UTILIZATION OF SIIHIMP WASTE 103 



the season in North Carolina is Au<>'iist to Noveniber; in South Caro- 

 lina, July to November; in (ieor<2;ia and east Floi'ida, the year round, 

 with irregular slack periods; in western Florida, Octohei- to July; 

 in Mississippi, March, April, and July to Decenihei-; in Loiiisiaiia, 

 February to May and July to November; in (lalveston Bay, Tex.. 

 March to November; and in Coi-pus Chi'isti Bay, Tex., thr()u<>h()ut 

 the year with longer or shorter i)eriods of slackness. 



On the Atlantic coast the bulk of the shrimp is taken with trawls. 

 At Appalachicola, Fla., and Biloxi, Miss., the otter trawls have 

 been recently introduced and are expected to play an increasingly 

 imijortant role in the shrimp fishery of the Gulf coast. In the trawl 

 fishery, motor boats Avith crews of 1 to 8 men are employed. In the 

 Mississi})pi haul-seine fishery, sailing schooners about 40 feet long 

 serve to cany the fishermen to the fishing ground, which is 25 to 80 

 miles distant, and to return the catch to the factory. In operating 

 the seine a motor boat and a rowboat are used. The seines range 

 from 175 to 250 fathoms in length and 11 to 18 feet in depth, and 

 are operated by crews of 6 men. In Louisiana the fishermen estab- 

 lish camps near the fishing grounds, the latter being visited in open 

 motor boats. 



The otter trawl used in the shrimp industry varies in width from 

 22 to 75 feet, the length being about one-fourth greater than the 

 width. The wings are from 3 to 5 feet in length. Cotton netting is 

 used, supported b}^ tarred cork and lead lines. A buoy is attached 

 to the bunted tail, wdiich insures recovery of the net should it become 

 torn loose from the tow" lines. The mouth of the net is held open by 

 otter boards of 1-inch plank of suitable length. 



The trawl is generally operated from cleats amidship of the boat 

 and is towed at 2 to 5 miles per hour for about 30 minutes for 

 each haul. 



Trawling brings a greater revenue to the fishermen as the average 

 catch per man per day is considerably increased. This was particu- 

 larly important during the war while the shortage of labor was acute, 

 as 1 or 2 men could often take the place of 15 or 20. Furthermore, 

 up to the advent of the trawl, the adult of the P. seflfcms was un- 

 known as an article of commerce, as they seldom came within seining 

 distance of the shore. On the other hand, at a depth of 1 fathom 

 to about 10 fathoms and a distance off the shore of about 18 miles, 

 there has been opened by the use of the trawd an immense fishing 

 ground wdiere a bounteous supply of the adult shrimp usually exists. 

 This new^ supply offers favorable possibilities for the future of the 

 shrimp industry. The disadvantages of the trawl must not be 

 overlooked, however, for at certain seasons of the year, when small 

 shrimp are abundant in inside waters and when they are traveling 

 through the deeper bayous, they can be destroyed in considerable 

 quantities by selfish fishermen. This fault, however, is not inherent 

 in the device itself as shrimp show a mutual tendency to separate 

 themselves into schools of uniforndy sized individuals, and when 

 seines and trawls operate side by side the average size of the shrimp 

 caught is always identical. 



