APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
The U.S. shrimp fleet varies within the Atlantic, gulf, 
and Pacific regions. 
In the North Atlantic, lobster boats and small trawlers 
seasonally rigged for shrimp trawling constitute the major- 
ity of the fleet in terms of numbers of vessels and account 
for about,40, percent of the total catch.” “The~trend*1s to- 
ward larger vessels, specially designed and equipped for 
operations farther offshore during the warmer seasons. 
In the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, there 
are both offshore and inshore fleets. The most common off- 
shore vessels are the "Florida-type" trawlers, constructed 
of wood, steel, or fiberglass. They are 50 to 85 feet long 
and are double-rigged for towing two nets simultaneously. 
The Florida-type vessels have a round bottom, flared bow, 
and a broad, square transom stern. The deckhouse and engine 
are forward and the clear fishing deck and fish hold are aft. 
Typically the vessels are diesel powered. Vessels in the 
50-to 70-foot class are generally powered by 100-to 200- 
horsepower diesels. Most of the vessels are equipped with 
electronic navigational aids and have the capacity for wide- 
ranging fishing operations. 
The vessels used for inshore shrimping in the Gulf and 
South Atlantic exploit the bays, estuarine areas, and near- 
shore areas. There are many small boats of 5 net tons or 
less--often referred to as the "mosquito fleet"--display 
ing quite a variety of designs and individual styles of 
construction. Many of the smaller boats are gasoline pow- 
ered although there is a trend toward diesel power. These 
boats are usually rigged for towing a single trawl. 
On the Pacific coast, the boats and vessels used to 
harvest shrimp are also components of the groundfish and 
crab fleets; only different fishing gear is used. They 
are extremely varied in description and as such there is 
no typical shrimp boat or vessel. Most range in length 
from 65 to 115 feet; the overall range in length is-from 30 
to 150 feet. 
NMFS statistics show that in 1972 6,663 boats and 
7,007 vessels participated in the 1972 shrimp harvest. 
Boats and vessels in the U.S. 
Shrimp Fishery--1972 
Boats Vessels 
Otter Other Otter Other 
Region trawl gear Total trawl gear Total 
North Atlantic 256 61 317 185 = 185 
South Atlantic 980 70 1,050 1,394 = ,394 
Gulf of Mexico 4,848 411 S209) 7134 45 7179 
Pacific 4) 33: 37 184 65 249 
= 
ul 
u 
Total 6,088 575 6,663 6,897 110 
~ 
, 007 
