and comprising the bulk of the catch by 

 seiners and, to a somewhat lesser extent, 

 that of trawlers. 



Statistics of the Fishery, New York- 

 Southern New England 



Changes in total yield . — The gross 

 yield of scup in New York is smaller than in 

 New Jersey, but, as in the latter place, the 

 pound nets have contributed a large part to the 

 total yield throughout most of the history of the 

 fishery (fig. 3, table 11). During the period 

 of expansion, from 1890 to 1901, the scup 

 fishery was dominated by pound nets. From 

 1904 to 1933, however, the catch of pound nets 

 became relatively less important, as haul 

 seines contributed a large share between 

 1901 and 1908, and purse seines and otter 

 trawls contributed considerable part of the 



total yield beginning in 1921. Although sharp 

 changes occurred in the relative importance 

 of the catch by different types of gear, the 

 total catch itself remained at almost the same 

 level from 1904 to 1933. No definite expla- 

 nation can be given for the causes of the 

 changes in the catch of different gear. The 

 use of purse seines for scup began in 1920, 

 and this gear may have been readily adopted 

 by New York fishermen at that time. In recent 

 years, otter trawls have become a most 

 efficient gear for scup through the adoption 

 of the balloon net that has been developed 

 since 1930 by the winter trawl fishery. It is 

 interesting to note that the New York yield 

 of scup did not undergo the sharp fluctuations 

 that occurred in New Jersey (fig. 3). 



Two impressive features concerning the 

 yield of scup in Rhode Island are: (1) An 



Table 11. --Catch of scup landed in New York by different types of gear from 1889 to 1933^ 



[In pounds] 



^ U.S. Bureau of Fisheries (U.S. Connnission of Fish and Fisheries) statistical canvasses 

 with the exception of 1908 when canvass was made by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. 



^ Includes floating traps. 



^ Catch by gear not available. 



■^ Possibly includes some catch by purse seines. 



^ Catch by gear other than pound nets not available. 



^ Includes catch by New York vessels engaged in winter trawl fishing off the Virginia 

 Capes. 



' By scap nets. 



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