OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 313 



food, tackle, maintenance and repairs, equipment replacement, housing accom- 

 modations, rentals, charters, bait sales, and myriad shore services. 



We know from our fishing and hunting survey that close to 5 million people 

 fished off our coasts in 1955, spending about half a billion dollars on some 60 

 million fisherman days. Late this year we should know whether these figures 

 Avill double by 1965 as has been predicted. 



In Delaware it was estimated that 340,000 marine anglers caught more than 

 2% million fish in 1954. 



A survey in Texas showed that three-quarters of a million Texans fished in 

 coastal waters from September 1957 to August 1958. They caught 28 million fish 

 weighing 37 million pounds. 



In 1958, a similar survey in California revealed that deep sea anglers alone 

 caught 25 million fishes. More than one-half million anglers participated in this 

 catch. From 1946 to 1953, 1,380,000 to 1,750,000 pounds of striped bass were 

 taken annually by 113,000 to 116,000 anglers. This fishery is valued at $18 

 million annually. 



Salt water anglers caught more than 3 million fish in just one bay of Long 

 Island in 1959. 



The value of Florida's recreational fishing in salt water to the economy of 

 the State has been estimated to be approximately equal to the combined value 

 of the citrus and cattle industries. 



Social values 



It is clearly in the national interest to foster wholesome use of leisure time by 

 all citizens ; fishing is widely recognized as one of the most wholesome forms of 

 recreation. This is so because fishing is a personal participation sport and can 

 lead to the development of real and satisfying skills. It is a form of recreation 

 available to everyone at a wide range of cost. The bridge and pier fisherman, 

 the surf caster and the rowboat angler may find satisfaction as real as the 

 yachtsman or charter boat fisherman. 



Scientific interest and satisfying the curiosity of the layman fishermen are 

 entirely valid reasons for marine game fish research. 



THE FEDERAL FUNCTION IN MARINE GAME FISH RESEARCH 



GeoffrapMcal 



The marine game fishes may be classified reasonably in any of several ways. 

 A sort of zoogeographical classification describes habitat and migrations to illus- 

 trate the interstate, interregional, and international nature of many of them. 



The inshore-estuarine species such as winter flounder and white perch are 

 more or less nomnigratory, local populations, susceptible of local study and 

 management. 



The inshore-offshore species spend part of their lives in the bays, streams, and 

 estuaries and part of their lives offshore, at sea in deep water. The inshore 

 part of their lives is of great importance for spawning, early life stages, and feed- 

 ing. Croakers, scup, flukes, and weakfish are examples. 



The coastal migratory species make long migrations along the coasts ; some 

 like the striped bass travel from Chesapeake Bay to southern Maine. 



The pelagic-oceanic species such as bluefish feed close to the surface much 

 of the time, make long seasonal migrations, sometimes moving far offshore, some- 

 times close inshore. 



The transoceanic fish are truly international species, as demonstrated by re- 

 coveries in Europe and Asia of tags from fish originally caught in the United 

 States. Tuna, swordfish, and marlins are examples. 



Federal responsibility 



Apart from the congressional authorization mentioned earlier, there is a unique 

 responsibility to the public to see that Federal civil works, military installations, 

 and other Federal activities do as little harm as possible (or no harm at all) to 

 resources which might be adversely affected. 



The Ooordination Act of 1956 gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a 

 strong voice in the review of Federal construction proposals (and also private 

 proposals when the construction comes under Federal permit) involving im- 

 poundment, diversion or other control of any stream or other body of water, 

 for the purpose of recommending methods for preventing loss and damage to 

 fish and wildlife resources. Dredging, filling, canalizing, dammning and divert- 

 ing and diking can so alter the inshore and estuarine environment of marine 

 game fishes as to reduce or endanger some species. 



