CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction 1 



Major commercial fisheries 2. 



Otter- trawl fishery ^ 



Fishing grounds 3 



Catch 4 



Analysis of data 6 



Surf -clam fishery 7 



Fishing grounds 7 



Analysis of data 8 



Pot fishery 8 



Minor commercial fisheries 9 



Purse-seine fishery for food fish 9 



Pound-net fishery 9 



Drift gill- net fishery 9 



Trawl-line fishery ^^ 



Hand- and troll-line fisheries 11 



Sport fishery ^ 1 



New Jersey ^^ 



Delaware ^3 



Maryland 14 



Conclusions ^ ^ 



Reconimendations 17 



Summary 17 



Literature cited 18 



FIGURES 



Frontpiece: The survey area ^^ 



1. Major fishing ports and grounds ^ 



2. Distribution of fishing effort by the inshore otter-trawl fleet, 1954-57 4 



3. Distribution of fishing effort by the offshore otter-trawl fleet, 1953-58 4 



4. Total catch, catch per boat-month, and fishing effort, inshore otter-trawl 



fishery, 1946-57 5 



5. Total catch, catch per boat-month, and fishing effort, offshore otter-trawl 



fishery, 1946-58 5 



6. Distribution of fishing effort by the surf-clam fleet, 1954-57 7 



7. Total catch, catch per boat-month, and fishing effort, surf-clam fishery, 



1950-57 8 



8. Total catch, catch per pot, and total number of pots, pot fishery, 1946-57 9 



TABLES 



1. Species composition, inshore otter-trawl landings, in thousands of pounds 3 



2. Species composition, offshore otter-trawl landings, in thousands of pounds 3 



3. Monthly inshore otter-trawl landings, in percent 3 



4. Monthly offshore otter-trawl landings, in percent 4 



5. Scallop landings " 



6. Summary data, inshore otter-trawl fishery o 



7. Siunmary data, offshore otter-trawl fishery 7 



8. Summary data, surf-clam fishery • 8 



9. Species composition, purse-seine fishery for food fish, in pounds.. 10 



10. Species composition, pound-net fishery, in pounds 10 



iii 



