McHUGH: MARINE FISHERIES OF NEW YORK 



than 450 metric tons). The low point was 

 reached in 1967 with total production of only 

 about 100,000 pounds of meats (45 metric tons). 

 The principal cause of the collapse of the New 

 York oyster industry was a massive invasion of 

 sea star (Asterias forbesi) in the 1950s. Favor- 

 able environmental conditions for this predator 

 led to an extremely high survival of young sea 

 stars, and the industry was unable to cope with 

 this added predation, even with the relatively 

 successful control measures that it had developed 

 previously. Recovery has been slow because 

 many other natural and man-made problems ex- 

 ist, including oyster drills (Urosalpinx cinerea, 

 and to a lesser extent Eiipleura caudata) , unpre- 

 dictable effects of storms, and a highly variable 

 and reduced supply of young oysters. Wallace 

 (1971) has cited water pollution as one of the 

 major problems of the oyster industry in New 

 York, but he voiced great hopes for hatcheries, 

 four of which now are producing seed in New 

 York. By 1970 oyster production in the State 

 had increased fivefold, but still only to about 

 half a million pounds of meats (230 metric tons) . 

 Time will tell whether hatcheries are the answer 

 to the problems of the industry. The idea cer- 

 tainly is not new. The first oyster hatchery in 

 New York was in operation in 1921 (New York 

 Conservation Department, 1969). MacKenzie 

 (1970) has suggested that natural setting is ade- 

 quate to supply the needs of the industry for 

 seed, if adequate measures are taken to eliminate 

 mortality from siltation, predators, and careless 

 handling. The feasibility of these methods of 

 rehabilitating the oyster industry, no matter how 

 valid they may be biologically, needs to be tested 

 by economic studies. 



SOFT CLAM 



Traditionally a popular seafood in New Eng- 

 land and the middle Atlantic region, the soft clam 

 {Mya arenaria) has produced steadily decreas- 

 ing landings in New York (Figure 5). Produc- 

 tion in 1880 was reported as more than 3 million 

 pounds of meats (1,370 metric tons). Average 

 annual landings for years on record from 1887 to 

 1908 inclusive were just under 1 million pounds 



CO 15 



< 



in O 



Q 



LU ^ 



cr ^ 

 a: 



1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 I960 1970 



Figure 5. — Annual commercial landings of soft clam 

 in the State of New York, 1880-1970. 



(450 metric tons), from 1921 to 1945 inclusive 

 less than half a million (200 metric tons) , and 

 from 1946 to 1970 less than 200,000 pounds (90 

 metric tons). To some extent the decline may 

 have been caused by the long-term rise in water 

 temperatures which in New England led to in- 

 creased predation by green crabs. Wallace 

 (1971) has attributed the decline in production 

 to "pollution and physical changes in the estu- 

 aries." The soft clam is a vulnerable, shallow 

 water species, and there is little doubt that over- 

 harvesting and lack of adequate regulation of 

 the fishery were important factors. 



BLUE CRAB 



In the waters of New York State the blue crab, 

 Callinectes sapidus, is near the northern limit of 

 its range. It has never been a major species in 

 the catch in this area. Because the blue crab is 

 highly variable in abundance from natural causes 

 even in the center of its range (McHugh, 1969a) , 

 it might be expected to be extremely variable in 

 New York waters, and the history of the com- 

 mercial fishery suggests that this has been true 

 (Figure 6). Landings have declined steadily, 

 but irregularly, since the maximum recorded 

 catch of about 1.6 million pounds (725 metric 

 tons) in 1880. Catches rose briefly in the 1930s, 

 to a recorded peak of more than half a million 

 pounds (270 metric tons) in 1935, but after a 

 minor upsurdge in the early 1950s the fishery 

 collapsed. No commercial catch has been re- 

 corded since 1961. 



In Chesapeake Bay, with major fluctuations, 

 the blue crab catch has been increasing for about 

 35 years. It has been suggested that the in- 

 creased catch has been caused by increased 



591 



