18 



3. To evaluate sonar returns from long- 

 line gear components. 



Sonar returns from five baskets of un- 

 baited hooks --and five baskets baited with 

 sauries --were poor and could not be evalu- 

 ated because of interference from surface 

 reverberation. 



4. To obtain information on the vertical 

 distribution of skipjack tuna. The research- 

 ers reported that all skipjack schools con- 

 tacted by sonar were surface schools. 



5. To make and transmit routine BT and 

 weather information. Except for times in 

 port, routine BT and weather observations 

 were recorded and transmitted at 0000, 0600, 

 1200. and 1800 GMT. 



Note: For more information, contact: Area Director, Bureau of 

 Commercial Fisheries, P.O.B. 3830, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812. 



Great Lakes Fisheries Explorations 



"CLIFFORD" AIDS 



LAKE SUPERIOR FISHERIES 



The A. E. Clifford, a gill net tug recently 

 converted into a trawler, is carrying out an 

 important phase of the Commerce Depart- 

 ment's Lake Superior Economic Development 

 Administration-Technical Assistance Project. 

 The project is testing and demonstrating mod- 

 ern equipment and techniques for harvesting, 

 processing, and marketing Lake Superior fish 

 more effectively and economically than is 

 possible with traditional operations. The 

 vessel was converted under a cooperative 

 agreement between Commerce and Interior 

 Departments. BCF gives technical assist- 

 ance. (Cruise Nos. 1, 2, and 3.) 



The Clifford completed three 5 -day ex- 

 ploratory fishing cruises during the third 

 quarter of 1966. The combined cruises pro- 

 duced 8,490 pounds of fish: 67.5 percent 

 chubs (mostly bloaters), 10.8 percent cisco, 

 9.8 percent smelt, 5.8 percent suckers, and 

 4.4 percent lake trout. The remaining 1.7 

 percent was miscellaneous, mostly burbot 

 and common whitefish. 



The vessel has fished for chubs and smelt 

 on a part-time basis. Attempts to establish 

 markets for the relatively small bloater 

 chubs, which are readily available to trawls. 



met with little success until recently. As a 

 result, fishing effort and catches have been 

 nowhere near the actual potential. The ves- 

 sel produced 27,611 pounds of fish during on- 

 ly 60 hours of fishing over 4 months, mainly 

 chubs (82 percent), smelt (10 percent), and 

 Cisco (4 percent). 



Inland Fisheries Explorations 

 and Gear Development 



"HIODON" CONTINUES 

 OAHE RESERVOIR STUDIES 



The R/V Hiodon conducted an experimen- 

 tal cruise (No. 10) in Zones 3, 4, and 6 of 

 Oahe Reservoir during September 1966. The 

 reservoir is on the Missouri River in South 

 and North Dakota, The vessel completed 102 

 drags to compare catches of three different 

 size trawls (40 drags); to compare daytime 

 catches with nighttime catches (16 drags); to 

 collect biological samples (2 drags); and to 

 effect a maximum catch of commercial spe- 

 cies in two areas of the reservoir (44 drags). 



Fishing Results: The 102 drags took 8,006 

 fish (age group II or older) that weighed 

 17,468 pounds--an average of 78 fish or 171 

 pounds per drag. As usual, carp dominated 

 the catch composition: 63 percent of total 

 weight. Buffalofish also were prominent: 23 

 percent of the weight. The pattern of pro- 

 gressively larger catches in late summer 

 and fall was similar to 1965. 



Trawl comparison drags: 40 drags were 

 made with three trawls (35-, 45-, and 52 -foot 

 headrope) to determine possible variations 

 between trawls in rate of catch and species 

 composition. The trawls took fish in about 

 equal quantity, but the 3 5 -foot net took a 

 smaller proportion of buffalofish and a some- 

 what larger proportion of carp and carpsuck- 

 ers than did the other two trawls. 



Day -night comparison drags: 16 drags 

 were made to compare catches made during 

 daytime with catches made at night in the 

 same area and using the same ge'ar. Four 

 drags were made in the morning (7:00 a.m. 

 to 9:30 a.m); six drags during late afternoon 

 (4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.); and six drags at 

 night (8:00 p.m. to midnight). The average 

 catch per drag during late afternoon (271 



