November 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



27 



behind to reserve the same site for the next 

 fishing night. 



THE SHRIMP CATCH 



Although the annual catch of shrimp in 

 channel nets averages less than 250,000 

 pounds (1950-63), it nevertheless contributes 

 significantly to the economy of Harkers Is- 

 land and surrounding communities. Fishing 

 begins in the middle of May and extends into 

 July- -production usually pealis in June. The 

 catch is composed mainly of pink shrimp 

 ( Penaeus duorarum ) that vary in size from 45 

 to 55 per pound (headless count). Brown 

 shrimp (P. aztecus ) of comparable size are 

 taken in late June and make up two -thirds of 

 the catch by early July (Broad, 1951a). The 

 annual catch of shrimp per channel net during 

 the years 1950-63 ranged from slightly over 

 8,000 pounds in 1953 to about 1,300 pounds in 

 1956 (table). During the years 1957-63, 

 catches have averaged about 4,600 pounds per 

 net. 



Other species entering the channel-net 

 catch in notable quantity include: blue crab 

 ( Callinectes sapidus ), for which a good market 

 has developed in recent years; Atlantic men- 

 haden (Brevoortmtjrannus); and the southern 

 harvestfish ( Peprilus alepidotus ). 



The number of licensed channel nets has 

 decreased since 1955 because: (1) many 



Quantity and Value of Shrimp Taken with Channel Nets in I 





Nortli Carolina, 1950-63 





"fear 



Units of 

 Gear 



Quantity 



Value 



Total 1 Per Net 



Total 1 Per Net 







. . . (Pounds) . . . 



. . . (Dollars) . . . 



19S0 



98 



417,700 



4,262 



104,425 



1,066 



1951 



108 



235, 400 



2,180 



54, 142 



501 



1952 



73 



287,500 



3,938 



57,500 



788 



1953 



63 



508, 100 



8,065 



127,025 



2,016 



1954 



122 



381, 100 



3, 124 



76,220 



625 



1955 



114 



225,000 



1,974 



49,500 



434 



1956 



57 



75,000 



1,316 



18,750 



329 



1957 



52 



250,000 



4,808 



67,200 



1,292 



1958 



55 



300,000 



5,455 



79,800 



1,451 



1959 



28 



125,000 



4,464 



24,637 



880 



1960 



22 



100, 000 



4,545 



21,581 



981 



1961 



15 



50,000 



3,333 



10,938 



729 



1962 



20 



75,000 



3,750 



26,250 



1,312 



1963 



20 



125,000 



11,250 



37,500 



1,875 



Source: ' 



Fishery Statistics of the United States, " Statistical Di- 



gests for 



the years 1950-63, Bure au of Commercial Fisheries, 



U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



1 



channel netters are part-time fishermen who 

 only purchase a license when the shrimping 

 outlook is favorable (it has not been in recent 

 years); (2) these fishermen previously con- 

 structed their channel nets of cotton webbing 

 from discarded (menhaden) purse seines 

 which are now made of 'more durable nylon 

 and therefore no longer constitute a reliable 

 source of material; and (3) many channels, 

 formerly productive, have been filled with 

 sand reducing them to shallow streams that 

 are no longer suitable for fishing with a chan- 

 nel net. 



UTERATURE CITED 



BONNOT, PAUL 



1932. The California ShrimpFishery. Calif. Dept. Fish 

 Game, Fish Bull. 38, 20 pp. 



BROAD, CARTER 



1951a. Results of Shrimp Research in North Carolina. Proc. 

 Gulf Carib. Fish. Inst. 3rd Ann. Sess.:27-35. 



1951b. The Shrimps in North Carolina, pp. 191-204. In 

 Harden F, Taylor (3e,). Survey of Marine Fisheries 

 of North Carolina . Univ. N. C. Press, Chapel Hill, 

 N. C, , 555 pp. 



BURKENROAD, MARTIN D. 



1949, Occurrence and Life Histories of Commercial Shrimp. 

 Science 110 (2869):688-689. 



OCTOPUS UNDERGO CHAMELEON-LIKE COLOR CHANGES 



The shy and retiring octopus is the quick-change artist of 

 the sea. When disturbed or excited, it often turns brick red as 

 though livid with rage. When frightened or cornered, the ani- 

 mal may turn white or gray. Waves of color may move across 

 its body. In a natural setting, it attains almost perfect camou- 

 flage by matching its surroundings. ( Sea Frontiers , July-Au- 

 gust 1966.) 



