FISHERIES IN THg- ALBEMARLE AREA 



Sports Fishing 



The Coast of North Carolina has been said to have a seafood 



resource that has been virtually untapped. There are some 360 



species of fish found in the coastal waters of North Carolina, 

 58 of which are caught in commercial quantities. Sports fishermen 



annually catch a great variety of fish from the ample supply 

 availab le . 



There are few statistics on sport fishing, but this pas- 

 time activity is considered to be one of North Carolina's major 

 assets and appears to play a major role in the economy of the 

 Albemarle region. A national survey taken in 1960 indicates that 

 the number of anglers increased at a faster rate, between 1955 and 

 1960, than did the entire population of the nation. The fastest 

 growing group among the sports fishermen were the salt water 

 anglers. It is assumed that this trend is continuing and that it 

 is having a definite effect upon the region. However, it is also 

 assumed that the full potential of the region's sport fishing has 

 yet to be realized. 



A report by the University of North Carolina Institute of 

 Fisheries Research, published in 1965, reveals that there were 

 62,000 salt water anglers who cast their hooks an average of 14 

 days per year and spend approximately 27 million dollars doing so 

 in North Carolina in 1962. Pointed out in the study was the 

 interesting fact that approximately 16 percent of these were pier 

 fishermen, and that they spent approximately 30 percent of the 

 total outlay of salt water sport fishermen. Charter boat fishermen 

 represented 47 percent of the total number of salt-sport fishermen, 

 but contributed only 19 percent of the total expenditure. 



Pier and charter boat fishing require large original capital 

 investments and considerable sums for operation. Only 63 percent 



