The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-09-09
BY DR.. James N. Gowanloch

EDITORS NOTE: This is the
first in a series of four excerpts
from a booklet recently released
by the Mississippi seafood COM
mission entitled "Menhaden
Facts and Fallacies." The text is
a report to Naif Jordan, commits
sion president. by DR.. James N.
Gowanloch, chief biologist for the
Louisiana conservation depart
ment. DR.. Gowanloch absolves
the "Pogie" industry of many of
the charges made against it by
sport fishermen and other COM
mercial fishers. Because of its i'm
portance to Jackson county, the
Chronicles Star and Advertiser is
reprinting it at lengthy
There follows hereinafter in
this communication an integral
ed report replying to the request
by yourself as Chairman of the
Mississippi Seafood Commission
that ! submit TO you a survey of
the known effects of Menhaden
fishing operations inasmuch as
such operations affect game fish,
other commercial fish and such
other marine resources as shrimp
and oysters.
Your directive was addressed
in the form of five specific ques-
tions and the reply to these ques-
tions is consequently set in sim
liar form.
QUESTION NO. - Whether
said operations affect fishing.
propagation a d.. production of
game fish and other marine life.
The answer to this question is
that to my knowledge land ! am
familiar with virtually all of the
biologists competent to discuss
economic pattern of the Menhad-
en- fishery there is no able rec
ognized biologist who is willing
to testify that Menhaden fishing
operations have been the cause
of damage to any other fishing
interests, sport fishing or other
commercial fishing alike. This
Question No. / actually breaks
down into four component parts.
A. The length of time during
which the Menhaden fish
cry has been conducted and
the relationship of the con-
duct of the Menhaden fish
cry to the welfare of other
fishing interests, both sport
fishing and other CONNER
cial fishing.
b. The unique construction of
the purse seine and the mod
ifications of the purse seine
render this gear, when prop
erly used, incapable of dam
age to other fishing inter-
ests. Improper use which
could cause damage to other
fishing interests would so
heavily damage the expen-
sive gear that such improper
use would never be permit
ted by the operator in the
Menhaden industry. Details
of the construction and OPP
Grafton of the purse seine
will be given hereinafter.
c. The peculiar schooling be-
havior of the Menhaden and
the equally peculiar behav-
ior of game fish and other
species of commercial fish
are such that automatically
Menhaden purse SEEMING sim
ply cannot catch game fish
and other commercial fish.
This again will be ampli-
fled hereinunder.
d. Deliberate attempts to use
the purse seine to capture
such species of fish as the
Spanish Maekerel (the
Spanish Mackerel is highly
important both as a fine
sport fish and a valuable
commercial fish have in
variably ended in disma!
failure and heavy loss to
the operators of the purse
seine for this purpose.
- $50 $50 wy
The Menhaden fishery is one of
the Oldest fisheries of the United
States and has undergone a pro-
gressive evolution in the purpose
for which Menhaden are used and
in the type of Menhaden fishing
gear employed. The published
discussions on the Menhaden fish