Vessels, Fishing Gear and Methods 



-i r 1 ' 1 1 1 1 r- 



1945 



YEARS 



_i i i_ 



Figure 29. --Pound net landings, New Jersey, 

 1939-1952 



most precipitous in certain restricted coastal 

 areas. Most significant perhaps was the com- 

 plete disappearance of the fishery at Ocean 

 City, Maryland, in 1953. In figure 30 are 

 charted the pound net landings at this port from 

 1944 through 1953. Apart from annual fluctua- 

 tions, the most significant drop in production 

 occurred in 1951 when landings fell below 

 100,000 pounds, less than one -twentieth that 

 reported 7 years earlier. Within the survey 

 area production in 1953 amounted to 981,000 

 pounds with an estimated value of $25,000 to 

 the fishermen. Although of decreasing im- 

 portance among the commercial fisheries 

 within the survey area, information respecting 

 the pound net fishery is presented here for 

 historical reasons. 



2000 



1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 



YEARS 

 Figure 30. --Pound net landings, Ocean City, 

 Maryland, 1944-1953 



Boats used for transporting the catch 

 from the nets to the landing docks vary from 

 30 to 38 feet in length. They are powered with 

 gasoline engines ranging from 40 to 115 horse- 

 power. Though com pletely open, these boats 

 are extremely seaworthy. 



The pound net is a stationary gear set in 

 shallow waters along the coast or on a fishing 

 bank offshore. Webbing hung from wooden pil- 

 ing forms a leader which directs the fish into 

 a V-shaped opening called the heart. The 

 tendency of the fish to follow the webbing leads 

 them into the pot or crib where they become en- 

 trapped. The catch is removed by lifting the 

 floor of the pocket net in which the fish are con- 

 fined. Weather permitting, the catch is removed 

 daily except Sunday. During periods of heavy 

 storms the nets may be removed from the piling 

 to prevent damage or loss. 



Pound nets usually are set in March or 

 April and remain in the water until mid -October 

 or longer, depending on the weather . In certain 

 localities nets often are set only during periods 

 when runs of certain species are expected. In 

 northern New Jersey, for example, many oper- 

 ators fish specifically for menhaden from March 

 or April until commencement of the menhaden 

 purse seine season late in May. 



Fishing Grounds 



Pound nets formerly were located at numer- 

 ous places along the southern New Jersey and 

 Maryland coasts. Fishing success was depend- 

 ent upon the selection of the most likely places 

 for intercepting the various runs of migratory 

 species that followed the shoreline or congregated 

 in schools offshore, hence locations that proved 

 successful were continued year after year. Pound 

 net sites were limited, however, to those few 

 localities where there were both depths and 

 bottoms suitable for driving the piles. Five 

 Fathom Bank was one of the most productive 

 areas during the heyday of the fishery. The few 

 remaining nets operated in 1953 were located 

 about two miles offshore in the vicinity of Sea 

 Isle City, New Jersey. 



39 



