﻿SECTION 
  5 
  - 
  SOUTH 
  ATLANTIC 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  Commercial 
  landings 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  shellfish 
  at 
  ports 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  States 
  (North 
  Caro- 
  

   lina, 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  Georgia, 
  and 
  the 
  East 
  Coast 
  of 
  Florida) 
  , 
  including 
  the 
  commercial 
  catch 
  from 
  

   fresh-water 
  areas 
  of 
  Florida 
  , 
  where 
  280.2 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $29.8 
  million 
  — 
  a 
  decline 
  of 
  12 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  in 
  volume 
  and 
  18 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  A 
  sharp 
  decrease 
  in 
  landings 
  of 
  men- 
  

   haden 
  and 
  shrimp 
  was 
  a 
  major 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  decline. 
  

  

  North 
  Carolina 
  led 
  all 
  States 
  with 
  landings 
  of 
  173.4 
  million 
  pounds--21 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  

   in 
  1969 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  production 
  since 
  1951. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1959, 
  South 
  Carolina 
  landings 
  of 
  

   16.1 
  million 
  pounds 
  declined 
  22 
  percent 
  and 
  Georgia 
  landings 
  (14.4 
  million) 
  declined 
  8 
  percent. 
  

   Landings 
  along 
  the 
  East 
  Coast 
  of 
  Florida, 
  however, 
  increased 
  from 
  63.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  in 
  1969 
  

   to 
  7 
  6.3 
  million 
  in 
  197 
  0, 
  but 
  the 
  exvessel 
  value 
  of 
  $12.0 
  million 
  remained 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  The 
  value 
  in 
  all 
  other 
  States 
  declined 
  sharply 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  

   North 
  Carolina 
  landings 
  ($9.4 
  million) 
  declined 
  25 
  percent; 
  South 
  Carolina 
  ($4.3 
  million) 
  declined 
  

   19 
  percent; 
  and 
  Georgia 
  ($4.1 
  million) 
  declined 
  36 
  percent. 
  

  

  Fishermen 
  and 
  vessels 
  . 
  Commercial 
  fishermen 
  numbered 
  8,881 
  in 
  1970--483 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  

   A 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  full-time 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  boat 
  fishery 
  from 
  3,320 
  in 
  1969 
  

   to 
  2,781 
  in 
  1970 
  was 
  the 
  principal 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  decline 
  . 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen 
  employed 
  on 
  ves- 
  

   sels, 
  however, 
  increased 
  from 
  3,339 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  3,397 
  in 
  1970. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  vessels 
  (craft 
  5 
  net 
  

   tons 
  or 
  more) 
  also 
  increased 
  to 
  1,211 
  in 
  1970 
  — 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  25 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  U.S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Transportation, 
  76 
  vessels 
  with 
  South 
  At- 
  

   lantic 
  home 
  ports 
  received 
  first 
  documents 
  as 
  fishing 
  craft 
  in 
  197 
  0. 
  Of 
  this 
  number, 
  58 
  were 
  newly 
  

   constructed. 
  Forty-six 
  of 
  the 
  hulls 
  were 
  built 
  of 
  wood, 
  15 
  were 
  of 
  fiberglass, 
  5 
  of 
  steel, 
  and 
  1 
  

   of 
  concrete. 
  More 
  than 
  20 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  entered 
  the 
  shrimp 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  for 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  Owners 
  of 
  several 
  vessels 
  made 
  them 
  available 
  to 
  sportfish- 
  

   ermen 
  as 
  charter 
  fishing 
  craft. 
  

  

  Menhaden 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  136.3 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  17 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  

   production 
  since 
  1932. 
  The 
  decline 
  was 
  caused 
  by 
  an 
  unusually 
  poor 
  season 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Caroli- 
  

   na 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  fishery. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  favorable 
  for 
  fishing, 
  but 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  not 
  on 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  in 
  their 
  usual 
  numbers 
  . 
  Consequently 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  landings 
  of 
  108.2 
  million 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  37.0 
  million 
  pounds 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  A 
  small 
  production 
  in 
  South 
  Carolina 
  also 
  declined 
  

   sharply. 
  Farther 
  south, 
  landings 
  along 
  the 
  East 
  Coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  were 
  28.0 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  44 
  

   percent 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  Food 
  finfish 
  . 
  Landingsof 
  finfish 
  used 
  principally 
  for 
  human 
  consumption 
  were 
  57 
  .0 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  

   compared 
  with 
  71.4 
  million 
  in 
  1969. 
  The 
  exvessel 
  value 
  of 
  $8.9 
  million 
  was 
  slightly 
  less 
  than 
  

   in 
  1969. 
  

  

  Landingsof 
  several 
  species 
  declined 
  in 
  1970. 
  The 
  principal 
  decline 
  was 
  in 
  alewife 
  landings 
  

   of 
  11.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  10.1 
  million 
  (47 
  percent) 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  production 
  

   since 
  1964. 
  In 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  the 
  major 
  production 
  area, 
  landingsof 
  11 
  .5 
  million 
  pounds 
  declined 
  

   42 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1959 
  . 
  South 
  Carolina 
  landings 
  declined 
  sharply, 
  probably 
  because 
  of 
  unus- 
  

   ually 
  low 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  Tail 
  Race 
  Canal 
  of 
  the 
  Cooper 
  River 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  migration. 
  Croaker 
  land- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  886,000 
  pounds 
  were 
  38 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  production 
  since 
  1918. 
  

   Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  landings 
  of 
  mullet 
  (4.3 
  million 
  pounds) 
  declined 
  5 
  percent 
  and 
  shad 
  (1.9 
  mil- 
  

   lion) 
  declined 
  3 
  percent. 
  As 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  abundant 
  in 
  coastal 
  waters, 
  it 
  appeared 
  that 
  lack 
  of 
  a 
  

   good 
  market 
  for 
  them 
  accounted 
  largely 
  for 
  the 
  volume 
  decline 
  . 
  Other 
  species 
  with 
  reduced 
  catches 
  

   included 
  bluefish 
  and 
  catfish 
  and 
  bullheads 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  production 
  of 
  several 
  major 
  species 
  increased 
  in 
  1970. 
  King 
  mackerel 
  landings 
  were 
  

   a 
  record 
  4.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  47 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Fishermen 
  received 
  an 
  av- 
  

   erage 
  price 
  of 
  23 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  for 
  king 
  mackerel 
  — 
  3 
  cents 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  

   fishermen 
  also 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  year--landings 
  of 
  3 
  . 
  6 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  48 
  percent 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  

   1969. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  increased 
  from 
  11 
  cents 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  13 
  cents 
  in 
  1970. 
  Gray 
  and 
  

   spotted 
  sea 
  trout 
  landingsof 
  3.9 
  million 
  pounds 
  increased 
  51 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Land- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  flounders, 
  king 
  whiting, 
  red 
  snapper, 
  sea 
  bass, 
  shad 
  and 
  spot 
  also 
  increased 
  moderately. 
  

  

  526-460 
  O 
  - 
  73 
  - 
  12 
  

  

  