Marine Commission
(Continued from Page 4, Section 4)
\ commission quickly realized that this was a (unction that could bet
ter be handled by the industry itself, and therefore stepped aside
in order that the NFI might have a clear field in this important mat
ter.
i< That the institute has done an outstanding job in this respect is
I known throughout the industry, but we of the commission take some
pride in having been among the first to recognize the importance
l of this subject and to give it its initial impetus.
State Participation in Negotiation of Treaties
In 1945 and 1946 the commission presented to the officials of the
State Department a proposal that in future treaties dealing with the
* Northwest Atlantic, it would be most desirable to establish some
* regular channel of consultation with the slates and with the Marine
Fisheries Commission and to provide lor participation of the states
h in the personnel of the delegations appointed to negotiate such
treaties.
It is interesting to note that as a result of this move the State
Department did invite the participation of the Marine Fisheries
Commission and the states in the discussions leading up to creation
of the Northwest Atlantic Treaty, and that three representatives of
the commission served on the United States delegation and one rep
resentative of the commission has since served as a United States
Commissioner on the International Commission and a number have
served on the advisory committee to such commission.
The precedent thus set has been followed in the negotiation of
subsequent fishery treaties and the State Department has since then
made it a practice to consult with the interstate fishery agencies#on
.V.; the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coast.
Intercoastal Conference, 1916
One of the significant actions of the commission was the calling
* of an intercoastal conference in Washington on May 16 and 17, 1946.
It was the first occasion on which the marine fisheries states of the
three coasts met together to discuss common problems. As a result,
impetus was given to the movement by the states of the Pacific and
Gulf coasts to organize by compact, coastal commissions similar to
ours on the Atlantic coast.
The conference was significant also because it undertook to estab
lish organized channels of communication between the various groups
of coastal states through the intercoastal committee. Several import
ant resolutions were adopted. One of these declared that effective
utilization of international trea:ies is dependent upon the develop
ment of federal-state cooperation.
Accordingly it recommended that with respect to the negotiation
and administration of such international treaties relating to fish
eries contiguous to the coasts of the United States, consultation with
the state governments conccrned should be effected during the ne
gotiating stage; the role of the state government should be recog
nized in the treaty or the enabling legislation and that there should
be representation of the state government in American membership
or any international commission established for regulatory or admin
istrative purposes.
These principals were subsequently followed by the State Depart
ment and have become standard practice.
The second resolution declared it the responsibility and the duty
of the several coastal states to declare their jurisdiction over fish
eries contiguous to their coasts, also beyond territorial waters and
collaborate with each other in the development of suitable policies
and prgrams for the conservation, protection and wise utilization of
such offshore fisheries.
A further resolution declared against discrimination by any state
in such offshore waters against the fishermen of other states and
urged the states to seek through interstate cooperation an agree
ment on common conservation measures. For want of understanding
the constitutional problems involved, the several states have as yet
not acted along the lines suggested.
Haddock Mesh Size
Throughout the, reports of the commission from 1947 onward,
there appear frequent references to the need for increasing the mini
mum size of mesh in the haddock nets on the Georges Bank fishery.
It is gratifying to report that the International Commission on the
Northwest Atlantic fisheries took up this suggestion, so frequently
made by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and reported in the
Commission's Annual Reports, and in 1954 established such mini
mum size mesh regulations on an experimental basis. The experiment
proved so profitable that fishermen from other countries, in other
sub-areas under the jurisdiction of the International Commission arc
voluntarily adopting the larger mesh nets which permit the escape
ment of all unmarketable fish, but hold larger fish and result in
greater poundage.
Atlantic Salmon Restoration
From the beginning of its work in 1954 our commission has been
active in promoting the restoration of the Atlantic salmon. It spon
! sored through Representative Frank Baker, Its legislative commis
' sioner in Maine, the creation of a salmon study commission which
resulted in the appointment of a permanent Sea Run Salmon Com
mission with power to manage the Atlantic salmon fisheries in Maine.
The redevelopment of this fishery Is neeessarily a slow process
as the life cycle of the salmon extends over a period of 10 yean and
the effect* of particular conservation measures upon a stock can not
be measured until the return of the young salmon to the parent
stream some nine or 19 years later. Thla fact la Illustrative of some
of the difficulties Involved In marine fisheries research.
Coastwise Study of Striped Bass
The Atlantic States Cooperative Striped Bass Program sponsored
by the commission in 1B52 is gathering momentum. Massachusetts,
' New York, Maryland, South Carolina and Florida are operating
projects with the help of federal aid funds. Connecticut haa just
? secured a scientist for its approved project.
Rhode Island, New Jersey. Delaware. Virginia and North Carolina
are cooperating, using state funds only, but several of them are hope
: ful of securing federal aid for specific striped baas projects. Identi
fication of stocks and the extent of migratory pattern have been
clarified by racial studies conducted by the federal coordinator of the
? project.
Survival and development of a practically landlocked stock of
striped bass in the Santec River Drainage System of South Carolina
haa aroused much interest and speculation as to the poaaibilitiea of
: other areas.
Numerous mimeographed progress reports, publications In scien
tific Journals, and scientific appendices in Minutes of the Striped
Bass Committee reveal the very significant gains In knowledge with
with respect to this Important and controversial fish. This program
haa already demonstrated ita value and givea promise of significant
[ resulta for future management policies.
Coastwlde Study of Shad
In 1M0 the Congrcn it the request of the commJuion authorized
and nude Initial appropriations (or a five-year atudy by the Fish and
f Wildlife Service of ahad on the Atlantic coast. This study began In
I I960 with the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers and worked south
I ward. It la now operating primarily in the far south, but is following
I' closely the annual production in the rivers previously studied.
The shad project, after five years of study, has produced numer
'? ous excellent reports which have been distributed to commissioners
? and laboratories slong the coast. With the cooperation of the Holyoke
jj Power Co. and the Fish and Wildlife Service, between May 23 and
I June ? of this year over 3,000 mature shad were successfully Ufted
over the ftolyoke Dam in the Connecticut River, thus sftar 107 .years
of absence, shad again swant upstream to their ancestral spawning
, grounds between Holyoke and Turner* Falls on the Connecticut River
This mw fish passage device Is the only one on the Atlantic Coast
, which has been successful in passing large numbers of shad upstream,
i ao it may have great significance for other areaa.
Caaatwlde Study at Claas
A starilar stady of hard ari safe dame financed by the Congresa
at Mw IIMSrt ef (be reaaaitasl.B haa beea coadarted by the Flak
^d Wildlife Service tar Ova yean aad has Ukawtae produced sigalfi
m m . -
cant reports. Predaton and mass mortalities have been the principal
Problems and they are not yet solved although much valuable knowl
edge for future management has been obtained.
Disposal of Industrial Wastes at Sea
Beginning in 1945 much furor was caused by the proposal to
dispose at sea of many thousand tons of dilute sulphuric acid, a by
product of the National Lead Company's industrial activities in the
state of New Jersey. Sportsmen and sport* writers and commercial
fishermen were up in arms.
A committee of scientists appointed by the commission to inves
tigate the situation led the commission to conclude that no serious
damage to the fisheries would ensue from the deposit of such wastes
and the commission refused to be stampeded into taking precipitant
action. For this it was roundly reviled in the prpss. but the sound
ness of its judgment was vindicated in subsequent reports by scien
tists from the Fish and Wildlife Service, and from the Woods Hole
Occanographic Institution, whose findings were reviewed and ap
proved by the National Research Council.
Recent reports published in the "New York ConFervationist"
have even ventured the suggestion that the deposit of this acid
waste may have been instrumental in increasing the growth of cer
tain marine organisms which in turn are valuable parts of the food
chain of the sea in this area.
Study of Pollution Affecting the Marine Fisheries
In 1949 at the suggestion of the U. S. Public Health Service the
commission accepted a grant, under Public Law 845. to make a coast
wide survey to discover the effects of pollution in its relation to ma
rine fisheries. The commission undertook the responsibility of ad
ministering the grant, provided the work thereunder could be done
under the immediate jurisdiction of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Under this arrangement the project continued for several years.
It produced a report for each of the 15 coastal states and a supple
mentary report entitled, "An Economic Evaluation of Maj-ine Fish
eries Affected by Industrial Wastes" which was limited to the states
of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connec
ticut It was found very difficult to obtain precise data on the effect
of industrial wastes on marine fisheries.
Many administrators believe such industrial wastes harmful, but
in only a few instances was it possible to relate the damage directly
to an industrial cause. The overall effect of pollution from com
bined sources was summarized in the several state reports. A few
specific fish kills or serious injury to fisheries were reported, but
the general effect of all pollution was to increase the B. coli content
of certain waters to a point which justified closing them to shellfish
production for human consumption.
The project, however, was worthwhile. It provided the state fish
ery commissioners and the health commissioners with an abundance
of data in compact form, on the basis of which plans for the abate
ment of pollution could be developed and this has been the usual
course. Substantial progress has been made in mast of the states and
the Interstate Pollution Control Agencies for New England, and for
the Hudson, Delaware and Potomac Rivers have contributed signifi
cantly to these improved conditions.
Freezing Fish at Sea
Two special study projects initiated by Massachusetts and en
dorsed by the commission have resulted in studies on the practica
bility of freezing fish "in the round" at sea and exploratory fishing
for tuna in the North Atlantic area.
Offshore Research in South Atlantic Waters
A third significant study project sponsored by the South Atlantic
section was the offshore research program to which reference was
made earlier. Vast amount of practical information and biological
knowledge resulting from tl)e*e projects and from the clam studies,
the shad studies and the striped bass studies, all of which were spon
sored by the commission and conducted by the U. S. Fish and Wild
life Service directly or in cooperation with the several states, have
produced a tremendous amount of new material which is now being
digested and analyzed by the scientists of the federal and state gov
ernments.
At this time it is impossible to appraise the value of such work,
and I believe it can fairly be said that had it not been for the leader
ship and sponsorship of the commission much of this work would
not have been undertaken, or at least not as early as it was.
Conclusions
The value of an organization, whether it be governmental or pri
vate, should not be measured by the amount of money it has suc
ceeded in persuading governments to spend, and the commission
takes no pride in the fact that it has helped to secure appropriations
for such purpose.
It does take pride in the fact, however, that it has furnished
leadership in bringing about a recognition of the need for more scien
tific research, that it has encouraged scientists to undertake such
work, that it has assisted in making such work possible and that it has
consistently advocated that all conservation regulations be based on
proven scientific data rather than on the unsubstantiated beliefs of
special interest groups.
The commission has served as a clearing house for information,
gathering from each of its member states the latest fishery laws and
distributing them to the administrators of other states. It also trans
mits copies of important documents to all commissioners, fishery
administrators and state laboratories up and down the coast. It pre
sents at its annual meetings questions of large public policy and after
full discussion takes whatever position the situation may require.
In the published minutes of its annual meetings there are included
the appendices consisting of biological and technological reports
which have important value. The publication of these minutes and
the reports is believed to be a very substantial contribution to the
increase of knowledge about the fisheries of the coast.
Important reports have resulted from the five-year studies of hard
and soft shell clams, shad, and other species, from exploratory fish
ing for tuna in the North Atlantic, offshore research off the South
Atlantic coast, for new techniques in freezing fish at sea, carrying
shrimp, refrigerated sea water ? all these thing* tend to increase
our knowledge and thus our ability to assist Nature in the produc
tion of its annual crop.
The commission takes no credit for the accomplishment of these
forward ateps, but it does venture Jo suggest that it has been an im
portant contributing factor in the progress that has been made by the
states, by the federal government, and by the various laboratories.
Without the (orum which the commission provides, without the
stimulating discussions which have led men to embark on new
projects, and without the continued emphasis on the Importance of
research aa a basis for conservation measures. It is not at all Improb
able that many of these constructive forward steps referred I* la
this report might have been deferred till a later date.
In thia respect the commission functions like a catalytic agent In
chemistry. If you remember your cbemlatry you will recall that the
catalytic agent is not sffected by the chemical changes that take
place In Its presence. Its significance is that the chemical changes
do take place only when the catalytic agent is present.
Perhaps the most significsnt work of the commission hss been
its constsnt effort to preserve unimpaired the traditional Jurisdic
tion ot the states over their fisheries, vessels and fishermen. The
doctrines established by the U. S. Supreme Court in various fishery
esses aifd in the tldelands cases have been reviewed at length in
the Commission's Annual Reports and in communications to commit
tee* of the Congress whenever legislation was presented in the Con
gress Imperiling state fisheries Jurisdiction.
The commission has likewise presented its views in memoranda
to the State Department wherever proposed provisions in tresties or
enabling legislation threatened the jurisdiction of the states. It is
gratifying to report that in spite of the strong genersl trend toward
centralization of authority in the federal government, the fisheries
Jurisdiction of the states baa been preserved and In some degree
strengthened over the past 14 years, due in no small part we be
lieve to the watchfulness and leadership of the Atlantic States Marine
Fisheries Commission.
iL* ~ .^5 ? lT . ~ . ' 3 ? - "" ' r- r^
Gaston Smith's
Hobby Became
Profitable Job
When a man's hobby becomes
his livelihood, you can bet that he
really enjoys his work. That's what
happened to Gaston Smith. Atlan
tic net-maker who was a fisherman
until five or six years ago.
Smith was captain of the 40-foot
?rawler Olena and had been i fish
erman since getting out of higlt
;chool in 1929 He always enjoyed
mending nets and rigging them ind
after a time he found that his hob
by was more profitable than his
business. So he tied up the Olena
rnd opened a net shop on highway
70 just west of Atlantic.
Today, he reports happily, he
has more business than he is able
'o handle. As he talks to a visitor,
his deft fingers fly, carrying the
net needle in and out of the mesh
of a huge, seemingly shapeless pile
of net which he is making into a
funnel-shaped, shrimp trawl, per
haps 85 feet long. Such a trawl re
quires about a day and a half to
sew.
Father Helps
His only assistant in the business
is his father. John D. Smith, who
is a retired fisherman. Since all
the work in the shop is done by
hand, help is difficult to find. ^
The stop stays busy year round,
making mostly fish and shrimp
nets, but filling occasional special
orders. Smith also supplies rope,
.?orks, and leads. The net he uses
comes in bales and is tailored into
the desired form.
Though Smith's business comes
mostly from Carteret County, he
has orders from as far away as Key
West, Fla., and Arlington, Va.
iry Nets mane
Another product of the shop are
I he try nets, 6-foot trawls which
shrimpers use to sample the num
ber of shrimp in the water. An
other sideline is the small sport
trawls, about the size of the try
nets, which amateur shrimpers use.
Fisheries Commissioner Gehrmann
Holland terms these rigs "deep
freeze shrimp trawls."
Mr. Smith is married to the for
mer Matilda Davis of Davis. They
have two children; Freddy, who
at 20 is fishing the Olena; and
Michael, a 16-year-old student at
Atlantic High School.
Gaston Smith is a happy man,
doing work he enjoys. A couple
of years ago, vacationing in Tampa,
Fla., he visited a net shop and.
finding that they were rushed, he
went to work for the remainder ef
his holiday.
Deft Fingers Fly
Gaston Smith at work in his shop at Atlantic. N. C.
Beaufort Ice Co. Came
Into Being 45 Years Ago
Forty-five years ago, in the days
before a road "down east" made
possible rapid transportation from
Atlantic and other eastern points
in Carteret County, there was no
ice plant* east of Morehead City
and, of course, the Beaufort-More
head bridge wasn't even a gleam
in the engineer's eye.
At that time the food fishing in
dustry of Carteret was centered
in Morehead City and Beaufort, in
stead of being scattered, as it is
now, throughout the county. So to
meet the problem of providing re
frigeration for the highly-perish
able product which was the back
bone of Beaufort's economy, a
group of four Beaufort men char
tered the Beaufort Ice Co., now
known as the Beaufort Ice and
Coal Co. This was in 1910.
Four Form Company
The original charter, on file in
the company office on Broad Street
near the courthouse, shows that the
corporation was formed by M. C.
Holland, a fish dealer: J. H. Potter,
also a fish dealer: Dr. C. L* Dun
ean, and U. E. Swann, one-time
eashier of a Beaufort bank, who
still resides in Beaufort on Pollock
Street.
Mr. Holland was the father of
Gehrmann Holland, state fisheries]
commissioner. J. H. Potter had
three sons, W. V. (Will) Potter.!
J. H. Potter Jr.. and E. H. Potter,
who managed the company for 40 i
years after its formation. W. H.
(Piggy) Potter oi Beaufort, is a
grandson of the founder.
Dated Dec. 10, 1910, the charter)
specifies that the capital stock of j
the new company was $12.000. !
Clerk of Superior Court T. C.
Wade, father of Ralph Wade, More- 1
head City's bandmaster, signed the !
document which was issued by Sec- 1
retary of State^J. Bryan Grimes. |
Heads Firm
Today William Way is president
and manager of the firm. He re
1 calls having heard original officers
Some Fish Swim
'Upside Down'
Most people think of a fish as
swimming horizontally with his
belly down and his back up, just
as they are seen in an Aquarium.
Some fishes, however, have
adapted different positions for
swimming. For instance, shrimp
and sea horses swim upright,
head up and tail down. The floun
der and flat fishes actually swim
on their sides while the Nile cat
fish swims upside down with his
back to the bottom and his belly
upward, much as a dead fish floats.
To all appearances he is a dead
fish, as he floats along in a lei
surely fashion on the surface of
the water.
The salmon normally swims as
any conventional fish swims, but
he varies his methods by making
leaps, traveling as much as three
feet through the air.
In this way the fish is able to >
travel far upstream, beyond the
rapids, on his way to the spawn
ing grounds. The name salmon is
derived from this habit of leaping.
Latin Salmo has the same root as
the Latin word Salire, meaning to
leap.
When it comes to leaping fish,
the tarpon is in front rank, for it
is able to propel itself into the
air for as much as 7 to 8 feet.
The devil fish or manta which
to some appears to be a huge
skate or sting ray, 20 feet long ,
and weighing a thousand pounds,
can sail through the air for sev
eral feet, returning with an impact
which can actually be heard sev
eral miles.
of the business say that in the early
days when the plant's eapaeity was
only 10 tons per day, it was im
possible at times to make enough
ice to keep pace with the demand.
Today, completely equipped with
electric machinery installed in
1941, the plant has a capacity of
20 tons.
The plant was operated at first
by steam and all water used in the
process was distilled. The present
plant softens water from a deep
artesian well, then filters it
through sand and gravel before
freezing it.
The secretary-treasurer of the
firm is Mrs. Annie I,. Gaskill, who
has been with the firm since 1931.
Beaufort Ice Co., organized to
fill a vital need in eastern Car
teret County's economy almost a
half century ago, is still filling
that need.
Lake Mattamuskeet, the great
wild life refuge in Hyde County,
was known as Paquitte by the In
dians.
Photo by Roy Eubank
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? Propeller Reconditioning
? Outboard Motor Repair
CELEBRATING ? Structural Steel Work
OUR # Boiler Repair
36th * Tank Building
? Blacksmithing
? Machinist
*
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Beaufort ? North Carolina
IN