FISH TAKEN INCIDENTAL TO SHRIMP TRAWLING 



The U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, during studies 

 on the white shrinnp in the Cape Canaveral 

 Area during the 2-year period July 1933-June 

 1935, nnaintained a record of the fish captured. 

 The data were obtained from operations of the 

 Bureau's 40-foot shrimp trawler Launch 58 . 

 using standard commercial gear. The trawls 

 were 75-foot spread of 1-3/4-inch stretch 

 mesh netting and were hauled at 2 to 3 knots. 

 Duration of individual drags varied between 

 1 and 1-1/2 hours. Two work areas on the 

 shrimp fishing grounds were sampled nnonthly, 

 one off Ponce de Leon Inlet and the other just 

 south of Cape Canaveral. 



These records contain valuable infornnation 

 regarding relative abundance of the various 

 fannilies and species of fish associated with 

 the shrimp fishing grounds, seasonal abund- 

 ance, and a good estimate of the average fish 

 catch made incidental to connmercial shrimp 

 fishing operations. Many of the larger fish-- 

 in particular the Sciaenidae (including spot, 

 whiting, croaker, and white sea trout)- -are 

 saved by shrimp fishermen and sold or other- 

 wise utilized as food. 



In table 9 these data are sunnnnarized so 

 that for each month are given, by species: 

 The average numbers of fish taken per hour of 

 trawling, the percent of the total catch for the 

 month, and the actual number of fish captured. 

 A total, by months, for all species combined 

 is given at the end of the table. Figure 7 shows 

 by months the average number of fish per hour 

 of trawling for all species combined. These 

 data show a great seasonal variation in num- 

 bers of fish found on shrimp fishing bottoms. 

 From a low of only 200-400 fish per hour of 

 trawling during late spring and early sunnmer, 



the numbers taken rose rapidly during the 

 summer and early fall to peak in October and 

 November at 4,500-5,500 fish per hour of 

 trawling. In December the number takenbegan 

 to decline, and this decline continued through 

 the winter until the low point was reached in 

 the spring. 



Considering only those species that con- 

 tributed 2 percent or more of the yearly total, 

 we find that 11 species representing 4 families 

 account for nearly 93 percent of the catch. 

 Table 10 shows the data for these 11 species by 

 fannily, by nnonth, for the 2 years and two sta- 

 tions combined. 



The croaker family (Sciaenidae), with six 

 species, is by far the most abundant, account- 

 ing for nearly 70 percent of the total number 

 of fish captured. On a nnonthly basis, the per- 

 centage ranged from 47.1 to 84.3. One species, 

 the star drum ( Stellifer lanceolatus ). alone 

 accounted for almost 27 percent of the yearly 

 number, ranging over the months from to 

 over 40 percent of the number caught. 



The jacks (Carangidae), with two species, 

 represented 16.5 percent of the yearly catch 

 and ranged over the months from 1.8 to 40,8 

 percent. 



The sea catfish (Ariidae), with two species, 

 contributed 4.6 percent of the yearly catch 

 and ranged monthly from 0.4 to 8.7 percent. 



The sea basses (Serranidae), with one 

 species, was 2.4 percent of the yearly take 

 and ranged from 0.3 to 8.9 percent over the 

 months. 



There follows by family the status of each 

 of the 1 1 species with regard to conn- 

 nnercial usage and as food for human 

 consumption. 



■Rible 9. — Fish taken by trawling, Cape Canaveral Area, m/v Launch ^8 1933-35, catch-per-unit-of-ef fort (75-foot shrimp trawl at 2-3 knots) by months 



for two years combined, for New anyrna and Cape Canaveral stations combined 



[Upper figure, number of fish per hour of hauling; middle figure, percent of total catch; and lower figure, total number of fish; asterisk 



indicates value of less than 0.05] 



20 



