The Division of Fish and Game of the Rhode Island Department of 

 Agriculture and Conservation has the responsibility of enforcing laws 

 regulating areas which may be fished by dredging as well as the dredging 

 catch limit of 30 bushels per day. Difficulties in enforcing these laws, 

 the dredgers' demands for additional areas, and controversies between 

 power and hand diggers resulted in a request by the Division of Fish and 

 Game that the Fish and Wildlife Service in^stigate the problem. Since 

 this controversy has been encountered in other States ^ it was decided 

 that the Service should undertake an experiment to determ.ine the relative 

 biological effect of power-dredging and hand-raking upon a population of 

 hard-shell clams o The Division of Fish and Game agreed to close an 

 experimental area and to patrol it to prevent illegal fishing ., The 

 Na'S'ragansett Lfeirine Laboratory of the University of Rhode Island agreed 

 to furnish office and laboratory space and to share the expenses of 

 operating a research boat. The Fish and Tfildlife Service agreed to con- 

 duct the experiment, analyze, and publish the results „ 



FISHING METHODS 



Fishermen bullrake from flat-bottomed skiffs about l6 feet long. 

 The rake J sometimes called a Shinnecock Rake^ is about 36 inches wide 

 and has about 30 teeth with 7/8-inch spaces betTreen., The teeth are 

 curved on about a U-inch radius so the rake will dig about 8 inches deep 

 (Figo 2)0 The handle or stale is in sections and may be increased to 

 about a 36-foot length for digging in waters 25 feet deep<, Although the 

 maximum depth for raking is about UO feety most is done at less t-han 

 20 feeto The fisherma.n pulls the rake through the bottom in a series of 

 short jerks, occasionally bringing it to the surface to empty the catch 

 into the boato About l^UOO fishermen are licensed in Rhode Island to 

 catch clams by hand-digging methods y and about half of these use bull- 

 rakes » 



The maximum catch per day for rakers is about ten 80~pound bushels^ 

 but the average is only about h bushels. The price depends upon the 

 size composition of the catch. Rakers prefer to catch "little necks" 

 which range in size from the legal minimum of 1 1/2-inch width (U7-U8 mm. 

 length) to 2-inch width (60 mm, length) since the price for these averages 

 $^.00 to $6oOO per bushel compared to $2„50 to $3o50 per bushel for larger 

 clams o Clams over 2-inch width are known to the fishermen as "mediums", 

 "large", or "chowders",, although dealers establish additional size groups. 



Fishermen tong from flat-bottomed boats similar to those used in 

 raking. The tongs are similar to those used for oysters but are modified 

 to dig through the bottom to remove the clams. Stales (handles) are 

 usually no longer than 15 feet, which allows digging in water about 

 12 feet deep, although 18- to 20-foot stales are sometimes used in water 

 15 to 16 feet deep. Because this type of fishing is less strenuous than 

 bullraking it is the method used by the older fishermen, although most 

 fishermen use tongs where the water is shallowo The tongs catch clams of 

 the same size range as rakes. The maximum catch per fisherman in 80-pound 

 bushels is about 5 per day, and the average is about 3o 



