THE BAIT INDUSTRY 



The great increase in sport and commercial fishing since about 1950 has 

 created a great demand for natural bait. Almost any fish species can be cut 

 up and used for bait, but only a few enter the trade in large quantities. 

 Favorite baits are squid, shrimp, silver mullet, ballyhoo, halfbeaks, her- 

 rings, and small jacks such as cigar minnows and goggle eyes. With the 

 exception of shrimp, most of the bait sold is frozen or fresh dead. Silver 

 mullet, ballyhoo, and some of the herring species are usually sold whole, 

 especially those prepared for sailfish, billfish, and king mackerel fishing. 

 The majority are sold to party and charter boat anglers and the success of the 

 trip often depends on the availability of the proper bait. 



The most valuable and useful bait is live shrimp. Live bait shrimp are 

 caught primarily in estuaries where food shrimp fishing is banned. Part of 

 the justification for this leniency is the self-limiting nature of the bait 

 fishery. For shrimp to be kept alive, the vessel must be equipped with recir- 

 culating water holding tanks and a small shrimp trawl that is towed for only a 

 short time (10 min). Short hauls with small trawls help keep shrimp mortality 

 at low levels and reduce the catch of other fishes. 



MARI CULTURE 



Mariculture is the commercial cultivation of estuarine or marine fish or 

 shellfish. The high reproductive potential of most species and the increasing 

 value of most seafoods has drawn much attention to the possiblity of "farming 

 the sea." Most of the mariculture experiments in Florida used pompano, fresh- 

 water shrimp ( Macrobrachium ), and saltwater shrimp ( Penaeus ). 



Several attempts have been made to raise saltwater shrimp. One company 

 invested several million dollars and produced several hundred thousand pounds 

 of shrimp in a year. Although this production was insufficient for reasonable 

 profit, experimental culture is still underway. Their greatest success was 

 achieved in two 300-acre ponds in which the cultured postlarval shrimp were 

 stocked and fed until they were of harvestable size. In earlier years, shrimp 

 mariculture was attempted in 2,500 acres of fenced bay bottom, which required 

 the first State "mariculture" lease. A continuing series of problems ranging 

 from hurricanes and high tides, to nets that sunk from an accumulation of 

 fouling organisms (such as barnacles) forced them to abandon this method. 



Despite these and other experiments, mariculture in Florida is still in 

 the developmental stage. Major problems were the high cost of labor and land, 

 low winter water temperatures, and biological problems associated with mass 

 culture. The most successful mariculture projects in Florida were moved to 

 Central or South America where these problems are less troublesome. One of 

 the better potentials for mariculture in Florida is in saltwater aquaria cul- 

 ture. Since some of the brightly colored reef fishes now sell for as much as 

 $50 each, their culture could be highly profitable. However, the high prices 

 are an artifact of their scarcity and a successful culture effort will result 

 in a great decrease in price. This in turn brings the cost within the range 

 of many more aquarium enthusiasts. In summary, there is potential (as there 

 is in several species), but a successful effort will be long term, well 

 funded, and not directed toward quick returns. 



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