Table 8. --Summary data, surf clam fishery, 1950-1953 



The data summarized in figures 19 and 

 20 represent the amount of fishing effort (num- 

 ber of tows) expended by the fleets in 1952 and 

 1953, expressed in percent. Data for 1952 in- 

 clude the months of May through December 

 only. Areas of heavy (greater than 10.0 per- 

 cent), moderate (2.0 to 9.9 percent), and light 

 (0.1 to 1.9 percent) fishing are indicated. 



Grounds of importance to the fishery 

 lie in the vicinity of the 10 fathom curve between 

 Sea Isle City, New Jersey and lower Assateague 

 Island, Maryland. Grounds most heavily fished 

 are located off the mouth of Delaware Bay in the 

 vicinity of Five Fathom Bank and Five Fathom 

 Lightship and east-southeast of Ocean City, 

 Maryland, in the area commonly known to the 

 fishermen as the "Lumps", between Great Gull 

 Bank and Jack Spot. Of the total fishing effort, 

 65 percent was spent in these areas in 1952 and 

 75 percent in 1953. It will be seen that the dis- 

 tribution of effort is similar for the two years, 

 except that fishing extended farther offshore in 

 1953, in depths ranging up to 120 feet. Dis- 

 cussions with fishermen and cannery operators 

 indicate that the largest clams occur in the 

 deeper waters; present pumps and hoses limit 

 the depths in which the dredges may be operated, 

 however. It should be noted that no seasonal 

 changes in the relative importance of the differ- 

 ent grounds were indicated. 



Catch 



Figure 21 shows landings of surf clams 

 from 1929 to 1953 for all years for which records 

 are available. Since there was no fishery in 

 Delaware or Maryland prior to 1950, production 



figures prior to that year are for New Jersey 

 only. Subsequently, landings in Delaware and 

 Maryland are included with New Jersey totals . 

 The entire production of these three states or- 

 iginates within the survey area . 



From 1929 to 1950, annual production 

 averaged roughly 25,000 bushels, reaching a 

 peak in 1940 when over 45,000 bushels were re- 

 corded. A drop in yield occurred during World 

 War II when the party and charter boat sport 

 fisheries were sharply curtailed, and the demand 

 for surf clams as bait reached its lowest level. 

 With the development of the canning industry in 

 1950, production climbed to over 365,000 bushels, 

 or roughly ten times that of any previous year. 

 The peak catch of 642,000 bushels was recorded 

 in 1953 . 



Analysis of Data 



Methods of computing catch per unit 

 effort were identical to those used for the men- 

 haden and trawl fisheries. The time unit selected 

 was a month. The usual criteria for selection of 

 vessels apply. A series of indices of catch per 

 unit effort was obtained using 1950 as the base 

 year. Pertinent data respecting the analysis are 

 summarized in table 8 . 



Measurements of total yield, apparent 

 abundance, and fishing effort are shown in figure 

 22. Over the 4-year period, 1950 through 1953, 

 the calculated values indicate a steady downward 

 trend in catch per unit effort while yield and fish- 

 ing effort increased. If these indices may be 

 assumed to reflect roughly changes which have 

 occurred in the fishery, the interrelations of 



28 



