ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the paucity of sociological knowledge about salt water fishermen, and the opportunity it represents for sociological research. Research areas of mutual interest to sociology and economics are "tastes and preferences," "marketing activity," and "payment incentives" as related to fisheries. To conserve fisheries, the act established regional fishery management councils with regulatory powers to control fishing within the federal conservation zones. The National Marine Fisheries Service has gathered, or will soon gather, large sample sizes of survey data from fishermen. The seriousness of the problem is shown by the fact that information by fishery, and by region or community, is critical to many fishery management decisions, fishing community planning efforts, and fishery extension activities. Changes in technology and equipment used in the fishing industry parallel in magnitude and scope the technological changes that have occurred in agriculture.
