a. CCaafiEBCIAL FISHERIES RBVlEff Vol. I3, No. 4 



Banks and near the continental shelf and scsne hand-line fishing for grouper or bottom 

 fish in scattered localities, the Gulf fisheries are confined to depths of less than 

 25 fathoms. With the varied fisheries conducted only in a narrow band along the Gulf 

 Coast and only a scattered hand-line fishery el3e\«rtiere, it is not surprising that 

 knowledge of the Gulf's offshore marine resources is scanty (see Figure 2, p. 3). 



The fish and shellfish of the inshore waters are relatively well known and sup- 

 port a large and varied industry. Important fisheries for menhaden and mullet are 

 carried on exclusively in very shallow water or in protected bays and estuaries 

 flfliile commercial catches of Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, bluefish, pompano, and 

 blue riinner are generally made within sight of land. Fishing for some of these 

 species may be expected to remain priiaarily a shallow-water activity, but produc- 

 tion periods are seasonal and the extent of populations in offshore waters is not 

 known. 



Along with the technological developments in the freezing and handling Of shrimp 

 and the expansion of markets for this product, the composition of the shrimp fishing 

 fleet has changed in recent years, Stoall boats of very shallow draft still operate 

 in protected waters and rarely move far from the home base, but larger trawlers 

 capable of extended trips Into the open Gulf are now mimerous, some roving over the 

 entire Gulf in order to work on fishing grounds of maximum productivity throughout 

 the year. The range of the in^iortant shrimp fishery in the Gulf at the beginning of 

 1950 extended outward to depths of 25 fathoms in parts of the north and northwest 

 Gulf. Formerly this fishery was based exclusively on the w&ite shrimp or green- 

 tailed shrimp ( Penaeus setiferus ) , but for several years the industry has made in- 

 creasing use of the grooved shrimp ( Penaeus aztecus ) and the spotted or pink-grooved 

 shrimp ( Penaeus duorarum ) , 



The fishing information gathered by the Oregon is cumulative and results from 

 a short period of operation are necessarily tentative or refer only to limited 

 areas covered by intensive fishing. Fishing activities of the Oregon are recorded 

 in detail for future analyses. Furthermore, whether the activity is a shrimp- trawl 

 drag, a drift-net set, or an operation of any other type, it is carried out with a 

 view to comparison with another operation. Information on the rate of catch in 

 pounds-per-hour with different kinds of gear in different localities at different 

 seasons is being accumulated and modifications of methods used in fishing or modi- 

 fications of the gear are tried out as soon aa possible. The explorations under- 

 taken follow a comprehensive plan but for more iramediate practical results special 

 emphasis has been put on certain phases of the work briefly reported here. 



TUNA 



Little tuna ( Euthynnus alletteratus ) were found by the Oregon distributed near 

 the continental shelf from Aransas Pass, Ifexas, to Tortugas, in the late spring and 

 summer. They were not observed in cruises in the north and northwest Gulf in Novem- 

 ber and December. Characteristically, the fish were found in scattered schools with 

 only a few showing in each school. In aggregate, the stocks of little tuna in the 

 Gulf appear to be very large but whether they occur regularly in schools compact 

 enough to make purse seining practical remains to be demonstrated. The Service 

 plans to make purse-seine tests for little txma in the near future. 



Other species of tuna are reported in the Gulf from time to time but reports 

 are not frequent and only a few have been substantiated by captures. Turee obser- 

 vations of large tuna were made by the Oregon at sufficiently close range to permit 

 field identification. One speclii©n taken near the mouth of the Mississippi River 



