The Department of the Interior has gone on record favoring Federal legislation designed to help restore the United States commercial fishing industry to a more competitive position in world fisheries by bringing its overaged fishing fleet more in line with modern vessels of foreign countries.
A pending Congressional bill, which the Department endorsed, would extend the life of the current Federal fishing vessel construction grant program from June of 1963 to 1972; extend coverage to the entire commercial fishing fleet; and increase the maximum allowable grant from 33-1/3 percent to 55 percent. It also would prevent the vessel modernization program from causing economic hardship in a fishery already operating with an adequate number of efficient vessels and add additional authority for the recapture of a grant when the provision of the law are violated.
In a letter to Senator Warren. G. Magnuson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Assistant Secretary of the Interior Frank P. Briggs emphasized the modernization of foreign fishing fleets and the corresponding drop of America from second to fifth place in world fisheries.
“The United States fishing industry has long been equipped with outmoded vessels and equipment which are continuing to deteriorate at an alarming rate,” Mr. Briggs said. He added that one vessel, still in use, was launched in 1865 and that 35 percent of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast fishing vessels are between 11 and 20 years old.
In contrast with this, Secretary Briggs pointed out that “the vessels of other countries such as Russia and Japan are generally of modern design and construction. This is made possible by the lower costs of construction in foreign shipyards and in some cases the foreign governments assist their fishing fleets by paying subsidies.
“Large steel fishing vessels can be constructed in foreign shipyards for as much as 50 percent less than in domestic shipyards and wooden vessels can be constructed at costs in excess of 33 1/3 percent less than in our own domestic yards.”
A recent study of the age of American commercial fishing vessels made by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Fish and Wildlife Service, placed the total number of American fishing vessel of five net tons or over at 11,964. Of these, 4,805 are in the Pacific Ocean fisheries, including Hawaii and 7,159 in Atlantic—Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes Operations. The study was based on information obtained by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries from Bureau of Customs vessel documentation records.
The heyday of Pacific construction was in the 1939-1953 period when 2,500 vessels were launched. More than 500 ships now being used were constructed before 1920 and approximately 500 have been launches since 1953. The oldest boat in Pacific Service is a salmon purse seiner of 1891 vintage; a salmon troller dates to 1894.
Of the approximately 6,600 craft in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico fisheries. 1,212 were built before 1940 and only 2,800 built during the past decade. The average building date in 1954, making the fleet average age 18 years. One fleet, the Chesapeake menhaden purse seiners, has had added no new craft since 1951.
The oldest fishing vessel operating out of an eastern American port is the 45-foot Virginia, launched as a two-masted schooner along Fish River, Alabama, in 1865 and converted to a commercial fishing craft in 1946. Two clam dredgers, on out of New York and one out of New Jersey, date to 1872; another New Jersey calmer was launched in 1873. A Gulf Coast shrimp vessel and a New England trawler date to 1874 and 1875; three menhaden vessels build in 1877 are still in service.
The age study showed the Chesapeake oyster dredgers propelled by sail constituted the oldest fleet in point of average years in service- 52. The first one was built in 1881.
