112 American Fisheries Society. 



siderable quantity of these small shrimp must cease or the 

 provisions of the law which authorize the Commissioner to 

 entirely prohibit the use of trawls in any inside waters, will 

 be invoked and the violators prosecuted to the full extent of 

 the law. 



The situation in this respect is steadily improving and w^e 

 now feel certain that the shrimp industry suffers a great deal 

 less from the using of trawls than it did when seines were 

 principally used. Besides, the salt water fisheries have 

 certainly improved as a result of taking shrimp with this 

 apparatus. It may be said, that our chief food fishes belong 

 largely to the shore zone, and it is here that they find the 

 best feeding conditions and protection in the shallower 

 waters, since this zone of aquatic life presents a combination 

 of conditions, typical surface and bottom fish are found here 

 also. The seine catches all three zonal types of marine 

 animals, and not only the commercial species but the young 

 and old of most salt water fish are taken. Under average 

 conditions of practical operation, it has been shown that if 

 the number of shrimp or fish caught is considerable, practi- 

 cally the whole lot is doomed to die even if the bag with its 

 catch is not removed from the water, a few worthless species 

 such as gars, sharks, rays and catfish being the more notable 

 exceptions. In the first place, a large percent of the small 

 and young fish are gilled. Again the shrimp seem to give 

 off a powerfully irritating secretion, probably an alkaloid. 

 This in some way seems to poison the fish as most food fish 

 taken out of a seine bag full of shrimp, otherwise uninjured, 

 almost invariably die. There must also be considered the 

 effect of concentration of the fish and shrimp. While the 

 shrimp are being removed from the bag when it is in the 

 water, the oxygen content, especially in summer is no doubt 

 reduced to low terms, and besides, the mucous exuded by 

 the fish, especially when great numbers of such species as 

 menhaden are taken, is considerable. This settles on the 

 gills of the fish, much dirt adhering to it, and thus further 

 prevents respiration. 



Trawling takes place generally in deeper water, and 

 usually only bottom species are taken. Of our food fishes, 

 only four species, are taken to any extent in the trawls. 

 These, with one exception, the gulf flounder, may be con- 

 sidered second class fish, and of less commercial importance 

 than the important shore and surface feeders. As they are 

 all found over great areas and in great abundance, the 

 number actually destroyed may be relatively insignificant. 

 Besides, several factors inherent in the trawl itself, and the 

 method of operating, seem to perm.it of the escape of a great 



