The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-07-20

paid the fisherman. Shrimp alone
with about one-fourth the total
pounds account for over half the
wealth from edible forms taken
from our waters. AS we proceed
with the study of processing of
this state and others we shall find
this contrast to be very significant.
Distribution of Resources and
Landings: North Carolina has a
long coast line and extensive fish
ing grounds. The fishing waters,
not including the large rivers,
cover approximately II thousand
square miles. Roughly 5000 square
raile are in the so-called inland wa
ters of sounds and large estuaries
and some ID thousand square miles
are in the ocean. Fish and shell
fish are not uniformly distributed
by species or density over this
area, for the nature of the water
and bottom vary and the animals
select those areas affording condi-
tions most suitable to their needs.
The crop is gathered from all
the coastal and inland waters of
the states from South Carolina to
Virginia, but in general there are
localized areas of greatest concen-
tration. About three-fourths of the
shad, for instance, come from the
northern brackish and fresh waters,
and there is no commercial fishery
of Importance south of the Neuse
River. Over half of the shad is
landed in Dare County. The Abe
marie Sound and it's tributary
rivers supply all of the herring
catch. Practically all of the COM
mercial catches of gray and spot
ted trout come from Pamlico
Sound and the oceanic fisheries.
Crackers are taken in the salty
sounds and in the ocean along the
entire Carolina coast, but the large
fancy croakers which command
the greatest price have rarely ap-
peared south of Cape Hatteras in
recent years. The entire CONNER
cial scallop catch of the state
comes from Gore Sound in Car
teret County. CLANS are taken in
commercial quantities from Ocra-
coke Inlet to the South Carolina
line, but the most intensive fishery
is in Carteret County, 94@6 of the
catch being taken within its
bounds. Oysters are found in all
the salt water sounds and inland
brackish waters of North Carolina,
but the great bulk Of the CONNER
cial catch comes from the marginal
areas of Pamlico Sound south of
Oregon Inlet north of Bogue
Sound. About 800 of the oyster
catch is landed in the counties of
Hyde, Beaufort, Pamlico and Car
teret.
Shrimp are taken in the sound
and in the ocean. The principal
ocean fisheries ports are Atlantic,
Beaufort, Engelhard, Hobucken,
Morehead, Oriental, Southport, and
Vandemere. The Southport fishery
is of short duration, lasting from
July through November. The ocean
fishery extends from June zntil
November, but the amount of
shrimp which may be taken fluc-
tuates widely. *3. The Pamlico
Sound shrimpery begins in May
and extends ordinarily through
October, sometimes into Novem-
Der, but the area of fishing shifts
considerably. In the spring and
early summer shrimping is done
only in the southern part of the
sound. AS the season advances
shrimp are found to the north. The
Pamlico Sound shrimpery is made
up of three species. The earliest
to appear is the brown spotted
shrimp which apears in May. This
shrimp remains in the Southern
part of the sound rarely appearing
north of line drawn from Ocra-
coke Inlet to Pamlico Point. The
animal migrates out of the Sound
in July but a new crop appears
in the fall for a short stay. The
bulk of the shrimp caught in the
Sound is made up of the brown
shrimp and the green shrimp. DR..
Carter Broad found for 1860 that
the brown shrimp predominated
the Pamlico catch and that the
green shrimp was important only
at Southport, making a late ap-
pearance in Pamlico Sound in the
fall. The Southport fishery is al
most entirely for green shrimp.
IS Shrimp are taken the year
around in the ocean but rarely in
commercial quantities after De-
cember.
Relative Importance of CONNER
eial Fishing to the % Coastal
Counties: Commercial fishing is
carried on in % counties. In the
majority of them, however, it is of
only local significance, affecting
only a few communities or towns,
and then for short period each
year. See table III.