﻿MIDDLE 
  ATLANTIC 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  129 
  

  

  Hard 
  clams 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  10.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  hard 
  clam 
  meats 
  worth 
  a 
  record 
  $10.6 
  million 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  7 
  percent 
  in 
  volume 
  and 
  11 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969 
  . 
  New 
  York 
  fishermen 
  took 
  

   7.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  75percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  production. 
  New 
  Jersey 
  landingsof 
  2.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  14 
  percent 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969.' 
  One 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  improved 
  harvest 
  was 
  the 
  March 
  opening 
  of 
  

   an 
  area 
  formerly 
  closed 
  to 
  clammers 
  . 
  There 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  clam 
  rehabilitation 
  program 
  that 
  helped 
  

   increase 
  production. 
  Beginning 
  in 
  August, 
  a 
  fisherman 
  could 
  lease 
  1.5 
  acres 
  of 
  bottom 
  in 
  unpol- 
  

   luted 
  waters 
  and 
  then 
  transfer 
  20 
  bushels 
  of 
  clams 
  per 
  day 
  during 
  a 
  3-day 
  work 
  week 
  from 
  a 
  pol- 
  

   luted 
  area 
  (designated 
  by 
  the 
  State) 
  to 
  the 
  leased 
  area. 
  Fishermen 
  were 
  not 
  permitted 
  to 
  harvest 
  

   the 
  replanted 
  clams 
  until 
  October. 
  

  

  Scup 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  4.3 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  18 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  har- 
  

   vest 
  since 
  1926. 
  Landings 
  have 
  trended 
  downward 
  since 
  the 
  record 
  26 
  .6-million-pound 
  production 
  

   of 
  I960; 
  and 
  in 
  1966, 
  declined 
  drastically 
  to 
  8.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  about 
  one-half 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  Since 
  that 
  time, 
  landings 
  have 
  dropped 
  at 
  an 
  average 
  annual 
  rate 
  of 
  about 
  1 
  mil- 
  

   lion 
  pounds 
  . 
  

  

  In 
  1970, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  landings 
  ($967,000) 
  increased 
  3 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Be- 
  

   cause 
  scup 
  were 
  scarce, 
  the 
  average 
  exvessel 
  value 
  increased 
  to 
  22 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  — 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  

   4 
  cents 
  . 
  

  

  Whiting 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  4 
  . 
  3 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $496,000 
  declined 
  27 
  percent 
  in 
  volume, 
  but 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  3 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Landings 
  declined 
  for 
  the 
  third 
  conseputive 
  year. 
  

   In 
  January, 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  fleet 
  operating 
  off 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  coast 
  set 
  a 
  1 
  -month 
  landings' 
  record 
  

   of 
  more 
  than 
  1 
  million 
  pounds, 
  but 
  during 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  landings 
  decreased 
  by 
  75 
  percent 
  

   compared 
  with 
  February 
  andMarch 
  1969. 
  Fishermen 
  received 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  11-1/2 
  cents 
  per 
  

   pound 
  in 
  1970 
  — 
  compared 
  with 
  8 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  in 
  1969 
  . 
  

  

  Lobsters 
  . 
  Landings 
  were 
  a 
  record 
  3.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  a 
  record 
  $3.6 
  million--an 
  increase 
  of 
  

   22 
  percent 
  in 
  volume 
  and 
  34 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  The 
  greater 
  landings 
  may 
  have 
  

   resulted, 
  in 
  part, 
  because 
  of 
  increased 
  use 
  of 
  lobster 
  pots, 
  especially 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  The 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  was 
  $1.03 
  — 
  about 
  9 
  cents 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  19 
  69. 
  

  

  Tuna 
  . 
  Landings 
  were 
  a 
  record 
  3.1 
  million 
  pounds--the 
  best 
  harvest 
  since 
  the 
  inception 
  of 
  the 
  tuna 
  

   purse 
  seine 
  fishery 
  in 
  1963. 
  Bluefin 
  tuna 
  landings 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey 
  were 
  99 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  pro- 
  

   duction. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  bluefin 
  tuna 
  catch 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  three 
  purse 
  seine 
  vessels 
  operating 
  off 
  the 
  

   New 
  Jersey 
  coast. 
  

  

  Bluefish 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  2.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  48 
  percent 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  pro- 
  

   ductionsince 
  1935. 
  New 
  York 
  landings 
  were 
  60percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  harvest. 
  The 
  value 
  ($274, 
  000) 
  

   reflected 
  a 
  slight 
  decline 
  from 
  a 
  13-cent 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  10 
  cents 
  in 
  1970. 
  

  

  Sea 
  trout 
  . 
  The 
  2 
  .4-million-pound 
  landings 
  of 
  sea 
  trout 
  increased 
  20 
  percent 
  in 
  volume 
  compared 
  

   with 
  1969, 
  and 
  were 
  the 
  best 
  production 
  since 
  1957. 
  About 
  80 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  poundage 
  was 
  taken 
  

   with 
  otter 
  trawls, 
  but 
  an 
  appreciable 
  quantity 
  was 
  taken 
  incidentally 
  by 
  gill 
  netters 
  in 
  the 
  bluefish 
  

   fishery. 
  

  

  Mackerel. 
  Atlantic 
  mackerel 
  landings 
  of 
  1.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $92,000 
  increased 
  113 
  percent 
  

   in 
  volume 
  and 
  67 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  The 
  New 
  Jersey 
  otter 
  trawl 
  production 
  of 
  

   1.2 
  million 
  pounds 
  accounted 
  for 
  92 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  mackerel 
  landings 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  fish 
  aver- 
  

   aged 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  pound 
  during 
  theseason. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  Atlan- 
  

   tic 
  fishery 
  declined 
  from 
  7 
  cents 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  5-1/2 
  cents 
  in 
  1970. 
  

  

  