Table 9. --Purse seine landings of foodfish (exclusive of mackerel), in pounds, 



1947-1953 



The month of peak production is June. 



Because of the paucity of data no index 

 of abundance was calculated. 



POT FISHERY 



A pot fishery for sea bass developed in 

 the middle Atlantic area about 1926 when cer- 

 tain lobster pot operators found a ready market 

 for incidental landings of these fish. As lob- 

 ster catches declined in New Jersey in the early 

 1930s, increasing numbers of lobster pots were 

 modified for sea bass fishing. In 1953, approx- 

 imately 2.0 million pounds of sea bass, valued 

 at $240,000 to the fishermen, were taken in the 

 area from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to just 

 below Ocean City, Maryland. Although some 

 sea bass are taken by pots in New York and 

 Virginia waters, over 90 percent of the middle 

 Atlantic catch originates in the coastal waters 

 of southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Mary- 

 land. 



Vessels 



Vessels used by the pot operators range 

 from 25 to 40 feet and are characterized by a 

 large open deck occupying one -half to two- 

 thirds of the after part of the vessel. A small 

 winch is used to lift the pots. Both gasoline and 

 diesel engines are used in- the fleet, the former 

 in the smaller and older boats. The crew con- 

 sists of two men with often an additional deck 

 hand during the period of heavy production in 

 mid season. Twenty boats were engaged in the 

 fishery in 1952 and 1953. 



Fishing -Gear and Methods 



The pots or traps used in the sea bass 

 fishery are patterned after the standard half- 

 round lobster pot . There are two compartments 

 with entrances provided by means of net funnels. 

 The trap is approximately 48 inches long, 20 

 inches wide, and 15 inches high. Most operators 

 fish about 15 pots in a string. They are spaced 

 about 10 to 12 fathoms apart and fastened to a 

 heavy trawl line, which is anchored and marked 

 with surface buoys. 



In late April, strings of pots are set in 

 12 to 18 fathoms of water on rocky bottom, often 

 in the vicinity of wrecks. Bait is not used, al- 

 though some operators use broken glass as a 

 lure . Bricks are wired inside the pot to ensure 

 proper settling. Each operator may fish from 

 250 to over 1,200 pots, but the usual number is 

 about 500. The pots are lifted about once a week 

 depending on the number operated. During late 

 summer the pots are moved into greater depths 

 and are normally removed from the water dur- 

 ing late October and November . 



Fishing Grounds 



Location of fishing grounds for the 1952 

 and 1953 seasons are shown in figure 26. An 

 estimated 85 percent of the sea bass landed by 

 the pot fishery came from grounds lying im- 

 mediately offshore of the 10 fathom curve, ex- 

 tending from just south of Ocean City, New 

 Jersey, to Winter Quarter Lightship. 



35 



