280 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



RECOMMENDATIONS 



1. A system should be devised to make angling boats available when 

 needed. This could be done by the establishment of information pools. 

 Charter boats, more of which are needed, might be joint purchases. Boat 

 owners should make available printed information regarding their current 

 prices and the types of boats they are able to supply. Standardization of 

 prices is not recommended, due to the variance of conditions in different 

 localities. 



2. Known data on the game fishes of the coast should be accurately 

 compiled at once into an illustrated pamphlet for laymen, to be published 

 by an unbiased source. Failing such a source book, inaccurate statements, 

 mistaken identifications, and unsubstantiated guesses will continue to get 

 into rod and gun columns, club yearbooks, and other publications and from 

 these will eventually seep into scientific publications and go down through 

 the years as authoritative statements. 



3. Collection of further data is suggested in one of the two following 

 ways: 



A. Undoubtedly the most efficient way to collect reliable data on game 

 fishing possibilities in North Carolina would be a survey of at least three 

 years by one or two trained men. Such investigators would travel sufficiently 

 to keep their information up to date; when necessary they would have at 

 their disposal boats and gear for investigation of grounds and for the 

 accumulation of pertinent oceanographic data. At the end of the survey, 

 time would be allowed for drawing up reports which would be widely dis- 

 tributed. To such reports supplements would be added from time to time. 

 As commercial grounds are often completely unsuitable for game fishing, 

 data taken from commercial fishery statistics are very seldom of more than 

 the most general use to anglers. This survey would be done entirely from 

 the point of view of angling. 



B. In the absence of funds to support such work, there is an alternative 

 which would yield some valuable if not very complete information. First, a 

 small grant might be made to have printed and distributed a layman's 

 pamphlet as I have mentioned above. Simultaneously record books for 

 anglers, containing spaces for the data as on the sample sheet on page 281 

 could be made up and distributed to hotels, docks, restaurants and boat 

 owners in the marine fishing areas, to be kept in their headquarters, not given 

 to the angler. Arrangements could then be made for volunteers to pick up 

 these data at specific times, say every four months. The records should 

 include the individual angler's entire fishing record, not just his successful 

 days. If such records could be systematically filed for at least three years, a 

 fine general picture of the situation could be drawn from it. Such work 



