total catch, catch per unit effort, and fishing 

 effort suggest that the productive level of the 

 fishery has not stabilized, and the increase in 

 yield was associated with an increase in fish- 

 ing effort. The foregoing conclusions, there- 

 fore, indicate that some further decline in surf 

 clam production is Lo be expected. It may be 

 of interest to note that if the number of vessels 

 continues to increase, catch per unit effort may 

 continue to decline even though total landings 

 may remain relatively high for a time. 



PURSE SEINE FISHERY FOR FOODFISH 



The purse seine is believed to have 

 originated in Maine about 1837 and was first 

 used for capturing menhaden (Goode, 1879) in 

 Rhose Island waters . By 1860, a sizable purse 

 seine fishery for mackerel was established in 

 New England (Knake, 1950), yet it was not un- 

 til 1900 that important quantities of porgy, 

 weakfish, and croaker were taken by this gear 

 in the middle Atlantic area.- 



Two purse seine fisheries for foodfish 

 operate within the survey area. Commencing 

 in late March or April, seiners from the New 

 England mackerel fleet move into the waters 

 off Delaware Bay to intercept the spring runs of 

 mackerel as they move northward along the 

 coast. These vessels return to their home 

 grounds when the runs have passed. A small 

 resident fleet, varying from two to five vessels, 

 fishes for porgy and weakfish from May through 

 October. In 1953, approximately 3 .0 million 

 pounds of foodfish were landed by the southern 

 New Jersey purse seine fleet. The catch was 

 valued at $150,000 to'the fishermen. 



Vessels 



The seine vessel is from 60 to 110 feet 

 in length and may be designed along the lines of 

 a schooner, otter trawler, or modified World 

 War I or II submarine chaser. It is character- 

 ized by a prominent crow's nest on the foremast 

 and a towing boom on the starboard side . 



Two additional vessels, a seine boat and 

 a small dory, are used to set the New England 

 mackerel purse seine. The seine boat is an 

 open, power -driven boat, varying from 24 to 45 



feet in length. Three additional vessels are 

 used to set the middle Atlantic purse seine for 

 foodfish, two seine boats and a spotting vessel. 

 The latter is similar in design to a small otter 

 trawl vessel. Most seine vessels employ a 

 crew of from 11 to 14 men. 



Fishing Gear and Methods 



Purse seine gear for foodfish is similar 

 to that employed for menhaden. The former 

 varies from 160 to 190 fathoms in length and is 

 usually about 900 meshes deep. Some of the 

 newer nets are 1,200 meshes deep to allow for 

 fishing in greater depths. Mesh size varies 

 from 2 to 2-1/2 inches stretched measure. 



The method of fishing for foodfish also 

 differs somewhat from the menhaden operation. 

 Since few schools of porgy, weakfish, and other 

 food species are visible at the surface, fish are 

 located by means of an echo sounder. After a 

 school of fish has been located, the spotting 

 boat remains over the school while the seine 

 boats set the net. Pursing is accomplished by 

 the seine boats. The spotting vessel then moves 

 outside the net enclosure by passing over the 

 cork line. Usually the spotting vessel stands by 

 to receive some of the catch. Before the echo 

 sounder came into use, schools of fish were 

 located by their surface color, feeding birds, or 

 the dark shadow cast by the school as it passed 

 over the bottom . Occasionally chum was used 

 to induce scattered fish to "school up" while the 

 net was being set. Detailed description of the 

 vessels, gear, and methods of fishing may be 

 found in Knake (1950). 



Fishing Grounds 



Fishing grounds for the purse seine fleets 

 occupy the narrow coastal strip within the 10 

 fathom curve. The appearance of mackerel, in 

 these waters, has been so erratic that no regular 

 fishing grounds for this species can be established. 

 During past years of abundance, however, the 

 waters just off the mouth of the Delaware Bay and 

 in the vicinity of Five Fathom Bank, ranging in 

 depths from 5 to 10 fathoms, were most productive. 



Purse seining grounds for porgy and weak- 

 fish include the shallow, inshore waters and the 



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