APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
behind powered vessels and have a wide blade which scoops up 
the clams loosened from the ocean bottom by water jets aimed 
downward in front of the blade. One advantage of this gear 
has been the tremendous reduction in the number of broken 
clams and damaged meats in comparison to other clam dredges. 
It has been adapted for use on the many different sizes and 
types of vessels. 
The Middle Atlantic surf clam fleet has undergone changes 
Since the mid-1960s. The most important have been the move- 
ment of vessels and the expansion and modernization of the 
fleet. Following reduced landings in traditional New Jersey 
beds and discovery of surf clam beds off the Virginia coast, 
the fleet spread out during the late 1960s and the 1970s in 
a southern direction. There iS an apparent trend back toward 
New Jersey waters as landings have declined off the coast of 
Virginia. The average age of the fleet has decreased and the 
average length has increased with the addition of large steel 
stern-dredges. The fleet has increased from 54 in 1965 to 
99 in 1975. These vessels are more than 100 feet in length 
and have up to 120-inch dredge blades. 
Hard clams are harvested by a variety of methods ranging 
from hand gathering to complex machinery. Types of hand gear 
used are: clam rakes (clam hooks or hoes), scratch rakes 
(basket rakes), tongs, and bull rakes (mud rakes). Mech- 
anical gear includes hydraulic and escalator dredges. These 
dredges vary in size and design and are usually permitted 
only on privately owned or leased bottoms. Table 3 shows 
the amount of landings by gear used for hard clams and 
other clams fon 1972. 
48 
