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COMMEECIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 10 



percent) above 1964. The increase was due 

 mainly to larger catches of shrimp. Other 

 valuable fishery landings were menhaden, 

 red snapper, sea trout, and drum. 



Tennessee 



MUSSEL HARVEST UP IN 1965 



The 1965 mussel shell harvest in the Ten- 

 nessee River totaled 2,418 tons, worth $346,000 

 to mussel fishermen, TVA reports. Although 

 somewhat larger than the 2,100 tons harvest- 



ed in 1964, it was much smaller than the peak 

 harvests of the late 1940s and early 1950s, 

 which usually totaled over 10,000 tons. Of 

 the 1965 harvest, 1,978 tons came from Ken- 

 tucky Reservoir and the tail-water below 

 Kentucky Dam, 246 tons from north Alabama 

 reservoirs, and 194 tons from Chicamauga 

 Reservoir. Since the mid-1950s, nearly all 

 the mussel shells have been exported to Ja- 

 pan, where cores cut from them are put into 

 oysters for production of cultured pearls. 



A final report on TVA's 3 -year study of 

 causes and possible solutions for the declin- 

 ing mussel harvests is expected soon. 



MIDDLE ATLANTIC OYSTER FISHERY 



The most valuable fishery resource of the Middle Atlantic region (N. Y., 

 N. J., Del., Penn., Md., and Va.) is the oyster, despite a serious decline in its 

 abundance along the Atlantic Coast beginning in the early years of this 

 century. Its closest competitor in total dollar value is the clam. 

 The annual oyster harvest, which in recent years has ranged from 

 28 to 34 million pounds of meats worth from $20 to $24 million to 

 the oystermen, continues its downward trend. In 1962, 22 mil- 

 lion pounds were harvested; in 1963, 19 million pounds. This 

 region produces- nearly half of the Nation's domestic supply 

 of oysters despite the fact that all 20 coastal States pro- 

 duce oysters --and its oysters command a higher price 

 on the market than those from other regions. 



The eastern oyster is a single commercial species 

 found from Canada to the Texas border. It grows in shal- 

 low water, but sometimes in depths of 20 to 30 feet. Natural 

 oyster beds are depleted in many parts of the region; and ex- 

 cept in Maryland, where most of the harvest still comes from 

 public grounds, the major part of the oysters are takenfromprivate, leased beds. 

 In Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware, most "seed" oysters for private industry 

 are grown on natural seed beds managed by the State. Oysters are harvested 

 with dredges, tongs, and by hand. 



— Conservation Bulletin 17, The Big Bite 



(Commercial Fisheries of the Middle Atlantic Coast), 

 U. S, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D, C. 



