The otter trawl fishery comprises two 

 distinct resident fleets: (1) an inshore fleet of 

 small and medium-sized vessels which make 

 daily trips to fishing grounds located within the 

 15 fathom curve, and (2) an offshore fleet of 

 larger vessels which, in general, fishes from 

 2 to 6 days each trip in the deeper waters out- 

 side the 15 fathom curve. 



Vessels 



Vessels used for otter trawling range 

 from less than 30 feet to over 100 feet in length. 

 Small and medium-sized vessels (commonly 

 called draggers), up to about 50 feet, are used 

 mostly for inshore trawling, whereas larger 

 vessels are principally offshore trawlers. Most 

 are powered with diesel engines, with a power 

 take-off to operate the winches. Some of the 

 older and smaller boats employ gasoline engines, 

 but replacement engines usually are of the diesel 

 type. Basic equipment on these vessels include 

 a two-way radio telephone, a recording echo 

 sounder, and a power driven winch and cable 

 for towing the trawl . A central hold provides 

 storage space for the catch. 



Inshore vessels normally are operated by 

 two or three men, while the offshore vessels 

 usually carry from 6 to 8 men. 



Fishing Gear and Methods 



The otter trawl is a large flattened, con- 

 ical net, approximately 100 feet long, designed 

 for towing along the ocean floor . The mouth, 

 about 75 feet wide, is held open laterally by the 

 kite-like action of two otter boards. The upper 

 section, or headrope of the net, overhangs the 

 opening and is buoyed by floats . The fish collect 

 in a terminal bag of heavy twine called the cod 

 end. The net is towed by two cables, one at- 

 tached to each otter board. 



In operation the net is set on the windward 

 side. The vessel circles to the windward until 

 the net, ground ropes, otter boards, and towing 

 cables are paid out. The net is towed from 2 

 to 4 miles per hour from one -half to 3 hours, 

 depending on the grounds and species fished. 

 At the end of the tow, the vessel is stopped, the 

 net recovered, and the catch dumped on deck 



for sorting and stowage. Detailed descriptions 

 of the otter trawl and methods of fishing may be 

 found in Pearson (1932). 



The inshore fleet uses two different nets - 

 a "flatfish" net for fluke and a "roundfish" net 

 for porgy, weakfish, and similar fishes. The 

 former is constructed of larger mesh and is 

 towed at relatively slow speed. The "roundfish" 

 net is characterized by smaller mesh webbing 

 and longer wings. Some small and medium - 

 sized vessels carry and often fish both nets dur- 

 ing a day's fishing. 



In the offshore fleet, a larger trawl is 

 used. It is constructed of heavier materials 

 and rigged with sturdier cables, shackles, and 

 otter boards. Tows last from one to three hours 

 in depths up to 100 fathoms or more. 



Fishing Grounds 



The grounds of interest to the otter trawl 

 fishery lie between Barnegat Lightship and Win- 

 ter Quarter Lightship, seaward to the 100 

 fathom curve. 



The inshore trawl fleet usually operates 

 inside the 15 fathom contour, which lies from 

 20 to 30 miles offshore. The grounds fished 

 during 1952 and 1953 are shown in figures 7 and 

 8, respectively. In both years, over 50 percent 

 of the fishing effort was spent within an area of 

 less than 300 square miles, located just east 

 and southeast of the mouth of Delaware Bay. 

 These highly productive grounds lie immediately 

 off the bay entrance in depths of 6 to 12 fathoms. 

 Five Fathom Bank and surrounding waters, the 

 areas just northeast and east of Atlantic City, 

 New Jersey, and east of Ocean City, Maryland, 

 also are important. The area immediately off 

 Indian River and Fenwick Island, Delaware, is 

 not fished as intensively as grounds just north 

 and south of it. This is probably due to the 

 firing range which restricts this area to military 

 use during much of the year. 



Best fishing grounds for fluke are the 

 sloughs or inshore deeps during the summer 

 months and the offshore shoals during the fall 

 and early winter. Weakfish, porgy, and other 

 roundfish usually are taken in the vicinity of off- 



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