1213 



McHugh, J. L. 1976. 



Estuarine fisheries: Are they doomed? In Estuarine Processes. Vol. 1. 

 Uses, Stresses, and Adaptation to the Estuary. Martin Wiley (edj . 

 Academic Press, New York: 15-27. 



In 1974 New York State was the major producer of Mercenaria meroenaria: 

 68% of the total Middle Atlantic Bight catch. Peak production in the 

 Bight was in 1947 at about 7,710 metric tons of meats. Since 1947 

 landings in individual states have varied widely, but total production 

 in the Middle Atlantic Bight has remained fairly stable. Hard clam is 

 vulnerable to effects of water pollution and overfishing and also natural 

 environmental change. Recreational and subsistence catches are not 

 known, but they must be large. For example, a single town on Great South 

 Bay, N.Y. issued 2,459 permits in 1974 for non-commercial clam harvesting, 

 as compared to about 1,7 00 for commercial harvesting. Considerable 

 quantities are also taken illegally. - J.L.M. 



1214 



McHugh, J. L. 1977. 



Fisheries and fishery resources of New York Bight. U.S. Dept. Commerce, 

 NOAA Tech. Rept. NMFS Circ. 401, v + 50 p. 



Trends in hard clam landings in N.J. have been similar in their major 

 features to those in N.Y. Reported landings were relatively high in the 

 last 2 decades of the 19th century, dropped sharply and stayed relatively 

 low until the 1930s, rose to maxima in the late 1940s and early 1950s, 

 dropped sharply again, and subsequently rose in the 1960s. In N.J. the 

 recent rise reached a peak in 1967 and catches have been dropping since. 

 In N.Y. landings dropped after 1971, but 1975 was a record year. Clammers 

 believe that the resource is overharvested, and this seems to be supported 

 by the fact that in N.Y. the harvest has levelled off while numbers of 

 clammers have increased. In R.I. once a major producer of hard clam, 

 landings are about 20% of the historic peak in 1955. The sharp decline in 

 N.J. landings in the 1950s was in part caused by closing of polluted areas. 

 An outbreak of hepatitis in 1961 affected the industry seriously. The 

 subsequent rise has been caused by improvement in consumer confidence, 

 increased abundance of clams in some areas, depuration, and opening of some 

 closed grounds. Most hard clam production in N.J. comes from bays of the 

 outer coast. Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays once were important clamming areas, 

 but grounds there are almost all closed. In 1975 N.J. produced 735 metric 

 tons of hard clam meats, N.Y. 3,932 tons. Management in both states has 

 largely been negative, monitoring water quality and closing grounds where 

 necessary. Commercial landings probably are underestimated and there are 

 substantial unrecorded recreational and residential catches. Management 

 information is badly needed. The resource should be considered important 

 because management does not require cooperation from adjacent states or 

 other nations. Some local management programs are underway, but much more 

 needs to be done. Recent increases in abundance of blue crab (Callinectes 

 sapidus) , a serious predator, may have been responsible for declining 

 abundance of hard clam. - J.L.M. 



1215 



McHugh, J. L. 1977. 



Conference summary and comment. In Proc. Bi-State Conf. on Chesapeake Bay. 

 L. Eugene Cronin (Chm. Ed. & Planning Comm.). Chesapeake Research Consortium, 

 Inc., CRC Pub. 61: 275-283. 



In New York, baymen see disappearance of eelgrass (Zostera) as a threat to 

 the hard clam industry, but the relationship is not well understood. - J.L.M. 



340 



