A comparison of the Bremerhaven trawler fleets in 1961 and 1996
uring the last decades, the Bremerhaven fish industry has undergone a radical structural change. Now the once mighty trawler fleet with the pennant code BX (Bremerhaven) has been downgraded to a mere handful of vessels. Today, fish processing and inland trade form the main business. The fish itself is mainly imported from Iceland.
The reasons for this change lie mainly in the extension of the offshore commercial and fishery zones after the Second World War. Iceland, whose coastal waters were once a major fishing ground for Bremerhaven trawlers, can again serve as a suitable example. More and more, the independent sub-artic republic extended her fishing zones: four nautical miles in 1952, then twelve in 1958, 50 (1972) and finally 200 in 1975.
The Bremerhaven trawler fleet on April 1st 1961
| Company | founded | Number of Trawlers |
| F. Busse KG | 1885 | 8 |
| Gemeinschaftliche Hochseefischerei GmbH | 1.8.1948 | 18 |
| Hanseatische Hochseefischerei AG | 29.6.1929 | 10 |
| Ludwig Janssen & Co. | April 1906 | 5 |
| Hochseefischerei Kämpf & Co. KG | 6.5.1888 | 10 |
| Kohlenberg & Putz Seefischerei AG (bereedert durch Hanseatische Hochseefischerei AG) | 1907 | 4 |
| Hans Kunkel Hochseefischerei | 15.10.1911 | 2 |
| Norddeutsche Hochseefischerei AG | 30.6.1907 | 12 |
| "Nordsee" Deutsche Hochseefischerei GmbH | 23.4.1896 | 26 |
| Hochseefischerei Nordstern AG | 1905 | 9 |
| F.A. Pust Hochseefischerei AG | 7.12.1887 | 4 |
| Söhle KG (bereedert durch Hanseatische Hochseefischerei AG) | 16.12.1929 | 6 |
Source: Claus Petersen, 100 Jahre Fischereihafen Bremerhaven. Rückblick – Einblick – Ausblick, Bremerhaven 1996 , S. 56-58
The Bremerhaven trawler fleet 1996
| Company | Vessel |
| Bischoff & Lagerpusch GmbH & Co. | 1 so called Euro-Trawler (for European Trawler) |
| Fischereigesellschaft Klaus Hartmann GmbH & Co. | 1 Euro-Trawler |
| Mahler & Mewes GmbH | 1 large cutter |
| Adolf und Karl Wefer | 1 large cutter |
| Günter Möller | 1 deep-sea cutter |
| Eckhardt Eichel | 1 deep-sea cutter |
| Friedrich Jarchau | 1 deep-sea cutter |
| Hinrich Körs | 1 deep-sea cutter |
| Westbank Seefischerei GmbH | 1 factory trawler |
| Doggerbank Seefischerei GmbH | 1 factory trawler |
Source: Claus Petersen, 100 Jahre Fischereihafen Bremerhaven. Rückblick – Einblick – Ausblick, Bremerhaven 1996 , S. 58
Caption: Four models illustrate the technological change within the Bremerhaven trawler fleet: Four trawler generations named MAINZ, sailing under the flag of the once famous “Nordsee” company – three side trawlers of 1897, 1929 and 1954, and finally, a larger stern factory trawler of 1973 (Photo: German Maritime Museum Collections)