EAST BAY 
9° 
= 
DAILY AVERAGE 
° 
ST. ANDREW BAY 
DAILY AVERAGE 
COASTAL WATERS 
[7 
DAILY AVERAGE 
Figure 22.—Estimated average daily instantaneous numbers of 
transit party boats by areas, weekdays (W), and weekend-days (E) 
each month in 1973. None was observed in North and West Bays. 
Table 10.--Percentage distribution of all 
fisheries and a 
North and East 
West Bays Bay 
Fishery 
Shrimp 
Oysters 4.6 
Finfish 5.6 
Scallops 0.0 
Crabs <0.1 
16 
for food, and crabbing for food. The percentage dis- 
tribution of effort among the fisheries, based on the sum 
of all effort estimates was (Table 10): shrimp, 34.7% 
oysters, 33.3%; finfish, 22.0%; scallops, 8.9%; and crabs, 
1.1%. 
The area preference for each fishery as indicated by 
the effort estimates was (Table 11): East Bay for shrimp 
(36.5%), oysters (85.7%), and crabs (85.2%); coastal 
waters for finfish (44.1%); and St. Andrew Bay for 
scallops (84.4%). 
Shrimp Fishing Effort 
Of the five fisheries in the St. Andrew Bay system and 
adjacent coastal waters revealed by this survey, shrimp 
was first in importance to commercial fishermen. The ef- 
fort was well distributed throughout the bay system 
(Table 11). While no shrimping effort was observed 
within the coastal waters, a viable fishery existed just 
offshore of the survey boundary. 
Trawlers rigged with either a single or double trawl 
fished for shrimp in the bay system. The single rigged 
trawler, generally smaller and more maneuverable of the 
two, fished from maximum depth to the edge of shallow 
water grass beds, whereas the double rigged trawlers 
were generally limited to fishing deep water in and along 
the intracoastal waterway and other navigation chan- 
nels. 
The estimated daytime commercial shrimping effort, 
shown in Figure 23, is thought to be a relatively small 
part of the total shrimping effort in St. Andrew Bay. 
Since shrimp are more vulnerable to trawls fished at 
night, the major effort undoubtedly occured at that 
time. The estimated numbers of transit shrimp boats 
(Fig. 24) partially reflect the intensity of the night 
fishery. Most of those boats were observed by the sur- 
veyors during the early morning and late afternoon hours 
enroute to the docks or returning to the shrimp fishing 
grounds. The estimates of transit shrimp boats in ad- 
jacent coastal waters are indicative of the night shrimp- 
ing effort in offshore waters. 
The commercial shrimp fishing effort observed in St. 
Andrew Bay system was entirely by trawling. 
Oyster Fishing Effort 
The oyster fishery was second in importance to com- 
mercial fishermen in the study area accounting for 33.3% 
of the total estimated daily effort expended among all 
Table 1L-—- Percentage distribution of commercial fishing effort within 
1973 
fisheries by area, 19 
Coastal 
waters 
and East St. Andrew 
Fishery West y Bay Bay Total 
Shrimp 36.5 3 0.0 100 
Oyster 13.9 85.7 0.4 0.0 100 
9.9 20.5 44.1 100 
1.1 84.4 14.5 100 
Crab 9.1 85.2 Set! 0.0 100 
