Catch 



In figure 31 are shown pound net land- 

 ings for the period 1949 through 1953, the only 



1949 



1950 



951 1952 



YEARS 



1953 



Figure 31. --Pound net landings, 1949-1953 



years for which complete data were available. 

 The annual yield during this period averaged 

 about 1.1 million pounds. The principal species 

 are listed in table 11. The percentage values 

 represent the average for the 5 -year period. 

 The rank of individual species shifted markedly 

 from year to year, although weakfish, butter - 

 fish, and menhaden consistently furnished the 

 bulk of the catch . 



Table 11. --Species composition, pound net 

 fishery, 1949-1953 



Species 



Percent 



Weakfish 



Butter fish 



Menhaden 



Squid 



Porgy 



Mackerel 



All others 



37.2 



23.6 



14.7 



3.1 



2.9 



1.5 



17.0 



No index of abundance was calculated. 



The decline of the middle Atlantic pound 

 net fishery has been attributed variously to a 

 decrease in abundance of the migratory foodfish 

 stocks, changes in hydrographic conditions 



which have adversely affected certain species, 

 competition from mechanized gears, such as 

 the otter trawl - to mention but a few diagnoses. 

 A detailed discussion of the possible contributing 

 factors is presented elsewhere (June, 1956). 

 Suffice it to say that the pound net fishery of the 

 middle Atlantic area faces an uncertain future. 



DRIFT GILL NET FISHERY 



Gill nets were one of the first types of net 

 gear to be used commercially in the middle At- 

 lantic area . They have never been of major 

 importance in this region, however, since first 

 introduced about 1835. While gill nets were 

 used to catch a great variety of fishes, it was 

 the drift net fishery for mackerel which over 

 the years was pursued with greatest intensity. 

 Relatively low investment costs in gear and 

 vessel enabled many small operators to engage 

 in the fishery. 



Mackerel production in this area of the 

 coast, as elsewhere, has fluctuated markedly . 

 Annual gill net landings in New Jersey over the 

 past 30 years have varied between 176,000 and 

 3.0 million pounds. The yield within the survey 

 area in 1953 amounted to 246,000 pounds with 

 an estimated value of $25,000 to the fishermen. 



Vessels, Fishing Gear, and Methods 



Vessels used in the mackerel gill net fish- 

 ery off New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland 

 vary from small motor launches to medium -sized 

 otter trawlers. Most vessels use a roller which 

 is fastened to the stern or gunwale to assist in 

 setting and recovering the nets. Although some 

 of the larger vessels are equipped with a power 

 winch for recovering the gear, most of the nets 

 are pulled by hand. Each vessel is manned by 

 two or three men. 



Gill nets are designed to catch fish by the 

 gills as they swim into the webbing. There are 

 many variations in mesh size and dimensions, 

 depending on the species sought. A mackerel 

 gill net is approximately 180 feet long and be- 

 tween 8 and 10 feet deep. It consists of a vertical 

 wall of cotton, linen, or nylon netting suspended 

 from the surface by a cork line and weighted at 

 the bottom by a lead line. Since proper fullness 

 of webbing is important to the efficiency of the 



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