FISHERY INDUSTHIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1924 225 



whereas the catch per boat began its most serious decline in 1909, 

 and the total catch has since been maintained by vastly greater 

 fishing effort. Apparently in recent years the scarcity of crabs has 

 been so pronounced that high prices and greater fishing effort have 

 not been productive of a yield sufficient to meet present demands. 

 All available data point to the fact that the depletion is due to over- 

 fishing and not to natural causes. 



A feature of the soft-crab industry which came to light upon 

 examining the records of crab houses was the excessive losses in 

 converting peeler crabs into soft crabs. Among 10 firms whose 

 records v/ere made available there was a loss of 30 to 70 per cent in 

 the shedder floats during the year. The average loss was over 50 

 per cent. This was due almost exclusively to the practice of taking 

 crabs long before they were in the true peeler stage and attempting 

 to hold them for extended periods of time in the hope that they 

 would shed and become soft crabs. 



There are well-defined differences which take place in the external 

 appearance of the crab as it approaches shedding time and these are 

 well known to fishermen. Two firms which accepted only crabs in 

 the advances peeler stage sustained shedding losses averaging only 

 15 per cent. It was recommended that steps be taken to avoid these 

 losses, and, with active interest of administrating officials of both 

 States in this matter, it is believed that the evil will be rectified. 



Although this may bring about an improvement of conditions in 

 the crab industry, it will be necessary to employ more drastic measures 

 to bring about a satisfactory recovery of the fishery. Surveys are 

 now under way to determine the relationship of the Virginia and 

 Maryland fisheries to the depletion of the general stock of crabs and 

 the probable eft'ect of restrictive measures. 



TRAWL-NET FISHERY OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TRIBUTARIES 



During the winter of 1924-25 trawl-net fishermen were reported 

 to be operating in the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay with a 

 new and destructive type of gear. At the urgent invitation of the 

 Conservation Department of Maryland the writer was detailed to 

 cooperate in observing this fishery and investigating its destructive- 

 ness. 



It was found that the net operated was essentially a small otter 

 trawl, fished in the deeper waters of this region in the wintertime 

 when the white perch (Morone americana) and striped bass (Roccus 

 lineatus) were concentrated in the deeper ''holes'' and could be caught 

 by this gear in unusually large quantities. 



Actual counts of fish taken by this gear showed that 20 to 55 per 

 cent of white perch and 25 to 50 per cent of the striped bass were 

 under the size which was legal in the State of Maryland, and observa- 

 tions indicated that these undersized fish when returned to the water 

 did not survive. 



The conclusions drawn from the investigation were: 



1. This fishery catches from 20 to 55 per cent of small, unmarket- 

 able fish, few of which can survive. 



2. This fishery can destroy large quantities of brood stock necessary 

 to perpetuate the species. 



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