ATLANTIC OCEAN, 10 to 50 FATHOMS 



PELAGIC 



In this geographic subdivision the fishing 

 grounds are principally reef areas. These 

 reefs fall into two general categories: ( 1 ) Those 

 lying between 10 and 20 fathoms and (2) those 

 on the outer slope of the Continental Shelf 

 from about 30 to 50 fathonns. 



Moe (1963) made a detailed study of these 

 reefs and their utilization in relation to fish- 

 ing. Based on his work, figure 2 shows the 

 location and extent of the principal reef areas, 

 which we have numbered. Table 6 gives Moe's 

 description of each (fronn his tables 1 through 

 5). 



Only one of the eight dominant species in the 

 Cape Canaveral Area fisheries, red snapper, 

 is taken in this geographic subdivision. 



Red Snapper 



The red snapper fishery operates year round, 

 but the period of highest production is January- 

 June- -the lowest production occurs August- 

 November. Red snapper ranks sixth in poundage 

 of the Cape Canaveral Area fisheries (4-year 

 average of 251,475 pounds) and fourth in value 

 (4- year average of $72,206), exceeded by 

 shrimp, spotted sea trout, and nnullet (tables 

 4 and 5). Fishing is by handlines and exclu- 

 sively on the reef grounds (fig, 2). Red snappers 

 normally inhabit banks, reefs, and lumps 

 where small fish, crabs, shrinnp, etc., provide 

 abundant food. They seem to move from one 

 location to another, and this movement is prob- 

 ably related to food supply. We know little of 

 the life history of the species. 



Closely associated with the red snapper, and 

 taken by the same fishery, are several menn- 

 bers of the sea bass fannily. The most innportant 

 of these are black sea bass and groupers. Dur- 

 ing the 4-year period 1959-62 the average 

 catch of black sea bass was 12,525 pounds 

 worth $1,383, and of groupers, 68,225 pounds 

 worth $7,686. 



Three species of fish of interest to both 

 commercial and sport fisheries are worthy 

 of special note. These are, in order of im- 

 portance in the commercial fishery: King 

 mackerel, 4-year average of 69,650 pounds 

 worth $9,210; Spanish mackerel, 4-year aver- 

 age of 84,525 pounds worth $8,004; and blue- 

 fish, 4-year average of 12,150 pounds worth 

 $1,190. These species are captured largely by 

 trolling and by gill nets in the open ocean, 

 mainly inside of 10 fathoms. Heaviest com- 

 mercial landings are in the spring and winter 

 for king mackerel, spring and early summer for 

 Spanish mackerel, and in the spring for blue- 

 fish (table 5). 



King Mackerel 



Little is known of the life history of this 

 important game fish. King mackerel are 

 migratory, apparently concentrating on the 

 east coast of Florida in the winter and expand- 

 ing their distribution northward and westward 

 along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in spring 

 and summer. 



Spanish Mackerel 



We know little of the biology of Spanish 

 mackerel, which is also an important game 

 fish. The species is schooling in habit and 

 n-iigratory. Spanish mackerel appear to con- 

 centrate during the winter along the east coast 

 of Florida, and beginning in the spring and 

 continuing through the summer expand their 

 distribution northward and westward along the 

 Atlantic and Gulf coasts. During the fall they 

 begin to return to the wintering grounds along 

 the Florida east coast. We believe that Spanish 

 mackerel spawn in the open ocean during the 

 summer migrations. 



Scallops 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries explora- 

 tions off the central Florida east coast have 

 found an extensive bed of calico scallops off 

 the Cape Canaveral Area in about 10 to 40 

 fathoms (fig. 3). Bullis and Cummins (1961) 

 reported catch rates with n-iodified 8- and 

 10-foot Georges Bank sea-scallop dredges as 

 high as 78 bushels per hour, but average 

 production during simulated commercial pro- 

 duction trials was about 20-40 bushels per 

 hour. While no large commercial operation 

 exists at the time of this report, fishing 

 interests are working on nnechanical shuckers, 

 and a valuable fishery could soon evolve. 



Bluefish 



The biology and habits of the bluefish are 

 not well known, Bluefish sonnetinnes travel in 

 dense schools and feed voraciously on snnall 

 fish. Their migrations are erratic. In general, 

 bluefish appear to move northward in the 

 spring and southward in autumn, being taken 

 in the winter in southern Florida, off the 

 Carolinas in the spring, off Massachusetts 

 in late spring and early sunnmer, back in the 

 Carolinas by about November, and again on 

 the east coast of Florida by late Novennber 

 or December. We believe that bluefish spawn 

 about May or June in offshore waters, and 

 the young come inshore shortly after. 



15 



