44 TT. S. BUBEAU OF FISHERIES 



rors and omissions in current published accounts. Size variations, 

 food habits, and breeding also were studied. Sharks are not abund- 

 ant in that locality in sunnner, however, so the investigation Avas dis- 

 continued until opportunity Avas afforded to make observations dur- 

 ing a winter season. 



Of the seven species occurring in the summer fishery, the nurse 

 [Gmglymostoina eirratum), leopard {Galeocerdo arctieus), and 

 dusky sharks {C archarhinus commersonii) are the most abundant. 

 Of these the leopard is the largest and most valuable commercially, 

 because of the size and quality of the skin when tanned, the large 

 amount of oil produced, and the quality and whiteness of the flesh, 

 wdiich is dried for food. More than two-thirds of the sharks taken 

 had empty stomachs. In the rest, sharks, turtles, and crustaceans 

 formed the chief articles of diet. No conclusions as to the real de- 

 structiveness of sharks could be drawn, therefore, without further 

 investigation in the winter season, when food fish are more abundant 

 in that locality. 



Upon completion of the field work at Big Pine the investigator 

 returned to the fisheries station at Beaufort, N. C, wliere the 

 data were analyzed and a i^reliminary report was drawn up and 

 submitted. 



Attention was then directed to the fisheries of North Carolina. A 

 general survey of the history of the fisheries was undertaken, and a 

 trip of inspection was made over the more important fishing grounds 

 of the State. There are abundant indications that the more impor- 

 tant fisheries of the State are undergoing depletion, that of the 

 mullet {Mugil cephalus) being perhaps the most serious. The total 

 catch of mullet in North Carolina, according to the bureau's figures, 

 fell from 6,750,000 pounds in 1902 to a little more than 1,000,000 

 pounds in 1918, a decrease of 84 per cent in 16 years, and subse- 

 quent years have shown no tendency tow^ard recovery. Therefore it 

 was decided to conduct an investigation of the mullet fishery to dis- 

 cover if the decline in total yield is due to natural or artificial causes 

 (such as overfishing), if the whole stock is endangered, and what 

 measures of protection can be applied to increase the fish stock and 

 rehabilitate the fishery. The investigation was begun early in Sep- 

 tember, 1924, and the autumn season was spent in preliminary work 

 in making a survey of the fishery, discovering its peculiar needs, and 

 laying a foundation for more intensive w^ork during the following 

 3^ear. John C. Pearson was assigned to the investigation as assistant 

 on November 15 and stationed at Beaufort. 



The course of the fishery at Beaufort during the fall Avas studied 

 by taking frequent samples of the connnercial catch landed at the 

 markets. From September 9 to November 8, the period covered by 

 the greater part of the commercial run, 11 samples w^cre taken, com- 

 prising a])Out 400 specimens. These specimens were carefully meas- 

 ured and otherwise observed, and records and biological material 

 thus collected were preserved for later analysis. The size composi- 

 tion of the catch was studied by tabulating the length measurements 

 and constructing frequency curves. It appears that the range in 

 size of the nmllet landed in Beaufort is from 159 to 509 millimeters 

 body length (7.7 to 24.3 inches total length). The minimum legal 

 limit is 8 inches total length. There are two distinct groups within 

 this range — small fish from 15 to 23 centimeters (6 to 9 inches) 



