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PPAR TAMEN: TT: OF-GOMMERCE
BUREAU OF FISHERIES

conomic Circular No. 8 : : F : : = : issued February 25, 1914

THE OFFSHORE FISHING GROUNDS OF NORTH CAROLINA."

As early as 1858 large catches of blackfish or sea bass (Centropristes
miriatus) were taken on the banks along the South Carolina coast.
[hese banks were definitely located and charted and for many years
pave supplied a considerable percentage of the fish taken by vessel
fisheries of that State. To the existence of grounds of similar char-
acter on the North Carolina coast one can find scarcely a reference,
mand practically nothing has been done to determine their location,
pxtent, and resources. Attempts of the fishermen to develop them
ave resulted in failure largely because of lack of adequate knowledge
egarding them. In 1902 the United States Fisheries steamer Fish
Hawk located and charted the largest of these grounds. The infor-
nation gained was not placed in the hands of the local fishermen and
ot until the last year (1913) was a determined effort made to develop
= hem.
For the purpose of determining their location, extent, and resources
find to encourage their development, the ish Hawk was detailed to
the United States Fisheries Laboratory at Beaufort, N. C., for a
yeriod of two months and on September 6, 1913, began a brief survey.
(The results of this work and the success attending the efforts of the
fishermen visiting these grounds are encouraging. As on the South
Sarolina banks, the blackfish, or sea bass, is the principal fish taken.

THE GROUNDS.

| The grounds supplying the largest and best blackfish and in greatest
bundance lie about 20 miles offshore in 134 to 154 fathoms of water.
Whey are located along a rather definite regional line, approximately
arallel to the shore line. (See chart.) ‘In addition to these there
tre other grounds much closer to shore on which smaller blackfish
tre taken.?

a By Lewis Radcliffe, superintendent and director of the United States Fisheries Laboratory, Beaufort,
-C.

b In the short space of time available for the work, it was impossible to make an exhaustive survey of
Bhe grounds visited or to extend the survey to other localities in which blackfish are reported to have
meen taken.

27445°—14

Weregrap!

2

Following is a brief description of each of the grounds located or
visited during the survey:

Outer Lookout Breakers ground.—This ground is in latitude 34° 21’
N., longitude 76° 23’ W. It is 24 (nautical) miles NNE. } E. of

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CROUNDS

Chart of North Carolina coast, showing fishing grounds (stippled areas).

Lookout Lightship; 4 74 miles SSE. ? E. from buoy No. 8 off Look-
out Breakers; 18 miles S. by E. 3 E. of Cape Lookout Light, and 24
miles southeast by south from the bell buoy on Beaufort Bar. It

aIn the latter part of October, 1913, the Lookout Lightship was moved 1} miles S. by E, } E., from its
former (charted) position, its present position being latitude 34° 18’ 24’ N., longitude 76° 24’ 18’" W. The
bearing given is for the new position.

N= fe. S 3

lies in 142 fathoms of water, deepening rather abruptly to 15 and 16
fathoms along its edge. The bottom is shelly and sandy and appar-
ently lacks the rich growth of corals, sponges, etc., found on the
grounds to the westward.

The blackfish caught on this bank were of large size and appeared
to be abundant. The Fish Hawk fishing intermittently for several

hours took more than a hundred of these fish. During this time sey-

eral red snappers (Lutianus blackfordi) were hooked and two weighing
19 and 23 pounds, respectively, were caught. Among the 20 species
taken were the following food fishes: Grunts (Hemulon plumieri), red-
mouthed grunts or tom tates (Bathystoma rimator), red porgy (Pa-
grus pagrus), and large sailor’s choice or spot-tailed pinfish (Diplodus
holbrookit). Large trigger-fish (Balistes carolinensis) were common
and large schools of hairy-backs (Opisthonema oglinum) were ob-
served in the vicinity. More surprising was the presence of scallops,
and from the numbers taken in the dredge they appear to have been
quite common. This is believed to be the first record of their occur-
rence in numbers at an offshore station on the North Carolina coast.

On October 15, 14 miles southeast by east from Lookout Breakers
Buoy No. 8, excellent hand-line fishing for blackfish obtained. Ten
of the largest taken weighed 22 pounds. On a later visit no fishing
banks could be located. Whether a school of these fish was picked
up on the first visit or whether the bank on which they were living
was too small to be readily found was not determined.

Beaufort offshore “fishing grounds.’’—The main bank lies in lati-
tude 34° 19’ N., longitude 76° 59’ W. It is21 miles SSW. + W. of the
bell buoy on Beaufort Bar, 214 miles SE. by S. from the buoy at the
entrance to Bogue Inlet, and 27 miles SE. by E. } E. of the entrance
to New River Inlet.

This is the largest fishing ground known on the coast. It is about
4 miles long by 14 miles wide and les in 13} to 14 fathoms of water.
The bottom is of a coralline nature, and corals, sponges, mollusks, crus-
taceans, together with a variety of other forms characteristic of a
tropical coral reef, occur here.

That there was a “fishing ground”’ in this region where blackfish
were found in great abundance was known to the local fishermen, and
those fortunate enough to find it on rare visits in this vicinity always
secured large catches of fish. Its exact location, however, was not
known until charted by the Fish Hawk in 1902. In April, 1913, the
position of one of these grounds was shown to local fishermen, and
during the succeeding summer and fall a definite attempt to test its
commercial possibilities was made, and two fishermen in a small motor
boat visited it with sonte degree of regularity. In a few hours’ fishing
on each visit they took from 170 to 1,000 pounds of blackfish, or an
average of 600 pounds per trip. During the survey the Fish Hawk

a

always found excellent fishing on the grounds. On September 6 over
400 blackfish were caught with hook and line during the periods not
devoted to the regular survey work. ‘These fish were of large size,
excellent for marketing. Whenever the boat drifted off the grounds
no more were taken.

That there is a variety of fish life on this bank and the neighboring
patches of coral is evidenced by the fact that 46 species have been
reported. Among the food fishes the following have been taken, but
not in sufficient numbers to indicate that they will be of commercial
importance: Dolphins (Coryphena hippurus), squirrel-fish (Diplec-
irum formosum), bastard snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens), hogfish
(Orthopristis chrysopterus), grunt (HZzemulon plumierr), red-mouthed
grunt or tom tate (Bathystoma rimator), sailor’s choice or spot-tailed
pinfish (Diplodus holbrookiv), red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), two species
of porgies (Calamus sp.), and flounders (Paralichthys albiguttus).

The Fish Hawk worked around this bank and followed a zigzag
course across the 15-fathom line to a point more than 30 miles
to the west-southwest, making occasional stops to search for other
banks. During, this brief survey other banks or patches of rock
where blackfish were found in comparative abundance or where the
conditions were favorable to their existence were located but not
surveyed. These are indicated as numbered stations in the text
and on the chart.

Station 1. This bank hes about 24 miles northwest of the “fishing
grounds” in 154 fathoms of water. The bottom is of a rough coralline
nature, the growth of coral being sufficiently heavy to render the use
of beam trawl dificult. From the bottom were taken corals, sponges,
crustaceans, and mollusks. In 30 minutes’ hand-line fishing, 150
blackfish were taken.

Station 2. This station lies about 12 miles west-southwest of the
“fishing grounds”? and 224 miles south of the buoy at the entrance
of Bogue Inlet. It is covered by 16 fathoms of water. Although
only shells and sand were taken from the bottom, from the catch of _
fish it is believed that a bank is to be found in the vicinity. That
fishes were present in some numbers is evidenced by the fact that six
species were taken and that hand-line fishing yielded about 50
blackfish in 20 minutes’ fishing.

Station 3. This station is 224 miles SW. by W. | W. of the “fishing
grounds” and 23 miles 8. 4 E. of the entrance to New River Inlet.
On the bottom were sea fans, stony corals, and shells. A single
dredge haul yielded blackfish, pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), and
ribbon-fish ( Hques acuminatus).

Station 4. This station is 26 miles S. by W. 4 W. of the entrance to
New River Inlet. It lies in 142 fathoms of water. Coral and shells

5

were taken from the bottom and a single haul of the dredge yielded
eight different kinds of fish. This is in striking contrast to the catch
at stations where blackfish grounds did not exist and indicates their
presence here. Hand lines were not used.

Of the total number of stations or points where dredge hauls
were made to determine the character of the bottom in this region,
only a third are contained within the areas represented on the chart.
Nearly all the others were outside the general area in which these
fishing banks le, either in shallower or deeper water. This lends
credence to the belief that a thorough survey along the line indicated
will disclose other grounds; that the fishermen may expect to catch
blackfish at many points along this area lying in depths of 134 to 154
fathoms of water, and it seems not improbable that other banks
may be found scattered along the coast, possibly throughout the
entire length down to the ones off Charleston. The fish may work
from bank to bank in search of food.

New Rwer fishing grounds.—This is one of the grounds relatively
close to shore, lying in 44 to 63 fathoms of water off the mouth of
New River Inlet. In places the bottom is rocky. A comparatively
heavy growth of seaweeds, with sponges (mostly of the finger type),
and other forms were found to be growing on the bottom. This
ground is reported to have been fished from time to time. As high as
500 pounds of blackfish were taken in one day’s fishing in November.
At a point one-half of a mile south by east from the mouth of the
inlet, the Fish Hawk took 25 blackfish in 10 minutes’ fishing. As at
other banks near shore, the blackfish are smaller than on the offshore
grounds. Rudder-fish (Seriola carolinensis), grunts (Hemulon
plumieri), scup (Stenotomus aculeatus), and spot-tailed pinfish
(Diplodus holbrookiz) occur here. .

Cape Fear grounds.—This ground surrounds the whistle buoy off
the mouth of the Cape Fear River and extends for at least 3 miles to
the SE. 4 E. of this point. It lies in 7 to 74 fathoms of water. On
the bottom seaweed, sponges, corals, and other forms characteristic
of the fishing grounds were found. This ground is reported to have
furnished good fishing in the past. The Mish Hawk took blackfish,
ribbon-fish, seup, and other forms.

Mud banks off the mouth of Cape Fear River—On the mud flats
off the mouth of Cape Fear River, in 34 to 5 fathoms of water, fishes
and shrimp were found to be very abundant. The area visited is
indicated on the chart by a dotted line. Here young trout (Cynoscion
regalis), croakers ( Micropogon undulatus) , spot (Levstomus xanthurus) ,
white perch (Bairdieila chrysura), a rare drum (Stellifer lanceolatus),
and flounders (Paralichthys lethostigmus), together with shrimp of
large size, were taken in abundance.

6

COMMERCIAL ASPECT OF THE BLACKFISH GROUNDS.

With the data at hand it is impossible to determine how large a
fishing industry these grounds will support. The results of this brief
survey, the reported existence of other grounds off Frying Pan Shoals
and to the westward, and the fact that more than 15,000 pounds of
blackfish were taken from the Beaufort ‘‘fishing grounds” this year
indicate that with further development the prospects of success are
not without foundation. If the grounds are found to be anywhere
near as extensive as those off Charleston, North Carolina possesses a
fishery resource worthy of immediate development.

In this connection it may be well to call attention to the value
of the blackfish or sea-bass industry to South Carolina fishermen,
the conditions apparently being not unlike those on the North Caro-
lina coast. In the special report of the Director of the Bureau of the
Census on the Fisheries of the United States for 1908, page 239, the
following extract on this fishery in South Carolina appears: “The
value of the sea bass taken in the vessel fisheries, however, consti-
tuted 25 per cent of the total value of products and 77 per cent of
the value of the fish proper reported for such fisheries. The bulk of
the product was taken in the vessel fisheries with lines. The follow-
ing tabular statement gives statistics of the sea-bass product for those
years for which figures are available:

Catcu oF Sra Bass on SoutH CaroLinaA GROUNDS IN GIVEN YEARS.

| Sea-bass producis.

Years. =
Quanitty. | Value.
Pounds.
UG Be oe a ee aa Ole en acts BAA ooo. Um br o8 ak oan ae eet ans 2 Se Ear 491,009 $22, 000
0 EA ee ea are es 1 tS Ve Be oS Se BN ae eee he Oem Se Shcmttad 710, 000 27,000
TROT 257 Sek, RL SEG PRES oe 8 SEAR LOO ERE RIO Bred 1 Phas Re SL eee 632, 000 ;
L SOUS: © ERE 3 Sea Se NRT Te Fe Oe Oe Se A Te cee gO eee sem neers en 826, 000 26, 000
111 Ce, Cte nes Sen Sort i keen ee ae RRO eS 3 SOR OS cole PaO Le note 889, 000 29,000
CONCLUSION.

This fishery possesses certain features which should recommend it
to the fishermen of North Carolina. It can be conducted in the
winter time, out of the regular fishing season, at a time when the
market supply of this fish is limited and therefore when the species
will bring the highest market price. In fact, it is believed that it will
be to the advantage of the fishermen to abandon the fishery during
the spring and summer season when the prices of this fish are lowest.

The fishermen will find it essential to have permanent buoys placed
on the offshore grounds, thus eliminating the present difficulties in
locating them on each trip.

It is believed that a more exhaustive survey, especially in the
region off Frying Pan Shoals and to the westward, may disclose still
other grounds, extending the present scope of the industry.

O

/

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PAT. JAN 21, 1908

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