September 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



21 



Soft and peeler blue crab landings in 1965 

 totaled 898,000 dozen, 23 percent below 1964. 



Oysters : Landings improved over 1964 

 making a gradual recovery from the record- 

 low catch of 1963. There were 1,845,800 U.S. 

 bushels landed--an increase of 157,000 bush- 

 els or 9 percent over 1964. Oysters were the 

 second most important species in quantity 

 landed, but were the leading species in value 

 (an estimated $6.4 million). The spring catch 

 was below the same period of the previous 

 year and as a result packers purchased shell 

 oysters from Gulf States to supply orders. 

 The last three months of the season improved 

 as harvesting increased and some oyster bars 

 that were closed for many years were re- 

 opened by the State. Also, results of the 

 State's shell and seed -oyster planting program 

 were beginning to appear. Ex-vessel prices 

 ranged from $2.50 to $4.50 a bushel in the 

 spring to $2.50 to $6.75 a bushel in the fall. 

 Gallon and bushel prices for standards and 

 selects were lower in the spring ($6,00 to 

 $7.50) and in the fall prices were higher. 



POTOMAC RIVER 



Maryland fishing areas. 



The past three dry years affected oysters 

 by raising the salinity of the water in Mary- 

 land's portion of the Chesapeake Bay and the 

 spread of the MSX organism was accelerated. 



Soft Clams : Landings of soft clams totaled 

 637,900 bushels- -a 6-percent decrease from 

 1964. Ex-vessel prices were fairly constant 

 at $2.50 a bushel throughout the year. The 

 controversy over clamming regulations in 

 the Potomac River was resolved in February 

 1960. The Potomac River Fisheries Com- 

 mission was given authority and a 40-bushel- 



per day limit was placed on clams which is 

 consistent with the rest of the State. The 

 Potomac River, as in 1964, produced 31 per- 

 cent of the soft clam catch. 



Finfish : Maryland landings of finfish in 

 1965 totaled 35.0 million pounds valued at 

 $1.6 million, as compared against 28.2 mil- 

 lion pounds with a value $1.5 million 

 in 1964. The 1965 landings of menhaden (8.3 

 million pounds) and scrapfish (12.7 million 

 pounds) accounted for much of the increase. 



Landings of striped bass--Maryland's 

 leading foodfish- -dropped from 3.3 million 

 pounds in 1964 to 2.9 million pounds in 1965, 

 The white perch catch of 1.4 millionpounds 

 was up sharply from the 6 38,200 pounds 

 landed in 1964. Landings of alewife (2.1 

 million pounds) were also up. There was a 

 large increase in the 1965 shad landings 

 (1,3 million pounds) and fluke landings 

 (7 33,886 poimds) were up slightly. 



In 1965, two tuna purse-seine vessels 

 landed 824,000 pounds of bluefin and 8,000 

 pounds of skipjack tuna. The Atlantic Coast 

 tuna fishery was less active than in 1964. 



Massachusetts 



FISHERY LANDINGS, 1965 : 



Landings of fish and shellfish in Massa- 

 chusetts during 1965 totaled 408.7 million 

 pounds valued at $40.6 million- -a drop of 

 less than 1 percent in quantity, but an in- 

 crease of 15 percent in value from 1964. 

 Fishermen landed 36 percent of the year's 

 total catch at the port of New Bedford, 30 



Million pounds 



Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 



Massachusetts landings by months, 1963-1965. 



