Table 3. — Results of exploratory fishing with an 8-foot tumbler dredge (September to 



December 1967). 



Availability, therefore, according to the re- 

 quirements for hand-shucking in North Car- 

 olina, is subject to change. This assumption is 

 supported by the North Carolina production 

 statistics for 1959 to 1967 (table 1). It should 

 be strongly recommended that the industry 

 utilize calico scallops wherever they may occur, 

 particularly in areas which have been delimited 

 by exploratory fishing. Processing equipment, 

 either mobile or located at various ports, would 

 provide for utilizing scallops over a wider area 

 thus enhancing the opportunity for continuous 

 year-round production. 



RECENT EXPANSION OF THE 



CALICO SCALLOP FISHERY 



TO FLORIDA GROUNDS 



Bureau Explorations 



Previous explorations have shown that the 

 area off the Florida east coast shows the great- 

 est potential for commercial exploitation of 

 calico scallops. This area may be described as 

 the portion of the continental shelf within 10 

 to 40 fathoms from Ft. Pierce northward to 

 the St. Johns River and referred to as the 

 Cape Kennedy beds (fig. 3). During dredging 

 cruises with the exploratory vessels Silver Bay 

 and Oregon since 1960, commercial concentra- 

 tions of calico scallops were located every 

 month in the year throughout the 9 year period. 

 With this knowledge and new processing ma- 

 chinery, it was decided, following the decline 

 of the North Carolina fishery in 1967, to pro- 

 vide the latest information for further indus- 

 trial development. An intensive systematic 

 resurvey of the east Florida grounds was 

 scheduled with four cruises from September 

 to December 1967 and additional cruises as 

 would be required. Four standard transects 

 were dredged between 10 and 40 fathoms dur- 

 ing each cruise from Mayport to Ft. Pierce. 



Commercial concentrations of scallops were 

 found during each cruise, and the results of 

 catches made with 8-foot tumbler dredges (fig. 

 4) during the first four cruises are summarized 

 in table 3. 



In addition to commercial-size scallops, small 

 "seed" scallops, amounting up to 14 bushels 

 per hour, were found at scattered locations 

 throughout the survey area. In September 1967 

 (Oregon Cruise No. 121) an observation dive 

 made by the submersible DR/V Aluminaut in 

 an area delimited by the Oregon provided in- 

 formation to supplement the Oregon findings. 

 A Bureau observer confirmed intermittent dis- 

 tribution of scallops with individual "beds" 

 oriented in north-south bands. Typical beds 

 were observed to be 100 to 300 feet wide and 

 up to 1,500 feet long. Average densities were 

 of about 4 scallops per square foot with some 

 exceeding 8 scallops per square foot. (For scal- 

 lop density photos see figs. 5, 6 and 7.) During 

 the cruises, vessels on the fishing grounds were 

 assisted, dredging demonstrations were given, 

 gear trials were conducted, and processing 

 equipment was tested at sea. Shell stock was 

 landed for test purposes. Also, numerous meet- 

 ings were held with interested individuals or 

 groups to make available a wide variety of 

 information. 



Commercial Production 



Initial dredging results from the resurvey of 

 the Cape Kennedy beds provided a basis for 

 commercial fishing trials which began in Octo- 

 ber 1967. These have continued intermittently 

 dependent on limitations by processing ma- 

 chinery, rough seas, hot weather, inadequate 

 port facilities, and the availability of vessels 

 engaged in other fishing activities. 



From October to December 1967, shrimp- 

 type scallop vessels landed 5,035 bushels (about 

 350,000 pounds) of shell stock from the Cape 



