The Commercial Fisheries of Portugal, 1970

In 1970, Portugal's fishing and canning industries had another relatively poor year. Landings totaled about 1*62,000 metric tons, increasing slightly (about one percent) over 1969 landings of 1*57,000 tons (valued at US$7-U million), but still well below the 1965-69 average of 5l6,560 tons. Sardine landings were up by nearly 8 percent; however, the supply continued to fall short of canning industry capacity. Present sardine landings are about one-half the amount landed annually in the decade ending in 1967• Sardine prices have, nevertheless, continued to increase. The Worth Atlantic cod catch increased only slightly from the low catch recorded in 1969. The trawl fleets, as well as whalers operating in Madeira and the Azores, increased their production in 1970. Principal species landed in 1970 included cod (62,699 tons), sardines (69,211* tons), and tuna (7,01*5 tons). The Portuguese fleet operates in the coastal waters of continental Portugal, off northwest Africa, in the Davis Strait off Greenland and Newfoundland. Their freezer trawlers have extended operations as far south as South Africa.