Table 25.— The mean age ±1 SE of bloodworm and 

 sandworm diggers interviewed during each sampling 

 year (1973-76). 





Bloodworm 



diggers 



Sandworm c 



lggers 



Year 



N 



Xage 



±1 SE 



N 



Xage 



+ 1 SE 



1973 



182 



27.7 



±0.9 



104 



29.8 



±1.2 



1974 



168 



29.6 



+ 0.9 



105 



31.9 



±1.1 



1975 



107 



29.1 



+ 1.1 



97 



31.7 



±1.2 



1976 



161 



31.2 



±1.0 



90 



30.9 



±1.2 



Percentage of Day and Nighttime Digging— The results of one 

 interview question regarding the percentage of bloodworm and 

 sandworm diggers who responded that the last tide dug occurred 

 during daylight (one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after 

 sunset) or at night are presented in Table 26. These results indicate 

 that most digging occurs during daylight. A greater percentage of 

 sandworm than bloodworm diggers dig worms at night. Night dig- 

 ging is accomplished with the aid of a miner's light attached to the 

 head. 



Table 26.— The percent of bloodworm and sand- 

 worm diggers reporting that the last tide dug 

 occurred during daylight or at night (1973-76). 





Bloodw 



orms 



Sandworms 



Year 



Daylight 



Night 



Daylight 



Night 



1973 



94 



6 



86 



14 



1974 



97 



3 



92 



8 



1975 



98 



2 



89 



II 



1976 



97 



3 



80 



20 



Percentage of Male and Female Worm Diggers.— The per- 

 centage of male and female bloodworm and sandworm diggers 

 recorded during sampling interviews is shown in Table 27. Few 

 women are involved in this occupation. 



Table 27.— The percent of male and female bloodworm 

 and sandworm diggers recorded during sampling 

 interviews (1973-76). 





Bloodworm diggers 



Sandwor 

 Males 



n diggers 



Year 



Males 



Females 



Females 



1973 



98.4 



1.6 



99.5 



0.5 



1974 



98.3 



1.7 



100.0 



0.0 



1975 



99.1 



0.9 



98.8 



1.2 



1976 



95.3 



4.7 



100.0 



0.0 



Decline of Bloodworm Landings After 1975 



The bloodworm industry, unlike the sandworm industry, experi- 

 enced a considerable decrease in production between 1975 and 

 1979 (Table 28). Many factors probably contributed to this decline. 



Table 28.— The percent gain or reduction in bloodworm and 

 sandworm production between 1975 and 1979. 





v 



S gain or 



No. of 



% gain or 



Year 



bloodworms 



reduction 



sandworms 



reduction 



1975 



35.634.000 





29.935.000 





1976 



23.454.000 



-34. IS 



27.915.000 



-6.75 



1977 



r. 474,000 



-25.50 



29.506.000 



+ 5.70 



1978 



16,202.000 



- 7.28 



29.937.000 



+ 1.46 



1979 



19.364.000 



+ 19.52 



29.776.000 



+ 0.54 



The failure of the Sheepscot River as a major bloodworm pro- 

 ducer is probably responsible for a significant portion of the decline 

 in production from western Maine. The exact nature of this contin- 

 uing failure is unknown but it may be that oil (Page 3S ) or toxic 

 chemicals are contributing factors. 



Dow (footnote 18) attributes the decline in production to the fol- 

 lowing causes: 1) Naturally occurring fluctuations in abundance 

 and availability are associated with such environmental factors as 

 seawater temperature. The mean annual sea temperature increased 

 from an optimum of 8.4°C (1972) and 8.8°C (1973) to an above 

 optimum of 9.2°C (1974). 2) A decline was apparent in the num- 

 bers of licensed marine worm diggers. Licenses dropped from 

 1 ,267 (1975) to 1 . 105 ( 1979). The possibility exists, however, that 

 licenses declined as the result of decreased demand and production 

 and not vice versa. 3) Toxic oil spills, heavy metals contamination, 

 and possibly the presence of other pollutants may account for a por- 

 tion of the decline. 4) A 3-wk strike during 1976 may have reduced 

 production by as many as 3 million worms. 5) Poor market condi- 

 tions resulted in a decrease in digging effort. Following a series of 

 telephone conversations with marine worm wholesalers and retail- 

 ers, Walton 3 " concluded that the poor market conditions resulted 

 from 1) a reduction in the availability of some sport fish (striped 

 bass, flounder) in the central states (New Jersey, Delaware, Mary- 

 land) where bloodworms are used extensively, and 2) either switch- 

 ing from both species of marine worms to alternate and less 

 expensive baits (clam necks, night crawlers) in the northeast 

 (Rhode Island, New York. Massachusetts) or switching from 

 bloodworms to less expensive sandworms. 



A decline in fishing activity resulting from the gas shortage and 

 the poorquality (small size) of bloodworms may be other contribut- 

 ing factors. 



In many commercial digging areas, diggers and shippers report 

 that overharvesting is a primary cause of the decline in production. 

 However, no research directed toward collecting the catch/effort 

 data necessary to confirm or deny these claims has existed since 

 1976. 



Previous declines in marine worm landings have been attributed 

 to cyclic changes in the environment (Dow; 40 Dow and Wallace 

 footnote 13), gradual changes in soil composition (Klawe and 

 Dickie 1957). expansion of the commercial area dug (Dow and 

 Wallace footnote 13), and changes in tidal exposure because of 

 bridge and highway construction (Ganaros footnote 4). 



Suggestions for Improving Future 

 Marine Worm Sampling Programs 



It is apparent, from the magnitude of the standard errors about the 

 monthly probability expansion estimates (Table 12), that greater 

 accuracy (smaller standard errors) could be obtained by sampling 

 on more than six daylight low tide periods per month. Although we 

 were not initially optimistic about increasing the accuracy of proba- 

 bility estimates because of project restrictions on time, funding, 

 and manpower, an attempt was made to estimate by optimum and 

 proportional allocation the number of sampling daylight low tides 



38page D. S. 1977. A >ur\e\ of hydrocarbons in bloodworms and accompany ing 

 sediments from the Wiscasset. Maine area. Bow-doin College - A report to the 

 Maine Department at' Marine Resources, Augusta. 38 p. 



llJ C. J. Walton, Marine resources scientist. Maine Dep. Mar. Resour. West 

 Boothbay Harbor. ME 04575. pers commun. Juh 1978. 



4 "Dow. R. L. 195! . Marine worm report. Maine Dep. Sea Shore Fish.. Augusta. 

 6 p. 



52 



