Fishing Gear Statistics of Virginia 1929-1977

The commercial fishery of Virginia uses over 30 gear types to capture the species in this report. We have selected 19 gears for illustration and description, and 10 species for detailed analysis. The species selected for analysis were chosen from the list of 18 presented in Hoagman and Rathbone (1980) which provided landings and value information Statewide and for the James, York, and Rappahannock Rivers 1955- 77. The gear statistics provided here cover 1929-77, but the rivers are not treated separately \ The river data has been incorporated into the statistics reported a Virginia Totals and Averages. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMF S) provided the basic information of catch, value, and gear breakdowns by species in their U.S. Fishery Digest annual reports. The statistics for gear number are tabulations of licenses granted the fishermen, 2 but the catch by gear are estimates by NMFS based on the sampling program that gathers all landings information through ground survey and telephone contacts . The program is considered accurate within 5% of the actual catch. No adjustment has been made to the dollar values to convert them to standard or uninflated dollars over the 1929-77 period. The tables report the value received by the fishermen upon sale to the fish dealer

The Commercial Fishery of Virginia 1955-77 with emphasis on the James, York and Rappahannock Rivers

The commercial fishery of Virginia is one of the most diverse in the United States. Three principal zones exist: the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and the major rivers. Finfish, shellfish, and crabs are harvested in each zone. Within the finfishes, several distinct groups are taken.: industrial fish, food fish, and fish for bait. For each group there are migratory, anadromous, and resident species. Within these there are freshwater, brackish, and marine species. The shellfish and crab group make up another category of high value and diverse life forms. The purpose of this report is to summarize a part of the diversity. The James, York, and Rappahannock rivers (Fig. 1) are treated in detail to determine population trends and fluctuations of the principal commercial species