Fisheries Institute
(Continued from page 6)
lication by writing to the U. S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Depart
ment of the Interior, Washing
toe, D. C . and asking for a copy of
"Releasing Small Fish and Shrimp
from Trawl Nets" by Eugene Koe
lofs (Sep. No. 257). The Insti
tute has about a hundred copies of
this article and will be happy to
distribute them).
Survey if Fishing Banks
One of the most far-reaching
programs which has been initia
ted by this Institute is a topograph
ical survey of the fishing banks.
The bottom off the North Carolina
coast, while in part smooth and
trawlable, also has innumerable
hazards to trawling. Very little is
known about the conditions on this
bank except that knowledge
which has been developed by the
fishermen themselves. The result
is that there is an annual loss o 1
gear which ie not only expensive to
the boat owner but retards the
commercial exploration and de
velopment of the fishing banks.
Recognizing the dearth of infor
mation on the fishing banks and
the terrific toll taken annually in
fishing gear, the Legislature in
1947 appropriated a sum of mooey
and authorized a survey. The
purposes of this survey were two
fold the legislative act specifical
ly designated that a search should
be made for the habitat of the
out-of-seaaon shrimp and that the
fishing banks explored should be
properly charted in such a manner
that the fishermen could avoid a
great ma ty of the hazards to their
gear. The Institute of Fisheries
Research was charged with the
responsibilities of organizing and
conducting the survey.
Beneficial Results
Highly beneficial results have
come from this program of the In
stitute. In a public meeting last
week a leading shrimp operator
sf Southport made the statement
that at least SO peroeat of the
Southport shimp catch this season
?tiad been taken from an area for
merly avoided by the fishermen
but now opened by the survey.
While we feel that this estimate
was too generous, we know U to be
an established fact that areas in
Onslow Bay and west of Frying Fan
Ehoals have been the scene of suc
cessful operations where form
erly considerable gear was destroy
ed or areas were totally avoided
because of bottom hazards.
While the shrimp survey itself
is limited mostly to waters within
(he 20-fathom curve, the results '
obtained in this investigation
indicated the soundness and de
sirability of extending the survey
into the deeper waters of the
coast. These waters beyond the
SO-iathom curve west of Cape Look
out are practically unknown ex
cept to a few fishermen. The im
pression was that the area abound
ed in coral reels, ravines and oth- j
er hazards to trawling.
The Institute of Fisheries Re
search, in cooperation with the
U.S. Pish and Wildlife Service,
made a preliminary survey of the
bottom of these deeper waters in
the summer of 1948 With the re
search vessel Albatross ill. The
results, although inconclusive,
were so promising that it was de
cided to obtaii the ship for a
more protracted operation.
Accordingly, the Institute of
Fisheries Research and the Depart
ment of Conservation enlisted rhe
aid of Senator Graham who in
troduced a bill in Congress for
the appropriation *f $20,000 to be
spent in the exploration of the
fishing banks off our coast. The
Albatross HI returned last Jan
uary and remained for approxi
mately three months, making ex
tensive tows in the deeper wat
ers.
These tows show that there is a
substantial amount of unsuspected
trawlable bottom beyond the 20
fathom line. The operations of
the Albatross HI point defin
| itely to the practicability and the
j worthwhileness of a continued ex
ploration of these fishing grounds.
I The appropriation which allow
ed the Albatross III to come
to North Carolina waters is a
continuing one, the money to be
spent in exploratory fishing south
of Norfolk. Negotiations are now
underway to have the money spent
at least one more year in North
Carolina.
Shellfish
In the summer of 1948 when the
Institute first initiated its study
of shellfish in the State of North
Carolina, there were few record
ed data on this subject and no com
| pilation or publications to serve
as a reference for one seeking
I knowledge on the subject. Scatter
ed publications disclosed the work
of various investigators which ex
tended over a period of some fifty
years, but there had been little at
tempt made to study the situation
as a whole and correlate the data.
Local areas had from time to
time been under observation, but
the extent of the investigations
was small and the method of
of attack irregular. There was no
sustained effort on the part of
anyone to carry through an in
tensive investigational study.
Oysters Studied
Recognizing the importance of
the oyster industry to the coastal
counties, the Institute undertook
the study of oysters as one of its
first projects. To begin with, the
Institute established regular sta
tions in Pamlico and Core Sounds
? and in one or two of the tributaries
of these sounds to obtain hydro
graphic and planktonic data.
The principal attention has been
given to determining those loca
WE SEM- USED
ENGINE PARTS
We Bny Old Batteries
Aprt Scrap Netak
Of All Kinds
WILLIE GRA Y
70
West of (forehead Cily
tions and time of peak settings
and the effect of hydrological con
ditions on those settings. It had
been commonly assumed that the
peak settings came in late spring
or early summer.
The question naturally arose as
to whether this was true or wheth
er the conditions of the fall of the
year were more favorable or, if
the setting was continuous over a
long period cttHime. Definitive
data have not yet been obtained
to enable the Institute to say with
certainty just when the peak act
tings do occur, although there are
indications that the period runs
continuously from late spring
well into the fall and winter with
intermittent peaks throughout the
course.
It is quite possible that under
more normal weather conditioas
the animals would not spawn over
such a long period as they have
been observed to do during the
I past two years.
Areas Defined
Concomitantly with the inves
tigations on spawning and setting,
the Institute has studied the are
as in the sound which encourage
the the most rapid growth and
fattening of oysters. For the first
time in this State we are able
to define some of the areas which
permit of good setting and some
which do' not. We are further
able to indicate those areas where
growth and fattening are favored
and thoie areas where they are
not.
This fall a detailed report of
the two-year survey will be com
pleted. This timing will enable the
institute to compare the results
of the first twelve-month period in
appraising the significance of chec
king of the observation of the sec
ond year. It will give us the op
portunity of checking the growth
of oysters Bearing three years of
age which set oo the oyster shell
plantings of the spring of 1947.
This report will carry charts
showing the location of most of the .
known oyster beds of Pamlico
Sound and will indicate the years
when oystir shells were planted
on those beds. It will give some
detailed observations on the seed
ing conditions, the quality of the '
oyster and the rate of growth, as
well as the appearance of natural
enemies and infestations. The
report may well serve as a hand
book for those interested in the
shellfish culture in this State and
Lei Than Be Ugkl!
Two fishermen sitting in the
sun on thr waterfront were swip
piag stories of their experiences.
One had jnst finished telling
of a fight he had landing a whop
per of a fish and the other Mid,
"Well, I'll tell yon what happen
ed to me one day. I threw njr
U*? overboard and i< snagged on
the wreck of an oM Confederate
pin tut I paMed it hi wml Mace*
on the end of it wan a laatern,
catered with weeds aad sheHm,
but H was stiH baraing."
The other fisherman thought
a while, and then he said. "I
don't believe that, but I'll tell
yaa what IH do. III cut about a
foot off my fish, if you'll blow
out year lantern."
to the scientists a"d investigators
who are working on shellfish prob
lems in other states.
{ It will most certainly make a
valuable contribution to the ac
culated economic and scientific
knowledge of marine resources.
Shrimp
Paralleling the investigations
and forming a very important part
I of them has been the work done
on the shrimp population of the
sounds. Here we have found many
discrepancies between true facts
aid the popular conception of the
sound shrimp population.
The sound shrimp population
of North Carolina, at least for the
past two years, contrary to pop
ular supposition, consists almost
entirely of brown shrimp, the two
pmcms of which are the common
fcroura shrimp (Penaeus astecus)
and the spotted shrimp (Penaeus
duorarumi. This situation is in
?harp contrast with that found in
most of the southern states and
po at* to a condition in our sounds
more closely approximating the
species make-up ot the Florida
Keys fishery. The green shrimp
(Penaeus setiferus) .does not
appear in Pamlico or Core Sounds
in large quantities while it consti
tutes the bulk of the catch off
Southport.
There is a sharp distinction in
characteristic between the South
port shrimp and the sound shrimp,
and at least for the two years
of the Institute's observations it
can be definitely stated that Pam
lico Sound and the northern
sounds do not serve as a nursery
grounds for the shrimp which ap
i pears at Southport.
A very important aspect of the
difference rn population of the
sound shrimp of North Carolina
and states south of us indicate
that regulations in our sounds
should in no way be guided by
regulations which might be suit
able to other southern states.
There has been agitation for sev
eral years for a uniform regulation
of the shrimp fishery of the South
AlUntic The information de
veloped here indicates thai there
cannot be a uniform regulation for
the simple reason that we are deal
ing with . different poplations
whose characteristics differ ac
cordingly.
The spoiled shrimp population
is almost entirely limited so far
as the commercial catch is con
cerned to the Core Sound and
Cape Lookout area. Although
some spotted shrimp are found in
Pamlico Sound, the bulk apparent
ly remains in Core Sound and its
tributaries.
The spotted shrimp are different
in habit from the common brown
shrimp, and a survey which this
Institute has made begins to throw
some doubt on the wisdom of the
general regulations now in effect.
Concomitantly with the examin
ation of the sound population, in
vestigations on the off shore win
ter population of shrimp have be?n
undertaken. There is a resident
population of shrimp i a the off
shore waters too scattered to con
stitute a commercial fishery. A
rather important and significant
finding, however, is that the spot
ted shrimp predominates, while
in the sounds propei during the
tjshing season the common brows
shrimp predominates.
The Florida Keys fishery consists
entirely of the spotted shrimp,
SiHl it may be that the individu
als found off our coast in the win
ter may be strays from a dense
population that some day may be
discovered within easy sailing dis
tance from North Carolina ports.
Only further offshore investigat
ions can give conclusive evidence
to confirm or contradict this the
ory.
(Editor's Note: We take this
opportunity to extend to Mr.
Ellison and his staff, Dr. A. F.
Chestnut, Dr. Eugene W. Roe
lofs and Carter Broad, our
thanks for their cooperation m
contributing information and
articles for this edition).
Menhaden Men
MR TO BEllWOT
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AGAIN AS WE HAVE HI YEARS PAST
See DsFor Your Fishing Clothiag Needs
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