scallop and comprise the only ocean shell- 

 fish resources presently being utilized 

 within the area. However, a measure of the 

 magnitude of these resources and others, 

 such as the ocean queihog and ocean hard 

 clam, await exploration and further gear 

 and market development. The miigratory 

 coastal species include the Atlantic men- 

 haden, croaker, cod, whiting, weakfish, 

 spot, squirrel hake, and bluefish. Although 

 these species contribute substantially to the 

 fish production of the area, they fluctuate 

 greatly in abundance and generally have 

 caused greater instability in the fishing 

 industry than any other component of the 

 total resource. Most migratory pelagic 

 species, including tunas, sharks, round 

 herring, sand eel, squid, and many others, 

 apparently abound along the Continental 

 Shelf, but at present, are unexploited. 



The otter-trawl fishery, which con- 

 tributes most foodfish landings, depends 

 almost entirely upon four species: fluke, 

 porgy, sea bass, and weakfish. Yet most 

 catches include numerous other species 

 which, at present, are discarded (usually 

 at sea) because there is no market for them. 

 Daiber,' for example, found that of the 

 43 species identified in samples from ot- 

 ter-trawl catches in Delaware Bay, 26 were 

 considered "trash." This author stated 

 that, at times, discarded species consti- 

 tuted the major portion of the catch by 

 weight. These inefficient and wasteful prac- 

 tices have resulted in enormous losses to 

 the fishermen in recent years. Complete 

 utilization of the catch, on the other hand, 

 could benefit the fishermen through estab- 

 lishment of a year-round industry based 

 on canned, frozen, and reduced fishery 

 products and thus would increase the re- 

 turn per unit of raw material produced. 

 Biological and technological studies, par- 

 ticularly on the resident benthic species, 

 would be of considerable help in establishing 

 this fishery on an efficient and profitable 

 production basis. 



The surf- clam fishery developed and 

 expanded to occupy a position of major 

 importance in the area during the period 

 of the survey. Initial, heavy exploitation of 

 near -shore beds resulted in a marked de- 

 cline in production, followed by a shift 



'Trawl fishery investigations. By Franklin C. Daiber, Marine 

 Laboratory, University of IDelaware, Newark, Del., Report pre- 

 pared for the General Assembly (Delaware) 1955,44 pp. (mimeo.). 



to more distant grounds. Recent production 

 has been curtailed by market demand and 

 the operational limitations of the hydraulic 

 dredge in the search for new fishing grounds. 

 Despite the apparent heavy fishing mortality 

 on virgin stocks, it appears that surf-clam 

 beds will recover if left alone. Fishermen 

 have reported that if heavily exploited beds 

 were allowed to remain undisturbed for 

 2 or 3 years, they would again produce 

 harvestable clams in fishable quantities. 

 This opinion was substantiated by logbook 

 records that showed the return to pro- 

 ductive fishing on clam beds after several 

 years of abandonment. It is not known, 

 however, whether this apparent recovery 

 was due to the growth of new seed stock, 

 or to vertical or horizontal nnovements of 

 surf clams onto the grounds. Although the 

 surf-clam resource within the area is 

 limited, it appears to be capable of support- 

 ing the fishery at present levels of fishing. 

 However, exploratory fishing, to ascertain 

 the depth and areal distribution of virgin 

 beds of mature clams, together with a study 

 of the life history and biology are needed 

 before any major expansion of the fishery 

 can be expected. 



Many of the traditional nnethods of 

 commercial fishing, viz., purse seine for 

 food fish, pound net, drift gill net, trawl 

 line, hand line, and troll line are dwindling 

 in importance, and some may soon dis- 

 appear entirely from the area. Much of the 

 equipment employed in these fisheries has 

 become obsolescent, and there has been 

 little replacement of worn-out gear. As a 

 result of the decline of these diverse fish- 

 eries, certain species such as mackerel, 

 cod, bluefish, and tunas, which are not taken 

 in appreciable numbers by other fishing 

 methods, probably are not being fully uti- 

 lized within the area. 



It is concluded that the area considered 

 constitutes one of the most productive 

 fishing grounds in the We stern Hemisphere. 

 Nevertheless, it appears capable of produc- 

 ing much greater quantities of marine prod- 

 ucts than are now being utilized. With the 

 possible exception of Atlantic menhaden and 

 sea bass, all species inhabiting these waters 

 seem to be underexploited. The greatest 

 potential lies in development of a year- 

 round fishery for the resident benthic 

 species for canned, frozen, and reduced 

 fishery products. 



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