in depth. The vri.nter trawl fishery, as it now exists, is limited to 

 the area from Cape Ilatteras north to the Virginia Capes while much of 

 the area outside 20 fathoms south of Cape Hatteras remains unfished« 



In spite of the growth of this winter trawl fishery in the deeper 

 waters off Cape Katteras..; the resident comrnercial fishermen of North 

 Carolina have continued to e:q5loit the fish populations indigenous to 

 the shelf TfrLthin the 20- fathom line. The Institute of Fisheries Hesearch, 

 cogniz,ant of this limited fishery;, sought ways to expand it, and as a 

 result- a survey was cooperatively undertaken by the Fish and Vfi-ldlife 

 Sevn.ce of the United States Department of the Interior and the Institute 

 of Fisheries Research of the University of North Carolina. 



TIS SURVEY VESSEL 



The United States Fish and Wildlife Service research vessel 

 Albatross III (Figure 2) was used in the survey. Tlie vessel is of 

 steel construction throaghout, is about 180 feet long, has a beam of 

 about 24- feet and a draft of 12 feet, and is povrered by an 805 horse- 

 power diesel engine. It is equipped with full-size trawling gear of 

 the type used by New England trawlers, and the latest electronic device 

 Sonic Depth Recorders^ Loran Receiver, Radio Direction Finder, etc.— 

 which assure continous depth and position recordings during fishing 

 operations. 



TRA^^ING GEAR AND METHODS 



Otter trawling was carried on from Kay l6 to June 9 with a 

 slightlj' modified No. 1-1/2 Iceland trawl (Figure 3). The dimensions 

 of the trawl are as follows: 78-foot head-rope j 114-foot foot-ropej 

 D-inch mesh in the vangs and square j 5-inch, tapering to i^-inch, mesh 

 in the belly; and ^^^-inch mesh in the cod end. The cod end and upper 

 belly -mere lined with l-l/2-inch mesh tiTine. The entire net is approxi- 

 mately 100 feet long, and was attached to the doors by rope pennants 

 30 feet long. The doors yrere fastened directly to the toiving vrarps. 

 Part of the foot-rope ivas equipped vdth wooden rollers — the largest of 

 which vrore about IS inches in diameter and 4 to 6 inches in ividth — to 

 peimit trawling on the expected coral bottom without tearing or losing 

 entire nets. 



The trawl and oceanographic instruments vrare operated in a standard 

 manner during the survey. Upon arrival on station a bathythermograph 

 w"as lowered to obtain the bottom and intermediate temperatures. A 

 thermometer was also lovrered to record the surface temperature. TlUhile 

 the fishermen were '''shooting" the trawl, a Loran fix was obtained to 

 establish the starting- position for the two. After the trawl had been 



