No Small Catch 



HARVESTS FEATURE 

 SKIMMER, OTTER TRAWLS 



By Ann Green 



A 



i s Bob Hines adjusts a miniature green 

 net on the side of a skimmer trawl model, 

 he explains how commercial shrimpers can 

 tell when they come upon a bounty of white 

 shrimp. 



"White shrimp are very active," says 

 Hines, a North Carolina Sea Grant fisheries 

 specialist who introduced the skimmer gear in 

 the state. "As the net moves forward through 

 the water, the shrimp jump from the water, 

 marking their presence." 



Because the top of a skimmer net 

 extends above the water surface, it is able to 

 contain the shrimp, Hines explains to a crowd 

 gathering around an exhibit on the National 

 Mall in Washington, D.C. The North Carolina 

 Sea Grant shrimp trawl exhibit was part of 

 "Water Ways: Charting a Future for Mid- 

 Atlantic Maritime Communities" at the 2004 

 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 



Last summer's festival featured the rich 

 culture and traditions of maritime workers 

 from coastal communities, including the Core 

 and Albemarle sound regions. 



"I come to the festival every year," says 

 Larry Rockwell of Upperville, Va. "I came to 

 this exhibit because I am fascinated with the 

 technology of boats." 



While several visitors look on, shrimper 

 Bradley Styron of Cedar Island and Hines 

 explain that as shrimp are caught in the tail 

 bag, shrimpers pull in the catch and sort it on 

 a culling table. 



Skimmer trawls — in which nets are 

 mounted on frames attached to the sides of the 

 boat — often are preferred in shallow waters 

 along the North Carolina coast, adds Hines. 



Continued 

 COASTWATCH 7 



