Milford chronicle., 1956-05-11
Fisheries Commission
Issues 14th Annual
Report

The Atlantic States Marine Fish
cries Commission has issued its
14th Annual Report and announc-
ed that it's 18th Annual Meeting
viii be held Friday and Saturday,
September 21-22 at the Marlbor-
ough-B Atlantic City. N.
]. Highlights of the report in
cluded:
% Establishment of two COM
mittees TO study fluctuations i'm
abundance of weakfsh, involving
the states from New York to Vir-
ginia, and blue crabs, involving
the states from Delaware to Flor
ida. Both committees are at work
developing cooperative federal
state research programs for which
additional federal and state funds
will be sought.
(2) Enlargement of present fed
eral-state research program on
striped bass to provide for inten-
sive large scale two year tagging
program in principal spawning
area, namely, Chesapeake Bay.
Eight states, Massachusetts, Con-
necticut. New York, New Jersey,
Maryland, Virginia, North Caro-
lima and South Carolina are ac-
lively participating in cooperative
striped bass studies; Rhode Is
land and Delaware to limited ex-
tent. Basic data, already accu-
mulated, reveals that landlocked
stock in Santee-Cooper River,
South Carolina. is supporting large
scale sport fishery.
(3) Reports from International
Commission on Northwest Atlantic
Fisheries indicate that increase in
minimum mesh size in offshore
haddeck fisheries, long advocated
by Atlantic States Marine Fisher
les Commission, is proving profit
able and resulting in increased
escapement of understood fish.
(4) Federal-state research pro-
grams sponsored by commission
on shad and clans are producing
valuable data for future manage
ment of these two species. Most
significant item of progress was
passage of 5000 shad upstream ov-
Dam on Connecticut River to
spawning areas from which they
had been barred for more than a
century. Fine cooperation by COM
pany earned Department of Inter-
ior Conservation award.
(5) Similar research projects on
otner species are proving their
value in determining management
policies. twenty-five research re-
ports distributed to state commits
sioners and laboratories during
past year.
(6) Growing economic impor-
tance of sport fishery brought out
by recent surveys in New England
states and in New York, New Jer-
sey and Maryland.
CD Commission is supporting a
program for training scientists
and personnel needed in fishing in
dustry as proposed in legislation
now pending in Congress. These
proposals follow closely those rec
commended at Commission's third
annual meeting in 1914 by it's Com |
mittce on Fisheries Education.
(S) Commissions program for |
increasing collection and publica- |
tion of catch statistics by states
is progressing. Atlantic States
now Issuing monthly bulletins in
clude Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, New York. New jersey,
North Carolina and Florida. Geor-
gia expected to begin soon.
l9) Commission urging amend
ments to pending Water Pollution
Control Legislation in Congress to
encourage and safeguard action
by state and Interstate pollution
control agencies.
Q0) Commission is consulting
with u. S. Department of State in
development of United States posi-
tion regarding extent of territorial
waters and management of Off
shore fisheries.