PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL, INQUIRIES, 193 4 353 



gain will be realized from thoge allowed to escape and grow to 

 marketable size, even though reproduction continues to be successful 

 for several years; and (2) when reproduction fails during a series 

 of years (as experience indicates is inevitable), young Hsh thus 

 3pared will be doubly valuable, for they will increase the spawning 

 reserve necessary to insure eventual natural recovery and they will 

 augment the stock available to the fishery during the period of 

 scarcity. 



It is desirable, therefore, that experiments be conducted to de- 

 termine the practicability of extending to the Middle Atlantic 

 pound-net fishery the practice of sifting out small scup now gen- 

 erally used by operators of floating traps in Khode Island. It is 

 also desirable to reduce the waste of young fish in the winter trawl 

 fishery by introducing changes in the mesh of the cod-ends of the 

 trawls. Considerable experiment will be necessary to determine 

 the correct sizes, for the problem is complicated by the fact that 

 more than one species must be considered (in addition to scup, sea 

 bass and fluke demand attention). Lack of funds has prevented 

 experiments thus far, but it is urgent that they be undertaken at the 

 earliest possible date. 



Other species. — A number of important species have perforce been 

 neglected during the course of Middle Atlantic investigations. 

 Among them are sea bass, bluefish, and shad. Since bluefish and sea 

 bass are taken to some extent by the summer pound-net fishery and 

 sea bass constitutes an important part of the catches of the winter 

 trawl fishery, advantage was taken of the opportunities to collect 

 many data bearing on them at times when field observations were 

 being made of the catches of squeteague, scup, and butterfish by 

 these fisheries. Because of insufficient personnel it has been impos- 

 sible to analyze the data collected and impossible to arrange for 

 observations of the hand-line fisheries for bluefish and sea bass, 

 and the lobster-pot fishery for sea bass. It is particularly urgent 

 that investigations of sea bass be undertaken, for this species has been 

 subjected to a greatly increased fishery strain through the rise of 

 the lobster-pot fishery and the winter trawl fishery in recent years. 



The shad fishery in the Delaware River has practically disap- 

 peared. In 1897 the yield of this fisherv was 10,098,552 pounds, 

 valued at $436,546. In 1932 the yield had shrunk to 109,979 pounds, 

 valued at $15,469. Even if we assume that the yield in 1897 was 

 excessive and that under proper management the fishery is incapable 

 of a constant yield of more than half of the quantities caught in 

 1897, it is apparent that the destruction of this fishery is causing an 

 annual loss of more than $200,000 to the communities concerned and 

 is depriving the consuming public of approximately 8,000,000 pounds 

 of very desirable food. It is probable that pollution and obstruction 

 of streams is in large part responsible, for in spite of very intensive 

 fishing the yield in the less highly industrialized Chesapeake States 

 has not diminished so severely. It is urgent, therefore, that rehabili- 

 tation be undertaken in accordance with the authorization j^rovided 

 by Public Law No. 121, Seventy-third Congress, March 10, 1934. 



It is also desirable to seek means of restoration of the shad fishery 

 in other localities where the destruction is not yet complete. The 

 present yield in the Chesapeake States and in the Hudson River is 



31690—36 4 



