on this coast v/as at the same time de-
creasing, the (Gxrjansion in the nuraber of fishing vessels proper was even
greater than these figures imply. Since 1936 the change on the Pacific
coast has been com-parativelv slight.
The '"vessel fishing fleet of the Great Lakes v/as much increased ^
during the years just before the v/ar. The number in use in 1929 was 12
or 15 per cent below that -of 1916; but since 1929 the change has been
relatively small.
RELATIVE NUliBERS OP VESSELS M^ BOATS
Table ''I I and III make it plain that the number of boats in use in
the fisheries o*f the United States enormously exceeds the number of
vessels. Prom the standpoint of -'the value of the cc^tch, of course, the
discrepanciy becomes much reduced, sijice the capacity or efficiency of the
average f ishmg'-'vessei is ten or" tvrelve times that of the average boat.
Still, the triie im'?(§rtance of- t-he boat' and shore fisheries, especially
in certain areas and departi.ieits, is substantially greater than might
be inferred by those v/hose familiarity is clAefly with, for instance, the
large scale fisheries of New. England or of California.
THE SIZE OP FISHI-JCt VESSELS
The tonnage of fishing vessels varies all the way from the legal
minimum of five net tons to a» maximum of six or seven hundred. Vessels
of the latter size are few, but those of a hundred to three hundred net
tons are relatively numerous in the groundiish fleet of New England, in
the menhaden and red snapper fisheries of the South Atlantic and Gulf
Coasts, and in the tuna fishery of southern California.
The only accessible data on the relative nui'iibers of fishing vessels
of various tonna';,es, other than those obtained for the purposes of the
present study, were published by the Bureau of Pisheries for 1939, and in
connection with the Census of \7ater Transportation of 1926. The former
breakdovm covers only vessels on the Atlantic and G-olf coasts; but as the
average tonnage of the latter does not appear to differ substantially firom
that of ^he country at large, the resulting proportions of vessels of
various sizes are probably r epresentative . These figu.res are shown in
Table V.
There has been so little change in the average tonnage of the fishing
vessels In use since 1929 that the data in Table V may be regarded as
usable for present purposes.
The size breakdown of the Census of Water Transportation of 1926
was based on gross tonnage, and is therefore difficult to compare with that
9680
-17-
either of the Bureau of Fisheries or of the present study. ?he returns
showed vessels of less than 50 f^ross tons as accounting for 86 per cent
of the total nuiviber. This is equivalent to ahout 33l/3 tons net; so that
the proportion may be re^^arded as checking roU;;\;hly with the 81.4 per
cent of vessels of 30 tons and less shown by Table V.
The sample vessels for vmich d...ta have been obtained in connection
with the present study have been bro]:en down into four tonnage classes
of 5 to 14, 15, to ^9, 30 to 49, and 50 tons and over, respectively. It
would have been advantageous to split the latter class into two at the
line of 80 or 90 tons; but the advisability of this did not become apparent
at a sufficiently early stage to take the step.
TABLE V
DISTRIBUTIOiJ OF ALL FISHING- VESSELS OH THE
ATLANTIC AilD GULF COASTS, BY IIET
TOFilAGE, 19:-39
Net Tons
Per Cent
of Total Clumber
Cumulative
Per Cent
§5 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 30
31 to 40
41 to 50
51 to GO
61 to 70
71 to. 90
91 to 120
121 to 160
161 to 200
201 and over
46.2
27.7
7.5
2,3
2.9
3,3
2.7
1.8
2.3
.8
..1,0
.9
73.9
81.4
84.3
87.2
■ 90.5
93.2
95.0
97.3
98,1
99.1
100.0
Total
100.0
Source: Compiled from data in Bureau of Fisheries, Fishery Industries
OF THE UI-IITED STATZS, 1950.
9680
... -.18-
Ta.lile VI shOT^s, alone v.dth other rslationshiips 'hich '-"ill "be cov:~
nenteo. on later", the value of the 1933 catch -ler net ton for the sanple
vessels of each of the fo'j.r tonnage clashes .jiist s-oecified. These aver-
a:;jes indicate strongly that the .;;:..-oss ;.iroductivity of fishin:;^ vessels
does not increase "(■ro-.-^ortionatoly ^-^ith their size,
TYPES OF riSHIl^O GEAE ' ' .._.
The Bureaxi of fisheries :ahes en elaoora,te cla- sif ication of fish-
ing' craft according tr the tj-DCs of gear or fishing ao^aratus employed.
These fi.;;o.res have "been extensively used for suosidiary calculations in
connection v^ith the "oresent study. The t^^je of gear used ^.'dth each
veTsel --jas ashed for on the original questii nnaire, and v.'as in iiost cases
reported, But since a cliissif icat ion of gear tends to correspond rrith
a classification o"^ fisheries, it has seeined s'ufficient to indicate the
principal tjrpes used in Table I, nitho-at tabulating the questionnaire
dato. on the subject,
THE OTJIIEHSHIP OF FISHJiTG Cx^JTT ' . . __l
A large majority- of fishing craft are evened bjr individuals or by
partneiTships; and the latter are, in a high proporti-^n of cases, con-
posed of rela,tives or of neighbors,
OvaersJiii^ by cor^) orations is naturally more frequent in the case
of vessels thmi of boats, liost of the larger vessels in the He--' England
gro-QJidfish and the Southern red sna-iper fleets, and all those in the
paranzella fleet of California a"'e ovued 'bj fish i-holesaling corporations.
The vessels enga.ged in fishing the po'and nets rlong the IJev Jersey coast
also fall largely in this class. The sal; ion cniming corTOanies operating
in Alaska O'-ti sone of the vessels thrt su v-l-- .their establishments, and
the nenhaden processing conce. ns of the South Atlantic coast ov/n almost
all of theirs.
VJith -'uliese exceptions, ho^-'ever, tne number of fishing vessels ovrned
by ■ co]r;^iorations is com-oarat ivcly sriill, and the companies themselves are
local end. unira^^ortant. Even the larger vessels in the California tuna
fishery, rhich are often of more thn tv.ro hundred tons burden, nhich .may
go tiTO thousand miles from their home ports to carry on the\;r vrork, and
rrhich -rnay cost individually uell over $100,000, are n^^rly all ovTned by
their captains or oy grou2:is of men among their cre^Ts, The tuna canning
compcmies, hovever, and also tlie sardine canneries and reduction plants
of California, have sometimes assisted in finajicing, on a mortgage basis,
the purchase of vessels e^c-jected to sup-^ly then ^'ith ravr material.
The only specific figures available on the o^.Tnership of fishing
vessels by 0017? orations - those of the Census of Water Transportation
of 1926 ~ are given in Table VII. The inclusion of transporting vessels
in this table raises somewhat , the -oroportion ov.nied 'oy corporations,
particularly in the case of Alaska. The high percentage in the latter
Territory is due primarily, ho^.-^ever, to the domination of its fisheries
by the salm.on canning industry. The high proportion of corporation-
o^.Tiied vessels on the G'olf coast reflects the situation in the red snap-
per fishery and in the fleets supilying the shrimp canneries.
9680
-19-
TA3LE VI
ATiZ'SAGE VALUT. Q? C.TCH T^ET^. :^SSEL» PER TOi: AlID PER I LAM
rOR SAMPLE a/ VE'SELS, BY 'TGIiTSAGE CLASS /JTD RY AREA AlH) FISHERY, 1933,
Value of Catch
Per Vessel
Per Ton
Per Han b/
TOIRTAC-5 CLASS:
Under 15 tons
15 to 29 tons
30 to 49 tons
50 tons and over
Average
$5,151
11,143
12,876
26,887
13,492
528
348
226
299
$1,383
1,600
. 1,463
1,532
1,515
AREA AITD FISHERY;
ileu Enc^land
C-ro-ondf ish
Mackerel
Oyster
Miscellaneous
32,709
8,646
26,095
9,073
307
196
323
626
2,054
716
3,340
1,830
Average
24,362
313
1,992
Middle Atlantic
Oyster
Scallop
Po'ond net
Miscellaneous
Average
15,085
17,684
6,872
6,804
10,868
677
717
1,066
321
552
3,168
2,526
1,145
1,094
1,892
South
Red SnaT)-;jer
5,280
Ivieniiaden
12,473
Shrinp rjid oyster
4,114
i.Iiscellaneous
8,621
118
121
372
354
660
353
1,327
892
Average
Great Lsices
Lake Erie
Lakes Huron and
Michigan
Average
5,902
7,877
5,036
•^ OCT
147
290
309
306
536
1,358
1,187
1,205
( Continued)
9630
-SO-
TABLE VI
(Continued)
Per Vesr-el
Value of Catch
Per Ton
Per I.Ian 'hj
California
T\ma . $44, 105
Tuna ejid sardine 19,489
Sardine, llonterey 9,238
Sardine, Southsim
California 12,019
Paransella net . 21,620
Alaska cod 20,615
iiiscellaneous 3,128
Average 24,589
$40
397
513
546
1,382
50
280
391
4)3, 6 £5
1,886
840
1,265
4,036
555
569
2,379
Northnest and Alaska
Halil)ut
11,718
Salmon
3,471
Alaska lierriYig , '
7,610
Alaska cod
29,053
i.^^iscellaneous
6,404
Average . •
8,012
Average, United States
and Alaska 13, 4P'
444
207
274
64
114
249
299
1,739
666
1,095
732
1,144
1,197
1,515
Source: Ret'orns to I'.RoA, questionnaire on earnings in the fishing
industry.
a/ Vessels for vrhich U5a,ble data were obtained for the purposes of
the study,
h/ Based on the total n'omber of 2:)ersons in the crews, irrespective
of the node of compensation.
9680
-21-
T.U;LE VII
PHOPOPJion o: ;^l m^sszls i:' the tiskiries a/ xniicd uepe
anjiD BY co:{PO..ATi.iis, :3Y a:^a, 1926
Percentccge of
Area Vessels o^Tiied
by Corporations
Atlantic Coast 16,0
Gulf Coast 34.1
Pacific Coast 29.9
Alaska 53,6
Great Lakes • 9,7
United States and. Alaska < 28,3 b/
Source: Cc/. mited fron data in Bureau of the Census, Uater TrnnsT)orta-
tion, 1926
aj Includes "both fiGhinc: vessels and those/ased for t^ans]^o^tation
purposes incidental to the fisheries.
by Excluding Alaska, the percentage of corporation-owned vessels
uas 20,3,
9680
-'22-
OWKEESHIP 3Y MQLESALS DSALERS
In the South the snaller fishiii;^ vessels and "boa-ts are to a con-
sidsrable extent o\med "b"y wholesale houses other then canners. Else-
:-;here, and particularly'- in the case of the snaller craft, such ormership
is nuch less cor,ir>on; and in so-ae parts of the country,' it is neprly or
o;aite imlinov/n. It is Innossihle to say vith any certainty uhat the pro-
portion is for the United States at lar.';^e, out it probably does not eyy^
ceed 10 per cent. That such ownership by v/holesalers is particularly
com: ion in the South seems to have been due to the fact tliat many fisher-
men in that section are enga^^ed in the industry casua-lly only, and that
a large proportion have lacked resources for the purchase of their c.vn
equipment,
OrrlERSHIP AND COl.miAITD
Of the fishint2; craft not omied 'ay wholesalers or processors a jood
many are naturally,, for one reason or ajiother, not operated by their
o\Tners, The proportion, honever, in the case of '.:hich the ormer com-
mands his own vessel is large. A survey in Florida in the summer of
1934 indicated that about 95 per cent of the craft belonging to persons
not wholesalers for which reports v^ere received were commanded "oy their
orrners. Th^.re is no detailed information with regard to the correspond-
ing situation in other parts of the country; but it is probably safe to
say thrt in the case of 90 -ner cent of the fishing craft of the United
States not the property of wholesalers or processors the ovTier and the
captain is the same T)erson, The other ten per cent, however, is made
up of relatively large vessels.
The original questionnaire did not call for information respecting
the status of the owners of the s'^jr-ile -,'essels as wholesalers, processors,
caDtains, or others; and except ^"^hero such o^-ners were obviously cor-
porations no exact information is available on the subject. It seems
probable that between 50 and 60 per ce rb of these vessels were commanded
by ovrners or part owners, '"or the vessel fisheries at large, however,
the proportion is higher,
SIITG-LE Aira kULTIPL::: OVriTERSHIP.
A substantial majoritj^ of all fishing vessels are owned ningly.
The largest fleet owned b^.^ one company for which reports were received
in connection vrith the study consisted in 1933 of 20 active vessels.
This concern was located in New England. The returns for that area also
covered a fleet of 11 vessels, another of nine, and a fourth of seven.
Two companies in the South reported on fleets of 15 and 11 red snapper
vessels, respectively. Another Southern concern reported on a total of
13 vessels, engaged partly in the red snayroer and partly in the shrimp
f isherjr.
Apart from these relatively large fleets there are comparatively
few cases of the multiple ownership of more than four or five fishing
vessels, and not a great manj^ of the latter. Table Viil summarizes all
cases of the kind for v^hich information has ''oeen obtained as a result
of the present survey.
-23-
TABLE VIII
FLEETS Oy SA...PLE a/ EISKILIG VESSELS T7HICH UERE
2EP0RTED AS 'OWI-'ED :jY SI:.:GLE PEHSOiiS, Tim.lS OR
COPPORlTIOIiS , 3Y Ai^ AHD SIZE, 19So
Ij'un-foer of Fleets
NiomlDer of Vessels Ne\7 l.iddle GreB.t Call- llorth^-^ent United
in Each Fleet En.-jland Atlojitic Soath La-:es fornia and States and
Alaska Alaska
2' 5 3 4 4-. 5 21
3 131-1 - 6
4 1. 1 8 - 2 2 14
511--1 1 4
6 •.«-.«- 1 1
7 1 - - - ^ - 1
9 1- „'..^ ., 1
11 1 - 1 - « . - 2
13 " .„ 1 ^ - „ 1
15 ~ „ 1 - - - ,.1
20 1 - « „ ^ - 1
Total 12 8 16 4 4 9 53
Source: Returns to IT, L, A. questionnaire on e^^rnings in the fishin.'^
industry-,
a/ ■Vessels for which us-ii.ole data trere) obtained for the pur-oose of
the study.
9680
-24-
The total niinber of vessels in the 53 fleetn "onder the ormership
of sir-Sle -o:. rsons or finns uhich a"o -lear in the toble is 228, or 40 -oer
cent of all the vessels included in the sarrole,- This rrast "be a cooi
deal in excess of the proportion orm.ed in such fleets in the vessel
fisheries as a trhole, since the ntud;^- 'bro-aji-.ht in returns for a dis'oro-
portionately large snaple of the ve-^sel;.-; "beloni^ing to the chief cor-
porations i:''. the fen fisheries in "^iiidh such enterprises are prcdominent*
In sone of the instances of i,ralti;ole ovniershii) shovm in Table VII
the vesnels oper:-.ted in 1933 did not include all those ormed bj^ the
companies or persons in o^uestions The ;;*e-r covered b^^ the o_uestionnaire
uas a period of such unreiT-'Jierative prices that a. ^oocl nany fishing
vessels uere not put into coiar.d scion; and this tended to ap;)ly e:cDecially
to the Ir.rger ones, which are rela.tivelj'- expensive to operate,
THE OUTPUT 01 FISHING- CRA?T
The fishing industry is one of small "onits. This fc.ct is brought
out in Table IX, which shows the average vo.lue of the catch of all fish-
ing craft ;oer vessel or boat for the years 1929 to 1933,
Even in 1929 the average for all vessels and boats failed to reach
$3,000 in a,ny area. In the Chesapefice and the. South Atlantic and Gulf.
State, in that yeo.T of great econonic activity and relatively high prices,
it was only a little over 08OO. In 1933 the average did not reach $2,000
for any area, a:.id for the Chesapealie States it sank belo^T $400,
Table VI, to which reference has alreadj'- been nade, gives figures
similar to those in Table IX for the vrlue of output per unit in the
case of the craft included in the sciirole. Since the latter consists
exclusivelj^ of vessels, and since it is rather heavily weighted with the
larger tonnages, the averrges in Ti'ble VI are considerably higher than
those lor all fishing craft. Yet even in ITew England and in California,
v;here the i:,roportion of larger vessels in the fisheries is highest, the
average value of the catch per vessel ^-as LUider $25,000, The 1935 catch
of highest value for any individual vessel for which a report w^s re-
ceived \7as a little under $80,000,
MODES QE FROFULSIOK OF FISHING VESSELS . ■ ..
All the chief types of ves' els ?xid boats '"'ith trespect to the node
of propulsion are represented in the fisheries. The number of each type
and the change that has taken place in its relative inportance over tVie
past 30 j/ears are shoi,7n in Table X, For the same reason as in the case
of Table IV the vessel figures include transporting craft, as well as
fishing vessels in the strict sense,
T.c^ble X shows that xn the case of vessels motor power (Diesel oil,
fuel oil or gasoline) has of late years conpletely replaced hand pro-
pulsion, and that to a considerable extent it has replaced steam and
sail power. The prO;jortion of steai^i vessels in the total has been under
four per cent of recent years, as conpared vrith nine per cent in 1916.
The -iroportion of sailing vessels has been about six per cent recently,
as conpared with 33 per cent in 1916 and 61 per cent in 1908.
9680
AVERA.GE YAL'iJI] OF CAT CI: 0~ ALL :iSni:'C- C^/l^'T, BY AREA,
1929 - 1933
Area 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929
lieu England
$1,4-99
$1 , 553
$2,102
$2,892
$2 , 354
Lidc-le Atlantic
1,125
1,148
2,093
2,825
2,039
Chesapealie
369
406
515
807
833
South Atlantic
and Ocli
585
£/
401
537
729
821
Great Lakes
1,291
a/
1,185
1,612
1,392
1.796
Pacific
1,871
' 1,361
1,757
2,740
2,960
Alaska
1,938
1 , 541
1,812
2,146
2,776
Average of
1 ,
Above Areas
1,049
926
1,232
1,687
1,747
ivli s s i s s ipp i Hi ve r
y
W
199
W
W
Ave"af;e, United
States and
1,032
Source: Comuted fro^'i data in !3urer,u of fisheries, Fishorj In du s 1 1" i e s
of the United States.
a/ Estinated "b^ the author,
b/ I'lot available.
;630
-26-
TABLE X
ITUlviBEP, or ALL VESSELS AFD ."^OATS I" USE IT THT. FISHERIES, 3Y IIODE
or P2.0PULSI-1T, 1908-1933 a/ u/
T^noe of Crait
and Lode of
Pro;mlsion 1933 e/ 1931 1930 1929 1325 1916 1903
Steam
199
205
258
i.iotor
4,337
4,861
4,S87
Sail
272
382
535
Other
—
-
-
Vessels a/
276 335 487)
4,939 4,042 2,980) 2,725
567 404 1,738 4,246
453 104 183
Boats 3J. \l
llotOT c/ 25,837 29,695, 30,840 31,617 t/ b/ 10,944
Other d/ 25,635 26,542 27,020' 31,910 '■ hj ;b/ 61,328
All Craft fi '
Vessels" 4,808 5,448 5,780 5,782 5,234 5,309 7,154
Boats 52,472 56,237 57,860 63,527 b/ b/ 72,272
Sources: Burea-u of Eisheries, Eishery Industries of the United States;
Bureau of the Census, Eisi-eries of the United States, 1908 and
TJater Trmis'oortation, 1936,
a/ The vessel data include trr-.ns;)0:;ti '".;?; ves'.;els. The boat data
do not, but the nmnber of trcnsoortin^' boats is too snail to
affect the comparisons naterially. Data are not available for
transport in.s vessels in 1932»
b/ To data for boats vrere collected b^^ the Water Transportation
Censuses of 1915 and 1926,
c/ Includes steaii boats. T-ie pro-oortion has probably been small
in recent years, but r/as substantijil in 1908 and 1916,
d/ Includes sailboa^ts. The latter acco-unted for a third of the
class in 1908. The -j report ion in recent years is not IciOTm,
but has probably been much smaller,
e/ Partly estimated by the .a-^thor,
f/ Excludin^s the Mississippi P^iver Area,
9680
The decline,, both absolute and relr.tive, in the use of steam
vessels m the fisheries has been dvie to their high cost, fron. the
stsjid;ooin.t both of original investnent and of operation* .The jirQjcess— --.-
has been accelerated \rj the i.;icrea,sed im"oortance of the fisheries of
the Pacific coast, v/here coal is ,ex,'ensivo,, v;hilo fuel oil has of late
years been ijlentiful and cheap*
The steam fishing vessels that norz remain in use are concentrated
dispx-oportionately in the ilei7 En^^land :j:ro-jjidf ishery, in the Virf^'inia
menhaden fishery, and on. the f-reat Lckes. In the first tvo of these
cases the stear.i yessels are ovmed by old established co^iponies '-'hich
have heavy investments in -them. On the Great Lalies the stesj.i vessels
are of a special t;;rpe ]niov.Ti as "tu^^s", thou^jxi they are not used for
toninr. This area has easy access to a cheai) coal sup ily, and steajn
vessels of the sort rientioned usrj be suited, to local conditions. Their
continued use, ho^vever, has not in-o rob ably been a factor in the bad
situation on the Lakes vith respect to the financial return to fishing
vessel o\'niers»
The use of the lar;r;;er steam vessels in the llcj England ground-
fishery is associated v-ith lo^r individual cre^-' earnings. The relation-
ship has not yet been studied carefully; but it seems -robable that the
cost of operating these vessels has been a factor in repressing the com-
pensation of the mass of the rrorkers.
The use of sailing vessel'. s has of recent yea,rs been concentrated
chiefly in the liiddle Atlantic, the Chesapealze and the South Atlantic and
Gulf areas, \7here they are almost all snail oyster dredges.* The Alaska
cod fisher^'-, however, still emploj'-s a small number of larger sailing
ships - the largest crc-ii't, indeed, no\7 operated in the industry,
IDLE nsi-iiNa VESSELS ■ ■ ' '•
The Censuses of Water Transportrt Icn of 1916 and 1926 reported t lie .
n'lijnbers of activo . and idle fishing vessels. The "proportion idle in
1916 mas 12,5 per cent of the total, vrhile in 1926 it \/as 13,2 per cent.
Since these were both years of considerable activity in the industry'-,
sojiething like this percentage of idle vessels vrould a"ppear to be a
normal phenomenon. The ..jroport ion v/ould apparently have to rise at
least above 15 per cent to afford a definite .Lndication of depression.
It may be assumed that the vessels v/hich are thus idle in tines of
nor^ial fislxing activity are mostly the oldest and least seaworthy that
are kept on the register at all, A large proportion of them should pro-
babl3/- be considered, for practical purposes, as no longer part of the
indu^. t rjr ' s eo:uipment ,
There are no data on idle vessels in recent years to conpare vith
those of the Water Transportation Censuses, Son.ething can be inferred,
*These vessels usually have aiQzilia^ry r.otors for going to and from oyster
gro"an6.s; but those oiperating on public beds in the Chesapeake area are
required by L'iaryland and Virginia State la^"-, as a conservation measure,
to use sails vhile actually dredging,
9680
' -28-
hov/ever, fro:i the fact that the numlDer of fishing vessels in use de-
clined from 1929 to .1933 "by e.'binit 700. If it is assumed that all these
sho-old be included vrith the vessels idle in 1933, anc. if the percentage
idle in 1929 was about that of 1926 and 1916, the pro]iortion in 1933
must have been ap-vroximatelj'' 27 per cent. This exaggerates sone^-^hat
the effect of the de^ores^-ion, liouever, since so^ie of the decrease from
1929 to 1933 represented vessels 'hich \7ere lost end not replaced, or
r'hich l:ad becone too ■onsea-'orthy to be kept on the register.
It is safe to assume that in 1934 there '7c,s some reduction in the
percentage of idle fishing vessels as compared with 1933, Tlie change
v;as probably not large, but it is impossible to do more than guess at
its amount.
9680
-29-
CHAPTER III
THE PESSOMSL AIID OCCUPATIONS OF THE FISHERIES
DEFIIIITIONS OF "CBJ:i7" AIID "FISHEPMAI?"
The vTord ''crew", as used in this report, covers all persons who
talie part in the working of a fishing vessel or boat, including the
captain, even when the flatter is also the onner.
The term "fishermah" is here used, as in the puDlications of the
Bureau of Fisheries, to include all persons engaged in commercial
fishing operations, irrespective of their precise duties. With reference
to fishing vessels or "boats it means the same as "crew memher". In the
industry at large, hovvever, the class of fishermen includes many persons
v/ho are engaged in talcing fishery products from the shore, and who use
craft of any kind only in a limited and subsidiary way.
Wliere reference is made in this report to the subordinate members
of fishing crews who ha.ve no special ranl<: or occupation, the term
"ordinary fisherman" is used. This includes such classifications as
"sailors", "seamen", "deckhands" and "helpers",
mJIvSEl^ OF FISHEPJaE:!
Table XI sho'.vc the number of fishermen in the United States and
Alaska, by area, for the years 1929 to 1933, inclusive.
9680
-30-
TABLE XI
iraOER OF ALL FISI-Ui;r.M£iT, OH VESSELS AL-HD ON BOATS
AIJD ASEOPJi;, BY AREA, 1929-1':>33 a/ '
Area
1933
193:
1951
1930
1929
New England
On vessels 5,049
On boats and ashore 12,024
Total
17,073
Middle Atlantic
On vessels 2,442
On boats and ashore 6,138
5,142
5,880
6-, 192 ■
6,199
11,330 ■
12,008
10,885
10,961
16,472
17,388
17,077
17,160
2,862
3,925
4,565
4,787
5,508
5,679
5,940
5,704
Total
8,580 8,370
Chesapeake
On vessels 2,125
On "boats and ashore 18,017
2,056
18,890
Total
20,142 . 20,946
South Atlantic and Gulf
On vessels 2,2llh/ 2,409
On boats and ashore 19,916b/ 19,151
Total
22,127 21,560
Pacific
On vessels 6,512 6,132
On boats and ashore 12,204 11,750
Total
18,716 17,882
G-reat Lckes
On vessels 1,570b/ 1,705
On boats and ashore 5,370b/ 5,227
Total
6,940 6,932
Total of above areas
On vessels 19,909
On boats and ashore 73,669
Total
93,578
2
13
20
2
20
12
19
604
106
533
689
895
827
722
454
781
255
697
142
839
10,605 10,491
2,579 2,586
16,812 15,884
19,391 18,470
3,454
20,136
1,660
5,320
6,980
3,298
23,345
23 , 590 26 , 643
6,165 5,822
13,409 14,170
19,574 19,992
1,769
5,390
7,159
20 , 306
22,957
24,715
24 , 461
71,356
75,020
72,502
75,454
92,162
97,977
97,217
99,915
(Continued)
9680
TASLE XI
(Continued)
Area
1955
1932
1931
1930
Mississippi River
On boats ajid
ashore
United States and
Alaska
e/
ey
15,884
122,775
e/
1929
Alaska
On
vessels
2, 06 2c/
d/
dy
d/
d/
On
boats and
ashore
' D,534cy
^
d/
c/
c/
Total
8,65G
8,069
3,914
10,189
10,921
Total
of above areas
Oil
vessels
21,971
-
-
-
-
On
boats and
ashore
80,263
-
-
-
-
Total
102,234
100,221
106,891
107,406
110,836
e/
Source: Bureau of Fi:;;heries, Fishery Industries of the United States.
a/ Exclusive of shore workers whose compensation is not paid by
individual crpf t - e. f:. , the office staffs and dockyard and
beach crews of corr)orations operating fishing fleets,
b/ Estimated by the author.
cj Segregation of vessel and boat crews estimated by the author.
d/ Segregation of vessel and bo-^^t fishermen in Alaska not computed,
ej Fot available.
9680
-32- -
The numlDer shov/n "by the table declined over the four j'-ears from 1929
to 19L62 "by not quite ten per cent. In 193o there v/as a snail recovery in
comparison "fith the year precedinf=^. This depression decliiie in emloinaent,
with respect both to its extent and its duration, was extremely moderate
in comparison with the correspondinp: drop in man"' other industries. In
general, the serious effect of the depression on workers in the fisheries
ap-oears in the fibres for their income, ,and not in those for the volume
of employment.
NU].aii:RS OF VESSEL AiCD BOAT ■FISH01E--T
The Bureau of Fisheries dees not -ouhlisii separate figures for vessel
and boat fishermen in Alaska; and for the purposes- of the present study
an estimated segregation has been made for 1953 only. Outside of Alaska
the number of vessel fishermen declined from 1929- .to 1933 by nearly 21
per cent. TJith Alasl:a included the falling off was probably a little
less than this « . '
The number of boat and shore fisnermen of the United States proper
declined from 1929 to 1933 by only two and a half per cent. With Alaska
included tiie decrease was lar£.;er than this, but considerably less than in
the case of the vessel fisheries.
Table X"! compares the^ nuiaber of vessel fisherman over a longer
period, from 1900 to 1933, As in the correspondin.;; case of Table IV it
has been necessary to include transporting^: vessels, as well as fishing
vessels in the strict sense.
The trend in the number of vessel fishernen over the past 30 years
has been so nearly the same as the trend in the number of vessels in use,
that 'with some changes in detr?il the comiirnts on Table IV may be applied
here,
DHE LOUG-TIllE TrLEND III PE^SOlTLEL
A still longer view of the volume of emplo^'-ment of the fisheries is
furnished by the occupation returns of the Censuses of Popula.tion since
1870. Table XIII sho-.vs the number of persons at each of these Censuses
who reported the occupation of fisherman or oysterman.
There is a large discrepancy between the 1930 figure in Table XIII
and the total mimber of persons engaged in the industry in that year as
shown by Table XI. This difference is due mainly to the omission from the
Census classification of (l) most persons with whom fishing is a casual
occupation only; (2) many v;ho have special duties on fishing craft and
•v;ho were consequently classified by occupation as engineers, cooks, radio
operators, etc; and (3) members of fishing crews who reported themselves
under such indefinite designations as seamen, sailors and deckhands.
9680
-33-
TABLE XII
NUI.IBER or PERSONS COI.IPOSING TILE CREWS OF ALL VESSELS
Il-T THE FISHERIES, BY AREA, 190G - 1353 a/
Area
1933
1931
1930
1929
1926
1916
1908
Atlantic and
Gulf Coasts
Pacific Coast
(Including
Alaska)
Great Lal:es
United States
and Alaska
13,416 15,401 18,546 18,596 15,155 19,326 32,592
10,102 10,519 10,659
1,589 1,716 1,736
10,109 10,109 4,900 2,613
1,847 2,240 1,809 1,572
25,107 28,636 30,891 31,102 27,504 26,035 36,777
Sources: Bureau of Fisheries, Fishery Industries of the United States,
and Bureau of the Census, Fisheries of the United States, 1908
and Water Transportation, 1926.
a/ Includes "both fishing vessels and those used for transportation
purposes incidental to fishing, the figures for which were
not segregated in the Water Transportation Censuses of 1916
and 1926. Data are not available for transporting vessels in
1932.
9680
-34- ,
TABLE. XIII,
NUIBER OF PEIiSOjS REPOP.TIli:^ TT-IE OCCUPATICIT OF FISHEPJ.IAII OR
OYSTi']MAI^I IN COlf-IECTIOlI V/ITH TKi CEIISJSES OF PO:^ULATION,
IN THE UiTITeD STATES P"^CP£Il JilH) IJ /iLSSKA, 1870-1950
Year
1930
1920
1910
1900
1890
1080
1870
NTim>jer of Fishernen and Oystermen
United States
Proper a/ Alaska
7o,280
4,775
52,836
3,643
68,275
3,519
68,945
4,563
60,162
^
41 , 352
^
27,106
by
Scarce: B"'jj.-eau of .the Cf^jisas, Ce-isases of Po-oulation.
a/ Includin,^ the l.isr-issipoi River area,
'bj Not available
9680
-35-
Allov/ing for the omission of these j;^oups, the fi^.^'ires for the
United States proper in Table XIII appear to be comparable, at any
rate from 1870 to 1920; -and for those years the series may he taken as
indicatinjA the true trend.
These Census returns shov/ a. rapid increase in the nujii^Ter of per-
sons engaged in the fisheries up to the turn of the century. From 1900
to 1910 the number v;as about stationary, this "being a "oeriod of develop-
ments v/ith respect to living, costs which ?/ere unfavorable to an in-
creased demand for fishery products.
The decline in emplo^nncnt from 1910 to 1920 corresponds roughly
with the falling off in the n^llnber of vessels and boats in use during
that period. The latter, hov;cver, fails to reflect the increase in the
number of fishermen in 1950 as compared v;ith 1910, which appears on the
face of the Census figures. It seems probable that the 1950 Census re-
sulted in the classification of a somewhat larger proportion of the per-
sonnel of the industry as fishermen, instead of concealing them under
other designations, and thai/ there was no actual increase,
IgL PJlO.DUQTIXrTY ..,0F_ JFJ_SJiERY LA3_0R
Table XIV shov/s the value of the total catch of txie fisheries,
by area, for ea.ch yoar from. 1929 to 1953, per person engaged. In 1929
this average failea to reach '"1,700 in any e.rea. For the Grca,t Lakes
it was under 51,000, for the Chesa.peake area a little over $^00, and
for the South Atlantic and Gulf area about 5550, In 1953 an average of
SI, 000 per man was sli^ihtly exceeded in Alo^ska only. For the South
Atlantic and Gulf area the 1935 average was under 5400, and for the
Chesapea\':e o,i-ea only about 5250, Such figures for gross out"out per man
obviously put low maximum limits on the earnings of the mass of persons
in the industry,*
The third column of Table VI, to v/hich reference has already been
made in another connection, shows in a similar way the dollar output
per man in 1933 for the vessels for which data have been obtained in
connectii^n with the present study. As these averages relate to ves-
sels only, and tn a group rather heavily weighted v/ith the larger ton-
nages, they arc higher than those in Table ZIV. Yet even so the gross
output per man did not reach 52,400 for any area. On the Great Lakes it
was only 51,205, and in the South only 553^,
Countryv/ide data for the catch of the fisheries, on v/hich to base
a long-tine comp.r.rison of the productivity of labor, are available only
at considerable intervals. Table XV, however, shows that since the
early years of the century there has been a very substantial increase in
the quantity output - about 44 percent from 1908 to tho average of 1929-
1934, 'iVhen this is compared with the decrease of I'O percent in the num-
ber of Fishermen over the same period, it becomes plain that there must
have been a substantial improvement in the productivity of the labor
concerned.
* Since the number of fishermen on ?/hich these averages are based in-
clude casual workers, the reference is to earnings from the fishing
industry, and not to the total earnings cf the persons concerned.
The distinction, however, does not much affect the conclusions sug-
gested by the table^
9fi80
-36-
TABLE XIV
average: value of catch per j.iat", all fishihg craft,
BY ^jEA, 1929-1933
Area
1933
193:
1931
1930,
1929
New England I
$790
$850
$1,126
$1,610
$1,694
laddie Atlantic
551
556
959
1,232 .
1,348
Che sape alee
251
282
' 359
592
627
South' Atlantic
•
and Gulf
352
a/
298
341
• 469
559
Great Lakes
28S
a/
626
1,033
867
948
Pacific
747
530
702
1,178
1,252
Alaska 1
,058
877
1,127
1,252
1,564
Average of
Above Areas
576
518
696
977
1,070
Mississippi River
k/
^
182
k/
k/
Average, United
.
States and Alaska
-
-
630
-.
~
Source: Computed from data in Bureau of Fisheries, "Fishing Industries
of the United States.
a/ Estimated by the author.
b/ " Not available.
i580
-37-
TABLii XV
QJJMTITY Aim VALUE OF THE CATCH OF THE FISHERIES, 1902-1904,
1903 aJid 1929-1954
(In thousands)
Year
Catch of the Fisheries
Quantity
(pounds)
Value
Average,
1929-1934 a/
1908
1902-1904 t/c/
3,043,269
2,111,267
2,080,775
$87,559
57,389
60,936
Sources: Data for 1929-1932 and 1933 in part iron Bureau of
Fisheries, Fisher-'- Industi-ies of the United States;
■ for 1902-1904 and 1908 from Bureau of the Census,
Fisheries of txhe United States. 1908.
a/ Average of six years; 1933 partly and 1934 nholly
estimated oy the author.
The data for some p.reas nere obtained as of 1902,
for some as of 1903, and for sone as of 1904.
(Quantity and value of Alaska catch estimated.
9680
-38.
This improvement has ^oe.p.n the result mainly of the substitution of
motor craft for sailing vessels nncl rovT'ooats, and of the introduction or
adoption on an extended scale of more efficient t;;/pes of fishing gear.
When Kipling wrote his classical descriotion of life on the G-loucester
groundfish fleet on the j'ewfoujidland "banl's in l&S?, the t.^oical unit
was a schooner whose crew fished mostly '.vith jiandlines from dories. Now
all the vessels of that fleet are po'-^er-propelled, and all but a negligi-
ble fraction of the catch is tal';:e:o. with the labor-saving line trawl or
otter trawl.
The use of these more efficient types of fishing gear has created
problems of v/a.ste and depletion, which fall outside the scope of the
present study, but which should not be ignored in considering the pro-
ductivity and displacement of fis'aing labor and their effects,
REGULAH AITD CASUAL ?'ISHE?J,'.£:: . ■
For the boat and shore fisheries of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
and the Great Lalces the Bureau of Fisheries compiles separate data for
regular and for casua.l fishermen. The latter, who are much less im-
portant in the vessel fisheries, are those with whom fishing is a
secondary occupation. The numbers of these two classes, so far as re-
ported, are shown for the years 1929 to 19o3 in Table TVI.
This ■'■able indicates that the proportion of regular workers in
the boat and shore fisheries declined considerablj?- from 1929 to 1933
in Nevf England .and in the Middle Atlantic and Gropt LaJces aren.s. These
sections contain many large industrial cities, all of which during the
depression had much unemploym'^nt. The felling oif in the proportion of
regular fishermen is believed, consequent Ij'-, to reflect a tendency for
unemployed persons to take to part-time fishing in the lack of other
means of mailing a living.
9680
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The Chesapealce arid the South Atlantic -and G-ulf areas, on the other
hand, sho\7 approximately stationary proportions of re;-alar and casual
fisherraen in recent years. These States, or at least the parts of them
in which fishing is maanly carried on, are non- industrial, .and have had
less absolute unein-olojnrient during the pact few years than have New
England or the Middle Atlantic or the Great Lakes States,
The casual fishermen of the eastern United States, ?/ho are included
in the figures piihlished "by the Bureau of Fisheries, tend to he found in
laxger proportions on the Great Lahes, in the Chesapealie Bay area and on
the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts. They are largely small farmers or
farm la-horers; ajid the fact that some important fisheries of the South
and the oyster fis-iery of Chesapealce Bay are most active during the \7inter
facilitates a conoination of the t'-;o callings.
In the rlortheastern Sta.tes the iDrincip'-'l fisheries, when not pursued
more or less the year a,ro-und, tend to he concentrated in the summer and
early fall. The season when the lerst fishing is being carried on in
that section is also, m gre•^t pa.rt, a slack time in industrial activity;
and in any case comparatively few industrial estahlishments are so locat-
ed as to raaJce it easy for fisherraen to work in them. In Nev; England and
on the Hiddle Atlantic coast commercial fishing is to some extent com-
bined with employment in the siu"amer resort trades; "but here again there
is a tendenc;^ to conflict.
The lack of figures for the number of casual fishermen on the Pacific
coast is a result primarily of the manner in wh-ich the data for that part
of the country are obta.ined by the Bureau of Fisheries. There are reasons
for tninlcing, however, that the proportion on the Pacific coast of the
United States proper is actually not large. The fisheries of that area
are to a great extent carried on in deep water and for the large-scale
supply of canneries ajid redaction plants; and this t}rpe of enterprise is
not easily undertalien by the ca.sua.l worker. In these States, moreover,
the agricultural population - the class from which casual fisherraen in
other parts of the ccantry are mainly drawn - is for the most part not
settled immediately on the seacoast.
The salmon fishermen of the Columbia Ii'.iver, however, mF^.y represent
a pa.rtial exception to these stateraents, and tl:.ere is a s^oecial sit-^Jiation
in Alaska. Fishing is not as a rule the sole occupation either of the
men brought to the Territory/" from the United States proper for the salmon
canning season or of the local residents, whetiier white or native. The
term "casual", hov/ever, hardly describes their fishing operations. It
would be more correct to speak of a seasonal alternation or series of
occupations.
Cp-,S""LLal fishermen, oj definition, obtain the greater part of their
income from sources other than fishing. Since workers of this class
are much less numerous on vessels, the question of their income from
other employments v/a.s of secondary interest only in connection with the
original study. The extent, however, to which the income of regular
fishermen, including those on vessels, may be drawn from sources other
than fishing is of some importance, especially as the present data are
for a depression year. This subject will be touched on again in
Chapter IX.
9680
-41-
NON-MIGRATORY CIJ^RACTSR MP LP /J TUMQVSH Off P3RS0NNEL
The foregoirii^ discussion of tiie corabination of fisliing wit.i other
employments suggests that there is little tendency for any class of
fishermen to migrate * for the purpose of obtaining supplementary in-
come. Until the depression of the 1930' s became acute fishermen, as a
clas.s, were fairly well adjusted to programs of work that kept them
busy at their own calling most of the year; and v/hen market conditions
cut down . hea.vily the periods during which it paid them to engage in
fishing, other employment also became hr.rd to obtain. Fishing on any but
the smallest scale requires some investm.ent, and in many -cases a relativ-
ely lieavy one. As a result the industry has tended to select a type
that does not talce kindly to inter-industry migration.
These same conditions have combined to account for what is believed
to be the very low turnover in the personnel of the fishing industry.
Fishermen constituto an essentially conservative class, which sticks to
its own mode of earning a living, to its own enterprises and to its own
social groups. In t'le older parts of the coiintry young people have
drifted away from fishing communities during the last generation or two;
but those who have once started in the business tend to remain in it.
For this reason, the average age of fishermen is believed to be high;
and this accentuates their reluctance to change their calling or to
migrate in search of employment outside the industry.
DISTINCTIONS OF SaX, ::^C3 AI^ID ilATIONiLL ORIOIN
Some fishing craft are owned by Y/omen, and in such cases the bus-
iness may be managed by them. The vrarking personnel is practically all
male, though the Census of 1908 reported two or three hundred females.
The personnel of tae fisheries of New England, of the northern
Middle Atlantic States and of the Great Lakes is all white and largely
of long settled Anglo-Saxon stock, though' with a considerable admisture
of Italians, Portuguese and Scandinavians. T^.ie same is true in the
main of the South, althougn here and there considerable numbers of
Negroes are found. The Fishermen on the menhaden vessels of the South
Atlantic coast are mainly colored; and many Negroes operate or are em-
ployed on oyster craft in that section. The fishing crews of the Pacific
Nortnwest include a very large proportion of Norwegians, with some Finns,
Icelanders, Italians and Japanese. In the fisheries of California there
are some Norwegians and a good many Japanese, but the crews of that
State are overwhelmingly Italians, Jugoslavs from the Adriatic coast, or
Portuguese. About two-thirds of the local residents engaged in the
fisheries of Alaslca are Indians or Eskimos. The remainder are white
settlers, and largely Norwegian, Icelandic or Finnish by nationality.
This refers only to migrations for the purpose of supplementing
earnings from fishing by participation in other industries, expecially
under unusual economic stress. Seasonal inigrations for the purpose
of engaging in different fisheries at different times are common
phenomena.
9680
-42-
SIZE OF FISHING CT^MS .
Tho crev; of a fisMng vessel or "boat may n"umber anything from one
man to a maxim-urn of alDout 40. Crews in excess of 30 are very excep-
tional, and those exceeding 20 are confined to the go^undfish fleet sf
Hew England, to the menhaden fleet of the South Atlantic coast, and
to the vessels in the Alaska, cod fishery that work out of San Francisco
and Puget Sound. The average crew of a vessel is seven or eight strong,
while the average to a boat is only one and a half.
The Bureau nf Fisheries does not classify fishing craft according
to the size of their crews, and such a hroakdown can he made only in
the form of an estimate. Something of this kind, however, had to he
undertaken in connection with the present study as a ha.sis for dis-
tinguishing employees from employers. .'
The results indicate that ahout seven and a half per cent of
all fishing vessels in 1933 were operated "by one person or "by two or
three part owners, who ora^oloyed no additional workers. Of the per-
sonnel of the "boat fisheries ahout 33 per cent operated one-man "boats,
about 43 per cent two-man beats, and only four per cent boats with
crews of t'lree or more. The siDonge-diving boats of Florida, each
of which ^ses seven or eight men, are almost the only. ones having
crews of more than four.
EMPLOYERS, EIvDPLOYEES AND IHDEPBNpailT OPERATORS
On the basis of this cstima^ted breakdown by size of crew it
is possible to segregate the personnel of the industry roughly into
the three classes of independent operators of one-man and partnership
units, employers and employees. The first and second of these groups
taken together constitute, of course, the entrepreneurs of the in-
dustry. The results of this segregation are shown in Table XVII.
9680
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TASLS XVII
ESTIMTED CMSSIFICATIOn OF ALL FISHERIvIM BY 3MPL0YME1-TT
STATUS, 1933
Employment
Status
On Vessels
Number
Per Cent
of Total
On Soats and
Ashore
IT-umber
Per Cent
of Total
On All Fishing Craft
IT'UiTa'ber
Per Cent
of Total
Employers 2,925
Employees 18,646
Operators of
one-ra£in and
partnership
units, with no
errrplcyoes 400
Total
21,971
13.3
34.9
1.8
100.0
17,417 21.7
21,430 -26.7
41,416 51,6
80,263 100.0
20,342 19.9
40,076 39.2
41,816 40.9
102,254 100.0
Source; Totals from Bureau of Fisheries, Fishery Industries of the
United States.
9680
-44-
For the purposes of this talDlo all fishermen who are not o^Tners
or part owners of the craft on 'v;hich thejr -work have "been taken as
eniployeos, irrespective of their raanhcr in which their compensation
is determined. In the case of those who work on shares, hov/ever,
and especially of share fishermen on the smaller vessels and on "boats,
there is room for argiomen-t as to tiie propriety of the term employee..
The point is further discussed in Chaptor Vj in connection v;ith the
modes of determining fishermens' compensation.
Tahle XVII indicates that while the employees of the fisheries,
¥;hen the term is used in the broadest possible sense, constitute a
substantial body of workers, they acco'ont for less than half the total
personnel. In the vessel fisheries, however, the proportion of em-
ployees is much higher. Less tlian two T)er cent of the total vessel
personnel appear to be operators of one-man or "partnership units with
no omployeos, and only 13 or 14 ;oor 6ent ?).re to be classified as
orrrployers. In the boat and shore fisheries only about 27 per cent of
the total are employees in any sense.
The total number of "oersons who ma.y be classed as entrepreneurs
constitute about 15 per cent of those engaged in the vessel fisheries,
about 73 per cent of the ^personnel of the boat and shore fisheries,
and about 61 per cent of _ the grand total. This proportion of entre-
preneurs, even in the vessel fisheries, is high enough to affect greatly
the economic and social conditions of the industry.
The returns of the Census of 1908, the only data available for
comparison with the estimates in Table XVII, put the proportion of
employees in the vessel fisheries at 87 "oer cent of the total per-
sonnel, as compared with 85 -ner cent in the table; at 35 as compared
v/ith 27 per cent in the boat and shore fisheries; and at 48 as com-
pared with 39 per cent in the industry at large. :
It is evident either that the conception of an employee in the
boat and shore fisheries which was adopted for Census purposes was
somewhat different from the one as sunned in connection v/ith the present
study, or that the proportion of employees in tha.t division of the in-
dustry has declined during the past q^uarter century. In view of the
close correspondence of the tv/o sets of data in the case of the vessel
fisheries the latter appears the more likely explanation. It seems
possible that, with the increase in the investment in inshore fishing
enterprises made necessary by the advent of the motor boa,t and of in-
creasingly efficient and elaborate types cf gear, there has been an
appreciable tendency to substitute operation by partners for operation
by single owners vdth hired helpers, while the number of men to a
boat has remained about the same.
DISTIIICTIOHS OF HAITK MTD QCCUPATIOI^I
The crew of every fishing craft v/hich consists of more than two
or three persons may be said to incKide a captain. In a large
proportion of cases the latter, as already remarked, is also the owner.
But on fishing craft with crev/s of only two or three men the duties
9680
•45«
and authority implied "by the position of captain "become simplified out
of recognition, if tliey can be said to exist at all.
S'oecializcd occupations other than tliat of captain "begin to
exist, as a rale, only when the ere?; of a fishing vessel consists of
as many as six or seven men. The ranks of next m.ost frequent appear-
ance are those of cook and of engineer. The crew of a vessel that
m^kes trips of any consideralDlc duration usually includes a cook, who
is an important and relatively well-paid personage. The ranks of mate,
pilot and assistant engineer are largely confined t© steam vessels.
., ' Eadio operators are employed on raanj^ of the large vessels of
the Hew England groundfish fleet and on some of the California tuna
vessels; "but otherwise they are rare. The 40 radio operators reported
in connection with the present study probably account for a substantial
majority ^f the class. The San Francisco vessels which vrork in pairs
with thegear laiown as paranzella nets have the special ranks of "boss
fisherm.an" and "second boss fisherman". The former, who have complete
control of the fishing operations as distinguished from the navigation,
outrank the captains and receive higher "i^ay.
On the menhaden and some of the red snapper vessels of the South
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and occasionally in other instances, there is
a petty officer, roughly corresponding to a boatswain or quartermaster
on a merchant vessel, v/ho is knov/n as the "striker" or "first hand".
The form.er name is also used ina somewhat different sense in '^ther
branches of the indu.stry.
SHORE W05KEHS
In general, the personnel reported in connection with the present
study included only the crews that actually worked the vessels and gear
for which data was obtained. In the case of the wage vessels, however,
a few "shore hands" were included. All but one of these were employed
in connection with vessels on the Great Lakes, The principal duties
of such a shore worker are to care for whatever plant the vessel owner
employing him may maintain at the port out of which he operates, and
to assist in packing and shipping the catch.
No cases were reported in which owners of vessels working on
shares, other than corporations which combine the opcra,tion of fishing
fleets vdth wholesale or processing businesses, maintained regular em-
ployees on shore. If such a thing occurs it is not common. The re-
ported operating expense of some share vessels probably include ,4 wages
paid to casual shore labor, to assist in unloading the catch, etc.
This, however, is a minor ma.tter.
The office, wliarf and dockyard forces maintained by the corpora-
tions that combine fishing with wholesale or processing business were
not included in the scope of the present study.
The Gcnmis of 1908 reported under the head of "shoresmen"
10,590 persons. Nearly three-quarters of these, however, were in
9680
-46-
^aska, and imist have reprcsGntcd mainly the l)each crews of the
salmon canneries, V/hcther these latter should be refjarded as part of
the personnel of the fishing industry is a matter of definition. They
are in any case on the "borderline of the class.
Of the 2,850 shoremen reported "by the Census of 1903 for the
United Stated proper more than one-third, j)^o^D3-^ly» v;ere acco'ujitcd
for "by the oyster cultivating osts^blishments of the llorth Atlantic
coast. This again is a "borderline group. It is not altogether
easy to account even for the remaining two-thirds of the 2,850. The
operators of the larger fleets do crirploy, on a limited scale, shore
workers whose time is given wholly or mainly to the fishing "business;
"but "because of the uncertainties of classification just mentioned it
is hardly worth while to attempt to estimate their present num"ber.
Ta'ble XVIII surama.rizcs the "best estim.ates that can "be made,
with the information now avs.ila'blc, of the total numbers of men in
the more important ranks and occupations on fishing vessels.
In the case of fishing boats, except in so far as they can
be said to have captains, there is little or no distinction of
rank or occupation.
9680
-47-.
TABLE XVIII
SSTII;iAT3D 1TUL3EE OF PEHSOHS IIT EACH Rmi Oli OCCUPATIOIT Oil ALL EISHIIG
VESSELS, 1933
Ha.nk or Occupation IJ-uiiibGr . Per Cent
of Men of Total
Captains 3,650 16.6
MatGS • 175 .. .8
Engineers and Assis-
tant EntZ;inoers 2,150 3.8
Firemen 575 ■ 2.6
Radio O'pe renters 50 .', • .2
Coohs 1,950 8.3
Ordinary Fishermen 13,200 60.0
Others dJ 250 ' 1.1
TTtal 22,000 • 100.0
Source: Estirriited fror.i returns to H.- R. A. questionnaire on
earnin.-js in the lisnin:^- industry and Bureau of Fisheries, Fishing
Industries oft ho jni ted States.
a/ Includes "boss fishermen, pilots, strihors, first hands and other
minor classifications.
9680
-48-
CHAPTEru IV
'THE PRODUCT 10], ■ ot' TiiE "FISHERIES
SOURCES Qj? IlIFORI ATIOli
As has alren.cl.7 been str.ted the Siireaii of Fisheries rnrde
countrywide surveys of the produetion of the industry for the years
1929, 1930, 1931 aiid 1952. For 1933 the survey omitted the South
Atlantic rnd G-ul"' and the Great Lakes areas. Previous complete surveys
vrere made in con-iection nith rer;ulr.T decennial Gensusses or, in 1908, by
the Census Bureau as a S'oecial ;)roject.
QXJAilTITY A1:D VALUE OF TIIS CATCH
Tabl-e XIX shorj the quantity and value of fishery products of
all species Irnded in the United States, by area, fron 1929 to 1933,
This table brinjgs out clearly the effect of the depression on
the out;out of the fisheries. Fron 1929 to 1933 tlie quantity landed fell
off by 19 per 'cent, \7hile the value of the cs.tch to the fishermen \7as
cut in half. The trouble, evidently, has lain in the prices paid for
the product miich raore than in t'he droo in the quantity demand.
This latter statement applies, moreover, to all sections of
the country individually except the C-reat Lakes, '.-/hose crtch has
brought relatively high "Drices and has 'been sold in considerable prrt,
under very special conditions, to the Je'7ish trade in ITev; York City. In
the Middle Atlantic and Chesapeake areas the price decline from 1929 to
1933 was exceptionally heavy, while the falling off in the quantity of
the catch v/cns'only moderate.
17hen all due e-..TOhasis has been -out on the ^o re dominance of the
price factor, hov;evor, tlie i'norta:ice of the drop in the qurntity de-
mand for fishery products durin,;; the deioression should not be under-
estimated. For a larfrce class of basic foodstuffs it must be called
heavy. Its causes need to be studied more tlian they have been; but the
strongest influence wrs the sharp concurrent decline in the price of
meat, the most directly competing class of com'iodities.
The data in Table XIX merit study in the present connection,
because of the close relationsnip between the changes from year to year
in the landed vrlue of fishery 'n-oducts cand in the earnings of the 75
per cent of the ;:)ersonnel of the industry who wor]: on shares. This
relationshi J is further discussed in Chax)ter XII.
9680
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PRODUCTION OF THE YV^'^Z lES III 1934 / ■ '
At the tine this re;oort ^7as written no [production dt^ta for
1934 had been corroiled 'by the Jutopw of Pisherieo exce'ot for Alaska. A
good deal of the ;n-eliminar,./ data, hovever, had been aG?5e..ibled; pnd on
the basis of this and frora a variet:/ of sup- elementary i:iforns.tion
estimates have been :ir.de of the v.-^lue of the cr.tch of the vrrious
fisheries in 1954,
These \7ere needed prirnfiril;" in connection with the estimates
of creu and vessel earnings in thd.t /ear, ',7hich are "oresented in
Chapter XII, The/ rre hardly precise enough to tc?bulpte in detail.
They indicate, hoivever, a total landed value of fishery products for the
United Strtes, excluding the Llississippi area, of about $77,000,000 or,
including that rrea, of $79,300,000. The total corresponding to the
prrt of the industry covered '^oy the original study - that is, excluding
the catch of cannery- orned or operated craft and geo.r in Alaska - may
be -out at $39,500,000, Of this latter fig-ure the catch of the vessel
fisheries accounted for about $53,500,000.
These estimates i.idicrto an increase in the value of the
total catch of about 33 per cent over 1953 or, if the catch ^7ith Ala-ska
cannery craft and gear is excluded, of about 34 per cent,
THE LOiTG-^TII.'E TEEIH) OF PROPTJCTIOiI
The data available for a long time comparison of the quantity
and value of the catch of the fisheries of the United Strtes have been
presented in another connection in Table XV. It rould appear that the
increase in living costs r.-hich characterized the first two decades of
the century was unfavorable to the development of the demand for
fishery products, ^-.^hich tend to be relatively e:-:pensive in a time of
rising prices, and r'hich rre not regnrded by a large pa.rt of the
population as necessities.
From 1920 to 1930, however, conditions were much more favor-
p.ble. The prodiictivity of the fisheries per man and per unit of gear
continued to improve, ;')urchasing power was in the main rising, and the
radius over v/hich fresh fish cand shellfish could be shiooed from the
principal ports of landing was materially extended, as '^ result of im-
proved methods of preprring and packing and of better transportation
facilities,
OUTPUT OF THE VESSEL ill;i) OF THE BOAT aIZ) SHOBE FISHERIES
The Bureau of Fisheries has not tabulated the production data
resulting from its countrywide surveys for the years 1929 to 1933 for
the vessel and the boat and shore fisheries separately. In connection
with the present stud;'-, hovjever, it has been necessary to break down
the 1933 data with reference to this distinction. Table XX shows the
results of the segregation.
In the case of Alaska there appears in this table a comiDli-
cation, which requires explanation. The salmon canning industry, which
9680
-51-
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consiimes' much the .{greater part of the Alaska catch, had an IT.R.A, code
se-^arate frojn thpt of the rest of the fisheries, Iloreover, the catcli
of saliaon \7ith cr-ft or gear owned or operated "by Alaska canneries is
reported' with reference to the land esta])lishi]ients and not the vessels
or boats enployed.
These t^vo conditions nade it inpracti cable tO' survey this
hraiich of the industr^^ 'by means of* the original questionnaire. In
Table XXy coiiseoiiently, the catch of salnon vdth ca,nnery eqUipnent is
separated froii the iiain tabulrtlon of the vessel and boat catch. To
complete ;the lattervsegre^^a^tion, hov/ever, the Alaska cannery'' iten has
been brol?:en ■ down by estinate into a vessel, a boat said a trap catch.
The latter is shown 'separately because of its relrative inportance, and
o.lso because the workers employed .in connection with these traps are not
classified as flshernon in the Bureau of Fisheries' reports.
, The men who operate the Alaska cannery craft -^^hd gear are con-
veniently referred to as "em;oloyee" fishermen, to distinguish then from
the "independents" vrho trke the remrinder. of the salnon consumed by the
industry.. Infer: lat ion regarding the latter class -only ,'^as gathered by
means of the original queGtionnaiie; but' drta have subsequently been
obtained from other sources ^vitii respect to the ea:rnin^si of the employee
fishermen and the traixaen. ;These ^Iptter are. discussed 'iili Chapter XIII.
'In the United States T-)rorier 'the: craft a.nd no'n -ern'oloYed in
connection with tra;is (usually called Tocjind nets on the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts) rre included in the Bureau of' Fisheries' tabulr-'tions of
fishing vessels or boats and of fisherr^'en.
Table XX shows fhot about 43 per cent of the total value of
the catch .of the fisheries- o-f the country is • accounted for ^oj vessels,
although the l-'tter constitute only six .and a half per' cant of the total
crai't. : TTlien the catch of the craft and gear owned or operated by salnon
canneries in Alaska is„e:jcluded the ::)roportion taken by vessels rises to
47 or 48 per cent. ■ ' '
The vari- tions in the percenta.^e of the vessel! catch in the
different' rreas ore the result of local conditions. The fisheries which
make the Irrgest scale sliipments over the ^"'idest radiuses show high
percentages, fnd vice versa. California has chiefly deep water
figjieries, in which the oossibility of usin;/; small craft is limited.
The. fisheries' of the Great Lai<:es are on a modest scale, and a.re carried
on in Irrge ;;jrrt ia comparatively shallo'"' wrters. The small scale of tlie
fisheries of the South results largely from the general economic con-
ditiong and the distribution of the population of that area. In Hew
England and in the lIorth^:'est and Alaska.' as a whole the proportion of the
vessel catch is a little above the average for the country at large. In
Alaska itself, however, for speci.al reasons, the "oroportion is smaJl.
..In 1908 the vessel fisheries of "the United St' tes proper
accounted for '43.5 -oer cent of the total dollar volume of production,
llo segregat.ion was made for the value of the Alasica. crtch, the inclusion
of -which v.'o'uld have lowered the percentage a little. These f ignores in-
dicate that the proportion of the total cftch accounted for by the vessel
9 680
fislieries has not cha,nged in-'^terially auriri:'; the ^Do.st tv/enty-f ive years.
Air," decrease that ..li.'^ht hp.vo resultel .froii the fact that the nurn'oer of
vessel.:! ill uGe has decliii^cl nore than the niiinoer of hofits ha.s a-yoarently
bioen offset by the yrSater relative i-'provenent in the efficiency of
the vessel ^-^ear.
9 580
CHAPTER V
THE COIvIPENSATION OF FISHING CEEWS
VARIETY OF MODES OF PAYMEMT
There is more variety in the methods whereby the crews of fishing
craft are coiapensated than in the correspondint^ arrangements in ordinary
industrial plants. Compensation both by straight wages on a time basis
and by piece rates exists. In the marine fisheries, however, much the
most conmon plan is to pay each member of a crew oy a share in the value
of the catch. The compensation received by individual fishermen, in
such cases, becomes dependent primarily on the quantity of fish caught
and on the unit price received for than, and secondarily on the items
deducted from the gross revenue before arriving at the crew's share.
The latter is, in all but a very small proportion of cases, a residual
suin.
FISHIIIG L^iYS
The arrangement whereby the value of the catch of a fishing craft
working on shares is distributed among the persons and interests con-
cerned is laiown as a "lay."
A share fisherman may receive a wage or a bonus on a time or per-
cent age basis in addition to or in lieu of a share in a lay. Such a
person ordinarily has exceptional responsibility, as in the case of a
captain, mate or pilot, or is engaged in specialized work, like that
of an engineer, fireman, radio operator or cook,
THE PAYl.IEI^'T OF STRAIGHT WAGES
Straight wages on a time basis in the vessel fisheries are confined
chiefly to the following cases;
(1) The crews of most oyster dredges.
(2) The crews of the craft used in connection with pound nets on
the coast of ilew Jersey.
(3) The crews of the meniiaden vessels operating out of Reedville,
Virginia. This was the nome port of approximately a third of the ves-
sels actively engaged in this fishery in 1933. The menhaden vessels
working out of Middle Ailantic ports north of Virginia operate in some
cases on wages and in others on shares. On the coast south of Virginia
a modified share system which will be described more fully later on is
the coinrnonest arrangement.
(4) The crews of the paranzella vessels working out of San Franc-
ois co.
(5) On the Great Lakes, and especially on the upper lakes (Huron ^
Michigan and Superior), a straight time wage appears to be commoner
than a lay. Of the vessels on the Lakes for which reports were ob-
tained for the purposes of the study 67 per cent, with 63 per cent of
the men and 62 per cent of the value of the catch, were working in 1933
on wages,
9680
-55-
This sample is not very large, but there is no positive evidence that
it does not reflect the situation roughly,
(6) The crev7s of one important trawling fleet worki,ng out of
Norfol}c, Virginia, arc^ com;f5 en sated on a wage "brisis. Th«; method is
also used on some shrimp vessels on the Gulf coag.t and in Alaska, and
in other occasional instances. '
TXmEm AT PIECE RATES
Compensation at piece rates (that is, so much for every fish
caught by the individual •?7orker) is the universal basic method in the
case of the employoe fisherman of salmon canneries in Alaska* These
piece rates may be accompanied, however, by the payment of fixed sums,
in some cases knonn as "run money*'. For reasons already explained
these recipients of piece loayinents were not covered by the study in its
original form; but information obtained with regard to them at a later
stage is discussed in Chapter Xlll,
The only other vessels whose crev/s are compensated en a straight
piece basis ar.e those in the Alaska cod fishery, working out of Puget
Sound and San Francisco^ The number of ths'^s vessels -is small, and
reports were obtained for all those operating in 1933. They are, however,
the largest craft in the industry, and emvloy a relatively substantial
nuiaber of men,
INTEMEDIATE SYSTEI^S OF PAYMENT.
The compensation of fishing crews on a straight piece basis shades
off intc systems intermediate between a piecft payment, a wag<» and a share*
Such a type,' of remuneration appears in the cas<5 of many menhaden
vessels working off the coast of North Carolina, G-eorgia and Florida,
in the shrimp fishery of the Gulf coast, and in the Alaska herring fish-
ery. In all th'J'^G cases the catch is used by processing establishments
which own or charter the vpissels, but buy the catch from the crews at
prices fi"«:d-. in. advance.
The proceeds of such a sale may be snared among the fishermen
concerned as an independent transaction, and the terms of the distri-
bution may not be af footed by the unit orice. In other cases, however,
as on some menhaden vessels - the processing establishment pays the
fishermen individually, but on a sliding scale of sn much per thousand
fish caught by the wiiole crew, according to the rank or occupation of
each man. Data with regard to earnings on some- vessels of this latter
class were obtained in connection with the study, but too late to be
incorpor'^ted in the main tables. The figures, however, are summarized
in Appendix I,
PJILATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE VARIOUS MOIjES OF COIfl^ENSATION
The relative imioortance of these modes of compensation can only
be figured on the basis of the foregoing description and of the data
in connection ^ith the present study. Estimates of t he kind, which
are probably near the truth, are shown in Table XXI.
/
56
These proportions are in any case not fixed, as there has "been some
tendency for firhing craft to r.hift f,xori.a. sh.are to a wage "basis and vice
versa, in the hope thr.t the altered arrangement .'ill be more satisfactory
to the ovners or the crevvs. Such changes v/ere especially coinnon on the
Great -L-al'es during Uh-G' '-depress ion; hut they have occurred" elsev/here as -.
veil, . ...... . , ,
TABLE XXI
. ^. :E3TIMATED PHOPORTICNS of ALL' FISHING VESSELS, OF iiLL ^VESSEL FISILT:PvlffiN,
i^^^MD OF THE TOTiL V:^\I.UE OF THE CATCH, OF VESSEI,S USIKO VARIOIJ? MODES
OF COlvIPENSATIJIg THEIR CEE\7S ■ ■
Mode of CoM-
peniiation
Per cent of
Total
Nunher of
Vessels
Per cent of
Total
Number of
l.len
Per cent of
Total
V; lue of
Catch
Share
79
72
74
Wage
19
>iece-rc,te a/ ' 2-
Toted 100
25
3
100
24
2'
100
Source:
\
Estinated from' returns to N. R* A» questionnaire on earnings
in the fiching industry.
In the main the compensation of fishermen on a wage basis is confined,
to particular fisheries, v/here conditions vary more or less decidedly fron^.
the norm of the industry. There seems to be no marked general tendency to
substitute the- wage, systeiii for lay agreements.
REASONS FOR THE PRSD0I-;ir;ANCE OF :THE SK.VRE SYrTEII • • -
The predominance of the ?hare system in the compensation of the'fi^x-
ermen is customarily e::p,lo.ined by the need^providing them -with a. special
incentive, in vievT of the dangers and hardships to which they .are e>7pos^
and the laboriousness of their work* In some instances in which, in the
earlier days of the -aperation of large steam fishing vessels by corporations,
attempts were made to substitute straight v^ages for lays, it is claimed that
the ijien cetsed to be -willing to malce the exertions or to iiin the risks :
necessnry to recover fishing gear in bad weather. There is no doubt sonc
truth in this e:-7plaiiatio-n; but the continuing predominance of share opera-
tion is probably clue -also, to a-^.'-^- ' ic".e:.'r...^le s\:---e:\t^ i^ &tx0 influence -of
habit and tradition on a very conservative class.
Induces piece-^rate vessels o\'ned or operated by salmon canneries in
Alaska, which were not covered by original questionnaire. The propor-
tions represented by piece-rate vessels in this table are, therefore,^
l&x,s:er thaii those indicated in Tables XXIV to XXVI I,
9680
-57-^
E?F5CTS OF TrlE SrlAHE SYSTEM
The fisheries in which coimoensation cy shares is the rule constitute
nov7ada;/s the onlv large group of industrial enterprises in the United
States to use such a method. The variations in earnings v/hich result,
and the eiitent to whicn such compensation causes the return to the mass
of workers to depend directly on fluctuations in commodity prices, have
import int effects on the status and on the mental attitude of those con-
cerned.
To some economists the fact that the earnings of share fishermen are
thus derendent on tne volum.e of sales a,nd of ooerating expense of the
enterprises with which they v/ork me. ns tnat they are properly entrepreneurs,
and not employees at all. The legal attitude, on the other hand, has "been
the reverse of thisc In the early part of the ninteenth century a series
of court decisions, relating chiefly to vessels of the New England Tjhaling
fleet, established the doctrine that share fishermen who do not partici-
pa,te in the actual sale of the catch are employees in the same sense as
wage earners in a factory. It is -.claimed that a desire to insure to
such workers the "benefits cf vrage earners' liens, and of other legal
p"ivileges which they would not normally enjoy if they were regardad. as
participating in the entrepreneurial risk, lay back of these decisions.
The actual status of share fishermen varies a good deal with the
size of the Vessel and v/ith the area and the fishery concerned. In the
case of the large coriooration-owned vessels in the Ilew England ground-
fishery and the red snanDoer fishery of the South their "oosition, as un-
derstood by all concerned, undoubtedly approximates that of employees in
the ordinary sense.
To a very considerable extent, however, the legal doctrine just
mentioned is not only opoosed to economic theory, but is unrealistic as
well, A large proportion of fishermen working on shares, and especially
those comTjcsing the crews of the smaller crafi, do not really regard
themselves a^i employees. The difference is a matter partly of mental
attitude and partly of interests and responsibilities inconsistent with
a strict employee status.
Crew members may have interest s^^jg fishing gear when they do not own
a vessel or boat itself; and tx^ere/instances where the investment in gear
is greater than that in the hull. In the case of some California tuna
vessels a group of the crew are jointly responsible for the loan with
which the vessel was built, and are jointly engaged in repaying it. In
some instances, where no such money interest in the vessel or its equip-
ment exists, it is at least claimed that the fishermen are customarily
consulted with rejpect to the operation of the vessels, the sale of the
catch, or the purchase of supplies.
One disadvantage of the entrepreneur, to which share fishermen have
been subject in a large number of cases, especially during the depression*
is that of being forced to wait for the liquidation of their shares, when
the Durcliaser of the catch has been unable to make payment in cash or
within the period originally stipulated. Such workers certainly cannot
be said to have enjoyed effectively the benefits of an employee status.
9690
-58-
On the whole it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the real
nosition of share fisiierien is neither that of employees nor of entre-
preneurs, "but something intermediate between the two^
9680
CHAPTERJ^I
THE PPSRAT I Oil „0? FISHING- VESSELS ON SHAKES
THE GR0_5S _STOCK
\innen a fisiiing vessel is operated on a lay or share "basis the
proceeds of the sale of the catch constitute the "gross stock" from
which the expense of operation is paid and the shares of the vessel
and of the crev/ are derived. In sorie instances the net proceeds, after
deducting consignee's commissions and transportation charges on prod-
ucts not sold at the point of landing, are regarded as the gross stock
for these purposes,
THE PRINCIPAL FACTORS IN A LAY
• The principal items into v/hich the gross stock is subdivided in
the settlement of a lay or share enterprise arc as follows:
(a) The operating or trip expense, which may in its turn
consist of either ©r iDoth of:
-^» Joint expense, which is deducted from the gross
stock before taking out the share due the vessel,
or the crew, and is conseouently a, charge on the
vessel or its ovmer and the crew jointly,
2» Crew exr^ense, v/hich is taken out after deducting
the share due the vessel, and is therefore a
charge against the crew alone,
■("b) The vessel share, which corresponds in many respects to
the gross income from operation or the gross profit of
an ordinary industrial business.
(*^^ The crew share, which in 9i^ or 97 per cent of all cases
is the residue after deducting the preceding items from
the gross stock, v/hile in three or four per cent it is
an agreed percentage of the gross. It corresponds to the
waf:e volume of the production department of an industrial
business.
The amount remaining after deducting the first item or items
to be taken out of the gross stock, particularly the joint expense,
may be referred to as the "net stock".
The fo].lowing specimen operating statement or "settlement of a
lay" shows how these items are taken out in an illustrative case.
The figures are of course imaginary, and the form of the statement may
vary considerably in detail. Commissions and transportation charges
are often lacking, and all opera.ting expense may be a joint charge,
or a charge on the crew along. There is a wide possible variation in
the proportions of the various items in individual cases.
9fi80
- -0 -
SPECIIGN OPERATI.NG- STATEMSFT j2F A Th^ISHING VESSEL WORKING ON A LAY
GROSS STOCK before Gomy:iission & Transportation'
Charges $12,000
LeGc: Consignee's CoiniT.ission $1,500
Transportation Chcu'ges 500 2,000
GROSS STOCK after Comnission c; Transportation
Charges $10,000
Less: Joint Expense 1 , 000
NET STOCK frr Vessel and Crcv7 $9,000
VESSEL SHAF^ 3,5P_0
l^IET STOCK for Crew cd5,500
Less: Crew Expense 2,000
GREW SHARE o3,500
OPERATIHG SXPEN_SE
The operating of a fishing vessel is made up of some or all of
the following items, - food for the crew while out of port, ice or salt,
barrels, baskets, boxes or other container.s for the catch, bait, coal,
fuel oil or gasoline for the engine, and lubricants and other engine
suppl i e s .
Whether any of these is included in the operating expense of a
given craft depends on circumstances. Vessels that go rut only for a
day at a time do not as a rule provide food for their crev/s: and in some
cases v/here longer trips arc taken the maintenance of the mess is re-
garded as an affair of the crew as distin-i^cuished from the vessel, and
the cost is not recorded as part of the latter' s operating expense.
Salt is now a comp-.ratively unimportant item, and many fishing
vessels do not carry ice, even wiien they might well do so to keep
their catch in good conaition. Some products are loaded in bulk, so
that no containers are needed* : :
Whether bait has to be purchased de-oends on the kind used and nn
the gear. Practically all fishing craft of vessel size except two or
three hundred sailing vessels include in their operating expense sub-
stantial items for coal, diesel or fuel oil or gasoline, and of lubri-
cants.
•Wages paid to the crews of share vessels in lieu of or in addi-
tion to shares are usually regarded as operating expense, and are
charged to the crev/ alone and not to the vessel. Percentage bonuses
paid to captains, however, are as a rule paid out of the vessel share.
9^80
-61-
OVEPJIE.AI) .OF^ .OWI\M'_S _EXPENSE.
In contra.st v/ith the operating or trip expense, the overhead or
ovmer's e>rpense on a fishing vessel is a charge against the vessel share.
This includes, in addition to the captain's "bonus just mentioned, the
following - the repair and upkeep of the hull, engine and gear, marine
and sometimes employer's liability insurance, and State or loca]. taxes
on the vessel, its gear or its catch. Since so large a majority of fish-
ing enterprises are unincorporated, Federal income tax does not usually
appear as an item^ of expense. Taxes on members of a fishing crev/ as in-
dividuals, such as the fishermen's licenses required in some States,
may or may not "be taken into account in settling a lay.
A special item which is often charged against the vessel share is
the loss that v/ould theoretically "be borne by the crew in a case v/here
the proceeds of a trip are not sufficient to cover the operating ex-
pense and thp; normal vessel share. Such a charge is called "a broken
trip. "
Depreciation on fishing craft and their gear, in the minority of
cases where it is formally written off at all, is a part of the ovmer's
expense.
Replacements '^f fishing gear that normally lasts less than a yea.r,
and often piecemeal replacements of more durable gear that v/ould, under
standard accounting rules, be covered by depreciation reserves, are
treated as current overhead cx-oense.
The foregoing description shov/s that in the main the logical
distinction between the ite'ns included in operating expense and charged
to the crev/ of a fishing vessel or to the crev/ and the ov/ner jointly,
and those included in owner's or overhead expense and charged to the
vessel share, is maintained in practice in the vessel fisheries. Ex-
ceptions to this statement occur chiefly among small vessels particularly
those in the salmon fis"hery of Washington and Oregon and on the Great
Lakes, In these cases all expenses are pa.id indifferently ''oy the ov/ner
out of the vessel share. The net result not infrequently seems unfair to
the ov/ner as against the rest of the crev/, consisting often of a single
person,
CHARACTERISTICS OF FISHI.MG _L_AYS.
The miles determining the shares received by the ov/ner and the
crev; of a fishing vessel constitute the lay nr share agreement under
v/hich it operates, Nearly all fishing lays are ma.tters of tradition or
of custom: and v/ritten agreem.ents exist only in the case of fleets ov/ned
by corporations, and in the few instances v/here a lay takes the form
of a contract v/ith a fishermen's union. Minor variations in the terms
of these agreements have been made frequently- by individual owners and
crev/s esTiecially in recent years of depression. But the main provisions
of the more important lays ha,ve scarcely been changed within the last
generation, or even since the eighteenth century. These agreements con-
stitute the most inforaia.l and at the same time the most stable class of
economic relationships existing in the United States,
9^80
62
FACTCHS GOVERlTINa TIIE EARNINGS OF CREWS
The net compensation received by the cre\: of a shcTe fifrhing vessel
is governed chiefl.v "by the follo' inr vniiibleK: (l) the ouantity of the
catch; (2) The vdi'it or ice received fo:.- it; (3) the ainc-'Lmt of the operat-
ing expense; (4) thu proportions- of ^loint a^id ere'./ ezcoen^.e; and (5) the
ratio of the vessel shai'e to ti.? gross of the net stock. The "variations in
these factors depend on the t-.no3 of the vessel and the genr, on the size
of the crer;. on the length of the t:^ios trJzen, on the species caught and
the mode of preserving then, and on the r/aters in which fishing is carried
on,
CLASSIJj'TCaTION of TFS lays III USE
The number of lays in use is considera'ble, especially in the areas
and fisheries which employ chiefly cra-t. No systematic compilation of
the terms of existing agreemente has ever "oeen made; "but in the questionnaire
sent out in connection v/ith the present study a statraent of the chief items
in 'the settle-ient of ohe lay in use on each reporting vessel in 1933, and
also a C0TD3'" of "the a^:reenent, vere asked for.
The information submitted' as a result was very unsystematic; hut it has
proved suf.;'^-cicnt to identify with fair certainty the a,greements in use in
1933 on 93 per cenb of the vessels for i"hich usa"ble returns were made. From
this material the classification of lavs in Table XXII has '"oeen worked out.
Since this classification of Irys is, to tlie best of the writer's
knowledge, the first evor attempted, it i'3 subject to correction in the
light of further information: Iii f^s present form, however.,., it probably
represents the situation --'ith ff,;".r accur^c'-.
To reduce the con-olexit-^ of l-.-^de XXII a further geographical break-
down, with the nar.ies of the lays Fhore reported, has ''oetn. transferred to
AiDToendix III,
The use of a name for a ley ap'^ears to be confined to the older fish-
eries of the North Atlantic coast. The statements v/ith regard to" such
names in the Appendix III are for the most "oart derived from the question-
naires. It is not certain, hoi^ever, thrt these naues are in general use
even in the fisheries to ^diich they were there atta,ched. It may be also
that these ss^ne lays- are known by other names vjhich did not happen to be
reported.
The percentage of the gross or net stock which constitutes the vessel
or the crew share under the terms of a given lay may vary somewhat in in-
dividual cases. In making ur) Table XXII the rule has been followed of
classifj/ing a vessel as using, for instL.nce , P" ''fif t7'-f if ty" lay if the
proportions were any.'^here bet^-reen 45 and 55 per cent of the base. The
effect of such variations on the conclusions dravm from the classification
is slight; and the nature of the data in any case makes unlikely an exact
check with the specifications of a lay.
9860
-63-
TA3L2] XXII
CLASS IFICATIOH 07 LAYS 02 SHAPJ]] AGRZI^MEIITS III USH ON
SAIVlPLE a/ FISHIUa V7.SSELS , 1933 b/
T^rms of Lay
IJumb-r of Vesnels
Ifuinber of Value of
Men Catch
I Crev; share a fi?:ed per-
cent o,{^e of the ^'^rosG Stock
(1) 20 or P/o "oer cent
(2) 50 per cent
Tot 0.1 (1)
II Crev.' share the residuQ.1 item:
A-Vessel share a fixed
percent "<;;;e of the gross
stock
(1) Under 20 ->:r cent
(2) 20 per cent
(3) 25 per cent
(4) 30 Or 33 1/3 per' cent
(5) 40 per cent
Tot.-l (II^A)
4
9
13
16
9
21
77
14
54
68
9,905
69,015
73,920
28
12,780
102
131,506
117
78,953
61
90,733
188
382 , 830
496
696,802
B- Vessel she.re a ii::ed T^er-
centa .e of n^^-t stock
(1) Joint expense included
replacement of lost ge-^r
onlj
(p) Vessel share 20 per
cent
51
422
751,361
(2) Joint exT^ense inclLided
"bait only
(a) Vessel share 20 to 23
40 per cent
('3) Joint er';)ense 50 to 75
per cent of total
operating expense c/-
(a) Vei-isel share 25 per
cent 8
("b) V'^ssel shr.re 50 per
cent 42
Total (I 1-3-3) 50
207
144,660
153
149,827
707
1,653,760
360
1,803,587
Continued
;630
-64-
TABLZ XXII
(Continued)
Terms of Lay
NiiiTiber of
_3rafLs.eJLj3_.^
"uinber of
Lien
Value of
Catch
4. All operating exjpense
joint
(a) Vessel s^iare 20 ^-'Or
cent or less
(b) Vessel snare 30 or
33 1/3 percent
(c) Vessel snare 40 per
cent
(d) Vessel share 50 per
cent
Total (II-B-4)
Total (11-3)
C-All operating expense joint
and vessel received a
fixed number of shares in
the net stock
(1) One share
(2) Two shares
(3) Three but less than four
shares
(4) Pour hut less than five
s'lares
(5) Six or seven Sxiares
Total (II-C)
Total, where crew s-.nre
was the residual item
(11)
Crrand total, Sample a/
share vessels for
which information was
supplied sufficient
to indicate terras of
lay
Sample a/ share vessels
net included in above
tabulation d/
Grand Total e/
6
35
25
41
107
231
15
7
14
46
35.'
367
•27
394
33
225
174
404
826
2,315
58
38
46
58
151
351
3,162
3,230
201
3,431
•;;13,625
274,260
416,158
1,016,161
1,720,204
4,419,312
39,059
20.780
27 , 329
48,231
186,434
321,333
5, '^■38,447
5,517,567
197,023
5,714,390
. ( Continued)
9680
-65-
TXBLZ XXII
(Continued)
Source: Returns to INT. H.A. questionnaire on earnings in the fishing
industry.
a/ Vessels for which usa'ole data were ootained for the purposes
of the study.
t/ For a. bresicdown of tnese groups hy area and fishery, with the
names of the various lays where reported, see Appendix III.
c/ Re.^larly incluies fuel f;jid lubricants and often ice, salt
and bait, but not food or wages.
d/ Includes one vessel in the New England groundf ishery , v/hich
in 1933 was experimenting with a modified share arrangement
that dees not fit into the foregoing classification, and 26
vessels for which the information furnished was insufficient
to determine t"-ie lays in use. The latter group includes one
vessel in the Middle Atlantic miscellaneous fishery; one in
the SxirLnp fishery of the South; five in the Great Lakes area;
three in California (one tuna and two tuna and sardine vessels)
and 16 in the Northwest ,and Alaska area (four in the halibut
and 12 in the salmon fishery).
_e/ These gr,gjid totals a.re the sums of: (l) in all areas except
the Great Lalces, the corresponding totals for share vessels
reporting operating expense (Table XXIX); (2) in the Great
Lakes area, the corresponding totals for all share vessels
(Table XXVII).
Table XXII, whicli is based en the terms of the lays in use with
only incidental reference to their geographical distribution, does not
show specifically the effect that t/iese types of agreements have in
practice on the earnings of vessels and' their crews in the various areas
and fisheries. In Table XXIII, consequently, the sane data are
analyzed from the latter point of view.
A high ratio to gross stock of operating expense or of vessel
share, or of both, in the case of any fishery in this table will be
found as a rule, though not invariably, to imply low earnings per man.
The same tendency will appear where a high proportion of the operating
expense is charged to the crew alone instead of to the crew and the
vessel jointly, as shown in the right hand section of the table, un-
less the ratio of the vessel share to the gross is reduced as an off-
set. This latter adjustment appears in the case of the ITorthwest and
Alaska halibut fishery. 'JVhere two or more of these conditions combine,
the effect on the proportion of tne gross which goes to the mass of the
fishermen, and as a rule on the earnings per man as well, is still more
adverse.
9680
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'Xiere the deductions for ^peratin^; expense and for vessel s.iare are
rela-tively small, the effect on t.ie crew share and on crew earnings is,
by contrast, normally favorable.
More detailed illustrations of the effect in practice of the vari-
ous types of share agreement, as classified in Table XXII and XXIII,
on the earnings of the crews subject to them will be furnished by the
questionnaire data to be discussed in the next Cxiapter.
llSTIi/iATSS Ox 03S«7 5A5NI1IGS I-W 3V-IARE V33SSL3
The foregoing explanation sh-^ws how it is p:ssible to estixiiate
the earnings of tlie crew of a -^hare vessel in a given fishery or area
from one year to another, provided that any important changes in the
other factors of the situa.tion, from the base year to the one for
wiich an estim/^xte is to be made, are known. Such changes can be de-
termined if tie following informatim is available: the value of the
catch; the principal commodities and services accounting for the
operating expense; the unit prices of these latter; a,nd the changes, if
any, in the m^de of ciiarging the operating expense, and in the relation-
ship of the vessel share to the gross or the net stock. As already re-
marked, substantial chan,.,es of the latter sort have been ra.re.
T;G E^TIMAT^S 7CH 1934 A2TD 1929
The original questionnaire wa„s sent out before the expiration of
1934; and for the salce of simplicit;/ as well it seemed desirable to
confine the information s,sked for to a single year. Later, however, it
was felt advisable to supplement tne 1933 data with estimates of crew
and vessel earnings for 1934 and for 1929, worked out by the method
just outlined. These estimates are presented and discussed in
Chapter XII.
9630
~68«
CHAPTER VII
TKS EAJmiNGS 0? FISHEP^iEN ON SHARE VESSELS
THE BASIC 3DATA.
The preceding chapter has defined the items into which the proceeds
of the sale of the catch or the fross stock of a fishing vessel that
works on share are divided. The present one discusses the data for
these items ths.t have "been collected in connection with the study. It
considers their relation to one another and the ext^ft^i to which they
var^'", in individual areas and fisheries, from the apparent norms of the
i^jdustrj'-. These "basic data are set forth in Tables XXIV to XXIX,
In these tahles various ratios and averages are shown not only for
each fishery, hut also for the large geographical areas and for the
country as a whole, . These derived figures must he compared with one
another and conclusions must he drawn from them with due reference to
the rerr-arks, in various chapters of the report on the effect of the
disproportionate representation in the sample of individual fisheries
and of vessels of the larger tonnages, and in the light of Tables JLY,
XLVil and LVI, which show some of these averages weighted to offset
the distortion.
On the whole, however, the effect of such weighing, though much more
than negligible, does not alter fundamentally the conclusions suggested
by the crude data,
CLASSIFICATION BY TONNAGE ANS ITS' SiaillFICAIICE
Table XXIV shows by tonnage classes rnd Table XXV by area and
fishers'" the average tonnage and average crew of all vessels, for which
usuable returns were received. These figures are chiefly for refer-
ence and do not require much comment.
As might be expected, the average crew tends to increase with the
tonnage of a vessel, though not proportionately. Vessels of less than
15 tons show an average crew of 3,7 men and of ,40 men per ton. Vessels
of 15 to 29 tons show an average crew of 7,0 men, but only ,33 men per
ton. Vessels of 30 to 49 tons show an average crew of 8,8 men, but
,24 men per ton. Finally, vessels of 50 tons and over show an average
crew of 17,6 men, but only ,15 men per ton.
9680
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TA3LE XX7
ITO/IBER CF VESSELS, A^/EPJIC^E TCI'lIAGS, FJl.QER OE EISHEEIErT
AiTD AVERAGE CPJEW, FOR ALL VESSELS IITCLUDED I1-' THE SAJIPLE a/,
3Y IIHDE OE COliPENSATIOlI ALD 3Y AREA AlH) FISHERY, 1933
Mode of CompenGation
and Area and Fishery
Hwn"bcr
of Vessels
A-7era£:;e
Tonna{;,e
Ilijin'b er
of Men
Average
Crew
Share Vessels
Hew England
Groundf i sh
Vessels under 50 tons
Vessels of 50 tons and
over
To tal , Groundf i sh
Mac-ierel
iliscellaneous
T'tal, I'Tew England
Middle Atlantic
Scallop
Miscellaneous
Total
South
Red snap;oer
Shrimp
Miscellaneous
Total
Great Lalces
Lal^e Erie
Lalces Huron and Michigan
Total
Ca.lif ornia
Tuna
Tuna and sardine
Sardine, Monterey
Sardine, Southern Cali-
fornia
Miscellaneous
Total
i. u
21.3
133
43
133,0
934
19
n?
10-^. <^
l,0fi7
Ifi
14
^-.1
189
12
?A
14.5
119
5
105
77.2
1,355
13
P>
24.7
42
7
23
21.2
1^3
fi
29
21.9
185
fi
37
44.fi
29fi
8
11
11.4
24
2
9
24.3
87
10
57
35.0
407
7
5
27.0
29
P,
1^ •
IG.-
73
5
21
20.5
102
5
24
110.3
289
12
12
49.1
124
10
10
18.0
110
11
r-,
28.7
57
10
n
11.2
33
fi
58
^3.0
hi 3
11
9^80
(Continued)
71
TABLE
xxc
( Co.it inued)
Mode of Compe.isation
Number
Average
NTjjnber
Average
and Area and ?if:'hery
of Vessel
s
Tonnage
of Jien
Crew
Share Vessels (Continued)
Northuest and Alaska
Halibut
59
26.4
465
7
Salmon
65
16.8
339
5
Alaska herring
19
27.8
132
7
Miscellaneous
7
71.6
49
7
Total
160' •■
24.7
985
6
Share Vessels, United
States and Alaska 430
43.6
California
Paranzella net
Ilorthrest and Alaska
Miscellaneous
14
3
Wage Vessels United
States and Alaska b/ 132 b/
Piece-rate Vessels
California
Alaska cod
Northuest and Alaslca
Alaska cod
United States and
Alaska
15.5
19.7
35.6
412.0
448.7
434,0
3,647
Wage Vessels
ITew England
Oyster
16
80.9
125
8
Middle Atlantic
Oyster
21
22.3
100
5
Pound net
9
6.4
54
5
Total
30
17.5
154
5
South
Menhaden
18
103.1 ' ■
" 636
35
Oyster and s
,hrimp
9
10.5
38
4
Total
27
73.3,
674
25
Great Lalces
' ■
Lalres Huron
and
Michie;an
42
15.5
173
4
75
1,208 b/
77
119
196
39
40
39
9680
-72-
TABLE :Cs.7
(Contimied)
Mode of Conpisiisatipn
and Area aiid Fishery
7uinber Avera;_.,e I'lUTiber
of Vessels Tonnage of Hen
A^€trace
Crev;
All Vessels: ?,ecapitulation
"by Area
ITew England
121
77.7
1 , ^::S0
12
riddle Atlantic
59.
19.7
339
n
South
C.4
47.0
i,or.i
13
C-reat La :es
o3
1-.9
275
4
California
7-:
o3.5 .
7^^5
10
North\7est and Alas-ca
if^-A
52.2
1,111
7
United States
and
Alaska
5fi7
-^5.2
5,051
9
SOURCE: -.e turns to IT.?.. A. questionnaire on earnin^^'s in the
fishing industry.
a/ Vessels for which usable data were obtained as a basis
for the study,
b/ The disagreement between these totals for wa, e vessels
and the totals of Tables' XCXIII , ICmrill and ."XXIX
is explained in the text.
9*=^ 80
Proul the ctancVnoint of Ir.'bT costf;, therefore, it v/oult^ ajipeo.r
that fi£;hir.;': vessels hecone RO.;iev/hat che'iper to operate with increase
in size, thoiL h \'ith resr^ect to otlier costs tho reverse is "oelieved
to he '■ ei^erall / triie. Unher these circu istancos it v/oula seen nnr-
r.ial iDr the coiT^eiiGati,;!! of lahor to present a souev/hat lor/er pro-
portion of tne ;-:;ross in the cp.se of la.r; e vessels, v/hen compared v/ith
th e smal 1 e r o n e s .
Tne averji e crevrs of shai-e and of v;--.; e vessels are not closely
com'oarable. Ih.e reason for this will hecone clea.- later in dealing-
v:ith a,vera":e ea:nii:if;s in tlie case of the two classes.
Tallies ::::YI and hXVII , lihe Tables TIV ano. X^T, cover all
vrssols for v/hich usaole data have 'been obtained. Table Jlv'! shov/s
b.y tonnape class and Table h' .^'IT 'b;-^ area and fishery the tonna e,
the TiLLhber of nen, the v.aliie of the catch and the crev/ earnirf^s from
shares and wa, es of these vessels.
Of the titoA value of the irb)3 catch of the vessels included,
ii'i the scinple, wnich ajnoun'oed a-i" roi.i.iately to 7, '■50,000, 1-- ]oer
cent ve.Q accounteo. for "oy vessels of less than 15 tons; 21 per cent
by vessels of 15 to .-3S tons; l-'. "'Tcr cent b-j vessels of 30 to -:9 tons;
and ;'.)'-J ;oer cent 'o:j vessels of 50 tons a,nd over. .bnere a:.e no com-
pileo. L'.ata for tno industry at lon-i^ie witn Wxiich tiiis oreo^ydown can be
coLriared.
;fi80
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e
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3
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<u
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d
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'I 5
>^'s
1 H-H
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» m o
1 IS h
I CO m
£> f>
■d*J ^ h
o d P 3+>
-H O O'OOa
J3 OS ■H »
k M VI S
h p, BO
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'JO
TABLE XXVn
VAUnt or CATCH AND EAHHINGS CF CRIUS.nTK raJUBSR OF UEN AITO EARBIHCa PER MAfl, FOR ALL VB83EL8 IHCLUOKD ffl THt
8AUPLE a/, BY UODE OF COlffEHaATIOS aBD BY AREA AilD FISHERY. 1935|
i^vwt^y 9^ MgP
On Shares
RecelV- On wages
ing addl- In lieu
OrmerB
not on
NUnbeT of ing addl- in lieu sbarea Value From
vessels Total Total tional wages of ahares or wages of catch Total b/ shares
From From
addition- wages
al wages only
froa
shares Ftoiq From
and From . addition- Wages
wages b/ shares al wages Only
Total Earnings
Crew. from
Eamlnge Shares
Share Vegsels
Hew England
Croundfleh
Vesaele under 50 tons
10
133
132
n
1
Vesaels of 50 tons
and over
S
934
806
i&
128 ft/
Total. GTOundflsh
1.0*7
93«
129 4/
Mackerel
lit
l»
169
a
Uiscellaneoue
SK
119
as
«
1
Total, New En -land
105
1,355
i,225
230
130 0/
Kiddle Atlantic
Scallop
6
42
42
-
-
Ulecellaneoue
23
14?
141
5
-
Total
29
l»5
1»3
5
-
South
Red snapDsr
37
296
292
e
4
ShrlfflD
u
24
24
Ulecellaneoue
9
«7
»7
-
-
Total
57
407
403
2
4
Great LaVea
Lake Erie
5
^
29
.
-
L^.lcee Huron and Ulchlgan
16
60
2
10
Total
21
102
»9
2
10
California
Tuna
Tuna and sardine
24
12
!I2
?s
2
3
15
Sardine, Uonterey
U)
110
110
Sardine, Southern Calif.
6
57
56
«
_
lUecellaneous
6
33
33
-
-
Total
5«
613
597
5
15
Sorthfiest and Alaska
Halibut
9
465
465
.
-
Salmon
tig
321
-
3
Alaska herrlncr
'n
Ulscellaneous
7
^
-
_
Tot^l
160
9«5
967
-
3
Share Veseels. United
States and Alaska
H30
3.647
3.464
244
162 0/
Wage Vessels
Hew Enplp.nd
Oveter
Middle Atlantic
16
125
124
Oyster
21
100
_
,
96
Pound net
9
54
-
-
54
Total
30
154
-
-
150
South
Uenhaden
Oyster and shrln^)
U
9
^6
;
:
IJ
Total
27
674
-
-
670
Cre'vt Lakes
Lakes Huron and iilchl^an
California
w
173
-
-
14C
P&r3Ji2ella net
lA
75
_
_
75
HortQTrest and Alaska
Lliscellaneous
3
7
-
-
7
1J2 a/ 1, 208 g/-
Place-rate vessels
California
Alsoka ood
Rortbneet and Alaska
Alaska cod
United States i>nd Alaska
77 -
U9 -
19« -
» 349.473
1,842.070
2,191,543
121.047
217,7112
2.530.332
» 137,995 ) 132.376
397,946
530.322
44,988
638,533
50. 6«
80,728
769,930
79,602
654,912
68.133
115,206
< 4,059
40.301
44,360
5.681
1,050
51.091
980
980
t 1,560 $ 1,038 I 1.003
♦ 135 « 1,5«
76
63.927
52,135 I
13,798
29,125 29,125
97,37s 95,05s
39,385
87,099 47,508
126,444 67.254
,184
63,930
120 i/ 2.200 1/
2,904
2.904
1.058.529
233.8g
92.380
72, U4
18,766
1.475,656
808,558
144! 600
54,5»9
1.233.384
121,970 L .^. ,
55,311 55,511
40,9?6 40,996
12.^ 12.899
615.676 599.825
398.371
Ul,820
100,772
26,342
637,305
398,371
110,825
100,772
26,342
636.310
5,928.210 2.303.729 2,165,241
''i:^
3^6:S
TH.Sii
107,612
%-^l
143.255
19.801
279,966
163.056
205,000
94.901
302,679
104,166
9.450
3,675
1,168 ,/ 40^ 1,593.245 1/ 561,537 g/
U9
1»6
41,229 28,313
87,158 58,116
128,387 86,429
99*
88,127
107,02
143,255
l),80i
163,056
94,901
104,166
3.675
243
CM
1,3*9
525
5«l,537 tl ^^ t/
28,313
368
58, U6
488
86,429
441
494
565
2*6 4/
675
535
5«
335
236
736
718
658
625
258 4/
175
221
196
W6
76
492
3>.'5
m
41.9
37.1
30.8
«:!
44,8
60 4/ 550 •/
290
290
50.1
54.6
53.2
36.3
52.2
59.9
56.8
88.7
41.7
*4:'6
51.7
38.9
SI
22.3
99.6
717.
28.4
^
3I:?
243
58.2
6«8
4«.J
l,3«?
».»
525
3«.»
4«1 s/
35.2
»3«
68.7
Wi
«*.!
Ml
«t.}
21.6
24.2
37.2
36.6
25.9
44.4
43.5
43.9
37. J
55.0
51.5
^l
68.7
40.6
49.3
ll
3«.5
11 Vessels: Recapitulation
toy area
New England
L'lddle"Atl!^ntlc
South
Croat Lakes
California
Borth^ct and Alaska
United States and Alaska
121
i
1.480
i,?M
275
l.lU
"1
967
567
5.051
3.4«4
!|5^
167
129
1.526 0/
580
242
7,649.842 2.951,695 2,165.241 54.990 731.504
i
II
22.0
18.0
16.4
stJ
48.4
41.1
II
4*7
52.6
479
38.6
28.3
y68,o
Source: Returns to S.R.A. questionnaire on earnings In the fishing industry.
Vessels for which usable data were obtained as a basis for the present study.
Excluding percentage bonuseg charjccd to gross stock or veesel share.
Two men on n Hew England gr.7.jndfl8h veesel of imre than 30 tons who were reported as receiving additional wages, hut without a etateaent of the aiBOUDt paid,
have been excluded fron tola figure. , •
The extra half shares allotted to most mates, engineers and first hands on red an&pper vessels, In lieu of additional wages, are included in the crew share
and not In the additional lege item.
These iB^-ee were reported as at the rate of |50 per trip. The item In the table aseuaep the aaJtiDJuii probable number of trips during the year, and may be sone-
what hli^her than the oAOunt actually paid.
Including extra shares os half ehares allotted to four captains In lieu of bonuses charged to the vessel share or the operating expense.
The dlsag,reeinent between ttieee totals for wage vessels and the totals of Tables XXXIII, XZXTIII and ZXUZ is explained tn the text.
The data for 10 of the lU vessels In the oackerel fishery covered only the cBCkerel season proper, and not the winter participation in the Southern trawl
fishery (see Table I). Tbe lattar was the more profitable part of the operation of these vessels In 1933, a^<l because of the omission the average eam-
Inga per mDm shown above rihnUd be raised about 75 per cent for comparison with the other fisheries.
-7S~
Table VI has already shovm that the value of the average
catch of the sample vessels increased steadily v/ith their size.
For vessels of less tlian 15 tons this avera;;.,e v/as 35,1'^1; for those
of 15 to 29 tons it v/as nil,l^:-o; for th^se of 30 to 49 tons,
tl2,o7i=>] and for those of 50 tons and over, ^.;ifi,C87.
The value of the catch por crev/ nenber varied coraparatively
little v/ith the size of a vessel.
The fi^-ures for total earnings in Taoles XiOIl and .XX"''.''II rep-
resent the v/hole labor cost of the vessels concerned, except that
in tne case of those v/orkinj^ on sliares they do not include tiie per-
centage bonuses y/hich are f reque :tly paid, chiefly to the captains.
Data for these latter TDayrnents ai.'e presented and discussed in
Chapter X.
Table *CIVI shov.'s that eai'uinfs ryer i.ian tended to increase with
the size of vessels up to 50 tons. Individual earnings for those
of 50 tons and over, however, showed a iclxin^; off in this respect.
This class is heavily v/eighted v/ith the cjrporation-ov/ned vessels
in the ITev/ r.n£la,"nd r^^Toundfishery and in the red snapper fishery of
t]ie South.
MISSIl^G BI^I!A JOR S^ZRMri]yPr_ EXPEFS;] AIH) THEIR _SIG1IIFICA;TCE
In the case of so e s-ia.re vc-ssels for v/hich the value of the
catch ana the earnings of the creiTs v/ere reported no data for ves-
sel share or for operating expense v/ere given. This accounts for
the differences betv/een Tables XXIV to ^CCVII and Tables X^\VIII and
X.XIX. . The latter show vessel share and oioerating expense, in ad-
dition to the nuinber of men, the value of the catch and crew earnings,
but cover a sonev/hat smaller number of vessels than Tables X/vIV to
x:{vii.
Failure to report vessel siiare or operating ex -.ense v/as due
in a few cases to oversight. Host of the instances in v/hich these
items v/ere not returned however, were concentrated in a few fish-
eries in v/hich soecial conditions made -it difficult to sup'ily fig-
ures comparable witn those for the rest of the industry. This ap-
plies partic-Lilo.rly to the Alasha herrin' fishery and to a company
in the Soutn . v/hich operated ooth red sn^.o ler and shrimp vessels,
anc. v/hich v/as unable to se.^regate coiiroletsly the figures for the
tv/o .
Except in these special cases it i.ialies little difference whether
the data for gross stock and crew earniu; s in Tables XXVI ■ and XXVII
or those in Tables XXVIII and XXIX are used, as far as the represen-
tativeness of the samples are concerned.
For reasons to be explained later ooeratin,_ expense v/as not
generally reoorted for vessels worhin^ on v/ages. Tables X^CVIII and
XXIX, thereiore, iiicliide data for sh<^ie vessels only.
Th-'. remainder of this chapter deals in i.iore detail with the
share vessel data in Tables XXVII and XFJX .
9f^C0
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C0MPMI50N OF ofi;ra-I1'& jJt'vPiiTSi] AiHD Ox-' vzss::l ait) cr:^y^ st^ares
Table >ZXIX sliov/s that in 1933 cacli of the thre- items of o'lerau-
in^ expense, vessel si.iare and crew snare ca:ne near to representin;'. one-
third of the ' ross of the sample share vessels. This ap'^roximate
equality of the luain financial factors in sha.re operation, v/hich seems
to be naintained witnout substantial change from -/ear to year, furnishes
a convenient basis for comparing the results in the various areas and
fisi'ieries.
The tables slio'.v no fisheries in which o"3eratin^" expense in 1033.
materially exceeded one-tldrd of the ;_,ross. If such a case had occurred
the result woulr. ha.ve been abnormally unfavorable with respect to the
earnin^js of either the vessel or the crew, or both. Tliere v/ere a number
of fisheries - chiefly auion,^, the smaller ones - where opel'ating expense
was i.iaterially lesG than one-third. This was notably the case with the
scallop fishery of the Middle Atlantic area, on the Great Lakes, in the
sardine fisheries of California,, and in some of the miscellaneous minor
fisheries. In none of these cases was the proportirn of the ^'^_,ross
accounted for by the vessel share particularly lar e . The proportion
re^resentin , the earnin/;;;s of the crev;s, therefore, v/as relatively hii;;,h;
and since the mairiber of men reauired to operate the /j:ear that these
vessels employ is not lar^e, '^^':^: indlviL.ual earnin,;,s of their workers
were relatively good for the areas concerned and for the year.
Even tl;ou_h the percenta,,e of the .^^iross stock of a share vessel
required for o"jera.tin^ expense is not hi^h, the earnings of the crew may
be adversely affected by the r)ro"oortions char _ed to 'the vessel and the .
crew jointly and to the la.tter alone, as shovvTi in Table XXIII- Again,
even where the percentage of ooeratin;^ expense charged to the crew alone
is not particularly lar^e, the percenta'.e of the crew's earnings will be
reduced if the vessel sha,re represents a hi'h "proportion of the gross or
the net. YHiere the averav'-e crew sha^re in a fishery in 1033 was much
below the norm.al third of the gross, the fact was associated in some
cases v/ith the first of these conditions, in some with the second, and in
some with the two cohibined.
The most strikin-; cases of a low proportion of crew share in
1933 were supplied bv the vessels of L'O tons and over in the IJew En-:;land
groundf ishery and' by the red snap3er fishery of the South. In both these
instances the proportion of operating expense charged to the crev/ alone
is hi(^h. In the Hew England grcondf ishery the proportion of the gross
represented by the vessel share is also rather large. In the red snapper
fishery the latter proportion is low, but the ratio of operating expense
to the gross in 1933 was particularly hi'-h.
THE DATA FOfi I III' I VI DUAL CREW SliA.^S
In Table XXVII there is also shown for each area and fishery
the average share per individua.l crew member. The general rule is that
the members of the crew of a la.y vessel are allotted one share each, and
that any v/hose duties or responsibilities are considered as entitling
them to additional or higher compensation receive it in the form of a
v-/a;,e or bonus, Eor this reason the fig'o.res for average individual shares
9680
■80--
in T;:-blc XXVII come very near to representin-. the c.,ctual avcra/^e
earniivjs of the oro.inary fishermen on the vessels in question, a;nd of
the other laemuers of their crews who did not receive special condensa-
tion.
There is,, however, a little difference between the two avera;2;es.
In the case of a few California tuna and sardine vessels the crew share
includes an extra share or half share paid to the ca;otain,or occasionali3^
to the niate or en^lne^r, in lieu of a )ercenta .e bonus. In tlie case of
most of the red snapper vessels, the crew share incliides extra half
shares paid to the mate, the en.^pneer and the first hand or striker.
As a result the actv^a-l earnin^2;s of ordinary fishennen anc'. of others not
receivin;^ special comioensation avera e a little sn^iller than the indiviuual
shares shov/n in Table SvVII. 3ut except in the red snapper fishery the
difference is not of consequence.
A coiriparison of the ratios borne hj the total crew she.re in
the various fisheries to the value of the catch, a,s shown ,in Table
XXVII, with the averajie share per men indicates a tendenc- to a cor-
relation. Both the New England groundf ishery and the red snapper
fishery of the South, "oarticularly the latter, showed lov/ individual
earnin^js as well as low propertions of crev*/ share.
There are, however, exce"Dtions to this relationship. The
crev/s of the llew^nglaBS mackerel vessels in 195o received a normal
share of the gross, but b.eca.use of lov; prices for their procuct
realized coniparatively small individual earnings. Their total ea.rnin.';,'S
for the year, hov/ever, averaged 75 per cent higher than indicated in
Table XXVII, since in ohe case of ten of the vessels in the saiiiple for
the mackerel fishery the shares realized from the winter trav/lin
operations in the South v/ere not included in the data. Since the prices
received for this trawl catch were relatively much better in 19G3 than
were those received for mackerel, the excluded shares are believed to
have represented about half the earnings for the year of the crevvfs of
these ten vessels.
In the Monterey sardine fishery in California, and in the salmon
fishery of the Pacific Northwest also, normal ratios of crew share to
gross stock were combined in 1953 with absolutely low earnin; s per man,
though the discrepancy was less extreme than m the case of the mackerel
fishery.
THE FACTOR OF FOOD COST
In comparing these tiverage shares per man allov/ance has to be made
for the fact that the cost of food for the crews while out of 'port has
been deducted from the gross stock before arriving at the crev/ share shov/n
in Tables XXVII and XXIX in some cases and not in others. On the Great
Lakes, in the shrimp ffishery of the south and in the salm.on troll fishery
of Washin^,ton and Oregon the vessels represented by the samrple are not out
as a rule for more than a day at a time, end the men ordinarily sup'^ly their
own food. In the Monterey sardine and the Alaska herring fisheries, and
-81-
in other occaaionc.l instances, the amonnt of the crev/ share shown in
the tables was arrived at before deo.uctin--; the cost of the mess.
In all these cases, consequently, the individual shares shown
in Table X.XVII are somewhau hi her than they shoulo. be for strict
coLToarison with the corres ^cndin , figures for the share vessel
fisheries of llew I]n,_,lancl and Middle Atlantic area, for the California
tuna fishery, for the Pacific halibut fishery, and for soiiic others.
IJo data, are at present available for adjusting; the ina.ividual
share f i, urcs accurately to offset this difference. It does not
appear, however, that if the cost of food, where it has not already
been deducted, could be specifically allowed for, the correction would
affect materially the principal conroarisona which are sli^: ested by
Table XXVII as it stands.
WAG^S IH ADLITIOIT TO C\ III LTV OF oEX.XS
The ea.rninjs of the crews of share vessels which have thus
far been discussed are those from shares in a lay only. These rep-
resent in nearly all instances the sole earnings of at least 70 uer
cent, and in a lar'e ,oro":?ortion of cases of 80 to 100 per cent, of
such cre?;s. To arrive, however, ct fi;:,ures for the total compensa-
■"-T^
tries, it is necessary to tahe into account the v/a;;es paid on some
of these vessels in addition to or in' lieu of shares. The -jross
earnings from shares and wages t>.d:en tor'-ether, consequently, are
also shown in Tables XXVI and XXVII. The a.d'„ition of these v/ape
items does not, however, chan/je the ratio of crew earnin;^s to .,;;,toss
stock in any case enoufn to necessitate farther coimaent .
The o.istriouticn of wa.^-e paym':nts on share vessels by
area anu fishery, £i,nd their relation to the '"p-oss stock and the
crew share of the si^ecific , roups of vessels on v/hich they are
paid, are shovm in further detail in Tables UJi, XXXI, and X^IXII.
These make it ol^rin that such payments are concentrated heavily in
Hew Sn_;land - primarily in the /3roundfish fleet and secondarily in
the mackerel fishery - and to a smaller extent in the tuna fishery
of California. Plsev/here the practice' of ;oa3.^ing' wa, .es to the
crews of share vessels is occasional only.
Vfiien the share vessels thac -jav their crews partly in the
form of v/a_^es are taken by themselves, the proportion of their
total labor cost represented b^- the wa e item of course becomes
much more substantial than appears in Table XXVII. Of the total
crew comroensation shown in Table XX-ill ten per cent is accounted
for by payments of v^a^^jes in lieu of shares, and six per cent by
payments of war^es in addition to shares. Put even when the share
vessels on which wa/^es are jaid a.re thus segregated, 8^- per cent of
the total comuensation -^aid their crews in 193Z was in the form of
shares.
The com-oensation in addition to shares which is shown in Tables
iOCX and XXXII includes only that which is paid at fixed rates, and
which m^y therefore be classified as wa.';es in the ordinary sense.
82
TABLE XXX
RECIPIENTS OF WAGES IN ADDITION TO SHARES ON SAMPLE a/ ■ SHAP^ VESSELS WITH THE
VALUE OF THE CATCH THE CREW SHARE AND THE VOLUME OF ADDITIONAL WAGES,
BY AREA AND FISHERY, 1933.
▲r«a
and
flsberjr
I«w Eaglaad
(Irouadflfl]^
Teasels \mdex
50 tons
Vessels of 50
teas and orer
TotiAv grouadflsh
Mackerel
Slecellaneous
Total, lew Xagland
Middle Atlantic,
South, and Great
iakos 2^
Oalifoxnia
' Tuna, and Tuna and
sardines g/
suited States
and Alaslca
Hwkm Total Mua^ex of
ber ATe»» nt«iber Men en SMaros
of age of total Roooivinc value
▼eo» to»* non -U addition^
sols nago ^ al wages
of
Catch
Crew
Share
Volume of
Additional
Wages
6 20*1
W 139.3
561/ 122.5
72 72 29 $ 112,1«* ♦ J7,«57 IM55
915 787 17? 1,«2S,«70 35;2,170
$^i/Wt/ 2022/ l,9»^o,^5>^ »^30,o©7
11
3
15.3
il
13<
25
22
6
50,1110
29,37*^
32,^76
12,503
70f/ 105.4 l,lH^,020f/ 230 e/2,060,038 480,7W
28.8
51
40,301
44,3«
1,050
51,051
43,645fi/l7,«l2 1,5204/
3 92.3 35 34 5 ll7,2^a/ 39,555 2,3551/
78f/ 100.0 1,234^,1051/ 24|^ f/*,220,551a^3<.153 5>^,950a^
source: Returns to N.R.A. questionnaire on earnings in the fishing industry.
a/
t/
2/
d/
2/
9680 f/
Vessels for which usable data were obtained for the purposes of the study.
The difference between the figures in these colxinins are accounted for by
men working on wages only, who are not shown on this table.
Thip group includes two vessels, averaging 4-9 tons each, with 29 men, in the
Middle Atlantic miscellaneous fishery, two averaging I3 tons each, with 15
men, in the red snapper fishery of the South, and one of 20 tons, with 7
men, in the Lakes Huron and Michigan area, consolidated to avoid disclosing
individual financial data.
This group includes two tuna vessels, averaging II3 tons each, with 25 men,
and one tuna and sardine vessel of 5I tons, with 10 men, consolidated to
avoid disclosing individual financial data.
The extra shares or ha.lf shares paid to most mates, engineers and first hands
on red snapper vessels and on foiir tuna, or tuna and sardine, vessels are
included in the item of crew share and excluded from the item of additional
wages.
Excludes a coqk and an engineer on a New England groundfish vessel of more
than 50 tons, for whom the rates and amount of the wages paid in 1933 were
not reported on the schedule.
■83.
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The extra shares or half chares paid to most niates, en-' inecrs and
first hands of red sna vter vessels, anc on coue California tuna
and sardine vessels, are not shown in. these tablos, but are included
in the crew share itevas of Tables >DCVI it'^\ X:CIX.
00
86
CHAPTER VIII
EiRlTI^GS 01^ WAGE Al-iD OIT PIECE-RATE VESSELS
COIJ^ARISOII OF SHARE Al^ WAC-S E.-iHITIl-GS
The data on O'oer -ting e>roense aiid on crew er'rnings vrhich v-ere dis-
cussed in the preceding chc?.pter v/ere thee for share vessels only.
Tables XXIV, to XXVII, ho^vever, also include data for the sojiple vessels
vforkin^ on na^jes and on "oiece rr.tes.
The crude average ecO.rnings per -lan on share and on ^'age vessels in
1933, as shov:n 'oy Table ICXVII, do not differ materially. The conparison
of the two classes, hov.^ever, is not a*' simple as this fact might appear
to indicate.
In the case of the Great L^ilces the anDroxinate ecuality of avera,ge
earnings per man on share and on -'age vessels seems to reflect the direct
competition of the tvro classes, which take the sane species for the same
markets. The available evidence indicates that the average in this area
were also about eaual in 1934, and it is probable that the saie was true
in 1929,
The fa'^t, however, that in 1933 the crude average earnings -ner nan
in the wage vessel fisheries else\fhere than on the Great LaJres differed
so little from the average for share vessels is an accidental condition
due to the composition of the sample pnd pecu]ia.r to that yer-r. These
fisheries do not constitute anything like a honogsrtcaus group, and the
average earnings of the fishermen engaged in them is much affected "bji
the proportions acco-'anted for by the specialized oyster and menhaden industries
Horeover, the decline in average earnings on X!a/;e vessels from 1929
to 1933 was certainly much less than the correr-ponding decline in the case
of share vessels, although not much detailed information is available on
the subject at the moment. (*)
In 1929 and again in 1934, consenuentl'% the average earnings of wage
vessel crews \7ere in general below those of share workers. This is probc.-
bly a normal condition, for '-hich it ip easy to see reasons. The average
for wage vessels, hov/ever, is a good deal affected by the rates D.aid to
the crews of menhaden vessels in the South, v;ho are largely colored. TIb
paranzell net fishery of San Erancisco, indeed, pavs high wages; but it
does not employ emough men to affect the average correspondingly.
(*) The weighted average increase from 1933 to 1934 in a group of
specimen weekly wage rates v/as only about six per cent; but allowance
ought probably to be made also for recovery in the average number of
weeks v;orked,
9680
-S7-
HELATiniT OF iTA-C^ES TO ^^ALLE' ^V CATCH
The nare vessels included in the sample shov/, on an average,
about the same ratio of total crev/ earnings to value of catch as the
shs.re vessels. There are, hor/ever, pronc^inced differences in the
various \fB.r/e fisheries. In the o;'ster fisher":^ this ratio is very
lov/. This ir hecause in the Uorth Atlantic area, from which the
data for oyzter vessels obtained in connection with the study v/ere
mainly received, the production comes entirely from privately owned
or lea,sed and artificially propa/ated heds,. The industry in that
re/:don, conseqviently , has analogies v/ith farming and with stock
raising as :.iuch as v/ith fishing; and the labor required for its pri-
mary production constitutes a considerably smsiller element in its
total cost than in the case of tne fishing industry proper. In the-
i.Iiddle Atlantic pound net fishery, on the other iiand, in the meiihaden
fishery, and to a less pronounced de;_,ree on the v/age vessels of the
;?reat La:es, tne ratio of wa-^e pannents to gross operating revenue
in l:'y3o was high.
LACK OF EXKErS:^ DATA FOR :7AGE VESSE}^?,
The fact that operating expense data v/erc not obtained for v/age
vessels in connection v/ith the present study v/as largely, in the
first instance, an accidental result of the form of the questionnaire.
In any event ,■ however ,, the problem of obtaining such information is
diifere.it iron that arising in the case of share vessels.
Since the earnin/^s of sliare fishermen usually depend on the
amount talcen out for operating e:>rpexise and for vessel share, it has
been assumed that they \";ere entitled to be informed regarding the
various itCi-is; and some degree of loublicity v/ith respect to the
firiances of share vessels has tlierefore been usus.1. But efforts to
obtain data on expenses and on owners' profits of lo'sses in the case
of vessels that do not Av^rh on shares meet v/ith the scjne difficulties
as in the case of ordinary industrial enterpri'ses. A systematic
attem.pt to assemble financial data with reg-ard to v/age vessels, there-
fore, v/'i'uld have to be handled in a manner somev/hat different from
that found adequate in connectioii '.Ti'tn- the present study.
VESSELS ^"OZKl:^C■ 0¥. PIECE RATES
The data in Tables ICiVI and h.'"VII v/ith regard to the earnings of
the crev/s of vessels v/orking on piece rates do not call for much com-
ment. Yne group is small anu. very homogeneous. The fishing' is done
v/ith hand lines from dories, and the proportion of the value of the
catch a,ccounted for 'by wages is high - an'oroximately tv/o-thirds of the
tota.l. In tliis case, hov/ever, tn.e compensation reported includes the
v/ages of the dress gangs. The v/ork of the latter, v/hich clea.n and salt
dov/n the ca.tch on board, is not strictly part of the fishing operations,
The crev/s of these vessels are relatively large and the price of
the single s;occies of fish that they bring in has been lov/. For these
reasons the average inaividual ea.rnings in 1933 v/ere not high, and
v/ere particularly- lov/ for txie Pcacific coast.
•::fi80
-88-
CHAPTER IX
OTHER CONSIDERATIOITS RELATIITG TO EISIffiR-iElI' S EAHUiTGS
GEO&RAPi:iCAL VARIATIONS
Tlie recapitulation "by area which, constitutes the last section of
Table XXVII provides crude data for a comparison of the average earnings
of fislierruen in 1933 in various parts of the United States. As pointed
out at the "beginning of Chapter VII, however, such a comparison is af-
fected by the variation in the percentages of the total numbers of vessels
and of men, which are accounted for by the questionnaire samples for in-
dividual fisheries. The extent of this variation is indicated in Table
LIV. To make it possible to allow for its effect Table LVI shows an ad-
justed fi.';^re for the average earnings per man for each area and for the
United States and Alaska, arrived at by weighting the crude averages for
the various fisheries in Table XXVII by the approximate total number of
men engs^gcd in each.
The changes in those averages and in their relation to one another
which result from the v/eighting do not affect fundamentally the main con-
clusions suggested by the crude figures. They are significant enough,
however, to make it preferable to base an analysis on the weighted data.
The ilew England average ($680 per man for the yoar(l933) is not far
from the 1933 mean of $655 for the country as a vrhblc. The figure for the
groundfishery ($869) is considerably changed from the crude average be-
cause the latter was overweighted v/ith corporation-owned vessels showing
1 o w crew shar e s .
Tlie weighted average for the Middle Atlantic area ($690) is almost
the saiiie as that for New England. The figure for the South ($338) would be
the lowest in any case; but the state of the rod snapper fishery made the
discrepejicy particularly great in 1933.
Average earnings in the fisheries of the Great Lakes $598) were ten
per cent below the mean for the country at large. The high average for
California ($919) is due partly to the fact tliat the tuna fishery, and in
a less degree the sardine fisheries of southern California, were in 1933
among the few relatively profitable ones, and partly to the wages paid on
the San Francisco paranzella vessels. In the case of the Northwest and
Alaska earnings in the halibut and herring fisheries were relatively good,
but the average v/as pulled below the level of the Northeastern areas and
of the country as a whole by the low return to the salmon fishermen. The
salmon fishery sai'nple, it must be rem.eiiibered, does not include cannery
owned or operated craft and gear in Alaska, which are discussed separately
in Chapter XIII.
PERIODS OF ACTUAL EMPLOTi :E]:iT
The information obtained as to the portions of 1933 during v/hich the
5680
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crewG of the sajnple vessels were actively employed and actually earning
is inoomplete. A specific statement of the n-umbcr of v/ceks of omploy-
inent was ashed for in connection with v/a;i;c vessels tut not, "by oversight,
in the case of those working on shares.
T.\G data regardin;^ the niTj-abcr of v.eeks of operation of wage vessels
appear in Table XXXIII.* The average for the class is only 26 v.'oeks or
half the year.
SEASOII-AL VARIATIOI-I IN ACTIVE EMPLOTviElTT
Tlie statcaients with regard to nojriual seasons of operation in
Table I, -/hen taken with the figures for the value of the 1933 catch of
the various fisheries in Table LIV, siiggest a seasonal movement in active
employ.nent in the industry at large with its perfc in the late surnraer or
early fall and its I'^w point in mid-winter. Appendix 3^11 shows a pro-
visional series of monthly index numbers for this movement.**
Tl^ough there is no positive reason for supposing that this index
as it_ stands does not rcDresent the situation with approximate correct*
ncGs, thn da.ta which were availableas a basis for it were very incom-
plete, For many parts of the industry such figures hardly exist; and
those that do need further analysis. The fact that the index is a com-
posite of data for 1934 and 1929 only, however, is not necessarily of
importance. The seasonal movement of emploj'raent in individual fisheries
is subject to sharp fluctuations of a random nature; but it is not likely
that the corresponding movement in the industry at large has undergone
much change, either random or secular, since 1929,
Since the seasonality of cmiployment in the fishing industry at large
is a composite of hi,g^ily varying movements in individual fisheries, with
winter activity in somo partly offsetting sui^-Pier and fall activity in
others, the practical significance of an overall index for the whole in-
dustry is open to doubt - except perhaps as a factor in measuring the
seasonal movement of industrial employment in general. It was for this
latter purpose that the index in Appendix IV was computed.
* Table XXXIII doesnot cover quite as large a number cf men or quite
the sa:nc volume of wages as appear in the sections for wage vessels in
Tables XXIV to XXVII. This is due to two items. In the first place, the
data for oyster vessels which were obtained from returns to the question-
naire sent out by the Code Executive Committee of the Eresh Oyster Indus-
try in the fall of 1934 did not permit their inclusion in a brealcdown by
rank or occupation. This accounts for the omission from Table XXXIII
of 77 men who received a total of $61,544 in wages. In the second place,
as indicated on Table XXVII, the crews of wage vessels include a group of
owners not receiving wages who do not belong in Table XXXIII, since the
latter is a breakdovm of wage earners only. This accounts for the omis-
si'^n from the table of 40 men. The tv/o ^Mnissions together account for the
differences of 117 men and of $61,544 in T/ages between the totals for wage
vessels in Table XXVII and the totals of Table XXXIII. Tables XXXVIII
and XXXIX show the same omissions,
**
Computed by the American Federation ^f Labor on the basis of sugges-
tions from the author,
9680
i
IITCQH5 THOU SOURGSS OTIISH ^'AII I'lSIrirG
Tlie fact that the period of actual euiplo^ynvient of vessel crews in
1933 appears to have "been so short raises in a more acute form than
v/ould otherwise have "been the case trie question as to what extent, if
any, the modest iiio.ividu.al oariiin7;s shown for 1933 in Ta^ble XvVII
were supplenented hy income .from other sources. No information on t.iis
point was ashed for on the original schedule; and it is much to he de-
sired that further inquiries be made. It must he said, however, tliat
the evidence of the receipt of such additional income in material
amounts or in the case of substantial j^roups of vessel fisherr;;en is
exceedingly slif^ht. The reasons for this have "been discussed in
Chapter III.
TUB TOTAL VOLUl.iE OF EAKinhGS
V.lien the data with re.-^ard to the earnin.;;^s of vessel fishermen in 1933,
which have been presented in this chapter rnd tlie two preceding;, a.re
corrected for the variation in the size of the sa^'iiples for individual
fisl.\eries, they imply a total vol'curie of compensation for the year of
about $10,351,500. This represents 41.5 per cent of the estii.:ated value
of h-e 1933 vessel catch.
" Tne Census of 1908 collected the sole previous figures available for
comparison with the fore^-oinf;. The compensation of the crews of fishing;;
vessels in that year was reported as aggregating $3,230,000. The value
of the vessel catch was $22,150,000; and of this the compensation of t?ie
crews reijresented 37,2 per cent. These figures exclude Alaska, for which
the volume of crev/ compensation was not reported. If figures for Alaslia
had been includecl the ratio of such compensation to the value of the
catch in 1908 v/ould have ''ocen raised 8 little.
This comparison indicates a close checlc betv/een the ratio for the
present survey and the Census of a quarter of a centrury ago, Tlie fact
that th.e two do agree so well reflecbs of course, the general stability
of the industry's organization, and above all the rarity of substantial
cnanges in the terms of the lays or share agreements that fpvern the
compensation paid to 75 per cent of the personnel,
T-ie estimates for the individual crew shares earned in 1934 and in
1929, which will be presented and discussed in Chapter XII, indicate that
the percentage of the value of tho shiare vessel catch represented by the
comipensation of their crews tends to be materially iiigiicr in years of
relatively large catches and high prices like 1934 and 1929, than in a
year like 1933, For the vessel fisheries at lar;;e, however, this tendency
a;opears to be offset to a great extent by the concurrent changes in the
earniiigs of the crews of wage vessels. Tlie compensation of all vessel
crews in 1933, as stated above, was about h-1,5 per cent of the value of
the catch. In 1929 the proportion probably did not reach 45 per cent.
9580
-92-
chaptt:r X
T;-Di: eah:ii:-gs or raiiks a:'d C'Ccupai'IOI'S
The data thus far discuoced have dealt with the average earnings
of all workers on the ves.sels covered "by the tables. "ITnere figures
for wages paid to individixi-ls in yd^ition to or in lieu of shares
have been given they liave not been broken doY/n with respect to specific
ranks or occupations.
t:iD comfe''sation of captai'-^s
In going on to coi'.sidcr in detail the earninjis of the latter it is
natural to deal first with the compensation of captains. On skare
vessels the rule is th,it the commander either receives merely the
same share a.s other members of the crew, or that he gets in addition
a percentage of -che value of the eaten or of the vessel share, which
is usually referred to as his bonus. In cases v/nere a captain has
received only one share the e>?planation is normally either tliat the
gross revenue has not permitted an additional pa?,Tnent, or that he,
being himself the owner of the vessel, lias received as his extra
compensation wliatever net profit lias remained from the vessel share.
The captain of a fishing vessel who is also the ovmer therefore,
may receive three items of compe.isation iri his various capacities: (1)
nis casic share in the lay; (2) s percentage bonus for his services
as commander; and (3) the net profit, if any, accr;->i-ng from the vessel
siiare, in ret'orn for his investment in the enterprise.
The bonuses paid in 1933 to the captains of vessels for v;hich
reports were obtained in connection with the present study, and in
a very few instances to other officers, are summarized in Table XXXIV.
From this table it apuears that bonuses were reported for 158 out
of 399 share vessels for \7hich the amount of the vessel share was re-
ported, or about 40 per cent. In the case of 104 vessels no statement
on the subject was made; but from supplementary inquiries it seems
highly probable tiiat rio bonus was paid or credited in those instances.
The vessels whose captains received a bonus tended to be the larger
ones, as appears from the figures for average tonnage in the second
column of Table X}LX1V. As a result this grpup accounted for 54 per
cent of the crews and of the gross stock of. -the 399 vessels, as against
40 per cent of the vessels bv number.
968(
93
TlBLS IXXIV
PERCENTAGE BONUSES II! ADDITION TO SHARES PAID TO IEUBER3 OF SAMPLE a/ SHARE 'ffiSSEL CREWS, WITH
NUMBER OF VESSELS, NUMBER OF IIEN, VALUE OF CATCH,AND VESSEL AND Cl&U SHARES, BY AREA, 1933-
Nunber Total Number
of Average Number Average of Men Value Vessel
Vessels b/ Tonnage of Men Crew on Shares of Catoh Share
Average
Total
Average Compensation
Average Volume Bonus of Recipients
Crew Share of per of
Share per Man Bonuses Recipient b/ Bonuses
New England
Bonus paid
No Bonus paid
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Total
Middle Atlantic
Bonus paid
No Bonus paid
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Total
South
Bonus paid
Mo Bonus paid
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Total
Great Lakes
Bonus paid
No Bonus oald
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus 0/
Total
California
Bonus paid
No Bonus paid
Ho Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Total
Northwest Eind Alaska
Bonus paid
No Bonus paid
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Total
United States 4 Alaska
Bonus paid
No Bonus paid
No Statement Re-
garding Bonus c/
Orand Total
11
12
6
29
3S
k
15
57
5
12
6
19
33
53
31
71
.37
139
15s b/
137
104
399
102.6
24. S
17.9
77.4
35. 1*
13. S
13.3
21.9
47.0
12.3
10.7
35.0
10.0
29.2
69.2
51^.9
66.5
62. S
33.2
25.4
15.1
24.4
69.1
26.2
31.4
45.2
1.119
17s
39
1.336
33s
14
55
407
26.4 26
26.4 70
63
ISO
365
613
251
454
144
849
1,872
932
656
3,460
4
7
6
6
5
6
11
10
11
11
8
6
4
6
990
177
39
1,206
39
67
27
183
331^
14
55
403
63
179
355
597
248
444
139
S3I
58 1,730
39 910
J2,165,?92 i 867,721 $512,167 « 51^
277, VO 90,920 106,535 602
73,670
2.516,332
164,465
66,411
31,725
262,601
249,472
6,364
43,957
299,793
6,479
52,868
33,725
93,072
155,796
402,962
916,898
■1,475,656
376, 721
546,245
162,038
1,085,004
21,716
980,357
51,504
17,584
7,901
76.989
94,393
1,576
13,886
109,855
2,851
28,479
17,136
48,466
44,034
130,332
31"+, 213
488,579
80,404
124,801
1+4,535
249,740
30,434
649,136
12,964
115,206
68,502
3,577
22,979
95,058
3,628
22,359
16,466
42,453
69 . 287
177,897
188,366
271,957
73,837
534,160
914,084
612,433
780
539
72,134 811
30,108 449
480
630
205
256
418
236
6C3
771
633
696
1,100
994
352,641 993
599,825 1,015
760
610
535
642
529
672
641
3,281
3,118,225 1,140,907
1,352,220 393,692
1,262,013 419,387 509,321 796
5,732,458 1,953,986 2,035,838 620
$105,067 $ i,4«o
8,039
17,874
5,361
13,1+71
150,200
731
470
194 b/
894
1+35
945 b/
$ l.S
1,542
675
799
1,99"+
1,195
1,474
Source: Returns to N.R.A. cuestionnalre on earnings in the fishing industry.
&/ Vessels for which usable data were obtained for the purposes of the study.
b/ The number of recipients of bonuses wa^ the same as the number of vessels except in the Great Lakes
area, where bonuses were paid to two men (a mate and an engineer) on one vessel. The total num-
ber of recipients was therefore 159, on 158 vessels, and comprises I56 captains, two mates and
one engineer.
c/ It is believed that with possible rare exceptions no bonus -ras paid in these cases.
»680
-94-
The avertif:e "bonus paid to all persons (156 captains, tno mates
and. one engineer) j who received such additional conpensa,tion in 1933,
v/rs $945, as against $529 for the averrge basic share in the l^y
on the same vessels. Consequently, \7hile the average income of
cpptains as a clrss v/as "by no means large, a considerable grom^ nas
relatively v/ell paid. The average share of captains who did not re-
ceive a bonus, hov/ever, rras considerably larger than the average
basic sha,re of those vrlio did receive one* This rras because so large
a prooortion of those to whom bonuses v/ere paid were on Her; England
groundf ish and on red snapper vessels vrith low individual crew shares»
Sxce-otions to the rule that compensation paid to the captain of
a fishing vessel in addition to his basic share in a lay takes the
form of a percentc?ge of the gross stock or of the vessel share are
rare. The questionnaire, however, did result in reports of two in-
stances in '-rhich cao tains in 1933 received fixed sums in addition to
their shares. These prynents have been classified as -^ages and are
included in the v/age columns of Tables "~vC\ri and ]CvVII. In the case
of a fev.r California tima and sardine vessels, moreover, the caiotain
received an extra share or half share in the lay in lieu of a bonus.
The bonuses received by ;oersons other than captains which are
included in Table i^CXXIV amounted to $620. They were paid to three
men on two vessels - one in the Middle Atlantic miscellaneous fishery
and the other on Lalce I.iichigan.
The bonuses shown in Ta<.bl-; XiCilV represent ?•? per cent of the
corresoonding vessel share. It is commonly stated that the normal
captain's bonus is ten --^er cent of the vessel share; and in any but
a year of acute de ^ression that proportion \70uD.d very likely have
appeared in the returns. In most of the reported cases the bonuses
were actually charged against the vessel share; but there were a
few instances in which they were taken out of the gross stock as
items of joint o;oorating expense.
It v/as intended that only bonuses which vrere actually pa,id should
be entered on the schedules. In some of the cases, however, in which
the vessel share was insufficient to cover current overheac - and these
were numerous in 1953 - the reported bonuses may have been merely
credited to those ea^rning them. The probable number of such instances,
ho^/ever, is reduced ''oy the fact tha„t a la.rge -oro^oortion of the vessels
for wiiicli bonuses ^^ere rcroorted were owned oy wholesaling or "orocess-
ing corporations, which may have been in a -oosition to make the pay-
ments from reserves.
The fact that the bonuses re;oorted for 1933 reioresented only 7*7
per cent of the corresponding vessel share, as against a typical 10
per cent, suggests that in years of nornal industrial activity the
proportion of vessels v/hose ca.ptains received bonuses would be ar)-
iDreciabl-'^ in excess of the 40 ;3er cent shovm on Table :i]QIIV.
9680
I 1 !••> , .
RECIPIENTS OF WAG?:S III ADDITIOiT TO SliAKSS
Ta"bleG XXXV nnd X7XV1 show in detail the r.-umbers of men on cliarc
vessels in the vai-ious ranks or occupations, other than that of cap-
tain, v;ho received v/ages in addition to shs.res. In some cases the
amo-ont of wages paid to vrorl^pr? of this class v/as not reported on the
schedules; and for this reason Table XXXV 1 , which gives figures for
wage voliame, does not cover quite as many persons as Table XXXV.v/hich
gives only the niambers of men receiving additional wages.
Of the total of 244 persons to v/hom such wages were paid the
rank or occupation of seven was not specified on the schedules. Of
the remainder 222 v/ere classified as captains, mates, engineers,
assistant engineers, radio operators, cooks, first hands or firemen.
The remaining 15 consisted of the crews of two vessels of less than
50 tons in the Now England groundfishery, all members of which re-
ceived a wage payment in addition to their shares. In one case this
was given as a sort of bonus; in the other it v;as specified as a
payment for the extra heavy v;ork of reeling in the nets.
These tables shov/ that e:.gineers and cooks are by far the largest
of the occupational groups remunerated by the payment of v/ages in ad-
dition to shares. Table XXXVl brings out the relatively good wages
v/hich cooks receive on fishing vessels, and emphasizes the importance
attached to this ordinarily hnmble occupation*
The individual wages specified in Table XXXVl are those paid in
addition to shares only. The average total compensation of the workers
concerned can be arrived at by adding to any of these figures the
average individual share for the same fishery, from the data in Table
XXX. The latter shows, for example, 859 men on sliares in the New
England groundfishery, with an aggregate crew share of $430,007, This
gives an average share f'5r the year of $501; which, added to the aver-
age ann-aa.1 wage of $189 per man for the same fishery in Table XXXVl, in-
dicates average total earnings in 1933 for the men who received ad-
ditional wages of $690, For all fishermen on this sample group of
vessels the average total earnings v/ere $19,816 (last column but one
of Table XXXVl) divided by 859 plus $501, or $524.
OCCUPATIONS AND COMPENSATION OF WAGE EARI-ERS ON SMKS VESSELS
Table XXXVll gives details by rank or occupation with regard to
the total and average wages paid in lieu of shares on s'narc vessels.
Table XXXlll, which gives similar data for the wages paid on wage
vessels, has already been mentioned in another connection. The data
in these tables differ from those ih Table XXXVl in tiiat they re-
present the total compensation of tlae workers concerned.
The average weelcly wage paid in 1933 to all wage earners on
wage vessels included in the sample was $17,62, The average earnings
of this class for the year were $458, The average earnings for the
year for workers receiving wages in lieu of shares on share vessels
were $516, The compfsition of the tv;o samples, hov/ever, is quite dif-
ferent, and caution should be used in drawing conclusions from the dis-
crepency in earnings that they show. The average weeks of employment
9680
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-104-
In the case of sha.re vessels the figures for each rank or oc-
cupation in Tahlc XL cover only those who received total compensa-
tion a"bove that of ordino.ry fisherhien on the same vessel, the remain-
der teing lumped vdth "Others". The proportion of each ran^r or
occupation included in the first of these categories is indicated
in the third colunn of the ta"ble. The latter means tlia.t 40 per cent
of the captaii'.s, for instance, on the share vessels included in the
sample, received compensation in excess of that of ordinary fisher-
men on the s.ame vessels - that is, in excess of a sin^^le share in
the lay. The other 60 per cent received merely a share - except,
of course, that the large proportion who neve themselves owiers
of their vessels got also v,hatcvcr net profit accrued from the vessel
share •
On wage vessels, ;".s in ordinary industrial plants, all ranhs or
occupations are normally remunerated outright on schedules of single
rates considered appropriate to the duties, responsibilities, or
personal competence of those who fill them. In interjoreting the
figures for wage vessels in Tahle XL, therefore, the complications
just mentioned in connection ?;ith the share vessel data do not arise.
'iTJhile, as remarked ahove, the figiires for average compensation
in this table are shov/n on ba.ses as nearly the same as Dossible,
caution needs to te used in com'oaring one or two of them. Assistant
engineers on share vessels, for instance, are sho^^^n as receiving
a materially larger average cormensation than engineers -oro^er. This
is explained "by the fact that the limited number of assistant
engineers re^oorted in connection with the study were all on relatively
large vessels in New England, a.nd were probably all regularly
qualified men; while the group of engineers proper includes many of
a semi-professional ty-ie, v/ho were eiiroloyed on smaller vessels and
in fisheries where the level of compensation is comparatively low.
4
I
CHAPTER XI
OWNERS' EXPETISE AMD NET RETURN MTD THE
CAPITALIZATION OF TEE EISIIEIilES
Tim DATA ON OTOTER' S EXPENSE
When the present study xras planned some importance was attached to
the question whether, in case the earnings of fishermen in 1933 should he
shown to have run "below an accepted living standard, the financial posi-
tion of the owners of the craft on which t]icy worked would, in any
conslderahle proportion of ca.ses, Tna]:e possible an upward adjustment of
their compensation. In the ori£"ins.l questionnaire, consequently, inform-
ation was asked for not merely with regard to the principal items entering
into the settlement of the various lays, hut also with respect to the
vessel owners' - that is, the overhead - expense. The difference between
the latter item and the vessel share should represent the net profit or
net loss of an enterprise.
Apart from the light which the data obtained as a result of this
inquiry threv/ on the possibility of adjusting the compensation of vessel
crews, they proved sufficiently complete and consistent to be used as a
basis for a preliminary general discussion of the earnings of fishing
vessels considered as economic enterprises, and of the return on their
ov/ners' investment. To such a discussion the present chapter is devoted.
Usable figures for ovmers' expense were submitted in the case of
339 out of the 430 share vessels included in the final sample, or 79 per
cent. In size and in the average value of their catch these 339 were
adequately representatii'^e of the whole class, Failure to supply this
information in other cases seems to h?ve been due in part to lack of
records and in part to a misunderstanding of what was desired.
RELIABILITY OF TIIE OWNER'S EXPENSE DATA
The reported items of owner's exoense have been examined with con-
siderable care, vath a view to ascertaining whether they show signs
either of exaggeration or of the reverse. Some of them, though a decided
minority, are unquestionably rough approximations. No case ha,s been
fo-iond, however, where a statement of ovmers' expense appears impossibly
large.
There are a good many instances where this item seems very small
and may be incomplete. It is quite possible, however, to keep overhead
exnense on a small fishing vessel within ver;^'- moderate limxits during a
considerable period of bad business. Repairs and overhauling may be
kept dorm to the indispensable minimum, and the owner and crew may do a
large part of the work themselves. If the waters in which the vessel
fishes are not particularly da.ngerous, and if reasonably good fortune is
encountered, this policy may be followed without disastrous results for
a number of years.
Marine insurance has ceased, during the depression, to be carried
on many fishing vessels, the rates being regarded as prohibitive. The
QAnn
-106-
"burden of taxation varies greatly in different States and localities, "but
in most instances is not heavy. Interest paynients are seldom of conse-
quence, except in the cases - fairly n-anerous in the tima and sardine
fisheries of California - where money has "been loaned, to "build vessels "by
the canning concerns that expect to piircliase their catch,
FRACTIC3 WITH :"ffiSPgCT TO D5PRECIATI0N
In one respect the reported iteus of ovners' e:-7pense are kno^vn
definitely not to "be compara"ble. Of the .'339 ver4sels for r;hich siich a
figure was given the inclusion of a write-off for depreciation was re-nort-
ed in the c^i-se of only 86, or 25 per cent. In the ma,in, however, the
omission of such a write-off v/as not due to carelessness, "but reflected
the a.ctual accounting procedure of the owners concerned. The practice of
formally allowing for deprecia-tion on individually. owned fishing vessels,
and especially on the smaller ones, is undouhtedly exceptional,
TEE ESTIMTED ¥RITE-OF?S FOR DEPRECIATION
If the proportions of vessels showing net profit and net loss in
1933, and- the amount of the latter items, were to "be arrived at on an
approximately compara"ble "basis, it was necessary to raal^ze an allowance for
depreciation in cases where it had not already "been written off. To do
this there v;ere o"btained from the field staff of the Bureau of Fisheries
and from other persons having e:^^pert acquaintance with the industry data
from which a normal write-off on a typical vessel in each important fish-
ery could "be calculated,
TREATMENT OF REPLACEIffiNTS OF GEAR
The questionnaire contained no specific instructions with respect
to the classification of replacements of fishing gear as current ormer's
expense or as new investment. In ma.king the estimates of the write-offs
for depreciation just mentioned the rule was followed of treating the
replacement of gear tha.t normally lasts more than one year as new invest-
ment. Where, on the other hand, a type of gear ordinarily has to "be
replaced at least once a year, it has been assumed that the cost of so
doing is included in the reported figures for current owner's expense.
So far as the schedules throw any light on the matter they indicate that
this is what was done.
The data for owners' expense, with certain other information for
the vessels to which they relate, a*.nd with added, estimates of the normal
write-off for depreciation where such a,n item wa^s not already included,
are shorm in Table XLI.
FIXSD CAPITAL OF THE FISHERIES
Before going on to analyze the situation indicated by this table
it will be well to discuss briefly the capitalization of the fisheries.
The fixed investment may be classified into the following items:
(a) fishing craft and their immediate non-expendible equipment;
(b) fishing gear; and (c) shore plant. In connection with the present
study data have l:ieen gathered with reference only to the investment in
fishing vessels and their gear,
9680
107
OWNERS' OR OVERHEAD EXPENSE REPORTED FOR SAMPLE a/ SHARE VESSELS, BITH
mniBER Of MEN VALUE 07 OATOH AND VESSEL AND CREW SHAffiS, CUSSIFIED A3 SHOWINO
INCLUSION OR EXCLUSION OF DEPRECIATION AND NST PROFIT OR llEI LOSS, BY AREA, I933.
Total
Niimber
Average
Nximber
Value
Vessel
Oimer • s
Crew
Net Profit
of Veeeele
Tonnage
of Men
of Catch
Share
Zxpenae
Share
or LOBB
Catlimuted
Write-off for
Depreciation b/
New Enp-land
Owner** expense:
■ Includes Depreciation
Showing profit 3
Showing I068 35
Total 33
Excludes Depreciation
Showing profit 39
Showing loss S
Total kl
Total, New England 83
Middle Atlantic
Owner's expense;
Includes Depreciation
ShoTTing profit -
Showing loss 1
Total 1
Excludes Depreciation
Showing profit IQ
Showing loss q.
Total 23
Total, Middle Atlantic 2k
South
Owner's expense:
Includes Depreciation -
Showing profit
Showing loss 22
Total 22
Excludes Deoreclation
Shoring profit
Showing loss
Total
Total, South
Great Lakes
OvTier's expense:
Excludes Depreciation
Shovrlng profit
Showlng^ lose
Total
Total, Great Lakes
California
OvTier' 6 exnenee:
Includes Deorecip-tlon
Showing profit
Shoring loss
Total
Excludes De'ireciatlon
Showlnr riroTlt
Showing loss
27
9
Total
36
Total, California
54
Korthtiest and Alaska
Omer' s ej^ense:
Includes Depreciation
Showing profit
Showing loss
7
Total
7
Excludes Depreciation
Showlne profit
Showing loss
94
21
Total
115
Total, Northwest
and Alaska
122
Recapitulation, United
States and Aleslia
Owner's eijfense
Includes Depreciation
Showing profit
Showing loss
2U
62
Excludes Depreciation
Showing profit
Showing loss
Grand Total, share
Tes«plc for T»hich
owner's expense was
reported
Sajnple a/ Share Vessels for
which owner's ej^ense was
not reported
Grand Total, eample
a/ share vessels
201
52
339
91
i*30
86. 3
19.6
36
58U
$192,186
1,081,61*6
«90,387
463,163
877,520
981,934
$64,1*68
227,963
♦
#12,867
518,771
16.9
620
1,273,832
553,550
1,059,454
292,4?1
-
505,904
52.1
83.1
3W
89
864,454
66,894
332.118
21,476
220,788
32.521
242,255
18,901
♦
111,330
11,01*5
57.4
433
931, 34«
353.594
253.309
261,156
*
100,285
84.0
1.053
2,205,180
907,144
1,312,763
553,587
-
405,619
28.0
11
3,694
911
1.758
1.103
-
847
28.0
11
3.694
911
1.758
1,103
-
8U7
24.1
20.3
121
27
201,085
27.169
"7:i^x?
45.835
9.504
89,987
9,673
■f
14,704
2,193
23.4
IW
228,251*
67,850
55.339
99,660
♦
12,511
23.6
159
231,91*8
68,761
57.097
100,763
+
11.664
37.5
170
122,103
35,323
60,533
32.534
-
25,210
37.5
170
122,103
35.323
60,533
32,534
-
25,210
41.2
36.7
127
60
105,534
27.70-}
39.434
6.511
30,605
11,371
31,162
6,217
♦
8,829
4^860
39.6
187
133,237
45.945
41.976
37,379
♦
3.969
39.2
357
255,340
81,268
102,509
69.913
-
21,241
30.2
13.7
55
16
76,578
18,91s
40.494
5.513
33,133'
7,832
33,654
11,315
+
7.361
2,319
28.0
71
95,1*96
46,007
40,965
44, ■569
♦
5,042
28.0
71
95, "96
46,007
40,965
44,969
♦
5,042
98.9
106.8
'^
627.988
140,697
217,508
46,104
123,946
60,458
223,796
41,899
:
93,562
14,354
100.6
207
766,685
263,612
184,404
265,695
*
79,208
40.1*
59.4
T7
478.389
155.217
127,621*
41,143
78.520
53.639
220,693
76,615
*
1*9,104
12,496
45.2
370
633 . 606
168,767
132.159
297,308
♦
36,608
63.6
577
1,402,291
1*32.379
316,563
5^,003
+
115,816
32.9
45
76,907
26,142
22,921
40,649
♦
3,221
32.9
45
70.907
26,142
22,921
1(0,61*9
+
3.221
26.1
37.0
593
1&5
55.126
103.460
199,179
22,931
107.935
28,608
420,731
62,750
+
91,244
5,677
28.1
738
158,586
222,110
136,543
483,1*81
♦
85,567
28.1*
783
235,1*93
24«,252
159.461*
5?u,l30
♦
88,788
78.0
88. 7
2U0
813
85.7 1,053
45! 9 '434
36.5 1,947
897.081 334,037 224,387 328,913 * 109,650
1,348,140 545,501 1,104,683 303,499 - 559,182
2,245,221
1,781,166
399,361
2,180,527
879,53s 1,329.070 632,412
449,532
799.388 516,816 1,038,1*82 ♦ 282,572
104,885 143,475 ,185.471 - 3«,590
904.273 660,291 1,223,953 ♦ 243,982
48.9 3,000 i*,l*£5,7it^ 1,783,811 1,989.3611,856,365 - 205,550
23.7 647 1,502,1*62 170,175 - ■ 308,876 ♦ 170,175
43.6 3,647 5^928,210 1,953,986 1,989,361 2,165,241 - 35,375
$207,207
42,504
249.711
34,81*6
7,336
1(2,182
7.228
3,892
11,120
28,45«
9.486
37,944
161,271
53.757
215,028
171.362
38,283
209,645
610,372
155.258
765.630
968'0
Source: aetume to N.R.A. questionnaire on earnings in the fishing Industry.
a/ Vessels for idiioh usable data were obtained for the purposes of the study,
^ Where not already included in owner's e^^nse.
-108-
Table XLII presents estimates of the original cost of the vessels
and the fishing gea,r used at the i^rer.ent time, of the anniial write-off
for dc"oreciation as computed for t^'Tjical vessels, and of the cost of
replacing gear whose normal life is not m.ore than a yeOir,
Tahle XLIII gives a percentage dlstrihution of the only data loiovm
to have "been collected with regard to the age of vessels in use in the
fisheries. They a,re taken from the re-oort of the Census of Water Trans-
portation of 1926. The average age shovm 'oy the taole is a trifle under
15 years. These figures are nearly ten years old, and the age distrihu-
tion must change somewhat from time to time. It seems likely that in
1929 the avera.ge was a little less than in 1926, while at present, prohah-
ly, it is aiipreciahly more. For rough computations, however, it is near
enough correct to assume an average age of 15 years.
The supplementary questionnaire "by means of T.'hich the data for
estimating the normal write-offs for depreciation in Tahles XLI and XLII
were ootained asked for the approximate years of life of a typical vessel
in each importa,nt fishery. These data yield an average of aoout 19 years
for the hulls, ten years for the engines, 16 years for the hulls and
engines together, and two and a half years for the fishing gear.
TABLE XLII
ESTIMTED ORIGIIIAL COST OF ALL FISHIIIG VESSELS IN USE IN 1933,
WITH TIiE 1T0E3.1AL AMUAO IRITE-OFF FOR DEPRECIATION MTD THE
NOmiAL Al^WJAL COST OF PJEPLACINC FISHIN(> GEAR, BY AREA
(in thousands)
No
rmal Annual
Normal Annual
Orir?:inal
Cost
1
Trite-off
■ For
of
Cost
Area
• Hull and
All Fish-
Replacing
Engine a/
ing Gear
Depreciation
b/
Gear c/
New England
$48,938
$1,699
$2,864
$1 , 745
Middle Atlant
ic
12,804
1,124
835
2,644
South
9,430
739
1,518
207
Great Lal:es
4,59?
4,794
1 , 565
— _
California
16,014
1,254
1,972
692
Northwest & Alaska
14,937
1,645
1,897
349
United States
&
Alaskal06,720
11,256
10,651
5,637
Source: Returns to N.R.A. questionnaires on earnings in the fishing
industry,
a/ Includes equipment other than fishing gear.
b/ Includes depreciattion on hull, engine and equipment other than
fishing gear, and on gear having a normal life of more than a
year.
c/ Covers only gear having a normal life of a year or less.
9680
-109--
. TABLE XLlil ,;
DISTRIBUTION OF ALL VESSELS IN USE IN TIIE FISHERIES,
BY AaE a,-' , 1926
Per cent Ciirnulative
Years of Total Number Per
of Vessels cent
t
One or less •' 9.6 .9.6
2 to _,6 16.1 E5.7
7 to 11 22.3 48.0
12 to 16 ■ 18.4 66.4
17 to 21 10.2 76.6
22 to 26 9.0 85.6
27 to 31 3.9 89.5
32 to 36 3.2 92.7
37 to 41 2.5 95.2
42 to 46 2.4 • 97.6
47 to 56 1.9 99.5
More than 56 0.5 100.0
Total 100.0
Source: Computed from data in Bureau of the Census, Census of
77ater Trans-portation. 1926.
a/ Includes "both fishing vessels and those used for trans-
Toortation imroosep incidental to the fisheries.
A corparison of the first of these fi,^ares with the average age of
15 years for all vessels indicates that at any given time, under present
day conditions, from 75 to 80 per cent of the cost of the industry's
plant and equipment would have "been written off, if regular allowances
for depreciation had "been made in accordance with standard accounting
practice. Actua.lljr, the original fixed im'-estment has not been written
dovm to anything like this extent.
Applying the percentage just given to the data in Table XLII, the
book value of fishing vessels in recent years, with their engines and
equipment other than fishing gear, may be placed, on a standard account-
ing basis, at approximately $22,251,000.
There is no corresponding information as to the age of the fishing
gear in use. But since the average life of such equipment is short, and
since much of it has to be replaced several times a year, it is probably
fa,ir to put its current value at about one- third its cost. This would
give a provisional estimate of investment in vessel gear in recent years
of about $3,752,000.
The efforts made, in connection with the study to find out what if
any deflation there had been since 1929 in owner's e:-qoense on fishing
vessels did not cover the cost of replacements of gear. The best avail-
able information, however, indicates that there had not been much change*
9680
-110-
WOHKINO CAPITAL OF TIIE FISHERIES
Ho data for the working capital of fishing enterprises have "been
collected in connection with the present study; but a "brief discussion
will clarifjT- the matter, as it "b^ars on the return to vessel owners.
There is an extreme variation in the rapidity of the turnover of
working capital in various fisheries. In the case of those whose product
leaves the primary producer's hands in a fresh state, however, this item of
of investment is a minor one, The working capital of such enterprises
is limited to the money tied up in the expendible supplies, chiefly food,
engine fuel, bait and ice, required for single trips. The period of
tie~up may be anyrrhere from one day to a maximum of three or four weeks
- with the average, probably, well under a v;eek. Vessels which go out
only for a day at a, time have as a rule no investment in food, and fre-
quently none in ice; and many use no bait. In a great many cases, there-
fore, it may be said that working capital is restricted to the investment
in engine fuel and accessories,
A radically different situation exists in the case of enterprises
whose ovmers themselves put their catch into a nonperishable form. Most
of these fisheries are highly seasonal, and the tie-up of working capital
often represents a large part of the value of a whole season's catch.
This situation exists in the casp of nearly two-thirds of the catch of
salmon for canning, of almost the T/hole of the menhaden catch, and of a
substantial part of the shrimp and oj'-ster catch used by the canneries of
the Gulf coast. It does not exist to any considerable extent, hhowever,
in the sardine fisheries either of New England or of California, or in
the tuna or mackerel fisheries of the latter State, where the owners of
the fishing craft are rarely processors.
In the cases v/here a heavy tie-up of working capital exists fishing
constitutes merely one department of what are primarily processing or
manufacturing businesses, and their catches are not normally sold in a
fresh state. It is not easy, therefore, to segregate the part of the
working capital chargeable to the fishing operations.
~ THE 1908 CENSUS DATA ON IF/ESTMENT
The last previous data to be collected with regard to the capitaliza-
tion of the fisheries were those of the Census of 1908, They are sum-
marized in Table XLIV. These figures appear to be complete except that
they do not include the working oiitfi't of fishing boats or either outfit
or cash capital for Alaska.
The only item in this table which can be compared with data on
current capitalization gathered in connection with the present study is
that for the value of fishing vessels. The Census figure was $11,454,000;
the current estimate is $22,251,000,
These two valuations are for years a quarter century apart, and
could not, therefore, be expected to agree closely. The simplest way of
verifying them is to compare the ratios they bear to the value of the
vessel production of the corresponding years.
-111-.
TABLE XLIV
CAPITALIZATION OF THE FISxIT^^HIES AS PiEPORTED
BY THE CEIISUS OE 1908
(in thousands)
■ Amount
Capital item
of Capitf
\1
Fixed capital
Eisiiing craft
Vessels
511, -.54
Boats
7 , 35'^
a/
Total
* IS ,^8 10
Transporting: vessels
'4,""9V0
i/
Eiching gear
Vessels
1,S17
c/
Boats and ashore
fi,g84-
c/
•
To tal
8,901
'
Shore and accessory property
"ll',?81
.4/
Total, fized capitp
,1
.$:^b^l:^
Worlcing capital
Outfit ej
Eishing vessels
3,5^.7
Transporting vessels.
^i-.l
Totrl, outfit
4,008
.2/
Cash f /
'2, "4-42
Total, v/orlring ca;oi
tal
^u^O
Grand total, ,50i902
Recf:pitulation - . ■ •--
Hulls, equipment, gear a,nd outfit
Vessel fisheries 1^,938
Boat and shore fisheries 14,34-0
Transporting trades 5,401
Total ^.^.xr73.
Other capital , l^-,223
Grand total " ^1^9^?9A
Source: Bureau of the Census, I^slie^rJ-_cs__qf __thj3^ Unit__e_^d ^S_ta^^
a/ Includes a small proportion of transporting boats,
_b/ The item for Alaska, accounting for nearly half this figure,
is heavily v/eighted vdth the value of the large vessels used
for bringing cannery workers and supplies to and from the
Territory,
cj Totals of State items adjusted slightly to fit the grand total
for the United Sta.tes, as there is a discrepancy in the pub-
lished figures v/hich cannot nov/ be corrected,
d/ A large proportion of this item represents shore property of
salmon canning companies in Alas::a and of oyster cultivating
companies in the North Atlantic area. The relevance of much
of it to a statement of the capitalization of the fisheries
is open to oucstion. Because cf this the segregation of the
9^80
lit.tle significance, and is omitted from the table,
(SoTirfce Continued)
-112-
_e/ "Outfit" is the Census term for operating supplies, such as
provisions, ice, salt, liait and engine fuel and accessories.
The value of non-erciTcndilDle eouipment, such as dories, tools,
anchors and ri^,^-ing, is included with that of vessels and
'boats as fixed capital. The Census fi^-^ure for the value of
outfit is incomplete, as the item \7as not reported for
Alaska or for "boats in the United States proper.
f/ For the United States proper only; not reported. for Alaska,
Prohabl.y includes accounts receivable and other non-physical
Y:oTlzlnr; assets.
The value of the 1908 vessel catch, excluding Alaska, was
322,150,000. The corresponding reported value of fishing vessels
represents 50,9 percent of this figure.
The ratio which 'the fixed investment of an industry bears to
the value of the product 'fluctuates v/ith the degree of productive ac-
tivity, since the hook valuation of fixed assets changes v/ith relative
slovmess. In the case of the fishing industry the ratio for 1929 - a
year of very active business ~ should normally "be lower than that for
1908, while the ratio for 1931, 1932 or 1933, which were depression
years, should be a good deal higher.
Actually, the recent value of fishing vessels, as estimated
above, is 43,2 percent of the value of the 1929 vessel catch, in com-
parison v/ith 50,9 percent for 1908. The ratio for 1931 is f^^.2 per-
cent. That for 1930 is 48.8 percent, and that for the average of the
three years 1929 to 1931 is ol.l percent, rr very nearly the same as
the ratio for 1908.
These figures show strikingl;/ little change in the relation-
ship of the value of fishing vessels to the value of their cp.tch, from
that of twenty-five years ago. This would be expected from the gen-
erally stable character of the industry, and tends strongly to indicate
that the independent figures for the investment in fishing vessels in
1908 and in recent years are approximately comparable, and that they
may be taken as confirming one another.
The data, for the capitalization of industry Y/hich used to be
collected by the Census represented, as a rule, averages of individual
practices v/ith respect to book valuation. In the case of the fisheries,
hov/ever, v/here the forma^l assignment of any book value to assets is
someivhat exceptional, the returns to the 1903 Census 'more probably rep-
resented the assijmed sales values of the vessels in the open market,
v/hich is normally a.ctive enough to make such a basis of reporting pos-
sible. If so, the values reported to the Census were arrived at by
much the same procedure as the estim.ated valuation v/hich has been
v/orked out for recent years.
The Census of 1908 put the value of vessel fishing gear at
$1,910,000. '^is v/as approxim.ately 17 percent of the value of the
vessels them.selves in use in th^it year, and t'.''^ percent of the value
of the vessel catch.
9fi80
-113-
^''he ori/^^ir.'il cost of the vessel gear in use in recent years
has "been estirnatecl. as Sll, 2i.3oj 000, and its average life at about two
and a half yea.rs. There are no data on the age of this equipment by
means of vmich its present value can be figured from the original cost.
But if it is assui.ied that the former is about one— third of the latter,
the present value v/ould bee.r approxim.atel/ the same ratios as in 1908
to the current value of the vessels them.s elves and to the average value
of the vessel catch in 1929 - 1931, Such an assumption v/ith regard to
the present investment in vessel fishing gear seems reasonable enough
to be adopted tentatively.
There a.re no recent data with which tc compare the items in
Table XLIV for the value of shore and accessory property and for work-
ing ca,pital. The former is a very substantial figure. More than half
of it, hov/ever, is a,ssigned to Alasl:a, where it must be accounted for
by some portion of the plant of the salmon canneries; and a great part
of the remainder evidently represents the establishments of the North
Atla.ntic oyster-cultivating compa.nies. ^he rest of the item for the
United States proper m.ust consist chiefly of the shore property of the
minority of incorporated enterprises in places like Boston, Gloucester,
Pensacola, a.nd San Francisco, which combine wholesale or processing
business v/ith the o"Deration of fishing fleets. There is a good deal of
doubt as to how much of any of these items is really part of the invest-
ment in the fishing industry proTDer,
The rema.rks tha^t have been made with regard to the working
capital of the fisheries suggest tha,t that item is not very large in
comparison with the fixed investment. The omissions from the 1908
Census da.ta, far capitalization, of course, mioan that the 87 percent of
fixed ca.pita.1 sho\/n "oj Table !/ZLIV is som.ewhat too high. But it seems
clear that, even after a.llowance for this error, the proportion is very
much above the corresponding one for manufacturing industry at large,
v/here only a-'oout half the total investment is fixed. The higher per-
centage of fixed a.ssets in the case of the fisheries affects their
financia-l picture materially.
.P?-QIiI. A^D _LO_S.S_JN 1953
Returning to Table XLI, it appears that on the 339 sha.re ves-
sels for which owner's expense in 1933 v/as returned in connection v;ith
the present study there was realized, in the aggregate, a net loss of
vl, 017, 933, as agaiiist a tota~l vessel share or gross profit of
'^'l, 783, 311, This ain'sunted to an average net loss of 33,191 per vessel.
For 225 of the 339 vessels a net profit in 1933 was reported.
In the case of 201 out of the 225, however, this profit was taken be-
fore depreciation. The profit axiounted in the aggregate to 3392,222,
out of a. total vessel share of :1, 133, 425. This was an average of
s)l,743 per vessel.
The addition, however, to the ov/ner's expense for the 201
vessels just mentioned of an estimated write-off for depreciation has
the effect of converting the net profit on the 225 vessels into a net
9^80
-114-
loss of L21G,100, or an averai_,e of v970 -oer vessel. Individually, of
course, some of these vessels continued to shov/ a profit after adding
the \7rite-off.
The addition of the cstiinates for depreciation also has the
effect of converting the net profit ori;. i.^ally re"oortcd into a net
loss in all areas individually ei.cept the South, y/here a very sraall
profit remains after adding the v/rite-off. The final loss is rela-
tively heavy in all the other areas exce;3t California, v/here the ves-
sels for y;hich owner's expense v/as reported come not far from brealring
even after depreciationo
.CQIiCLUSipjiS _SUGq;^,STED ^3Y Tm jDATA_Oii JlViT^h '.S. SJ-CPKISE
The priiaary purpose of the stud/ thus far has "been to "bring
out as clearly and accurately as possible the fa.cts relatin/3 to the
earnin;;^s in 1933 of vessel fishermen and of the craft on which they
\7or/:, rather than to evaluate them. It is impossihle to deny that the
picture is a, pretty dismal one; but, "before generalizing too. "broadly
on the results for that year it will be v/ell to take into account the
estimates for 1929 and. 1934 \/hich are to "!je presented in the next
chapter,
Lince inost fishing enterprises are unincorporated, it v.'as
difficult or impossible to o'btain "by Questionnaire information as to
the financial reserves of vessel owners, 'by resorting to y^hich upv/ard
adjustments in the coraiDensation of the crcv/s of their vessels might
have "been made during the acute phase of the depression. In general
it seems safe to say that such -reserves y/ere small or non-existent.
In the main, moreover, this v:as irj.e of the corporate enterrjrises as
v;ell; though in the case of the latter it would 'bo desira"ble to mal.e
an examination of tlie more com-olete figures v/hich presuinably exist,
"before arriving at a final judg/ient.
o.a
f^QO
-115-
GPAPTI^R XII
THE ZAR'^INCrS OF ?I SPIER] ISN AFP 0? V3SSSLS U: 1934
And 1929
Tnen the collection of data, for the purposes of the "oresent study
7as begun 1933 wrs the lapt calendar j'^ear for which reports could be
isked. As the v/ork progressed, however, the completion of another year
Qade it desirable to use the returns to the Questionnaire as a basis for
3stimating the corresponding earnings of fishermen and of fishing vess-
3ls in 1934. This wr^s particularly the case because there had been in
ihe course of tae latter year a substantial recovery in the quantity and
Ln the average landed price of fisherj'- products. In the case of vessels
working on shares this recovery would, of course, produce automatically
some degree of improvement in the earnings of their crews. At tne same
:iem, since estimates for 1934 were to be made, it v/as felt that int-
erest would a.ttach also to corresponding figures for the pre-depressi on
md high price year 1329.
ilOES OF IvIAKIFG ESTIL/IiiTES FOR 1934 and 1929
The discussion of the share system in Chapter VI has made it plain
that, when the terms of the la;-' in use on a fishing vessel, the value
jf its catch, and the operating expense incurred on it in a given year
ire known, the amount of the vessel and crev- shares can be determined.
In the present case the amount of ope"'"ating expense and the terms
f the laj'-s in use on the vessels included in the sample were known for
933. There was reason to thinlc that with occasional oualifi captions
he share agreements '.'•.? re the same in 1934 and in 1929. As a precaution,
jcwever, the supplement, r"'" schedule asked v,'hether tnere had been in each
Jisheri'-, between those years, an^^ change in the lays to affect mater-
ally the relation of tne vessel and crew chares to one another and to
he gross stock. For practical purposes the replies v.'ere negative, tho-
^h a few insta.nces ^-ere r-^eported in which the relative frequency of tv/o
a-ys had changed sufficiently betv:een 1929 and 1934 to call attention
D the fact. The tendency to the substitution of the "Italian" for the
American" lay* in tlie Atlantic macherol fisher'/- furnisiies an example.
The value of the catch of the va.rious fisheries in 1929 was ob-
lined from publications of the Bureau of Fisheries in the same manner
those for 1933. The estimates of the value of the 1934 catch which
re made priraarilj^ for tne present purpose have been referred to in
lapter IV.
»
The operacting expense of a. fishing vessel fluctuates independent-
' of the value of the catch and of the terms of the Isljs in use. This
pense can, ho^''ever, be estimated wit . tolerable accuracy for a given
shery from, or.e ^^-ear to another, provided that the changes in the pri-
s of a few commodities, a.nd the relative importance of the latter in
counting for the totaA OToerating expense in the case vear, are known.
ee Table XXII and Appendix III,
— — '
80
-116-
These commoditieR are coal, fuel oil, irsoliiie, luDricrnts, foodstuffs,
ice rnd salt.* In a fev inrtonce's tne rr'.tes of '-;-^.'^es paid ir. addition
to or in lieu of Sxia.res hrve alno to Lie cal.;en into account.
Data for there itepis v'ere o'btarnec' for the iiT-o^rtant fisheries
covered by the stud"^ throvi,j.h the mediur.i of the HU-0;jlenenbrr-' schedule
to v/hich reference "las been "-.ade, r.nd -..^e^e then iised to arrive at es-
timates of o-oeratin.:: enpense in lG-:'4 -md in 1929.
'Ifrith these erpense items &j.ic the estinates of the value of the
catch in tnose 3^errs as a bo sis, tjie irtormation derived from the re-
turns to tlie main questiojinaire T.ith -^egnyd. to the lays in use v,'as ap'o-
lied to obtain figui^-es for the rverage 191j4 and 1929 vessel and crew
shares. It must be emphasized c\<-:ain that the result irg figiires are es-
timates. In the main'^ ho-./ever, the^- a?vo been fo-ond consistent with
one another and v/ith tae ot h^r dpta r/ith rhich there lias been occasion
to compare' them; and there is prooabl"- no serious risk in using them
as the'^ ste.nd.
irPr/IDUAL C:^"." ^bA^ZS ir 19:34 m d__1929
Compari sons , of the average crev/ share "oer man in 1934 aiid in 1929,
which result from these estimates, aopear with tne corresponding base
figures for 1933' in Table XLV.
The decline in the average C'^ew share per man from 1929 to 1933
in the country at large was 57 per cent. The corres-oonding decline in
the average annual compensation of '" -rre earners in manufa.cturing ind~
ustn'- over the srme ;oeriod. was 34 per cent. It is plain, therefore,
that a sharp deflation in tlie rjriczs of fish and shellfish, such as took
place from 1929 to 1935, is d^'a:^tLc:ll3'- ^inf avorr-ble to the earnings of
the sha^re workers concerned,.
On the other hand, tr!.e iirice . ccoverj'- Miich ^'eveloped from 1933
to 1934, though verj^ prr'cial wnen con'^dderecL witxi reference to the
1929 level, nad unouestionablj- a greater effect in restoring workers'
earnings than did the concurrent -^nrice increases in the case of manu-
facturing industries. The increase in average ere'" share -oer man from
1933 to 1934 for the \7hole countr"/ v.^as 51 per cent; and the level in the
latter year v:ps about 35 per cent :-ielov/ that of 1929, instead of 57 per
cent as in 1933.
The workers in most branches of the fishing industr^'- benefited sub-
stantially" from this recover','". The percentage of improvement vras com-
paratively small in a fev; ca.ses; but these were nearly all fisheries in
which the average crew share in 1929 had been relatively/ high. A
single instance of an apparent I3/ Unfavorable development from 1933 to
1934 in a fishery in wlxich the average crew shai-'e had been absolutely
low in 1929 occurred in the red snapper fisher],/ of the South.
CHM'JGES IH C^S:: SHA^jD Ai-T) IF VALUl 0? CATCH
Even if the fact had not oeen specif icall"/ viointed out, the desc-
*Bait is sometimes an item of conseouence, but it is rarely practicable
to obtain a record of cost or prices.
£680
117
TABLE ILV
ESTIMATED AVERAGE SHARE PER SHARE FISHERMAU OH SAMPLE a/ VESSELS, CRUDE AMD WEIGHTED ACCORDING TO THE
TOTAL NUMBER OF UEN IN EACH FISHERY, I93I*. AND I929 COMPARED WITH I933, BY AREA AND FISHERY
Area and Fishery
Average
Share
per Man
1934
Percentage of
Increase (/)
or
Decrease (-)
1933 to 1934
Average
Share
per Man
1933
/ 63.9
/ 16.2
/ 41.5
% 565 ,
266 b/
675
/ 57.8
/ 43.5
535
708
/ .2
- 2.7
1,121
485
: 111
630
608
- 6,1
/ 98.6
/ 36.7
179
575
335
/ 80.9
236
434
/ 52.9
/ 21).. 1
681
736
/ 44.7
/ 29.1
71s
72 c
/ 78.4 ,
/ 139.U 0/
/ 58.8
1,351
S9S
503
391
/ 86.4
/ 76.1
1,005
923
/ 13.5
/ 30.4
/ 22.9
/ 31.6
857
345
763
538
/ 21.0
/ 19.5
65s
605
/ 51.5
/ 47.9
625
700
Percentage of
Increase (/)
or
Decrease (-)
1929 to 1933
Average
Share
per Man
1929
-
62.1+
71.2 b/
79.6
$1,504
923 b/
3.309
-
65.9
66.9
1,571
2,11*2
-
46.3
74.2
2,086
1,874
. -
67.5
68.3
1.937
1,915
-
69.6
66.6
80.1
5Sg
1,724
1,681
-
75.1
68.9
943
1,395
-
26.0
39.1
920
1,209
-
36.2
37.9
1,125
1,155
-
211.6
67.6
19.5
30.1
1,792
2,782
625
559
-
35.9
2g.l
^'567
1,284 ^
-
38.9
6a. 1
1,827
668
1,242
1,687
-
52.2
53.0
1,376
1,287
-
57.4
52.7
1,467
1,479
Percentage of
Increase (/)
or
Decrease (-)
1929 to 1934
- 38.4
- 66.5 b/
- 71.1
- 46.3
- 52.6
- 46.2
- 74.9
- 67.5
- 71.4
- 33.8
- 72.8
- 70.9
- 43.7
i g:l ^
:.l:l
/ 34.5
- 27.4 ,
/ 92.3 0/
/ 11.1 ii
4; 19.5
/ 12.7
- 46.7
- 32.6
- 24.8
- 58.0
- 42.2
- 43.8
. - 35.4
- 30.0
New England
Groundf ish
Llackerel
Miscellaneous
Crude
Weighted
Middle Atlantic
Scallop
Miscellaneous
Av-rae;e
Crude
Weighted
South
Red snapper
Shrimp
Miscellaneous
Aver.-ige
Crude
Weighted
Great Lakes
Lake Erie
Lakes Huron and Michigan
Average
Crude
Weighted
California
Tuna
Tuna and Sardine
Sardine, Monterey
Miscellaneous
Averatie
Crude
Weighted
Northwest and Alaska
Halibut
Salmon
Alaska Herring
MlscellanecfuB
livertif^e
Crude
Weighted
United States and Alaska
Average
Crude
Weighted
% 926
309 b/
955
844
1,016
1,123
470
627
597
168
1,142
458
785
1,041
913
1,039
937
2,410
2,021
1,202
621
1,873
1,625
973
450
93s
708
796
723
947
1,035
Source: Computed from returns to N.R.A. questionnaires on eaumings in the fishing industry.
»6tt0
i^
2/
Vessels for which usable data were obtained for' the purposes of the study.
As explained In footnote (H) on Table XXVII and in the text (Chapter VII) these average earnings per man In
the mackerel fishery cover only part of the year in the case of 10 of the 11; vessels in the sample. The
deficiency is greater In 1933, and probably also in 1934, than In 1929; and the percentages of decrease
shown in the table are consequently somewhat exaggerated.
These large increases In crew share per man, which In the case of the Monterey sardine fishery raised the
1934 figure to nearly double that for 1929, were the result of a disproportionate recovery In the sardine
reduction Industry.
These cases in which average crew share per man In 1934 exceeded that of 1929 may be the result of the
small size and peculiar composition of the 'Bamplee.
-118-
cription of the share syotera in Chapter VI would have made it obvious
that a relationship exists "betv/een the fluctuations from year to year in
the value of the catch in anj?- fishery or area, and in the shares received by
the men engaged in it. The nature of this relationship is brought out in
detail in Table XLVI .
This table shows that from 1929 to 1933 the decline in the average
operating expense of fishing vessels v;as a good deal less than the decline
in the prices of fishery products. It vjps therefore to be expected that
the drop in the average crew share would be somewhat sharper than the
corresponding decline in the value of the catch. The degree to which this
is true, however, varies considerably in the different parts of the coun-
try. In the Middle Atlantic area, as in the United States at large, the
decline in the average crew share per man from 1929 to 1933 was only a
little greater than the drop in the value of the catch. 3n the Great
Lakes and in California the falling off in the former was practically the
same as the relatively moderate decline in the latter. In the three re-
maining areas, however, the drop in individual crew share was very decided-
ly greater than the decline in the value cf the catch.
TABLE XLVI
RELATION OE CliAl'IGE IN AV^I^GE CEE7/ SHARE PER IJlAl^ TO CHAi^GE IN
AVERAGE VALUE OE CATCH PER VESSEL, EOR SAIvIPLS a/ SHARE VESSELS, BY
AREA, PROM 1929 to 1933
Area
Decrease(-) or Increase(-)
from 1929 to 1933
In Aver- In Value In Oper-
age share of Catch ating Ex-
per Man per Ves- pense
sel per Ves-
sel
Percentage of Fisher-
men on Vessels on
Which 50 Per cent or
More of Operating Ex-
pense is Charged to
Crew Alone,
1933
Percent-
age of
Value of
Catch Rep-
resented by
Vessel
Share, 1933
(per cent) (Per cent) (Per cent)
New England
-65.9
-49.4
Middle Atv
-67,5
-52,5
1 antic
South
-75.1
-57.6
Great Lakes
-35.2
-36.5
California
-35.9
-37.4
Northwest and
Alaska
—52.2
-43.5
United States
and Alaska
-57.4
-53.3
-19 . 3
-20.5
-21.9
- o.
t 5.9
-19.0
-13.9
76.5
29.7
84,3
^/
6,5
59.5
57.8
39.0
29.4
35.9
23.5
33.2
22.8
33.7
Source: Computed from returns to N.R.A. questionnaires on earnings
in the fishing industry.
9680
I
-119-
a/ Vessels for T;hich usable dc. . -. nere obtained for the purposes of
the studAr,
_b/ So large a proportion of operating expense in the case of vessels
on the G-reat Lakes is charged to the owners alone that a percentage
in this column would not be comparable with those for other areas.
An inspection of the data in the third column of Tpble XLVI leaves
little or no doubt that these differences are due primarily to the extent
of the change in the expense of operation in the various cases. On the
G-reat Lal:es and in California operating expense changed very little from
1929 to 1933, while in all the other areas there was a drop of about 20
per cent. The difference was due mainly to the extent to which the expense
in a given area included the cost of food. The prices of foodstuffs
dropped sharply'- from 1929 to 1933, while those of petroleum products, which
constitute collectively the largest single item of the operating expense of
fisliing vessels, remained stable or even increased.
B The relationship between the change in the average crew share per man
^nd the change in the value of the catch, however, v;ould appear to be af-
fected also by the proportion of operating expense v/hich is customarily
3harged to the crews alone, as distinct from the crews and the owners joint"
Ly. This a.ppears from the fourth col-'Jimn of Toble XLVI. In New England, in
the South and in the Northwest and Alaska, where the decline in individual
share earnings from 1929 to 1933 v/as very decidedlv greater than the de-
cline in the value of the catch this proportion is high. In the Middle
itlantic area, where the discrepancy between the two changes was compara-
tively small, the proportion of opera.ting expense charged to crews alone
is much lower. In California, where there was no discrepancy of cense**'
luence, the latter proportion is still smaller.
For the sake of making the comparisons in Table XLVI complete, per-
centages indicating the relative amoun't of the vessel share have been added
n the last column. It would appear, however, that this latter factor is
)f secondary importajice. It is true that in New England and the South,
fhere the decline in individ"aal crew share was very sharp in comparison
rith the decline in the value of the catch, the ratio of the vessel share
0 the gross is high; while in the Middle Atlantic area and on the Great"
»akes, where the discrepancy was sma.ller, the percentage accounted for
ly the vessel share is low. In California, moreover, both the discrepancy
letween the change in the average crew share and in the vn.lue of the
atch, and the percentage represented by the vessel share, are intermediate.
n the Northwest and Alaska, however, the very moderate percentage represented
ty the vessel share in the halibut fisher^,'" causes the correlation to fa,il.
To s-om up, when a decline develops in tiie value of the fishery
:atch, a concurrent drop in the average earning of share fishermen is
.0 be expected. ¥hether this decline tends, however, to be sharper than
he decline in the value of the catch, as it did from 1929 to 1933, or not,
'ould depend on the degree of change in operating expense over the same
kriod and on the terras of the la.ys in use.
The estimates of individual crew earnings in 1934 which are given
n Table SLV shov;, as night ha.ve been e xpected, that a relationship
nalogous to the one just discur.sed, exists when there has been a rise
n the value of the fishery catch,
680
-120-
The estimate of the. 1934 production which was given in Chapter IV indicates
an increase of about 5o per cent over 1933. During^ the same period the
average increase in operating expense v/as small - less than five per cent.
This "being the case, the increase in the average crew share per man from
1933 to 1934 should apparently have e'zceeded the increrse in the value of
the catch to a considershly ^-jrer^ter degree than the decreo.se in the former
exceeded the decrease in the latter from 1.9^9 to 1933.
Tiie data in Treble XLV ber.r out this exT)ectation. They indicate
that the increase in the average individual cre\/ share from 1933 to 1934
for the countr37- as a whole \wr.s aho^it 51 per cent, as against the estimated
increase of 33 per cent in the value of tiie catch.
The estimate of the ve^lue of the 1934 catch just referred to, which
is the only one available at present, is too tentative to justify a detailed
comparison with the corresponding iniprovement in the averrge share per
man over 1933, area by area. 'It seems safe to arsume, however, that the
recovery in the individual share was particularly pronounced, relatively
to the recovery in the value of the catcu, in New England, the South
and the Northv/est axid Alaska. In California and on the G-reat Lakes the
improvement in crev/ share per man was probably about the same a.s the im-
provernent in the value of th^ catch; while in the lliddle Atlantic area
the former exceeded the latter to a comparatively small extent.
RETUElNi TO VESSEL OTiIE"RS IN 1934 AIQ 1929
Similar estimates v/hich have been made of average vessel share in
1934 and 1929 are shown, by area, in Table JCLVII, compared with the cor-
responding questionnaire data for 1933. In order to give a rough idea
of the effect of the changes thus' sho\;n on the net return to vessel owners,
an effort v/as made to obtain, taroufii the mediu-^- of the supplementary
schedule, dc„ta on tne rcla.tions vip ^.liich the principal items of owners'
expense incurred in 1934 bore to the -3 of 1929. Tlie questions on this
point v/ere difficult to draft and probably not very easy to answer; and
the returns were only moderrtely satisfactory'-. They did, however, ade-
quately confirm the previously existing impression that these items of
owners' or overhead expense have been very inelastic, even under the
drastically vrrying conditions of the past ten years.
The net change in overhead cost during this period appears, in fact,
to have been so small that it is believed sufficient to show a single
column for it in Table XLVII, applicable to all three years for which
figures for average vessel sha.re are given. These data for overhead in-
clude the normal v;rite-offs for depreciation described in the preceding
chapter.
The table also shows the average vessel share and average overhead
for the geographical areas and for the coimtry at large after weighting
by the approximate total number of vessels engaged in each fishery.
9680
-121-
TA3LE XLYII
AVSP-A.G-E VESSEL SHARE AITD SSTIi.lATSD AYEIjiC-E omiEJl'S OH CVEPP^SAjj
EXPENSE, PEl^ SAI.IPLS a/ SHA23 VESSEL, Gi^TJLE A1>ID WEIGHTED AC-
CORDILTG T'^ TP3 TOTAL^VjlvIBER OE TESSSLS IIT EACH EISHSRY, 1934
AlH' 1929 COMPATiED UlTE 1333, 3Y APEA
Area
Average Vessel S^are
per Ve^s^sel^^
l"9*3'4 l'933' T9*29
Average 0?/ner ' s
Ex-oense per Ves-
sel y £/■
lien England:
Cru-de
Weighted
1*^,594
7,590
13,95fi
7,270
27,fi36
14,395
23 , 7f^9
15,7^4
Middle Atlantic:
Crude
Weighted '
3,091
2,811
2,8-'^.5
2,779
7,958
7,720
3,753
3,888
South :
Crude
Weighted
1 , 921
1 , 309
1 , 935
1 444
4,850
3,508
2,A3fi
2,220
C-reat Lalres:
Crude
Weighted
3,020
2,200
2,231
1,782
3,138
2,230
3,414
3,708
California:
Crude
Weighted
15,3'::9
14,110
8 , 007
7,172
12,852
11,511
9,100
7,185
Horthv/est and
Crude
Weighted
Ala slip.
1/
2,259
1,783
2,035
1,755
4,007
2,794
2,228
United States
Alas]:a:
Crude
Weighted
and
(^,.^74
5,^11
^,940
4,332
9,479
3,315
8,189
7,448
Source: Computed from returns to H.P.A. questionnaires on earnings in
the fishi.i^: industry,
a/ Vessels for v/hich usable data were obtaiited for the purposes
of the sti.dy.
t_/ Including v/rite-off for depreciation on vessel and fishing jear.
c/ -hese figiures apply without material change to 1929, 1933
and 1934.
d/ This appai-ent average loss in ITev; England in 1929 is discussed
in the te;;*';, Chapter XII.
e^l Excluding the Alaslia herring fishery, the conditions of which
make it difficult to figure vessel share Cn a oasis comparable
with the remainder of the industry.
9^30
-122-
It has not seemed advisable, in Table XLVII, to attempt to compute
profit or loss specifically; "but in a general way the differences between
the figures for average vessel share and those for overhead are believed to
indicate correctly the situation with respect to the net return of fishing
vessel owners over the years specif iedo
The following comnents are based on the weighted data,. They indicate
a failure in 1933, on aii averrige, to cover oimers' or overhead expense
after depreciation, in all sections of the country except California.
In the latter State in that year the vessel fisheries approximately broke
even.
The same was true in 1934, even after a considerable recovery in
the prices of fish and shellfisn, again with the exception of California,
8Jid with the qualification that in the Northwest and Alaska the average
loss was not large. In the case of California in 1934 there was a very
pronounced spurt in t he sardine reduction industry; most of the other
fisheries of the State continued to show a loss.
In 1929 a net profit was realized b^'' vessel owners, on an average,
in all areas, with the exceptiony on the face of the estimates, of a
small loss in Ne\7 Englando Even there a profit is indicated in 1929
for all fisheries excejot the miscellaneous group, which includes a re-
latively large number of vessels and consequently affects substantially
the weighted averagees in Table XLVII, The sar.ple for this group, on
the basis of the number of vessels, was not very large; ?nd it may be
that the los^ which it indicates for 1929 was not really representative. If
so, a profit may well have been actually realized, on an aver-ige, by New
England vessels in that year, though it cannot have been a large one,
For the fishing industry as a whole to show an cppreciably net profit
gigain, there will have to be a recovery in the value of the catch of about
20 percent over the level attained in 1954 - -Linless, of course, the fixed
investment should bo drastically reduced by scrapping the least profitable
vessels or otherv/ise. Even vi th a 20 percent price increase there would
still be a loss, on an aver-ige, in xTev/ England ano. the South, and probably
on the Great Lal<:es,
WAGES IN 1934 AM) IN 1929
The procedure used in arriving at the estimates for 1934 and 1929 in
Tables XLV and XLVII applies, of course, only to vessels working on shares.
The plan of presenting figures for those years was not formed early enough
to include in the original questionnaire a specific request for data on the
wages paid in 1929,
Subsequently some information was obtained with regard to the rates paid
in the principal wage vessel fisheries in 1934, as compared with 1933. These
figures have been discussed in Chapter VIII; and as a result it has been
pointed out that the earnings of v;age fishermen were far less elastic during
the depression years than were those of share workers. It is safe to assume
that, with the recovery in the prides of -.fish and shellfish which developed
from 1933 to 1934, the increase in labor cost for the owners of wage vessels
was materially less than the corresponding increase for the owners of share
vessels. In part, no doubt, the increase in the former case was merely defer-
red as a result of the accepted tendency of wa,ge adjustments to lag behind
the movement of commodity prices.
In general, however, the position of the o^.Tners of w^ge vessels with
respect to labor cost w.as improved in 1934 as compared with 1933, while the
reverse was the case with o\7ners of share vessels. Looking back^ar d, these
remarks apply also, with minor qualifications to 1929 as compared with 1933,
9680
-123-
THE ZARI'IilCrS OF EiTLOYLE 71 SHEHLE:! AITD THAPr^IEK IIT TEE
SALIIGII CAiVrim irDIJSTHY
SCOPE 0? THE .DATA
In a ;'orecedin-' ch-^iDter it has been r)ointed out that the
orit^inal body of data gathered in connection with the present study did
not cover the so-called "employee" fishermen of salmon canneries in
Alaska. The present cha.-oter will -oresent the information \7ith regard
to the earnings of this class v/hich was obtained subsequently from
other sources. As a matter of convenience it will also deal with the
men employed by these same concerns in connection with salmon tra'is.
The estimated value of the salmon caught in 19Z3 by employee
fishermen and trapmen has been given in Table XX as $5,795,983. This
is 77 -oer cent of the value of the v/hole Alaska salmon catch in that
year, and 64 per cent of the total value of the fishery catch of the
Territory.
SOIiaCES OE IlTF0..iA.TI01I
The informp.tion available at iirescnt with regard to the
earnings of employee fishermen ii". Alaska is derived from two s~oecial
inquiries. One of these covered ca.nneries v/hicli accounted for about
97 per cent of the salmon pack for the 1954 season only. The other
obtained data for the years 1933 and 1929 as well, but covered only 41
or 42 T)er cent of the 1934 pacJc, and still smaller proportions in the
case of the earlier years. These sn;aller sam2oles, moreover, were over-
weighted with the establishjnents of a few large companies. The figures
e>iven in this chapter a^re estimates for the whole industry, based on
a combination of the t\ o sets of data.
inCLUSIOlT OE 30AT Al'D SHORE FISHERI,ffi'^
A high ;iroportion of salmon fishermen in Alaska, and of
canning, company em^.jloyees es'oecially, v;ork on boats or from the shore
and not on vessels. The inquiries just mentioned covered this class
as well as the vessel fishermen - the boat and shore v/orkers, indeed,
constituting the bul:-: of the samples. For this reason the data on
earnings in this cha.ioter are comDarable with those thus far presented,
and particularly with the figures that have been ,.:iven for the North-
west and Alaska salmon fishery, only \':ith considerable qualification.
MJIQER OE EISHERLEH Al^D TRAPIEi'
The total number of fishermen en^a.ged in su-)r)lyin^ the
salmon canneries in Alaska in 1934 was 6,227, and in 1933, 5,398.
To these, for the "ourpose of comioarison with the data, for the United
States prober v;hic:i have been ^.-,iven in earlier cha-ntf rs of this report,
there should be added the men employed in connection with salmon
traps. In the case of Alas': :a these are not included in the Bureau of
9680
-124- •
Fisheries' figures for fir-hermen. The mimlDer of rien era^-jloyed in connoc-
tion \7ith cannery- ov.'ned or operated tra^os in 1954 a-onears to ha.ve "been
in the neighborhood of 500. This does not include the men emioloyed in
connection v;ith the independent or non-cannery tr?o3, v/ith regard to
v/hose nijinber no inforriation seems to be available. If ]:novm, hov.'cver,
the latter item would not increase the total volume of employment al-
ready indicated materially.
The nu..iber of emrilo-'-ee firdiermen in Alaska in 1334 may be
put, approximately, at 4,576. This -^as 73\ ver cent of the total num-
ber Pf fishermen engaged in su-ril;-inj the salmon cannin^^ industry. The
corresponding^ num.ber in 1935 is difficult -co estimate, but appears to
have been only a little lower - perharis 4,500.
Of the employee fishermen in Alaska in 1934 not quite a
half v/ere brought from the Tinited St'^tes by the cannin^ companies for
the season, IS per cent v-err^ whii^e residents of the Territory, and
35 -per cent were natives - Indians or Eskimos. These oroi:)ortions vary
£,reatly in different parts of Alasl:a. In the thinly populated Western
division practically all the fishermen are emiiloyees of the cannini^-
companies; and in 1934 GO per cent of these were brought from the
United States. In Southeastern Alaslia, hov;evor, v^hore the bulk of
the local poi-^ulation is concentrated, not much over a third were
em:oloyees in 1934; and of these onl'^ two -oer cent were brought from the
United Stages, while nearly 95 loer cent were natives.
PERI OS 0? E'.iPLQYIiErT
The work of the fisheriiien who su-nly the salmon canneries
in Alaska is concentrated in a short season of not more tlian tv^elve
or thirteen v^/eeks, durin^:. the months of June, July and Au-^ust. Some
of those who are broUjiht from the United States may be t alien to Alaska
early in May and brought back toward the end of September, so that they
are absent altogether for about five month;-. ; while on the other hand
both the fishing season propter and tnc whole "oeriod of absence may be
shorter.
Most of these residencs of the United States pror>cr, among
the employee fishermen, and also of the white residents of Alaska,
normally have other employment durin^ the remainder of the year; but no
detailed information with regard to the latter has been obtained in
connection with the study.
The earnings of the native employee fishermen during the
cannery season nrobabdy represent, in many cases, their only money
income. These men are still, in lar^_,e ^oart, pursuing their primitive
community life, with comparatively little change.
METHOD 0? CQLEPEIISaTIQI-I
For the actual \;crk of fishing employee fishermen in Alaska
are compensated at a i^iece rate of so much -ler fish caught. For work
at the canneries before and after the fishing season proper, and on
the vessels v/hile travelin^^ to and from the Territory, they receive
9680
-125-
extra compensation on a time basis. In the Bristol Bny district of
V/estern Alaska the latter is called "ran money". Elsewhere it seems to
have no sT)ecial name, but amounts to the same thing, The work remuner-
ated by these additional time payments includes the overhauling of fish-
ing craft and gear and the handling of cargo.
AV£EAG£ EARNINGS 07 EMPLGYE£ FISHERMEN
The following figures for the earnings of emroloyee fishermen, so
far as kno^Ti, include run money and other time payments, ps x^ell as the
basic, compensation per piece.
The results of the inquiries above mentioned indicate that the aver-
age earnings of employee fishermen from the salmon canning industry
amounted in 1934 to $747 for the season, and in 1933 to $518. One of
the questionnaires brought in some data on earnings in 19?9. The
sample, however, is small, and there is some doubt as to the represen-
tativeness of the figures for earnings. It does not, consequently, seem
advisable to include them h-^re.
The earnings of employe^ fishermen are materially higher in Western
Alaska than in other loarts of the Territory, and higher in Central Alaska
than in the Southeastern division. This is largely a consequence of
the relative scale of the fishing operations concerned; but it is also
associated with the percentages of employee fishermen brought from the
United States, and with the pror)ortions of ^i^ites and' of ' nat ives.
For these s?ime reasons the average earnings of emplcyee fishermen
are considerably larger in the case of the canneries operated by big
companies than in those of the smaller establishments. In the Bristol
Bay district, where the fishermen are practically all employees and
all work for large concerns, the average in 1934 was- about $1,073 for
the five months or less during which the men were absent from the
United States. For 1933 the equivalent figure would appear to have
been about $750. Co-ses of individual employee fishermen who earn
$2,000 in the course of a season under favorable circumstances are
said to have been not ■ancommon,
EARNINGS OF TRAPMEN
The returns to the questionnaire above mentioned indicate that
the average earnings of tue men employed in connection with salmon
cannery traps were about $400 for the season in 1934 and $325 in 1933,
These are monthly wages ^ not piece payments. There are no data for
the earnings of workers employed in connection with the independent
traps,
SPECIAJ. CONDITIONS OF THE T/ORK
In drawing conclusions from these figures for employee fishermen's
earnings the special conditions of the work must be borne in mind. All
the men brought from the United States proper and most of those employed
in the Territory receive board and quarters in addition to the above-
stated money compensation. In 1934 the cost of board rer man ran
9680
-126-^ ' ■
SlOO or a little less for. the season in Southeastern Alaska, and ollO
to $120 in the more remote sections.
♦ ■ ■ ■ , .■
Eraployee fishermen also, a.s a rule, receive -some free med-
ical service, and those brought to Alas'ca are trans^^orted to and fro
without char.^e, providing they remain throu/nout the season. Their
work v/hile actual fishing is in progress is- likely to "be hea\'y, v;ith
a proportion of very long days; out this is not a continuous state of
affairs', and for as much as a third, of the whole period of eaTployment
the work may not be' heavy, with a ^ood deal of free time. It must be-
remembered that the work.^at the longest, lasts less than half the year
and a-lso that the eraployee fishermen class includes a high ;-)ercentagc
of natives. For the latter the resulting money income .'is probably to
be looked on as really substantial.
The cost of the fishin,^, licenses and the amount of the
-school tax, from which the Territory of Alaska, derives a 'good deal of its
income, are in mai-iy 'cases paid oy "the ca.nnin,^, com-mnies and deducted from
the payments to the fishermen. The figures for earnin^.s ^.iven in this
chapter are understood to be after all such deductions.
THE VOLUIVE OF COIIPEITSATIQIT '
The total money com~oensation na.id to em^iloyee fishermen in
Alaska in 1934 may be estimated at S3,41:,000, and the total paid to
trapmen'at about $200,000. A corresponding figure for 193S is not so
easy to arrive at, both on account of the less re^oresentative character
of the data for that year and because the forecast of the value of the
pack that was probably used as a bar-is for setcinc^ the piece rates to
be paid to employee fishermen at the. beginning of the season would
appear to have been 'affected adversely -oy the pa.nicl:y state of business
in the late winter and early spring. Tentatively, however, the volume
of compensation of employee fishermen in 1933 may be ■;out at $3,331,000,
and that of trapmen at '$130,000. • ' •
COIvIPSi'SATIOk OF NON-EMPLOYEZ FISKEK-gh
One of the tv;o inquiries meitioned above also brought in
some data with re_:ard to the earnings of non-em-?loyee or inde^oendent
fishermen in Alaska. There were a-onroxinicitely 1,650 such persons in
1-934, but apparently only about 900 in 1933. Th.e reported average
earnine-s for this class were #335 for che 1934 season, and $293 for
1933:.
The average earnings for the 1933 season in the Northwest
and Alaska salmon fishery as a whole, as indicated by zhe returns to.
the main questionnaire sent out in connection with the urescnt stud;'-
ana stated m Table XXVII, were $345. The difference between this fig-
ure and the $293 cited in tlie precedin.: pars.graph reflects the difference
in the composition of the two samples. The'- $345 average covers only
the earnings of vessel fishermen, who are- all white and who include
a substanti'al proportion of residents of 'the tJnited States' proper. It
is, 'moreover, based in part on the" salmon fishery of Washington and
Oregon, where -the' season is longer than it is in- Alaska. The average
of $293, on the other hand, represents the earnin^,s of a group of whom
9680
-127-
mp,ny r^ere Ijo^.t fishermen, Fhile nearly half ^"ere Ale.'-ike n?tives.
There is another c omolicc'^tt ion v/hich has to he taken into
accorjit i:i compp.ring the stated earning'S of the employee and inde-
pendent fishermen A^ho supply the Ala ska s si mon^ canneries . In the
case of the Ir.tter the fi=?-oTes ohtained "by means of the main ques-
tionr-ai-3 ^-ere to.ken after the deduction of the cost of operating the
vessels. The emuloyee fishermen, ho'^evet, have in some cases to pay
for tJie fuel reauired. to ope;Late the craft on which they work. This
is hecauye of the difficulty of keeping a check' on the use of cannery"-
owned "oor/ts for the employees' jx ivate purposes. The extent, however,
to \hich the figures for earnings given above include the cost of
engine fuel, r.s a result of this practice, is at present unknoi^rri.
TOT;lL COIPSI^SATfoy of AXASFA SALKQ]' CAJf^TERY FISPISRI-^N
The "best estimates that can "be made of the total compensation
of the fishermen who supply the salmon cannei'ies in Alaska are ahout
$4,169,000 for the lS34~season and ahout $2,724,000 for that of 1933.
The first of these figures is 11.3 per cent of the value of the 1934
pack at pre-season prices, as reported "by the Bureau of Fisheries. The
1933 estimate represents a materially smaller ;oercentage of the corres-
ponding va3-ue for that yea.r, owing to the apparent underestimate of th2,
value of the pack at the "beginning of the season.
Since much the greater part of the salmon "osed "by the can-
ning industry is not sold in the raw, s,ny figure for the value of the
whole suoply in that condition is somewhat artificial. However, for
the purpose of supplying ratios for comparison with those already
sho\;:i in Ta'ble XXVII for other "branches of the in3.ustry, it may "be
said that the volume of fishermen's compensation just indie ted for
1934 works out at 44.0 per cent of the estimated value of the raw
supply, did th.?t for 1933 at 37.9 "per cent. These ratios are ^'ell in
line ■■it'll those for other fisheries.
-128-
chapt:^r XIV
EARlIIIiGS Ii; THE 130AT AID SHOHE ?ISH:]RI:]S
It ha.s already "been stated thp.t the "present survey e.s original-
ly planned, covered only the vessel fisheries. The rer^sons for this
limita.tion are ex":Dlained in Chapter IIV. T'le present chp^'oter presents
and discusses the information rjhich has since "been obtained with regrrd
to the "boat and shore fisheries,
D I ST 11 1 CT I Oil 3ET17SZIT THE 30AT AD "IS Simia I^ISHEP.IES
The term "hoa.t and shore" fisheries inplies that the part of
the industry now under consideration consists of two divisions. The
line of demarcation is not very distinct, "but in a general U3,y the shore
fisheries include those in rrhich no "boats nre used, or in which the
ratio of boats to men is very low. Clam digging, eel spearing ajid
fishing off beaches with haul seines are activities typica,l of this
class.
Since no survey of the fisheries of the Mississippi River and
its tributaries has been made for any recent year except 1931, the
following statement regarding the boat and shore division of the in-
dustry exc"-ude that region. Alaska, however, is included; and the
summary, therefore, is complete for the marine and lalce fisheries.
'■' Number of Fishing "Boats and Boat Eishermen
The nvjnber of fishing boats in use in the area Just defined
declined from 1929 to 1932 by 18 ~jor cent, but in 1933 was approximately
the same as in the preceding year - that is, about 52,500. The
corresponding number of boat '\nd shore fishermen declined perhaps five
per cent from 1929 to 1932, but increased appreciably from the latter
year to 1933, when it was ap'proxinr tely 80,250. Of this total approxi-
mately 62,800 -oersons, or 77 ocr cent, -jere engaged in the boat
fisheries proper, and 7,450 in the shore fisheries. The few hundred
men employed iii connection with saJmon traps in Alaska are excluded.
Prom 1908 to 1933 the number of boats in use declined by 30
per cent, and the number of boat fishermen by 18 ;oer cent. In 1929 the
average number of fishermen per boa.t was almost exactly the same as in
1908, but in 1933 it had risen by about 15 per cent. This increase was
probably due mainly to doubling up in the use of boats to reduce costs
under depression conditions.
The proportion of po-^er fishing boats increased greatly from
1908 to 1933 - from 13 to 51 per cent. It would be not unnatural to
suppose that this change was a cause of the increase in the average
number of men per boat, due to the attention required by the engines.
Such, however, does not seem to have been the ca.se. T/hether the in-
crease in the number of men per boat v/hich develooed from 1929 to 1933
will be maintained, it is ir.roossible at ^resent to say.
The class of casual fisherman, which constitutes about one-
9680
-129- ■
third of the total personnel of the boat and shore section of the
industry on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and the Qrea.t Lakes, and a
some^^hat lower proDortion for the country at Inrge, has "been described
in Chapter III,
EMPLOYEES AJ'JD EI^TREPRSIJSimS
It has been pointed out thpt the proTDortion of employees as dis-
tin^'a^uished from entrepreneurs in the boat and shore fisheries is low -
about 27 per cent - while the "oroDortion of ' i.nd©.Dendent operators of
one-man and loartnership units '^ith no employees is high - over 50 -oer
cent. The employee status in this branch of the industry, moreover, is
modified by special conditions even more than in the fisheries at large.
There can scarcely be said to be any ranks or occupations on fish-
ing boats exceiDt that of captain, and even the latter exists only in a
qualified sense.
In some of the bopt fisheries it is not uncommon for "oersons who
are not owners of the bor-ts on which they "'ork to o^^n shares in the
gear; and it is claimed that such men are in many cases consulted with
resnect to the ODeration of the boats and the sale of the catch, \»'herG
boats fish with nets of the more elaborate tyoes the investment in the
gear may be greater than the investment in the craft itself.
Ownershi-D of fishing boats in fleets oy single i^ersons or firms
occurs; but in this division of the industry, it is not a factor of
importance. Such boats are rarely owned by corporations, except where
they are operated on the side by '-'holesaling and processing companies.
The latter condition exists in the case of a large number of salmon
boats in Alaska and of many owned by wholesalers and processors in the South
especifiUyinthe shrimp-canning industry and in Florida.
THE VALUE 0? THE BOAT MID SHORE CATCH :
In 1935 the boat and shore fisheries, including salmon traps in
Alaska, accounted for 57 per cent of the total value of the industry's
catch, or about $33,055,000. The proportion has changed little in 25
years, but the absolute value of the boat and shore catch declined about
12 oer cent from 1908 to 1933, Of the value for the latter year about
$26,300,000, or 80 per cent, represented the catch of the boat fisheries
proper, about $3,378,000, or 10 per cent, the catch of the shore
fisheries, and about S3, 374, 000 the catch of salmon traps in Alaska.
The latter is an item of a special character.
The number of boats and the number of boat fishermen have declined
during the twenty-five years so much more than the value of the boat
catch that the average of the latter per boat and per man has risen
substantially.
The figiares for the long-time changes in the equipment, personnel
and output of the boat and shore fisheries, which have been discussed
in the last few paragraphs, are summarized in Table XLVIII,
9680
-130-
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-131-
BOAT FISHERIES OP THE MISSISSIPPI AKEA
While the fisheries of the Ilississippi River ?.nd its tri-
butaries have "been excluded from the foregoing sunmar:/, they cannot, in
dealing with the "boat and shore division of the industry, be ignored
entirely^ Since the recent data for that rrea, however, are confined
to the year 1931, they are shoun in Table UjVIII in separate columns.
The Kississippi River are--; accounts for only six or seven per
cent of the total value of the bos.t pnd shore catch, but for 22 or 23
per cent of the boa.ts in use and for 15 or 17 per cent of the. fishermen.
The value of the catch caiopears to have fallen off since 1908 by about
the same amount as in the ca.oe of the other boat fisheries, but the
number of boats and of fishernen has increa.sed appreciably. The average
value of the catch per boat a:id per man in this area, therefore, has
declined considerably from levels already low. The average of a trifle
more than one man per boat has remained practically unchanged.
TI-IS BOAT AID SEORE CATOK 3Y l^IS:rj:]RY
In Ta.blc XTJX the value of the boat and shore catch in 1933
is shown by area. a.nd fishery. The latter term is in this case used
somewhat arbitrarily, and with a vievr chiefly to classifying the catch
in a manner xikely to be informative to the non-specialist. The kinds
of fish ana shellfish caught could not be used as a sole basis because
in some cases, as in the pound net fisheries in general and in the haul
seine fisheries of the South, the Sc.me men and gear take a great variety
of species.
Since the only a.vailrble data for the catch of the Mississippi
area are for 1931 and not 1933, they could not be included in Table
XLIX. Nearly 94 per cent of the value of the Ilississippi catch in 1931
was made up of half a dozen iter..:;: catfish and bullheads (30.3 per cent),
buffalofish (23,7 per cent), car^ (15.7 per cent), mussel shells (14.6
per cent), and frogs (4,5 r:)er cent). The mussel shells are raw material
for the pearl button industry.
(*) For the purposes of the compr-Tison with 1929 and 1908, the data
for which cannot be segregated between the boat and the shore fisheries,
the averages per boat, in Table XLVIII are based on the value of the
catch of this division of the industry as a whole, and not on that of
the boat fisheries in the strict sense, as in the last paragraph but
one of the text.
9580
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TABI£ XL I A
VALU3 OF Hm CATCPI OF TFS BOAT AlID SHORT FISK3RIES, SXCLUDINa
TIE i:iSSISSI?PI PJTJR iiPjiA, BY JiBIJi MD FISIIEHY,
1933
Area end fishery
Value of catch
Ne\7 England
G-roojidf ish
Pound net
Mackerel
Herrin:?
S\-'ordiish
Lobster
Clam
ScpHoit
Eel
Or 8;o
Miscellaneous
Total
Middle Atla.ntic
G-roundf ish
Pound net
Bluef ish
Shpd
Lobster
Clam
Oyster
Scallop
Crab
Eel
Miscellaneous
Total
a/
South
Haul seine
Pound net
Mullet
' Red snapper
Shad
Kingf ish
Oyster
Shrimp
Sponge
Crab
Clam
Miscellaneous
$2,280
222
388
103
196
1,612
1,029
413
25
39
234
6,551
3,839
508
1,181
651
205
217
120
1,810
1,525
697
458
133
0O5
818
333
793
077
906
161
624
943
766
513
944
365,
,815
643,
,429
126.
,308
89,
,240
168
,374
642.
,823
742
,531
155,
,010
569
,693
51
,847
284
,237
312
596
878
101
100
840
935
319
516
044
389
393
260
Totrl
7 ,,933, 371
9580
(Continued)
-133-
TASLS XL IX
(Continued)
Arep aind fishery Value of cat^h
Grec't Lakes a/
Ontario $39,209
Erie ' 1,353,354
Huron 1,007,065
Michigan 439,343
Superior 336,056
Other W 104,291
Total 3,279,334
Ca.lifornia
H-^nd line 262,669
Gill net 164,355
Sardine 194,766
Sfilmon 188,941
T^jina 32,475
Flounder 53,721
Crp.D 256,187
Lobster ' 74,505
Ct^ster . 50,569
Miscellaneous 113,877
Total 1,377,067
NorthT7est and Alaska
Salmon:
Cannery boats 2,590,804
Independent boats 3,081,825
_ Traps, Alaska , 3,373,877
Total, Salmon 9,046,506
Hal ibut 355 , 255
Crab 187,359
Oyster 301,166
Clajn . 159,198
Miscellaneous 22,282
Total ro, 071, 765
United States and A].aska 33,052,794
Source: Cora'^uted fron dnta in B^oreau of Fisheries, Fishery Industries
of the United States.
a/ Estimated by the author.
b/ Lake of the T/oods, Rainy Lake and ITamakan Lo.ke.
9680
-134-
SIZE AKD GROSS IITCOI IE OF ?;OAT AIID . SKO?J] i:HTI]KPaiSi:S
The vnlue of the average catch per "boat in the iDOat fisheries
in 1933 (excluding the Mississir)::i River erea) uas $392. The average
niira"ber of men per boat ^7as 1.33, and the average value of the catch ver
man T7as $290. In the shore fisheries the averr^^^-e value per nnn ^las
$167, The remarks already made v/ith regard to the sofII size of the
typical fishery enterprise, therefore, apply with accentuated force to
this division of the industry. The linit placed by these a.verages of
gross earnings on the average net incoiie of the persons concerned is
evidently very lo\7.
One or two qualifications, however, have to he borne in mind
in interpreting the figures just given. In the first pla.ce about a
third of all boat and shore fishernen are engaged in the industry on a
casual basis only. The available data regarding the vjro-oortion of their
incomes that these men derive from callings other than fishing are scat-
tered and difficult to sur.i:"na.ri^^e; but the caverage tot?l ea.rnings of the
class probably exceed;^ the net income drawn from the fishing industry '\:>y
25 per cent, or rather more.
In the second Dlace the figures for gross revenue given above
are averages for the power boat and the sail and rowboat fisheries taken
together. It has not thus far been "oracticrble to segregate the Vralue
of the catch of tiie two divisions; but the average value per power boat
is m.uch higher than the rverage per sail or rowboat. The opera-ting ex-
pense of the latter i's little more than nominal, and a very large pro-
portion of the persons using then engage in fishing on r. casual basis
only.
Sm.n./IARY OF MTA Oil 'rfPICiLL BOAT OPERilTIOITS
The data, obtained by means of the supplementary quest ionna.ire
on typical craft in the boat and shore division of the industry are sum-
marized for a. number of representative fisheries in Table L.
These figures, which are the first of their kind to be assembled,
are somewhat provisional. Further corres'Dondence moreover, for which
time has thus fa.r been lacking, is needed to make clear in detail the
distribution of the net stock as between the boat owners and the sha.re
workers in their employ. From the table as it stands only rough averages
of the net earnings of all participants can be inferred.
It seems probable thct e.verages of the data for the various
groups of power boats in Table L, weighted with the total numbers of
boa.ts in each fishery, would be fairly representative of the motor boat
division of the boat and shore fisheries, excluding cannery-owned or
opera.ted craft in Alaska, with its 2S,000 motor boats and 40,000 fish-
ermen. For the present, however, such general averages should be re-
garded as tentative only, and it has not seemed a^dvisable to incorpora,te
them in the re")ort.
.9680
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'(IIOTSS TO TikBLS L)
GSirsrUilj IIOTE; This ta'mlr,tio:.i oi trie returns to the N.Pl.A.
supplementary questionnaire on the "bort fisheries is provisional. Addi-
tional investigation is needed to clarify the inter^oretation of the data,
and to make it prncticaole to utilize rarterisl on sone points not covered
"by Tahle L as it stands. This applies ^particularly to the details of the
distribution of the net stock of fishing "boats between owners and shere
workers,
a/ The data in the first five and the seventh coliiLins are for
1933, except in the South and the Great Lakes, v;here they are for 1932,
The remaining drta were asked for as of 1934, but for practical purposes
are applicable to any of the Isist four or five years.
IdJ The suppleraenta.ry questionnaire, in most cases, called for
data on each fishery in a single specified State or jDort. To a consider-
able extent, however, the returns are applicable to other parts of the
same areas. The figures in these columns are for the largest groups of
States to which it is believed that the questionnaire data ca.n safely be
taken as applying, and' except where otherwise 'stated they are for the
whole of the areafe concerned.
cj The rowboats included in this classification p.re to a con-
siderable extent subsidiary to the motor boats, and do not represent in-
dependent enterprises,
d/ These figures for total and average value of catch have
been segregated by estimate to correspond as nearly as practicable with
the types of boat (motor or other) specified in the sixth column. They
are comparable with the numbers of "boats in the first or the second
column, or with both, accordin;;; to circumstances, but not in all cases
with the numbers of men in the third column.
Not only a^re these value of ca.tch f igu.res for a year of acute
de;oression, but the avera.ge values per boat, in a number of cases, re-
present smaller and less efficient craft than the "tyoical" boats to
which the questionnaire data on costs and expense aoply, and are there-
fore too low for comparison with the latter as they stand. The adjust-
ment of the data, for this discrepancy ;oresents problems which cannot be
solved without additional information and study,
ej Kind of boat to which the quentionnaire data, in the eighth
and follo\7ing colioinns relate,
f/ The first of these figures for the average number of laen
per boat in each fishery is based on Bureau of Fisheries data, for motor
and other boasts taken together. They tend to be somewhat belov; the true
a-verages for the former, a.nd so;aev7hat above the true ai-verages for the
latter.
( Continued)
9680
IJoteo to Table L (continued)
' ■ " The differences bet^Teen these and the t;roical niinher of men
per "bbat from the questionnaires, in the follov/ing colunin, are in most
cases not rap.terial. T/here they rre suhstantis.l, hoiTCver - as in the
ca.se of the first t-jc fisheries in the table - the FJveT8.Qe value of the
catch shown in the fifth column is probably particularly loxr in pro-
portion to the cost r.Ticl e.->:pense fi-j:ures for the corres;oondin'£: tj^ical
boats.
g/ Round figures; to be used with caution.
h/ Life indefinite.
ij Not stated in schedule.
jj In addition to board while actively em;Dloyed.
k/ Sailboats and ronboatss
!_/ Interpolated; not stated in schedule.
m/ Substituted for the statement in the schedule that the
life is indefinite.
n/ As tiiey stand these figures are inconsistent. It seems
probable that the assignment of 100 ;oer cent o± the personnel to boasts
with no employees is nearly correct, raid that the number on wages is
not important.
gj Hot stated in scliedule, btit presumably small, if not
negligible.
jo/ ITot stated in schedu3.e, but unimportant.
qJ Omitted because of uncertainty as to how far the motor
and other boats in this fishery work together in the same enterprises.
r_/ ■ These averages are not comparable. The second one is
probably the number of men to a seine.
s,/ Q,uestionnaire data fron the single schedule returned from,
the Great Lakes area.. The extent to which these figures are represen-
tative of all the motor boat fisheries of the Lakes is uncertain. So
far as they can be checked they appear fairly typical.
t/ For all boo.t fisheries of the Great Lakes.
u/ For all motor boat fisheries of the Great Lakes.
vj If the first of these averages for men per boat on the
Great Lakes v/ere based on motor boats only, the discrepancy would
ID rob ably disaD-oear, . .
(Continued)
9680
-139-
Notes to Table L
( Continued)
w/ The catch ^ler "boat in thin fishery is small, "but the total
value of the "boat catch cannot "be satisfactorily segregated, with the
inforrnation at present available, fron the nuch larger vessel catch.
2c/ Paid chiefly to boys, "jho see]: the era_oloy?nent largely for
the exoerience rnid t"ne s;oorto
-^ Verification of this radical difference fro)! the general
practice of the "boat fisheries vdth res'oect to the carriage of marine
insur.once would "be desira'ble.
tJ This average can hardly "be correct, as all the other data
indicate 100 per cent of "boats v/itii no employees.
9680
-140-
CHAPTER :CV
TIIE ISTUi^S TO THE qUESTIOHHA-IHS AHD THE SIZE
Al^lD MTUSE OE THE SAMPLE
So far as the v/riter is aware this study represents the first
attempt to collect comprehensive datp. on the earnin/^'s of fishermen,
and the first to na2:e a large scale survey of a-ny phase of the fish-
ing industry "by a nail quest ionna,ire £ind hy correspondence,
SIE^ICULTILS or L^HE FEDJECT
Wlien the project nas first pl^.nned it '.7as realized tlir.t the oTd-
stacles to its success were fornidable. The questionnaire was to "be
sent to a la,ri[;e numuer of persons, of whom the great mo,jority had pro-
ha'bly never filled out such a form. The educa,tion and e::perience of
these persons would tend inevita'blj'' to be ina-dequate for the purpose.
The enterprises on which a large proportion of then would he asked to
report are small; and "because of this exact records would not, in
many cases, he available to supply the information desired,
LIMITATION OF THE SUHVEY TO VESSELS
In view of these obstacles it was thought be^it not to attempt too
much at the beginning, and for that reason to confine the present sur-
Yey to vessels of five net tons or more. To have covered the boat and
shore fisheries as well would have meant sending out a total of about
70,000 question: laires. It did not seem probable that the schedule em-
ployed, which was complex even for the smaller vessels, could have been
used at all for boats.
The original purpose of the study was to obtain information re-
garding the earnings of the employees of the industry, and in the boat
fisheries only a minority,'' of enterprises have such persons in their
service. Many of the members of boat crevrs who cp:a be classified as
emplo3''ees, ::ioreover, deserve that na.me only in a ver^; modified sense,
Finally, the proportion of boats for which no records of opers.tion would
be available was believed to be so large as to make it doubtful v/hether
the sample of information obtainable through the mediiri of a survey by
mail vrould be representative enough to malie the attempt T'orth while.
Subsequently it v/as found possible to gather some information of
interest vdth regard to the operation of fishing boats. These data
have been discussed in Chapter XIV, Reallir systema.tic and detailed
figures on the boat and shore fisheries and the earnings of their crews,
however, can be obtained only by means of field work. A beginning on such
a study is nov; being maae ''oy the Bu.reau of Fisheries as a part of the
Federal vrork relief program,
SEASOl'AL FACTO?. IE THE VOLUIIE OF 5ETU5ITS
Apart from these inevitable difvicultien the results of the survey
were somewha-t affected ''oir the tine of year a,t which the questionnaire
was sent out. The vessels in some of the most important fisheries are
96SO
-141-
very "busy duriiv; the nonths of Auriist, SeptemlDer r.ncl OctolDer; and it \7as
in this season that the cchcdule r/as receivecT. This caused special
difficulty in the case of SLia.ll vessels uhich had no representatives on
shore to fill in the forii for then, A good many rho received the ques-
tionnaire atte-.ided to it at the end of the season, c\nd replies drifted
in as late as the spring of 19;; 5» I-^ this -particular difficulty had
been realized in tine, however, it would pro'bahl}'' have oeen possihle,
"by a syste:natic follov'-up in Novenher or Decenhei', to raise the pro-
portion of usahle returns appreciaoly,
Without a radical change in the conditions of the industry, how-
ever, a rather lo\/ naxirnum li^iit on the size of the sa:x)le of fishing
vessels for v/hich it would "be possiole to gather data, of the kind and
in the detail sought oy the present study is imposed hy the prevalent
lack of records, :
THE I-iAILII'IG LIST
Tifhen the study was originally plan:ied the nones of the fishing
vessels in active operation in 1933 '-ere not availa'ble. Use was there-
fore made of the 1S32 schedules of the Bureau of Fisheries as a nailing
list. It later appeared that, except ,- inAla.ska., the nunher of vessels
actively engaged in cora::iercial fishing in 1933 ^'^^^ everywhere somewhat
smaller than i.t had "oeen the year "before. To this e;:tent, therefore,
the mailing list, contained dead ncj:ier:,.
The 1932 schedules for the Pacific coast were not on file in
Washington, For California a list of the actual schedules was ohtained.
For the Pacific Northwest and Alaska this could not he done, and use had.
to "be made of a list compiled from other sources. This contained a
relatively large niixihor of dead najnes and duplications.
THE BSTURhS TO TEI] CUESTIOmiAIldB
Altogether these lists contaiiied the nameG of a"oout H, 7OO vessels,
of \7hich 3*650 a.re estimrated to have "been in actual use for commercial
fishing in 1933« --l^e total nur.iher of vessels for which some_ return
v/as made was S9'+, excluding a few v/ith regard to which statements were
received in the form of letters, of which no record was kept, Tahle
LI shovfs in detail the nmnher of vessels for vrhich usahle and u.nus-
able returns were received, and the reasons for the inc?-r".sion of var-
ious groups in the latter category.
The returns for the vessels constituting one— i.ian or partnership
units with no emploj^'ees were not used, primarily, "because the main pur-
pose of the study vras to ohtain information on the ea;,rningG of employed
workers. In dealing with the expenses and income of vessel ovrners these
reports might he.ve "been utilized; hut the data vrhich they supplied was
so incomplete that the effort did not seem vrorth ^-^hile.
96SO
-142-
TATLE LI
mn.IBEIl OF VESSELS FOR "THIGH n^TUia^'S I7EEE ilADE TO THE OPJGIHAl QUESTION-
miRE, CLASSIFIED ACOQBDim TO THE DISPOSITIOH OF KIE SCI^IDULES WITH
KEFS3EITCE TO THE SAiIPLE a/, AID THE RSASOITS TFiEPJiFOR
Classific.ajbion l\Tiirn]^er oiLXaas-al^
Vessels engaged in co ^-lerciaJ.
fishing in 1933 5
Supplying usalDle data:
'Jith employees 5^2 b/
"FJith no emploj'-ees ^9
Total 551
Fa-iling to supplj^ usaole data:
Data, inconplete or inconsistent 77
Vessel chartered a.nd da.ta not ■
availalDle to owner 1
Oyster vessels c/ 32 c_/
Ho records for supplying data 21
Ho data. on earnings or finances
reported, and no -reason given
for non-completion 32
Total 163
Total vessels engaged in
coi-iinercial fishing in 1933 71^
Vessels not engaged in commercial fishing
in 1933:
Out of commission 1U6
In use for sport fishing only 12
In use for transportation pui^poses only 22
Total IgO
Grand Total for uhich returns were made S9H
SOURCE: Returns to H.R.A. cuestionnaire on earnings in the fishing industry,
a/ Vessels for v^hich usaole data vrere o"btained for the purposes of the
study,
h/ This item hecaiie the oasis of the final sample. The other items in
the table nere excluded, as e:rolained in the te::t.
c/ These schedules were returned hlanl-: through a misunderstanding as t(
the scope of the study. Equivalent data vrere suhsequently obtained
from another source indicated in Table LII.
96go
-143-
The returning of 32 unfilled schedulec for oyster vessels v;as the
result of a misunderstanding of the scope of the study. The I>areau of
Fisheries includes oyster dredges in its classification of fishing vessels.
They "belong under that hea.d, hov/over, only in a qualified sense; and the
recipients of the schedules just mentioned assumed that their vessels r/ere
to "be excluded. A fair sample of information regarding this group having
"been obtained from other sov.rces, the matter was not follovred up.
The relatively large nu-.foer of returns nhich \iere not usa-"ble "because
of the incompleteness or internal inconsistency of the date, reflects the
small average size of a large proportion of fishing enterprises, and the in-
adequacy of the records that are kept. Such efforts as v;ere made to o"btain
corrections in schedules of this hind proved more successful than was at
first expected; and if this plan had "been followed more systematically and
from an earlier date the proportion of returns unusa'ole on this account
could pro'ba'bly have "been rediiced considera"bly.
The vessels reported as in use only for sport fishing or for- trans-
portation purposes in 1933 ^'^^id presuma"bly "been engo.ged in commercial fishing
the previous year, "but had "been transferred to the other emrolojinents because
of the st?-te of the marhet for tlieir products.
SUPPLEi.lEiTTAIlY STUDIES AlID DATA
For reasons s.lready errplained the original questionnaire failed to o"b-
tain usa"ble samples of information with regard to several important fisheries^
To fill these gaps as fa,r as possible, use was made of part of the returns
to a questionnaire sent out in the fall of 193^ "by the Code Executive Com-
mittee of the Fresh Oyster Indus trj'', on errroloyment, working hours and wages.
Besides this, several special inquiries were undertajien with the cooperation
of other code adiainistrative "bodies and. of the Sureau of Fisheries. The
nature of these latter, and the num"bers of vessels with regard to which
information was o'btained "by meciic of them and of the original q_uestionnaire,
are shown in Table LII. The cl^ta for the vessels incl^ided there constitute
the final sample used for the purjoses of the study,
SIZE AW BEPRESEIITATIVEITESS OF THE SA.,I?LES
The nuTiiber of vessels covered '"o-y this sample and the number of persons
in their crews can be com.pared with totals for each area, but not for each
fishery. Such a coinparison is made in Table LIII. The value of the catch
or the gross stock of the sample vessels, however, can be compared with
totals for each fisaery as well. This comparison appears in Table LIV.
These tables show that the final sample includes ly per cent of the
vessels operating in the com :ercial fisheries in the cov.ntry in 1933j 2U or
25 per cent of their crews, and 33 pei" cent of the value of their catch.
9680
-144-
TALLE LI I
MTLlBEil or VESSIILS IN THE FIKAl S.UIPLE, d
'SL SOUPuCE OF DAi^A
Source Itoi.i'ber of
Vecsels
Returns to original raiestionnaire 5^^
Returns to labor questionnaire of
Fresh Oyster Inc'ustry IS
Special surve*' of Atlantic
mackerel vessels 10
Special survey of nenliaden
Vossels lo ]d/
Special survey of Alaslia herring
vessels IS
Total includec. in the •
final saople a/ 567 ;b/
a/ Vessels for v/hich usahle data vrere obtained as a iDasis
for the stud.y.
h/ Data for 23 additional nenhaden vessels, uhicJi \7ere re-
ceived too late to "be incorporated in the "body of the
report, are su:ina.rized in Appendix I.
9620
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9680
-146-
TABLE LIV
VALUE OE CATCH OF ALL FISHING VESSELS AiH) OF SAI.IPLE a/
VESSELS, LY AEEA AW FISHERY, 1933
Area and Fishery
Ne\7 England
G-roundf ish
Mackerel
Oyster
liiscellaneoiis
Total
Value
of Vessel Ca.tch
All
Vessels
Sample
Vessels a/
$5,093,^'
391,000
677,116 .
772,06^1
6,933,606
$2,191,5^3
121,0^7
Ui7,5iS
217,7^2
2,9^7,250
Per cent of
Total Value
Represented "by
Sample a/
U3.O
31.0
61.7
2g,2
U2.5
Middle Atlantic
Oyst er ( excluding
, .
Maryland)
1,3^7, 6go
316, 7S0
23.5
Scallop
215, SU7
106,10s
i+9.2
Pound net
273,190
61,352
22.6
• Miscellaneous
66^,0^2
156,1^93
23.6
Total
Not represented "by sample
Oyster ( Mary 1 and)
Grand Total
South b/
Red Snapper
M enhs.de n
Shrimp and oyster
Miscellaneous
Total
Great Lakes t/
Lake Erie
Lakes Huron
and Michigan
Total
Not represented "by sample
Lakes Ontario and
Suoerior
Grand Total
96SO
2,500,759
ios,3o6
2,609,065
3^5,661 h/
602, 6S7 ^/
1,116,963 t/
362,507 'oj
2,U27,glS h/
119, S7^ b/
1,197,720 by
1,317,59^ i/
7U,Ugg
1,392,0S2
(Continued)
6^9,233
195,3SS
257,37^ c/
S2,2S5
UU,732
579,759
39,3S5
292,059
331, ^^^
2^5.6
56,5
U2.7
7.^ d/
12,3 ^f
23.9
32.9
25.2
-147-
TAJ3LE LIV
(Continuec.)
Value
Pel
• cent of T(
Area and Fishery
of Vessel Catch
Value Re'oresei
All
Sample
■by
Sajiplc a/
r <'
Vessels
Vessels
a/
California
Tuna
$2,9oU,390
$1,052,529
36,U
Tuna and sardine,
Southern California
925, sog
305,921
33-1
Sardine, llonterey
959,690
92,320
9.6 e/
Paranzelia net
^!-5i,97i
302,679
67.0
Alaska cod
53,590
U2i,7i+i
Ul,229
f/
Miscellaneous
IS, 766
\^ ^l
Total
5,717,190
1,219,56^
31.2
Northwest and Alaska
•
Kal itut
1,991,09^
SOS, 55s
Uo,6
Salnon (seining and
trolling)
1,699,299
225,637
13.3^
Alaska herring (for
reduction plants)
270,195
iUU,6oo
53.5
Alaska cod
106,^23
27,152
1/
I.iiscellaneous
5^,^+77 W
6U,039
n/
1/
Total j_/
U,121,USS 1/
1,329,992
1/
32.3
l\io{; represented "by
sample
Salnon (traps)
Alaska herring
(for salteries and
"bait plants) h/
Discrepancy in value of
herring for reduction
plants h/
Grand Total j_/
Recapitulation!
Catch of Fisheries:
Represented "by sample
Not represented "by
saiiiple
Discrepancy in value of
herring for reduction
plants h/
United States and Alaska j_/
1,0^3,775
7U, 50s
352,199
5,597,970 J./
23,013,^55
1,301,077
352,199
2^,677,731 i/
7,6U9,sU2
32.2
9680
(Continued)
-148-
TA3LE LIV
(Continued)
a./ Vescels for -/hicli usa'ble data \-'cre olDtained as a, "basis for the study,
'h/ Estimated "by the author.
_c/ Ttto Eienliaden vessels ^-'orking on shares, r^hich are included in the
miscellaneous group in Taoles XlllY to XXIX, a.re here, for purooses
of conroarison, grouped v'ith the menhaden nage vessels in the South.
d/ These fisheries are carried on oy sr.aJ.l vessels, in many cases only
just aoove the five-ton line, Hecords are scanty and the response
to the questionnaire was poor. The representativeness of the sample
is open to some douht,
_e/. This is not a random sample, the 10 vessels nhich it includes having
iDeen selected "by a qualified informant on the ground as supplying
a fair cross section of the fishery. It is "believed therefore, that
though it accounts for a relatively small percentage of the totc.l
catch, it is not less representative than the other saxrples,
f_l It is "believed that the scj.rple includes all the vessels engaged in this
fishery in 1933 > s^c. that tlie difference loetueenthe ti;o figui.res
for the value of the catch is dae to methods of computation.
As the catch is not sold in an unprocessed state the value is in
any case artificial.
g/ This fishery includes many small vessels for \7hich the records are un-
satisfactor^''. The sample, hor/ever, though it accpiints for a relatively
small percentage of the total valtie, includes returns for 65 vessels,
and is "believed to "be smficiently representative,
h/ The value of the total catch of herring reduction plants in Alaska is
"based on the average "orices reported "by the individual companies in-
cluded in the sample. These prices are consideralDly lower than that
used "by the Bureau of li'isheries in arriving a,t its estimated value of.
the whole catch. The value of tlie catch of salteries and "bait plants
in the ta"ble is "based, in the lack of other da,ta, on the Bureau pricSi
It is oonscquently too high in proportion to the item for the reduction
plants,
_i/ Both the sample and the totc-1 values in this case are residual figures,
and are not com.para'ble, I
j_/ Excluding the catch of all salmon traps and of other vessels e:nd. gear
ovmed or 0"oerated "by salm.on canneries in Alaska,
There are arguments for measuring the size of the samples on any
of these three "bases. It is :"best, proha'dy, to keep all of them in mind.
In ma,king the foregoing , stateyients uith regard to the size of the
sample, the items specified in Tahle LIV as not represented at all have been
excluded. These latter account for only eight per cent of the total number
of fishing vessels, for six per cent of their crews, 'and for less than six
per cent of the value of their catch; and with respect to the countr3'- as a
whole their inclusion or exclusion does not much affect the size of the
sararple. In the case of a few individual fisheries, hovrever, the segregation
of these items does influence the re'oresentation ao-orecia"bly.
96SO
-149-
No special steps nere talzen, for various reasons, to fill the gaps
corresponding to these excluded ite^is. The oyster fishery of I.Iaryland -
the only vessel fishery in that St?.te ~ \7orks on a snail scale, and the
collection of data nas hampered "by local difficulties connected uith the
1T.R.A, codes. The vessel fishery of Loi:e Ontario is negli^^jihle, and that
of Lake Superior is of very secono^ry importance. The unrepresented Alaska
herring plants a.re for the nost part too inaccessihle to "be reached hy the
methods of the study.
The samples ohtained for the miscellaneous fisheries of the South and
of California, for the salmon fishery of TiTashington and Oregon, r^id for the
shrimp and oyster fisheries of the South a,re a good deal helor; the standard
of size for the survey as a nhole. These all involve ma.ny small vessels,
v;hich are orrned "by persons ill eouipped to fill out complex questionnaires
and for v/hich the records are inadecuate. It does not necessarily follow,
however, that the samples a.re not representative. In the cr.se of the salmon
fishery of Washington and Oregon in particular no reason is kno^vn for
supposing that such is the case. T"ne saxiple of the shrimp and oyster fish-
eries of the South, houever, is especially small, and six of the total of 20
vessels were ov/ned "by a single co' roany. No positive reason is knovm for
thinl'ing that these data are unrepresentative; Irat they need to he used Tilth
special caution.
The representation of the ilontere;: sa.rdine fishery is also small. This
is not, houever, a random sample, hut na.s selected "by a qua-lified informant
on the ground as constituting a fair cross section of the fisherjr,
TESTS OF THE MTA FOR IHTERML COIXISTEITCY
In view of the limitations on the volume of data ootainaole uhich vrere
imposed "by the conditions of the industr;/ it ha.s seemed advisahle, _ hesides
measuring the size of the samples a^ssemoled, to test them fiirther hy analyzing
certain internal relations of the iteyis called for hy the schedii.le,
(1) The ratio to the value of the catch of operating expense, vessel share
and crew share was computed for each share vessel, and the resulting percent-
ages were distributed in frequencies, hy area. In every case there resulted
a distribution with a v;ell-def ined .lode, which resemhled a normal frequ.ency
curve sufficiently to estahlish likelihood that the data constitiited a
representative sample. Such peculiarities of distrihution a.s v;ere met with
appeared to "be a.dequatel;'- accoiuited for hy known conditions.
(2) The operating expense and the vessel and crew share for each share
vessel were added together, and the total compared with the value of the
catch. Theoretically this correspondence should he exact, "but fnere are
legitimate reasons for many minor discrepancies. In all hut a small pro-
portion of cases - perhaps five to ten per cent of the total nimher of
vessels - the sum of the three items varied from the gross stock hy not more
than five per cent. Cases v/here tlie va.riation vras greater than this have
"been included in the sample only v/hen the figures supplied appeared reliahle
on other grounds, or when a prooa-hle explanation of the excess discrepancy
suggested itself. For all share vessels included in the final saxiple the
sum of operating expense, vessel share a^nd crew share varies from the value
of the catch hy only one-half of one per cent.
-150-
EEPBESENTATION 0? LAHGE AID SiiALL ^/ESSELS
The fact that the percentaces of vessels, of nen, anJ. of the Collar
output covered "by the sample differ :iaterially indicates in itself that the
larger vessels are disproportionatel;.' represented. It is uiiliL-icly that this
result coiild have heen avoided, ^2he larger vessels are tae ones for vrhich
the most complete and consistent records existed, and in the case of which
there were r.iost likely to he persons on shore conpetent to reply to a
questionnaire. The o^-ners of such vessels, moreover, tended, on an average
to "be suoerior in education and in "breadth of e:rperience to the owners of
the snail er units.
The extent of this overrepresentation of large vessels 'oir the study is
indicated roughly in Tahle LV. A part of the difference in the proportions i
of the various tonnage classes which the ta"ble shows, however, is due to the "
discrepancy "between the classifications and the areas covered,
TA3LE LV
DISTRIBUTIOH OF SAI.IPLE VESSELS a/, I933, Ai'ID OE ALL EISIIIHG
VESSELS ON TIE] ATLiUITIC Al'JD GULF COASTS, 1920,
3Y TOlLlAGE CLASS
Sanole Vessels a/
Per cent
Tonnpgc of lto.i"ber of
Class Vessels
All Fishing Vessels,
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Per cent of
Tonnage l^jaVoer of
Class Vessels
Under I5 tons 3U.O )
15 to 29 tons 2^.^ )
30 to U9 tons 1^.3
50 tons and over 2b, 3
Total 100.0
30 tons and
under Cl,^
31 to 50 tons 5,g
51 tons and over 12,8!
Total 100.0
SOURCES: Computed from data in Eureau of Fisheries,
Fishery Industries of the United, States, 1930 ,
and returns to 11,'R.A. questionnaire on earnings
in the fishing industry.
sJ
Vessels for which usa"ble data were obtained as a "bp.sis
for the study.
9620
-151-
CORRECTION OF DISTORTION BY WSIGHTIN&
The unequal representation of the various fisheries in the sample,
v'hich is shown "by Table LIV and the over-representation of large ves-
sels which has just been commented on, are the two things most likely
to have a distorting effect on averages and ratios derived from the
data which were obtained for the purpose of the study. The former,
however, v/hich only affects the derived figures for the large geogra-
phical areas and for the country as a whole, is much more important
from this standpoint than the latter.
The average tonnages of the sample vessels in individual fisheries
do not in most cases vary materially from the tonnages of the corres-
ponding typical vessels reported on the supplementary schedule. More-
over, even where such a variation exists, it need not affect the re-
presentativeness of the sample seriously, as long as the terms of the
lays in use, the distribution of operating expenses, the length of the
fishing season and the species caught were the same, as they v;ould tend
to be within a given fishery.*
The distortion due to the unequal size of the samples for the var-
ious fisheries, while it does not affect fundamentally the conclusions
suggested by the crude averages and ratios for the large areas, and
still less those for the United States as a whole, is much more than
negligible. Its effect, however, can be corrected for by weighting the
averages and ratios in question with the total numbers of vessels or of
men in each fishery, or with other appropriate factors. Such a correc-
tion, moreover, effects the very large part of the distortion due to the
over-representation of large vessels, which results indirectly from the
fact that the latter are concentrated in comparatively few fisheries.
It has not been practicable to carry out systematically such a
weighting of the area and countrywide averages and ratios in the tables
of the report. Tables XLV, XLVII and LVI , however, which have already
been commented on, show the effect of weighting the figures . for av-
erage earnings per m;an, and for average vessel share and average own-
er's expense per vessel. The resulting modifications are interesting
and by no means negligible; but as remarked above they hardly change
fundamentally the conclusions suggested by the crude averages.
(*) The miscellaneous fisheries distinguished for the purposes of the
study would be the ones most likely to furnish exceptions to this
statement. There is reason to think that the miscellaneous fish-
ery of New England actually does so. Further study of the data
would be advisable.
9680
-152-
TAZLI] LVI
AVERi^GE TOTAL EASITINGS PER l.XI Oil SA1.IPLE a/ SHARE VESSELS, CRUDE
AlO) T7EIGHTED ACCORDIIIG TO THE TOTAL MJl.IBER OF VESSEL
FISKERl.IEN IN MCH EISIOIRY, 3Y APJEA, 153 3
Area
AYerag:e Earnii%'':s 'oer lian
Crude TJeiehted
Kew England
Groundfish ]b/
lliddle Atlantic
South
Great Lakes
Call Tornia
North\7est and Alaska
United States and Alaska
$520
$6go
59S
S69
672
690
2U2
33s
673
59s
979
919
639
591
603
&55
SOURCES: Computations fron data in l\i,R,A, questionnaire on
earnings in the, fisliing industry, e.nC- in the
Lureau of Eisneries, Eishory Indu.stries of the
United Stc tos.
a/ Vessels for nhich, usE^jle da-ta r;ere ol^tained for the
purposes of the stv.dy, .
^/ Average of vessels under 50 tons and those of 50 tons
and over.
9680
-153-
GEIvERAX FJILIA3ILITY OF THS MgA
Sone concideration has hac. to "be given, of cor.rse, not only to the
adequacy of the samples from the standpoint of size and of representative^
ness, "but also to the accurac'^ of the data coy.iposing ther.i, 3ecau.se of the
United e^ipcrience and facilities of a large proportion of the persons rjho
replied to the questionnaire the schedules inevitahly required a good deal
of editing, A su"bstantial a.nount of lahor has "been devoted, to this; and
rrhere it has not "been possi"ble, "by coin"bining all the information that could
l3e obtained uith rega.rd to a given vessel fron the schedule and fron other
sources, to arrive at reasonahly cor.iplete and consistent figures, it has
"been excluded fron the final sanple,
Sone of the data supplied are acuiittedly estimates, l)ut uhere these
have appeared internally consistent no reason has "been seen for not using
them. Here and there gaps have "been filled "by su"btraction.
In general, the inpression o"btained from the editing and analysis of
the original schedules, fron a large rj.i0Lint of su"bsenuent correspondence
and from many personal intervieus, is that a substantial and fairly
representative proportion of tlie 0'.7ners of fishing vessels in the United
States and Alaska have made an honest effort to cooperate in the study "by
supplying adequate and relia'ble data, and that in the main and for practical
purposes the result has heen a success.
9680
-15^
APPENDIXES
QA
58J
-155-
APPSNLIX I
ADDITIONAL DATA ON EASTINGS IN THS
'V. ' ICENHADEN FISHERY
The data for the menhaden fishery vrhich appear in the body of
the report all relate to the State of Virginia, except that tv/o vessels
v7orking on shares have been included in the miscellaneous group of the
Middle Atlantic area, and tv/o in the same group in the South, Efforts
to obtain fuller information on the menhaden fishery of the South
Atlantic coast did not bear fruit until the tabulation of the original
returns had been completed. Subsequently, hov/ever, reports were received
on an additional group of vessels in Georgia and Florida; and these will
now be summarized briefly.
Reports were obtained with regard to 2Z vessels, owned and operated
by five companies. These comprised six vessels of less than 15 net tons,
four of 15 to 29 tons, eight of 30 to 49 tons and five of 50 tons or more.
Their aggregate capacity was 841 net tons, and their crews totaled 357 men.
Rank or occupation was specified in the case of 291 on 17 vessels. These
included 17 caiDtains, 17 mates and 17 chief engineers, six pilots, four
assistant engineers, one fireman, 13 cooks, six strikers, five boat-
keepers, 18 seine setters, and 187 ordinary fishermen.
The 23 vessels operated for an average season of 24.1 weeks in 1933,
and 25.8 weeks in 1934. In the former year they caught 58, 112,000
menhaden, valued at $96,204, and in the latter 74,381,000, valued at
$123,443.
The owners of these vessels -oaid for the fish caught at an agreed
rate per jrhousand - 75 cents in the case of three companies, and 87 cents
in the remaining instance. These payments were divided among the men on
a scale based on rank and resT)onsibility. In a t^'pical case the 75 cents
per thousand fish was divided to give ten cents to the caiDtains, six cents
to the engineers, four cents each to the cooks, strikers and seine setters, ajid
three to three and a half cents each to the ordinary fishermen. All
expenses, including the cost of the crev;»s food, were borne by the owners.
Complete data on employees' e?^rnings v/ere supTolied in the case of
only nine of the 23 vessels. These nine had an average capacity of 35.3
tons and an average cre'j of 12.7 men, as against 35.6, tons and 15.5 men
for the larger group, T'vo of the three companies owning them paid for the
catch at the rate of 75 cents, and one at the rate of 37 cents. The
average operating season in 1934 was nearly the same as that of the 23
vessels (24.5 weeks), but in 1933 it was shorter (19.4 weeks). In the main
the smaller group was fairly representative of the larger.
The 114 men on the nine vessels received a total volume of compensa-
tion of $29,522 in 1933, and of $37,793 in 1934. The former figure
represented 38,9 per cent of the corresponding value of the catch, and the
latter 38.4 per cent. These ratios are quite normal for the fishing industry.
Q^or)
-156-
The c.vera;^e wage per ma,n for the season on .the nine vessels was
approximately $259 in 1953, and $332 in 1934, The average \7a^e per week
per man for all ranlcs or occupations was about $13<,50 in "both years. For
ordinary fishermen, however, the average money wage per week only slightly
exceeded $7c00o
The payment of "bonuses, in which all neraljers of a crew might share,
was formerly common in this fishery, "but has "been rare of recent years.
9680
<
-157-^ '
APKEMDIX II
THE 'SCHEDULES USED IFsG^^CiEOIKDOlir
WITH THE STUDY
Since the schedules or questionnaires sent out in connection with
the present study are "believed to have "been the first ever drafted for
ohtaining detailed information with regard to earnings in the fishing
industry, it has seemed advisahle to append copies of them to the report.
They will be found at the end of this Appendix,
Ouing to the pioneer and experimental character of these schedules
it was found, inevitahly, when the returns were edited and tabulated,
that changes in the arrangement^ and the wording would have facilitated
the work, and would prolDahly have improved somewhat the volume and
quality of the data. Since the forms may "be consulted in connection with
further investigations: on the same subject, it seems advisable to des-
cribe these defects briefly here,
A. ORIGIIIAJ. QUESTIONNAIRE ON EISHSmiEN'S EAMINGS IN 1953
Inquiry I. A question regarding the vessel owner's status as a
wholesale dealer, processor or independent fisherman, as a corporation,
partnership or individual, and as commander of the vessel or otherwise,
should have been added here.
Inquiry II. The instruction should preferably have read, "State the
earnings of members of the crew which took the form f^f time wages (per
hour, day, trip, week, month or season), whether those receiving them
also had a share in a lay or not. Exclude all earnings from shares and
from percentage bonuses." A line should have been provided for stating
the total vol-urae of wages paid during the year.
The form of Inquiry II resulted inadvertantly in the submission of
interesting data with regard to the- number of weeks in 1933 during
which wage earners were actively earning, while in the case of the
much Dore numerous share fishermen no such information was obtained,
A question on the latter point should have been included.
Inquiry III. It is doubtful whether the inc3iusion of these questions,
which v/ere inserted at the request of the Labor Adviser on the N, R, A,
Fishery Code, was advisable. They were widely misunderstood, and there
was danger that the replies would be affected by bias. As a result, it
has not been thought vrorth while to use them in the present report. In
any case the wording of the questions should have been fuller and more
precise.
Inquiry IV-^j.. The definitions of the accounting terms used in this
question were not adequate. The distinction between owners and operat-
ing or trip expense; the fact that the latter should be the sum of the
joint and the crew expense; and the fact that the boat or vessel share
should include all shares accruing to the owner under whatever name, and
9680
-158-
should be stated "before drductiri:^ the caT^tain's "boniis or any other item
of expense, ought to have "been nade clearer.- "Crew share" should have
read "Total crer share."
The arrs-n^p-e-ient of the talile under Qiiea'ti'on !■ of Inquirj^ IV
to pernit the entry of the drta for 193o- "by individual trii-)S ^'as adopted
at the ingtan'ce"- oT'-an. ,£vdviser \-^ell acquainted ^-'ith' the industry. The
proportion ^f das-e?, '.haTrever, in ^.-'liich. those nho returned the schedule
put th^ir fi.^resin such a forri nas very, snallo it v-oul d have "been
"better" to devote .t'lis space to a for-n for. enterin.^ the totals for the '
year only, as an inco;-ie and e^rpence .stater.ent . This v.'ould have .^iven
more space to write ancT roo.i for -full e.r. and clearer definitions, and for
su'ototals calculated.- to-. provide a checl: on the consictencj'' of the figures.
Inquiry XV^S. It wotild xisve been desira'ble to -nrovide a simple
method of indicating- the relative Quantities of two or more s"oecies in-
cluded in the catch,. . ,
Inquiry IVrr.^^o The replie-s to this apriarently pimple question
required a great deal cf intsrtoretation and editing. The request for
the nu'ilDer of porspn s on shares only should' have "b'een omitted, while
those for the nLr-'"beiG on wages only -and- on wages in addition to shares
should have "been o.ccor.yB.n.ied. by a r'^orm for stating the. ra-n-'s and the rates
of wages o"*: those inoliided. There were asked for in Qiiestion 5, "but
the latter was frequently overlooked,-; , "TJages" should have "been defined
to exclude percentage "bonuses, ■ . '
<
The "p.se of, the am'bigous term "average size of the crew" in-
stead of the- "usual .nun"ber b"^ .Ten., in the crew" "brought its OTJn punish-
ment from a Japanese owner in C-alifornia, who ans'^ered "5 ft, 3 in,"
Inquiry- 17-4. A standard, list of items- o:^ "both o^oerating and
overhead expense should have been given ^'^ re ^ 'with.- the means of indicat-
ing whether each was 3ncui*i''edv and if . -op j ' whether it \ms charged to
joint, to crew or to owner- s expense. Provision should have been m-a.de
for stating whether tots.l ovner*-s sxpens^ did or did not include a write-
off for depreciation on the vessel and gear, ■ '.
The req^uest to "enclose a co'oj"' of your lay agreement" was made
for reasons connected with code administration, -Such copies as were
sent in, however, proved of value in supplementing incomplete or con-
fusedi data in th(3 body of- many schedules.
B. and C. ' SU?PLEI.:3NTMY SCHEDULES ' ,' :
"''■: -The. two sup clement -0.1 y schedules on the vessel and on the boat
and shore fisheries were experiments, in obtaining data, which probably
could not have been collected at all bv broadcast questionnaires, by
asking for re;oprts or. t^'^:)ical vessels or boats in important fisheries
from a limited and selected list of exnert informants - chiefly field. agents
of the Bureau of fisheries. The results ^"ere on the v/hole very satis-
factory, and. the metho-d is believed, to c?eserve more consideration than
it has received for d.ealing with comioarable situations.
9680
-159-
Experience r/ith the earlier su-oplementary questionnaire on
the vessel fisheries (p) indicated that somewhat "better results light
have oeen olDtained "by amplifying and particularizing the inquiries.
This was cone in the later foin (C) for the "boat and shore fisheries.
The lengthening of the schedule was prolDably not a serious ohjection
in view of the special qualifications of the correspondents. The later
schedule (C) should consequently he taJcen as indicating the form shown
"by experience to "be more desira'ble for a questionnaire of this type.
9680
- leo-
A. QEIOIHAL QUISTiaSHAIICE CB FISHEBMXStS
EABSmas DT 1933
3-7-29 COKFIDEMTIAL QOYERNMENT HEPOBT
, THE NATIONAl RECOVERY ADMINISTHATIOH
Washington, B. C.
FISHEBUEN'S EARNINOS IN 1933
ThJB report covers bot^ts oneratln/^ on a, lav aOSL aJ-ao S& A !&££ ]2aBil<
In accordance witn Sections 3a and 6a of the National Industrial Recovery Act, you are reqieoted aid
required to fill out the following schedule. Please return the questionnaire in the enclosed emelope
(whicn requires no postage) to the Division of Research and Planning, National Recovery Adtainiatration,
Washington, 0. C. as proo^tly as possil^le. The additional schedule is for your files. Hda report will
^e available only to sworn en^loyees of the National Recovery Administration, and of other Oovvmrnent
Orgsnizationa officially interested in the subject matter.
If the person receiving this form owns a fishing boat but does not opera^ it, he should see that the
nuestionaaire is put in the hands of the Captain or other person rho does operate the boat and is rssponslols
for the settlement of the lay.
REaPORT ON A SEPARATE TCBiJ rOH'EACU BOAT TOU OWI^ A.'.'x) OPERATE.
Administrator
THIS IS TO CKrt'i'IlT that the information supplied on this form is correct and complete to tie best
of my toiDwled^e and belief.
])at«
., 1934.
Signed
IWqUIR? I - DESCRIPTION OF BOAT
Oode Division of the Flshinf Industry
1. Nft-ne of boat 3. Set tonnage
4. Name of owner or owners
6. Type of flshinfj gear
3, Port from which operated_
_5. Post office address of owner or owners.
8. Does this boat vork on a lay or share agreement?.
9. Name of l;iy, if a name is ooirnioaly used
C?es'«»r Ho)
IMi^UIRY II - EARftlNSS OF CMirf/^ MOT ON LAT IN 1933
State tne earnings of members of flsnirie crews who did not work on a lay in 1933 but on wa^s.
Position
or rank
( Soecif y)
Waaes - 1933
Number of
eac>^ r;^rik;
Number of
weeks vrarked
Total wage*
received
Cat) tain
1
,
INgUIHY III - MISClXIJUiECUS
1. Is any minimum su-n ^uf.ranteed to any members of the crew under the layT If so, for ifcat
members of the crew was there such a guarantee in 1933 and in what a-aountsT Were such
guarantee sums deducted from a later ssttlementT .
(Tes or No)
2. Who pui-chases tne supplies for the boat? Who receives any reoate or discount given on
such purchases?
3. Is the catch sold at the current price after landing? _
iTes or No)
4. Is n price ever erwiranteed before sailing? If eo, is the quantity that will be taksn
specified?
practice?.
(Tes or No)
(Tes or No)
Is it a coCTDon practice?
What is tne reason for, the
(usual or unusual)
5. Is any part of the crew share ever held back to cover xiqusual or special current or future expenses?
If 80, cite instances and the- reasons therefor , .
(Tes or No)
9680
• IfL..
nomg IT , naxmn at ux t* hm
1. 8Utt IB tho tabl* b«lo« tht rcflulti of t6« ligr for Moh trip flutda durlnf lOSS ^^ the ^ni r«poH«d
for OB thli form. If jroup booki permit you to give aflaaMflv the total flguwB for saAb oeltuto for tlw
«tael« jr«ar, you niy omit tho data Dy trlpt and furalih th« totals only on the tottea llae.
Joint teaaaiai Xnolud* la Joint axpaBM all Itwi pftld from groM tto^ yrief to i^lettlflibaAl iliAN
or orm ahar*.
Bqat or owa«f » « «h*i'>i Ownar't •Aaro takts aftar Joint axpaaaa paid.
Qraw amanaai Include all lt«nt. If any, teOten out after deduction of 9«&6r'e ehAre Ihit before alltttll g
orM ahare. Btparate thie Into (1) er«w wacei (in addition to aharet) and (8) all stMf enw eiptaMti
QBBtain'i bonuei Any boaui paid to Captain from any ahara.
grew aharai Share nlloitod oraw f^tar all o^her axpfaMt oatd.
i
Trlpi
B
Sate
of
land-
ing
C .
?rinol-
pol
kind*
of fleh
cau£ht
ITufflber In crew (lb-
. eluding oantain)
1
Sales
' value
of
oat oh
(srosB
stook)
t
CmnnaBa
reoelvln*
Joint,
expense
Boat
shars
Ofen Sroaaae ^ .
rirOTir
Owner's
(kfe-
pense
CaptaUU
bonu«
.Shares
only
Wacei.
only
Wa«ea
and
eharei
Crew
wa«es
( in add!
tion to
Other
■ penses
itkare
1
2
■ 3
4
8
*
7
^
R ■
9
■ 10
11
12
13
14
16
16
17
IE
19
(
20
,
21
22
23
24
TOTALS
i:-T-r-T=
yxx
xxx
XXX
.
.....
3. List th"? principal kinds of fleh caught during the year_
3. Stete t)ie average size of the crew (including captain)_
oeived siiaree only? ___^ Wages only?
How many of the crew r»-
fagee and eharesT , .
4. Vliet were your principal Itema of expense which you lncli*d In the above table undert
Joint ezpeneeT Crew expeg— T Owner's expense?
(fie sure to state to which expense food, fuel, aalt and lo«,and captain's bonus were cha:rged
5. If any aiembers of the crew received wages in addition to their shares list their rank and
FI£ASK SHCLOSE a OjOPT or TOUB UT JkOSXBOt
9680
B. SUPPLEU1MIAH7 QpESTIOMAIiLE 0&
THE VESSEL J*ISHSRI£S
FbTm 1^^-68 Confidential Gfrp wssssnt B.eryort . File yp,,.
' MTIOSAL RS00VEH7 lOMIinS^BCIUDS
Division of Recearcli and Planalng
Washington, D. C»
fecial Report on .
Area „
The information reqaeated below is for purposes of supplementing data aecur^
from individual boat-owners in the above finery in your 2a*ea. You are r^<meste4
to fill out j^ separate questionnaire for each fishery for which you have received
a questionnaire.
Your replies will be held strictly confidwitial. Althoti^ answers to oaxy of
the questions below can be at best estimates and often matters of opinion, you are
asked to furnish your estimates as to the most typical situation lir this partlaa-
lar fishery in your area.
Your cooperation in returning this qaestionnair© properly filled out to the
Division of Research and Planning, National Recovery Administration, Waahin|5toxi»
D, C. will be greatly appreciated.
Note: All questions refer to the f i hery in the area gpecified above and relate
to the year 1934 unless otherwise specified.
Name of respondent _ ^ .
Address ^ . ^,
l.(a) Indicate whether in this fishery in your area each of the following ej^enef
items are generally deducted from gross stock before boat share or from net
stock after boat share (use "B" for before and "A" for after).
Crew wages or bonuses (other than shares)
Food Bait
Ice __»_______«. Engine fuel
Salt Lubricants __________„
Barrels, baskets,,
boxes, etc.
(b) Were any of the above items customarily handled otherwise in 1929? (Explain)
— — I II I Ill ■ I I ■ ■ >< 1 .1 . 11 ■»■
2* Estimate the percentage of operating or trip eixpenses normally accounted for in
this fishery in your area by each of the follov/ing items:
Item Per cent of operating or trip
expense
Crew wages or bonuses (other than shares) To
Food ^
Ice. ■
Salt
Barrels, baskets, boxes, etc
Bait
Engine fuel:
Coal , ^^
Diesel Oil
Gasoline "
Lubricants .
Other ( specify). . . . ; ____«___-,
Total . 100
9680
mMtm^
-168-.
3. kThat is the net tonnage and size of the crew of a "typical" vessel in this
al)ove fishery in your area?
Nuniber of tons (net)
NiJnher of crew members (including Captain)
4, Estimate the original cost and the number of years' life commonly used in writ-
ing off depreciation on this' typical vessel:
Item Estimated original Estimated number of
_______j_,,.._^ cost years* life
Hull $ years
Sngine
Nets
5 Eitlmate the cost per $1,000 of value of each item listed below for this typical
vessel in 1929 and in 1934:
Item
Repair and maintenance (per $1,000
original cost)
Marine insurance (per $1,000
apprai sed value)
State and local taxes (per $1,000
assessed value)
Cost per $1,000 value
1934
1929
6, Estimate (or secure fi-om a recognized seller of these items) the average price
paid by vessel operators for tc^ch of the following items in this fishery in
your area during the years listed:
Item
1934
1933
1929
Engine fuels
Coal (per ton) — .
$
$
t
Diesel oil (per gallon)
Gasoline (per gallon)
Ihibricants (per gallon)
Ice (per cwt, )
Salt (per cwt, )
Bait (per cwt. )
7» Estimate in the table below the n-umber of vessels which pay their crew members
on a wage basis exclusively and the number which pay on a lay basis.
Method of payment
number of
vessels
Total number of crew
members on these vessels
On a wage basis exclusively. . . .
On a lay basis
Totals
8,- Have any important changes been widely made since 1929 which have significantly
affected the relative shares of the gross stock received by the crew and by the
boat owner in this fishery? . If yes, indicate on the reverse side^
(yes or no)
the nature of each change, its effect, and the year in which it occurred.
D-&-101
-164»
C« gaSTLMUMCAEi ^pMBtinreiTBI on TSS. BQiS
AHD SBOOBX 7ISHmXi
Confidential Goremiwnt Report
HATIONAL EBCOVEHT ADUTSlSTajaiOS
Indastrj Reporting Unit, Division of Review,
Washington, C. C.
SPECIAL REPORT ON BOIIP AND SHORE yiSHERIES
Fisheiy .«.««««.»._«______ Area .
Tile No* • • •
The information reqaeeted in the qfuestionnalre refers only to Voate of less
than 5 net tons. All C[u«»tion8 refer to the fishery in the area specified ttoove
and relate to the year 1934 xmlees otherwise indicated. A separate report is re-
quested on each fishery.
All replies will he held strictly confidential* Tour cooperation in return-
ing this questionnaire properly filled out to the Industry Reporting Unit, Statis-
tics Section (LaSalle Building), National Recovery Administration, Washington, D. C.
will be groatly appreciated. The additional copy is for your files.
Nar.e of respondent
Address ____«_^__
DatP
Note: In filling out this questionnaire It shotild he "borne in mind that the aajojl ty
of questions refer to the "typical* sitnation in this fishery.
!• Description of "typic
sal" power and
noi>*power boats
in this fishery in your area.
Power Boat
No]>.power Boat( sailing or oar)
Descriptive items
of typical boat
Number
'J' t
Original
cost
Normal
yrs.of
life
Number
Unit
Original
cost
Normal
yrs.of
life
Hull.,
TX
xir
<^
•rr
±
Bngine........ ..^,
•nr
■nr
k
n
"tpi
77
Gear reqoi red-one boatj
Nets..,,.*...,
Dredges.*.. ••••••••...
Pots .,
Uisc. gear............
1
Age of hull (1934)
, years
mil 1 y***"^
Men roqulred(Capt,& Crew)
•neT*'5on"
^ ^, , nereons
2.
4.
5.
Indicate by circling the proper months,
the fishing "season" of this fisheiyj J. F. M. A. M, J. J. A. S. 0, N. D.
State the normal length of a trip In this fisheryt a. Power boats...... ..«„ days
b, Noikxpower hnAtn days
Stat« the nunjber of trips taken by a typical boat in this fishery during the fish-
ing season: a* Powerboats •'O?^ 1^-'^'^
b. Non-powerboats.... i9gA 1933
Are boats in this fisheiy customarily engaged in other fisheries during the off-
season in this fishery? «.«..«_«»«. If yss, indicate fisheries and relative im-
portance of movement, (yes or no)
Name of other fisheries
Per cent of total boats in this fishery engs.ged at in-
dicatod fisheries when not active in this fishery
Power Boats
r
Non-power Boats
6. Estimate the percentage of total boats (of each type) in this fishery which are:
a. Manned by one person. , •,•••,..••...
b. Manned (crew plus capt. ) by two or
more persons.,, ...•••,•••.........
Total boats in fisheiy.
Power Boats
Non-T30wer Boats
1005t
100^
9680
-16s;.
7.
Estimate the percentage of the total number qX, lUBftiS ffl@Jl^«4 lOL jwQ QZ OfiSft
peraQna idiich operated on each of the follovlng plans!
a. Boats In which member* of crew (inclndlng
captain) are part owners ••
h. Boats in which members of crew are pd» wages
c. Boats operating on share or lay basis
PQinr BQfttf
Total boats operated by two or more persons
1001^
Wnih'aQwgr S^ata
1005^
8.
Of the total boats in this fishery oi)erating on a share or ley basis estimate
the proportion in which:
Power Bnata
a. Owner receives part of diare alloted to crew*.
b. Owner receives aa part of share alloted to
cirew* •• ••••••••••.«•••••.••••••.
Total boats on share or lay baslsi
100^
WoTV-poway -RoAta
100^
9.
Estimate the rates of wages most conmonly paid and the percentage of the total
number of workers employed on a wage basis receiving indicated rates.
Most prevalent
rates of wages
Unit (per day,
week, etc*)
Estimate per cent of total eo^loyees
(worWng on waiEre basis) receiving irjr-
dlcated rates
19;j5
1934
1933
1929
i
i
i
$
Total en^loyees work>-
in^; on wage ba&is •«•
txx
ioo<i
1001^
100^
lOOjf
10« state the approJcimate nuniier of weeks for which wages were paid on a typical lege
boat in this fishery: 1934 ^ ., . , weeks 1933 __«»«.«..«««.««»...^ weeks
11, a. Sstitnatc the proportion of pereons engaged in this fishery tAio received any
material addtional money income from occupations other than fishing during
1934? 5^
b. What proportion of the total money income in a typical case was derived from
fishing in 19347 5^
12. Indicate by check i^) in coliimns 1 and 4, the items wAiich are usually included in
the operating or trip espense of a typical power boat and a typical non-power
boat; and in columns 2, 3, 5, and 6 indicate the quantity and cost for 1934 of
the items so included.
Item
Power Boat
Items in-
cluded in
operating
expenses
(/)
Col, 1
Qaantity
used per
trip
Col. 2
Non-poiger Boat
Cost per
trip
Col. 3
Items In-
clxided In
operating
expenses
To
Col. 4
Quantity
u^ed per
trip
Col. 5
Cost p<
trip
Col, 6
Food. .,•,•»••••,
Bait...,.....,,.
Ice,,*««.,«,. ,, ,
Engine fuel*...,
Lubricating oil*
Total,
XX
JCL.
JOL
cirti
.^aL
JiXhrn,
xz
JOL
JQL
JBC
JSM3L
JOL
JES.
xz
JO.
jaL
13* Indicate by check (>-') irtiether the cost of current replacements of gear are cus-
tomarily: a. Charged as operating expense,... •••••• ••••••,•..,, .._....._«_»«.
b. Charged against owners* share or net profit • «___.«.««.
9680
14* Indicate the practices in this flsheiy with regard to State tr..xBv f,jxd ? Icenses
OB hoate or persons engaged in fishing. The "tbiit" coltunn refers to the Unit
hase from irhinh the tax is coniprated - for exEusple, the fisherman's license ra^
be on the TMit basis
of "per person".
etc.
Items
Check (/) years in
which Indicated
taxes or licenses
were in effect
Cost of indicated taxes c~
licenses
1934
1933
1929
Unit
1934
1933
1929
Boat license .^^.
i
i
S
Tlshenien*s licsnse*.*..*.
i
i
il
Tax on catch.,.*..*,,,.,,.
i
^
General property- boat tax.
*
^
U
16, 01 ve the following Info tuition with regard to owners or overhead e^.-jense In this
fishery in 1934:
Iten
Power
Boa
ts ■ "1
Hoii>»power Boats
a. State approximately the minlinuB azintial
ont-of-pocket cost of niy-keep and re-
)< Ir for a typical boat-Including stq>-
pries need in repair work on boat;nets,etc
t
i
b, j^proxlnately what percentage of boat own-
ers (of each type) carry marine insurance.
i
i
16, ^ere a la;^ or share arrangement is in use in this fishery state i^ether the
captain, when he is alsr the ov^er of the boat, takes a share in the general
crew share, in addition to whatev r he receives from the share alloted to the
boat or the net? ___.i_ (yes or no)
17» Check {/) on the following classifications the type or types of lays commonly
used in this fishery, Indicating the percentage of the gross Cr the net stock,
or the nvmiber of share*, takro by the boatt
!type of lay
Check (/) type
or types of
lays connonly
ased in this
fishery
Share taken
by boat
B,
Crew share a fixed percentage of gross stock.,*.
Crew share the residual Item:
1. Boat share a fixed percentage of gross stock,
2, Boat share a fixed percental of net steek:
a.tJolnt expense Includes x«placement of gear on^.
b, Joint e:Q)en9e Includes bait only* ••,,...•••
J> gr, stock
c, Joint expense 50 to 75 per cent of total operf
atlng expense (regularly Includes fuel and
lubricants and often ice, salt and bait but
not food or wages) •••..*, •,,,••*•,,,••
d. All operating expenses Joint, .••••••••••*•**
3* All operating escpenses joint and boat received
a fixed number of shares in the net stock. »•*
.-^ gr. stock
^ net stock
'^ net stock
b net stod
- met 8 toe)
no, shares
(Votet The above classification Includes all the types of lays used on 400 fishing
vessels for which data have been obtained. It is thought that the lays used in the
more iBqwrtant boat fisheries will fit into this classification. If there are any
idiich do not appear to fit, describe thssi on the other side of the sheet.)
18* Have there been any changes in the usual texms of these Is^s since 1929 of enou^
importance to affect materially the shares received by the boat owner and by
other members of the crew? .__««»» If so, describe on reverse side of sheet.
(yes or no)
9680
-167-
APPEIIDIX III
BREAKDOWI OF CLA.SSIFICATION OF
lAYS CR SHAEE AGREEK-EIITS (TABLE XXII)
BY AREA AND FISHERY, WITH MICE
OF LAY WHERE REPORTED
Type of Lay "I'T-um'bGr ef vessels "by area and
(Ta"blc XXII) fishery, and name of lay
I-l All in Northwest and Alaska salmon fishery
1-2 All in the Great Lakes Area
II-A-1 Four vessels in the South (red snapper fishery)*
remainder in the lTorth-"'/est and Alaska salmon, and
miscellaneous fisheries.
II-A-2 Eleven vessels in the Northv/est and Alaska Area
(3 salmon and 8 halihut); remainder in the Mew
England and Iliddle Atlantic miscellaneous fisher-
ies, in which this is the "Swordfishing" l-iy,
II-A-3 Ten vessels in the New England and Middle Atlantic
areas (groundfish, scallop and miscellaneous
fisheries), where this is the "Hip Quarter" or
the "Q,-'jarter Clear" lay); 2 vessels in the South
(red snapper fishery; and 4 in the Horthwest and
• Alaslra salmon fishery).
II-A-4 • One vessel in the New England miscellanetus fishery
and 4 in the Middle Atlantic scallop fishery,
where this is th© "Third Clear" or "Clean Thirds"
lay; 3 vessels in the South (red snapper fishery);
. and one in the Horthvest and Alaska salmon
fishery.
II-A-5 Twelve vessels in New England and the Middle
Atlantic area (groundfish and miscellaneous
fisheries), where this is the "Netting" lay;
4 vessels in the South (one in the red sna'pper,
2 in the menhaden, and one in the miscellaneous
fishery); and 4 vessels in the Northwest and
Alaslia miscellaneous fishery,
II-B-l-a Three vessels in the New England Groirndf ishery,
where this is the "Fifths" lay; all the remainder
in the Northwest and Alaslca lialihut fishery.
9680
-168-
Tj'pe of Lay • - • Niunber of vessels by area and
(Table XXIl) . fishery, nnd name of lay
II-B-2 All in the South (red snapper fishery): the vessel
share is 20 per cent in one case and 25 per cent
in one other, but otherv/ise 40 per cent.
II-B-3-a Six vessels in the Mew En^cland groundfishery,
where this is the "Q,-uarters" lay; and 2 in the
Northwest and Alask-i (one in the halibut and one
in the salmon fishery) .
II-B-3-b All in the New Sn.::;'land groundf ishery , vfhere this
is the "Fifty-fifty" lay.
II-B-4-a Three vessels in the New Engiland ground fishery;
remainder scattered.
II-B~4-^b Two vessels in the. New England mackerel fishery,
where this is the "Italian" lay; 9 in the New
England and ^(iiddle Atlantic miscellaneous fisher-
ies, where this is the "Broken Third" or "Broken
Thirty" lay; 7 in California (scattered); 4 in the
South (one in the shrimp and 3 in the miscellan-
eous fishery) ; ano 12 in the Northwest and
Alaska (2 in the halibut and 10 in the salmon
fishery.)
II-B-4-C Fifteen vessels in New F^nglrind and the Ii'iddle.
Atlantic area (groundfish, scallop and mis-
cellaneous fisheries) , v/here this is the "Broken
• 1?'orty" lay; 2 in the South (red snapper fishery);
4 in California (tuna fishery) ; and 3 in the
Northv.'est and Alaska salmon fishery.
II-B-4-d Ten vessels in the New England mackerel fishery,
where this is the "American" lay; 19 in the
California tuna fishery; 5 in the New England
and Middle Atlantic miscellaneous fisheries; and
3 in the Northwest and Alaska salmon fishery.
II-C-1 Four vessels in the South, (scattered); 6 in the
G-reat Lakes area; 2 in the California miscellan-
eous fishery; and 2 in t he Northwest and Alaska
(one in the halibut and one in the miscellaneous
fishery) .
II-C-2 Three vessels in the California the tuna and
sardine and miscellaneous fisheries; and 2 in the
Northwest and Alaska salmon fishery.
9680
• 169-
Type of Lay Nurr,ber of vessels by area and
(Table XXI I ) fishery, and name of lay
II-C-3 One vessel in the sardine fishery of Southern
California; reuj.-fi.idei." in t he Northv/est and Alaska
area (one haliout aiid 3 salmon vessels).
II-C-4 Two vessel.s in the California tuna and sardine
fishery; and 5 in the Northwest and Alaska
■ ' Salmon fishery.
II-C-5 All in Calif '^rnia (.3 ves.iels in the tuna and
sardine fishjry; 10 in the Monterey sardine
fishery; and one in the sardine fishery of
Southern California) . In the last case the
vessel received 7 shares in the net stock;
in all the others 6 shares.
9680
-170-
APPEHDIX IV
PROVISIONAL IIIDEX OT MONTHLY VARIATION IN THE NUMBER OF
FISKE^^SN ACTIVELY ElIGArrED IN FISIlINCr AND EARNING
SHARES OR WAGES a/
(Average of the 12 rr.onths = lOO)
Index
Index
Month
NumlDer
Month
Number
January
71.0
July
110.5
February
76.0
August .
132.5
March
76.5
September
129.5
April
86.5
October
121.0
. May
111.5
November
94.5
June
120.0
December
70.5
Source: Prepared by American Federation of Labor on the basis
of suggestions from the author.
a/ Based partly on 1929 and tartly on 1934 data. There
is more or less r.-ndom chnnge in Gae seasonal
variation in the rnrnber of fishermen from one year
to another; but in a general \vay this index is prob-
ably representative of any recent year.
968'0;f
OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION
THE DIVISION OF REVIEW
THE WORK OF THE DIVISION OF REVIEW
Executive Order No. 7075, dated June 15, 1935, established the Division of Review of he
National Recovery Administration. The pertinent part of the Executive Order reads thus-
The Division of Review shall assemble, analyze, and report upon the statistical
information and records of experience of the operations of the various trades and
industries heretofore subject to codes of fair competition, shall study the ef-
fects of such codes upon trade, industrial and labor conditions in general, and
ot.ier related matters, sha'l make available for the protection and promotion of
the public interest an adec^uate review of the effects of the Administration of
Title I of the National Ina .strial Recovery Act, and ti j principles and policies
put into effect thereunder, and shall otherwise aid the ^resident in carrying out
nis functions under the said Title.
The study sections set up in the Division of Review covered these areas: industry
studies, foreign trade studies, labor studies, trade practice studies, statistical studies,
legal studies, administration studies, miscellaneous studies, and the writing of code his-
tories. The materials which were produced by these sections are indicated below.
Except for the Code Histories, all items mentioned below are scheduled to be in mimeo-
graphed form by April 1, 1935.
THE CODE HISTORIES
The Code Histories are documented accounts of the formation and administration of the
codes. They contain the definition of the industry and the principal products thereof; the
classes of members in the industry; the history of cede formation including an account of the
sp )ns ring organizations, the conferences, negotiations and hearings which were aeld, and
the activities in connection with obtaining approval of the ;cde; the histcry of the ad-
ministration of the code, covering the organization and operation of the code authority,
the difficulties encountered in administration, the extent of compliance or non-compliance,
and the general success or lack of success of the code; and an analysis of the operation of
code provisions dealing with wages, hours, trade practices, and other provisions These
and other matters are canvassed not only in terms of the materials to be found in the files,
but also in terms of the experiences of the deputies and others concerned with code fc relation
and administration.
The Code Histories, (including histories of certain NRA units or agencies) are not
ttimeo graphed. They are to be turned over to the Department of Commerce in typewritten form.
Ill told, approximately eight hundred and fifty (850) histories will be completed. This
lumber includes all of the approved codes and seme of the unapproved codes. (In Work Mate-
rials No 18. Contents of Code Histories, will be found the outline which governed the
reparation of Code Histories.)
(In the case of all approved codes and also in the case of some codes not carried to
'inal approval, there are in NRA files further materials on industries. Particularly worthy
f mention are the Volumes I, II and III which c nstitute the material officially submitted
;o the President in support of the recommendation for approval of each code. These volumes
)675— 1.
- 11 -
set forth the origination of the code, the sponsoring group, the evidence advanced to sup-
port the proposal, the report of the Division of Research and Planning on the industry, the
recommendations of the various Advisory Boards, certain types of official correspondence,
the transcript of the formal hearing, and other pertinent matter. There is also much offi-
G^^al information relating to amendments, interpretations, exemptions, and other rulings. The
materials mentioned in this paragraph were of course not a part of the work, of the Division
of Review. )
TKE "ORK MATERIALS SERIES
In the work of the Division of Review a considerable numter of studies and compilations
of data (other than those noted below in the Evidence Studies Series and the Statistical
Materials Series) have been made. These are listed below, grouped according to the char-
acter of the material. (In Sork Materials No IJ, Tentative Outlines and Summaries of
Studigs in Process, these materials are fully described).
Industry Studies
Automobile Industry, An Economic Survey of
Bituminous Coal Industry under Free Competition and Code Regulation, Economic Survey of
Construction Industry and NRA Construction Codes, the
Electrical Manufacturing Industry, The
Fertilizer Industry, The
Fishery Industry and the Fishery Codes
Fishermen and Fishing Craft, Earnings of
Foreign Trade under the National Industrial Recovery Act
Part A - Competitive Position of the United States in International Trade 1927-29 through
1934.
Part B - Section 3 (e) of NIRA and its administration.
Part C - Inports and Importing under NRA Codes.
Part D - Exports and Exporting under NRA Codes.
Forest Products Industries, Foreign Trade Study of the
Iron and Steel Industr^ , The
Knitting Industries, The
Leather and Shoe Industries, The
Lumber and Timber Products Industry, Economic Problems of the
Men's Clothing Industry, The
Millinery Industry, The
Motion Picture Industry, The
Migration of Industry, The: The Shift of Twenty-Five Needle Trades From New York State,
1926 to 1934
National Income, A study of.
Paper Industry. The
Production, Prices, Employment and Payrolls in Industry, Agriculture and Railway Trans-
portation, January 1923, to date
Retail Trades Study, The
Rubber Industry Study, The
Statistical Background of NRA
Textile Industry in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan
Textile Yarns and Fabrics
Tobacco Industry, The
Wholesale Trades Study, The
9675.
- Ill -
Women's Apparel Industry, Some Aspects of the
Tra^e Practice Studies
Commodities, Information Concerning: A Study of NRA and Related Experiences in Control
Distribution, Manufacturers' Control of: A Study of Trade Practice Provisions in Selected
NRA Codes
Design Piracy: The Problem and Its Treatment Under NRA Codes
Electrical Mfg. Industry: Price Filing Study
Fertilizer Industry: Price Filing Study
Geographical Price Relations Under Codes of Fair Competition, Control of
Minimum Price Regulation Under Codes of Fair Competition
Multiple Basing Point System in the Lime Industry: Operation of the
Price Control in the Ccffee Industry
Price Filing Under NRA Codes
Production Control Under NRA Codes, Some Aspects of.
Resale Price Maintenance Legislation in the United States
Retail Price Cutting, Restriction of, with special Emphasis on The Drug Industry.
Trade Practice Rules of The Federal Trade Commission (1924-1936): A classification for
comparison with Trade Practice Provisions of NRA Codes.
Latior Studies
Employment, Payrolls, Hours, and Wajes in 115 Selected Cede Industries 1933-1935
Hours and Wages in American Industry
Labor Program Under the National Industrial Recovery Act, The
Part A. Introduction
Part B. Control of Hours and Reemployment
Part C. Control of Wa^es
Part D. Control of Other Conditions of Employment
Part E. Section 7(a) of the Recovery Act
PRA Census of Employment, June, October, 1933
Puerto Rico Needlework, Homeworkers Survey
Administrative Studies
Administrative and Legal Aspects of Stays, Exemptions and Exceptions. Code Amendments. Con-
ditional Orders of Approval
Administrative Interpretations of NRA Codes
Administrative Law and Procedure under the NIRA
Agreements Under Sections 4(a) and 7(b) of the NIRA
Approved Codes in Industry Groups, Classification of
Basic Code, the — (Administrative Order X-61)
Code Authorities and Their Part in the Administration of the NIRA
Part A. Introduction
Part B. Nature, Composition and Organization of Code Authorities
Part C. Activities of the Code Authorities
Part D. Code Authority Finances
Part C. Summary and Evaluation
9675.
y:!!Ti::n%&.-. .::.
- iv -
Code Compliance Activities of the NRA
Code Making Program of the NRA in the Territories, The
Code Provi ions and Related Subjects, Policy Statements Concerning
Content of NIRA Administrative Legislation
Part A. Executive and Administrative Orders
Part B. Labor Provisions in the Codes
Part C. Trade Practice Provisions in the Codes
Part D. Administrative Provisions in the Codes
Part E. Agreements under Sections 4(a) and 7(b)
Part F. A Type Case: The Cotton Textile Code
Labels Under NRA, A Study of
Model Code and Model Provisions for Codes, Development of
National Recovery Administration, The: A Review and Evaluation of its Organization and
Activities
NRA Insignia
President's Reemployment Agreement, The
President's Reemployment Agreement, Substitutions in Connection with the
Prison Labor Problem under NRA and the Prison Compact, The
Problems of Administration in the Overlapping of Code Definitions of Industries and Trades.
Multiple Code Coverage, Classifying Individual Members of Industries and Trades
Relationship ;f NRA to Government Contracts and Contracts Involving the Use of Government
Funds
Relationship of NRA with other Federal Agencies
Relationship of NRA with States and Muncipalities
Sheltered Workshops Under NRA
Uncodified Industries: A Study of Factors Limiting the Code Making Program
Legal Studies
Anti-Trust Laws and Unfair Competiti n
Collective Bargaining Agreements, the Right of Individual Employees to Enforce Provisions of
ommerce Clause, Possible Federal Regulation of the Employer-Emplo yee Relationship Under the
Delegation of Power. Certain Phases of the Principle of, with Reference to Federal Industrial
Regulatory Legislation
Enforcement, Extra-Judicial Methods of
Federal Regulation through the Joint Employment of the Power of Taxation aid the Spending
Power
Government Contract Provisions as a Means of Establishing Proper Econ mic Standards. Legal
Memorandum on Possibility of
Intrastate Activities Which so Affect Interstate Commerce as to Bring them Under the Com-
merce Clause. Cases on
Legislative Possibilities of the State Constitutions
Post Office and Post Road Power — Can it be Used as a Means of Federal Industrial Regula-
tion?
State Recovery Legislation in Aid of Federal Recovery Legislation History and Analysis
Tariff Rates to Secure Proper Standards of Wages and Hours, the Possibility of Variation in
irade Practices and the Anti-Trust Laws
Treaty Making Power of the United States
War Power, Can it be Used as a Means of Federal Regulation of Child Labor?
9675.
- V -
THE EVIDENCE STUDIES SERIES
The Evidence Studies were criginally undertaken to gat..er material for pending court
cases. After the Schechter decision the project was continued in order to assenible data for
use in connection with the studies of the Division of Review. The data are particularly
concerned with the nature, size and operations of the industry-; and v/ith the relation of the
industry to interstate commerce. The industries covered by the Evidence Studies account for
more than one-half of the total number of workers under codes. The list of these studies
follows:
Automobile Manufacturing Industry
Automotive Parts and Equipment Industry
Baking Industry
Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Industry
Bottled Soft Drink Industry
Builders' Supplies Industry
Canning Industry
Chemical Manufacturing Industry
Cigar Manufacturing Industry
Coat and Suit Industry
Construction Industry
Cotton Garment Industry
Dress Manufacturing Industry
Electrical Contracting Industry
Electrical Manufacturing Industry
Fabricated Metal Products Mfg. Industry and
Metal Finishing and Metal Coating Industry
Fishery Industry
Furniture Man ifacturing Industry
General Contractors Industry
General Contractors Industry
Graphic Arts Industry
Graphic Arts Industry
Gray Iron Foundry Industry
Hosiery Industry
Infant's and Children's Wear Industry
Iron and Steel Industry
Leather Industry
Lumber and Timber Products Industry
Mason Contractors Industry
Men's Clothing Industry
Motion Picture Industry
Motor Vehicle Retailing Trade
Needlework Industry of Puerto Rico
Painting and Paperhanging Industry
Photo Engraving Industry
Plumbing Contracting Industry
Retail Lumber Industry
Retail Trade Industry
Retail Tire and Battery Trade Industry
Rubber Manufacturing Industry
Rubber Tire Manufacturing Industry
Shipbuilding Industry
Silk Textile Industry
Structural Clay Products Industry
Throv/ing Industry
Trucking Industry
Waste Materials Industry
Wholesale and Retail Food Industry
Waste Materials Industry
Wholesale and Retail Food Industry
Wholesale Fresh Fruit and vegetable Indus-
try
Wool Textile Industry
THE STATISTICAL MATERIALS SERIES
This series is supplementary to the Evidence Studies Series. The reports include data
on establishments, firias, employment, payrolls, wages, hours, production capacities, ship-
i-ents, sales, consu:iiption, stoc/.s, prices, material costs, failures, exports and imports.
Thej also include notes on the principal qualifications that should be observed in using the
data, the technical laethods employed, and the applicability of the material to the study of
the industries concerned. The following numbers appear in the series:
9675.
Asphalt Shingle and Roofing Industry
Business Furniture
Candy Manufacturing Industry
Carpet and Rug Industry
Cement Industry
Cleaning and Dyeing Trade
Coffee Industry
Copper and Brass Mill Products Industry
Cotton Textile Industry
Electrical Manufacturing Industry
9675.
Fertilizer Industry
Funeral Supply Industry
Glass Container Industry
Ice Manufacturing Industry
Knitted Outerwear Industry
Paint. Varnish, and Lacquer, Mfg. Industry
Plumbing Fixtures Industry
Rayon and Synthetic Yarn Producing Industry
Salt Producing Industry
I
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11