July 1966 Washington, D. C. Vol. 28, No. 7 



SPECIES COMPOSITION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA 

 INDUSTRIAL FISH FISHERY 



By William E. Fahy* 



ABSTRACT 



The North Carolina indiistrial fish fishery produces an average annual catch of 8 to 11 

 million potmds of fish caught incidental to regular fishing operations. Although pound nets 

 and long-haul seines are used in this fishery, about 95 percent of the catch is obtained from 

 trawl nets operating in soimds and coastal ocean waters. About 90 percent of the catch is 

 processed into fish meal, 2 percent into pet food, and the remainder frozen as feed for use 

 on fur farms and for crab-pot bait. 



About 80 percent of the trawl catch, both in weight and number of fish, consists of 

 young-of-the-year edible fish species, especially cioaker, spot, butterfish, and gray sea 

 trout (weakfish). In the long-haul and pound-net fishery, about 80 percent of the catch by 

 weight and number of fish consists of nonedible forms, and all fish are somewhat larger 

 than those caught by trawling , 



Species (croaker and spot) contributing most heavily to tiie weight of the catch do so 

 consistently feroughout the year. Some species are caught in quantity in only one month 

 out of the year. 



INTRODUCTION 



Inmost commercial lishlng operations, tish are caught incidentally that are not marketable 

 as food fish; those maybe nonedible speciesor the young of edible species. In the process of being 

 caught, especially in an operation like trawling, most small fish are killed. Formerly con- 

 sidered a nuisance and shoveled overboard, in some areas these dead or dying fish are now 

 brought to port as marketable industrial species for processing in dehydrating plants to the 

 advantage of fishermen and plant operator alike. In North Carolina those fish are known as 

 "trash" or "scrap", and the industry built around the use of them is called the trash-fish in- 

 dustry. 



The North Carolina industrial fish fishery is relatively small when compared to the larg- 

 er ones in New England and the Gulf of Mexico where 70 to 96 million pounds are processed 

 annually. The New England industry is similar to that of North Carolina in that both are sup- 

 plied by trash fish caught incidental to regular fishing operations; the larger industry in the 

 Gulf of Mexico is supplied by a fleet operating solely for industrial species. 



Because of public concern about reported landings of large numbers of the young of edi- 

 ble and sport fishes, the North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development pro- 

 vided funds to the University of North Carolina Institute of Fisheries Research to conduct a 

 survey of the industrial fish fishery in 1962 and 1964. Those surveys were designed to pro- 

 vide information concerning the species composition of: (1) the industrial fish catch by 

 weight, (2) industrial fish catch by number of individuals, and (3) the industrial fish catch by 

 month; in 1962 provision was made for determining the species composition of the industrial 

 fish catch by gear used. 



''■'Professor of Zoology, University of North Carolina Institute of Fisheries Research, Morehead City, N. C. 



S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

 Fish and Wildlife Service 

 Sep. No. 765 



