VIMS Again Host:s'Governor's School

participants enjoy the creation in front ofthe VIMS' aquaria, a representative fromone of Virginia's 35 fine wineriesdescribes the wines selected to be servedwith the dinner. This series will includea Sunday champagne brunch and sixevening classes held on consecutiveWednesday evenings.

One of the featured chefs will beMarcel Desaulniers, of the TrellisRestaurant in Williamsburg. Desaulnierswas the 1986 winner of the Governor'sCup, an award presented annually to thebest seafood entrant in a state-wideinvitation contest for professional chefs.

For information about the series,contact Sue Gammisch at 804/642-7169or ~,rite her c/o Advisory Services,Virginia Institute of Marine Science,Gloucester Point, V A 23062.

Twenty of Virginia's l~rightest highschool students will be ~,sisting VIMSresearchers for six weelcs this summer.The students are participants in thehighly-selective Virginia Governor'sSchool Program, administered by theVirginia Department of Education,Programs for the Gifted, ar.ld coordinatedat VIMS by Lee Lawrence of MarineAdvisory Services.

In May, students and their parentsvisited the Institute to meet staff andscientists and tour the facility. Dr. FrankO. Felkins, Dean/Director, welcomed thegroup and described the resemch, advisoryand education work perfoImed at VIMS.

The VIMS Governor's Schoolprogram operates cooperatively with asimilar school at NASA/LangleyResearch Center. Both programs pairstudents with mentors wno supervisestudent research projects. This is thethird year students have worked at VIMS,and this year their assi~;nments willinclude scallop, crab, oy:~tt~r and finfishresearch, wetlands management andpollution problems.

Artificial Reef FishermenSought by Advisory Services

Seafood seminarsreturn this fall

The Sea Grant Marine AdvisoryServices at VIMS has begun a study offishermen's catches on theCommonwealth's artificial reefs. Fundedby Wallop-Breaux funds administeredthrough the Virginia Marine ResourcesCommission, the study seeks to identifya broad cross section of private boat andcharter fishermen fishing the reefs withsome degree of regularity. An analysisof catch and fIShing effort data from suchfishermen will assist VMRC's ArtificialReef Program in evaluating themaintenance and expansion of existing,as well as new reef sites. Jon Lucy,coordinator of the study, and graduateassistant Charles Barr urge private boatowners fishing the reef sites to contactthem so that their names can beincorporated into the study's randomtelephone survey. Fishermenparticipating in the study will only becontacted a few times during the fishingseason to determine catches made onrecent reef fishing trips. Individual catchinformation will be kept confidential andonly a summary analysis of catches willbe included in the study report. To assistwith the study, fishermen can also placetheir names on reef study flyers recentlydistributed among marinas and tackleshops. (continued page 18)

Sue Gamrnisch, Sea (,r;mt AdvisorySpecialist. has announced dlat the fourthseafood seminar series has I~n plannedto start September 30. 1~ese highlyacclaimed seminars feature prominentVirginia chefs preparing 1(K:.illy availableseafood in the Sea Grant demonstrationkitchen at the Virginia Institute ofMarine Science. The series are designedand coordinated by Gan1mis(:h and DonnaSoul, Seafood Utilization SI>ecialist withVirginia Polytechnic Instit\lte and State

University.The upcoming programs, called

"House Specials," will feature seafooddishes which have become iclentified withsome of Virginia's finest restaurants.During each program, participants arefree to ask the chef questions as the mealis prepared. Then, as the chef and

Although it has only been a few weeks since the last Bulletin was mailed as we go totypesetting with this issue, we have already received more returns than expected.

Dr. John Boon's "Northeasters and high tides," was the article most sighted as "veryinteresting" and the type of article you enjoy. The Fish House Kitchen by Donna Soul is yourfavorite feature.

And recreational, marine fishermen of Virginia-we apologize for not printing more aboutwhat you want to know. Beginning with this issue we will increase the coverage of marinesportfishing and scientific information about the species and their habits that you haverequested.

Thank you, one and all, for responding to the sllfVey. We will make every effort to fulfillyour requests for more information on the topics that interest you.

C. PlummerEditor

Q 1981

0 Present

NEW JERSEY

Growth ofVirginia seafood markets TENN

ALABj GEORG:A

LJ\~

As this illustration from a recent article in the Daily Pressby business reporter Kathleen Earles shows, the market forVirginia seafood has nearly tripled during the past six years.Part of that expansion is due to the public's increasedawareness of the health benefits related to eating s(~afood; butthe choosing of Virginia seafood products over othersavailable is the result of some very hard work on j;he part ofVirginia state agencies, regional foundations and the Virginiaseafood industry. This annual seafood marketing issueintroduces some of the people behind these efforts.

FLA.

adapted fromthe Daily Press, Inc.

3

Bill DuPaul during his second trip to Hong Kong to aid! mid-Atlantic error1ts to increase export salesto the Orient. DuPaul work~; with the seafood indu!itlry by researching Virginia seafood productswhich will appeal to foreign consumers and then helpli direct advisory efforts to assist the industryin harvesting, handling, packalging and marketing thE~il' products. Dr. DuPaul is Director of SeaGrant Marine Advisory Services for Virginia and a selliior marine scientist 'with the Virginia Instituteof Marine Science. Trips are conducted on behalf of the Gulf and South Atlantic FisheriesFoundation.

Wanda

A carefully orchestrated endeavoramong watermen, processors,wholesalers, researchers and promotershas resulted in a burgeoning national andinternational market for Virginia marineproducts. At the center of this develop-ment are the Virginia Sea Grant College

and "irginia harvests consistently highquality products year-round. Dr. WilliamDuPaul, Director of Virginia's Sea GrantAdvi:)ory Program, explains t:hat thegoals are to educate bot:h buyers andconsulmers on purchasing and preparingseafood and to find the best marketposition for our products.

Viirginia is the nation's t:hird largestprodulcer of marine products (only Alaskaand ]~uisiana produce more). Of t:he4,SOC:I licensed fishermen in t:he state,

Program, Virginia Marill1e ProductsBoard, Virginia Agriculture/ConsumerServices, the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf andSouth Atlantic Fisheries DevelopmentFoundations. Working cooperatively,watermen, processors, sc:ientists andmarketing specialists c()()rdinate theirefforts to benefit every se:gment of theindustry .

The primary message to the nationaland international market has been two-fold: seafood provides exl::ellent nutrition

4

2,725 work in Hampton Roads andadjacent offshore waters. Department ofCommerce figures show the industryprovides nearly 18,000 jobs and is worth$442 million annually to the state'seconomy. Preliminary landing figurescollected by the Virginia MarineResources Commission show the toptwenty commercial species harvested in1986 totaled 119 million pounds with adockside value of $61 million. Theseligures exceed 1985 landings by 10% inpounds and 19% in value.

Nationally, an increased awareness ofhealth and diet as well as a greaterinterest in trying new foods has led tomore seafood consumption. By 1986,Americans were consuming 14.7 poundsof seafood per person annually.However, research has shown that whilepeople frequently order seafood from themenu while dining out, many do not feelcomfortable buying the products toprepare at home. An education campaigngeared toward helping consume~ learn topurchase and prepare seafood has been amajor part of the overall marketingprogram.

Donna Soul, Sea Grant SeafoodUtilization Specialist with the VirginiaTech Seafood Lab in Hampton, explainsthat often consumers are not aware dlat,when properly prepared. under-utilizedspecies such as croaker, blue fish and

(continued page 6)

Shirley Estes Berg presenting former Governor, Charles S. Robb,with a satellite photo of the Bay during the 1985 Governor's Tasting.The present was giv.~n by Virginia's seafood harvestors and processorsto thank Governor Robb for his efforts on behalf of the Bay clean-up.

distribution network from processor to potential market."'~ e look at where the trucks are already going and thene~,pand me seafood market in that direction."

One of their most successful promotional campaigns tod~ite has been wim me soft shell crab. "Three years ago,"a<:cording to Berg, "when Virginia began the campaign,p~ple outside the coastal area didn't know about soft shellcrabs. By doing a successful national and internationalpublicity campaign centered out of New York City, weat:tracted national and international media." Last yearVirginia's sales of soft shell crabs increased by 100,000dozen.

The future for marketing Virginia seafood lookseJ(tremely bright according to Berg. "All I need are moreh~:>urs in the day and more days in the week." Shirley Berga1lready packs more hours into an average day than mostp~ple. During seafood monm she will manage to be in evenXIlore places, spending more hours marketing me quality ofV'irginia's seafood products to me nation and to me world.

Shirley Estes Berg is Executive Director of the VirginiaMarine Products Board, a state agency whose membership iscomposed of processors and harvestors of Virginia marineproducts that supply retailers, restaurants and wholesalersthroughout the U.S. with fish and shellfish. Under herdynamic leadership, the Board has become one of the topseafood marketing concerns in the United States.

Berg says the secret to the Board's success is planning."We're methodical in our business practice," she says, "wemake a one year plan and stick to it; at the same time we looktwo to three years down the road and have a good idea ofwhere we want to be and how to get there."

Part of the challenge for Berg has been adjusting frommanufacturing marketing, her previous job, to marketing aproduct that mayor may not be available. "For instance, wedon't market croaker, we market a pan fish becausemarketing is done before we know what specific fish will beabundant," Berg says.

The first part of the marketing process is a study of the

5

Seafood boutiques sillch as this one in a Farm Fresh Richmondstore highlight sealrood products. Personnel are specially trainedto assist buyers.

F ann Fresh Supennat'kets recentlytested the newly-releaisc~d series of"Simply Seafood" point of purchasevideotapes at one o'f their storelocations. The p1rogram wasdeveloped in conjunction with theFood Marketing Institute, dIe NationalFisheries Institute, dIe (J1J~f and SouthAtlantic Fisheries ])c~velopmentFoundation and the Virginia MarineProducts Board. The vilde:otapes coverthe "waterfront" for CI[)IlSumers andteaches them in a variety of 60-90second spots how to p11rchase andprepare fish and shellfiisJtl. Featuredon the tapes are Sue Gamrnisch, SeaGrant Advisory Specialist, and MarcelDesaulniers of dIe Trellis Restaurant.

In 27 (60-9_0 selccrnd) spots,"Simply Seafood" provil~e:s elegant butcasual recipes for bakiIlg, broiling,grilling and frying a varilel:y of species,from the familiar tlouncler to the moreexotic shark. Recipe cards aredisplayed near the video so shoppersdon't have to transcribe them whilewatching dIe cooking de:nlonstration.

The video also inclludes tips forselecting, handling and storing fish,removing cooking odors andsubstituting species in n~cipes. The

lively, concise videos catch andsustain customer attention.

According to Susan Mayo, FarmFresh spokesperson, "Sales as apercent of distribution for the four-week test period increased 14 percentand total department sales increased 11percent."

Of Farm Fresh's 66 supermarkets,30 have full service seafood boutiquesand 24 have full service seafood casesand/or a full service seafood sectionadjacent to the meat department cases.The seafood boutique is like a storewithin a store.

Marketing (cont.)mackerel can be exceptionally tasty aswell as nutritionally sound andeconomical. Making informationavailable through newspaper articles,brochures and local television programsis one avenue used to educate consumers.Hospitals, schools, colleges and otherinstitutions are expressing interest inadding more seafood to their menus.Soul feels this indicates the public ismore aware of the nutritional value ofmarine products and in response, foodservice personnel are interested inlearning how to handle and prepare thefoods.

Both Soul and Sue Garnrnisch, SeaGrant's Marine Education Specialist,work with buyers and retailers to developways to enhance market presentation ofseafood products and provide recipes andsubstitution tips for consumers.Garnrnisch has coordinated a standing-room-only series of seafood cookingclasses for the past year. Chefs fromleading area restaurants demonstratepreparation of seafood dishes in ademonstration kitchen where participantsare free to ask questions, taste, touch andtry various techniques of cleaning,cutting and seasoning. "I am no longerafraid to buy flounder ftllets or even squidbecause I have a good idea of how toprepare it. Not only that, I found out itis good!" said one participant.

Since 1980, the Virginia MarineProducts Board, funded by industry, hasbeen responsible for marketing Virginiaseafood. Although there are nearly 200seafood-related businesses in Virginia,most are small and lack the staff andexpertise to effectively promote andmarket their products. This umbrellaagency serves the entire industry. TheBoard's goal is to create and maintain adistribution network in the retail market.

Director Shirley Berg explains thattheir approach includes market research,marketing campaigns, research anddevelopment and promotion. Boardrepresentatives attend domestic andforeign retail food and restaurant showseach year.

New products are often introduced toan area through restaurants. Forexample, bluefish, which is a cornmonproduct to us, is one new product that isreceiving a great deal of attention in theOhio area. When a contact expressesinterest in a product, the Board puts them

(continued page 7)

"Simply Seafood" appeals toshoppers and in test markets,increases sales for the grocerystore.

6

tion produced the fIrSt point of sale videofor seafood. Taped in the demonstrationkitchen at VIMS, the video entitled"Simply Seafood" is a tool to be usednationwide.

Professional chefs demonstratecleaning and preparing seafood productsemphasizing that the foods can beprepared in many ways other than bakingor frying. Both simple and gourmetideas are presented, and printed copies ofthe recipes are placed near the monitor forshoppers to take home.

"We also utilized the video to educateconsumers on substituting one species orproduct for another," said SueGammisch, who appears in the videos.

The tapes are available for sale to anyretail grocer nationally. Clair

(continued page 8)

newspapers as well as numerous retailfood and restaurant trade journals andhosts tours of Virginia prlxessing plantsand aquoculture research :sites for editorsof major food publicatioD:). The result ofthis comprehensive marketing plan isthat six major food chains, including BigBear and Tom Thumb il1l the mid-west,now regularly purchase seafood fromVirginia. In 1981, our nlarine productswere primarily sold onJly in the mid-Atlantic states from P~~nnsylvania toSouth Carolina; today the market hasexpanded as far west as Minnesota, Iowaand Missouri with regular sales of someproducts to California.

Recently the VMPB in conjunctionwith the Food Market Institute, NationalFisheries Institute and Gulf & SouthAtlantic Fisheries Devel(Jlpment Founda-

Marketing (cont.)in touch with a local producer orwholesaler and continues support byproviding information on ways toidentify fresh products, and protect itsshelf life as well as handling and display,and preparation suggestions.

"Education at the restaurant and retaillevel will trickle down to the consumer,"says Berg. Once a product catches on inan area, sales become self-perpetuating.Then it is time to introduce a newproduct Since it is impossible to put abrand name on fresh marine products, theBoard's campaign is aimed at making theterm "Virginia seafood" synonymouswith a fresh, reliable; high qualityproduct

The Board regularly places articles andads in over forty of the nation's largest

"All factors of seafoodproduction, from harvest toprocessing to transporta-tion, have to be constantlymonitored and evaluated tomaintain a consistently highquality product."'\

~

Tom Rippen, Marine Advisory Agent with Virginia Tech inHampton, in one of the laboratories where Tech scientists studyseafood products.

7

Freshly caught finfish are pacl[ed andiced in commercial" Pers" boxE~s whichincreases the quality of the product.Quality improvement pro(:eduresdeveloped by VIMS and VPI J~dvisoryand Extension professional:s helpfishermen garner higher prices for theircatch. Funding was provided by SeaGrant and the Mid-Atlantic F'isheriesDevelopment Foundation.

tub" type container that adds theconvE:nience of being able to use only aportion of the product and reseal theremainder for use later.

Traditionally the seafood industry hasbeen primarily off the boat, on ice and tothe store. Today many companies arelooking at more value added andconvenience products through morepreparation and processing beforeproducts reach consumers. Sea Pride inHampton is one of only two companiesin the country using chill-packprocessing. Each dressed fish, filet orsteak is chilled to 28°F and packaged.The product is transported and sold by theretailer in the same package. This adds10 days to the shelf life of the product.Using their own fleet of refrigeratortrucks, Sea Pride delivers the product tomarkets in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas,NebnlSka and Texas.

metal cans; the disadvantajge, however, isthat metal packaging is 81Ssociated withprocessed, institutional type foods.Although this is a problem withperception because the Iqllality of theproduct is the same 1whether it ispackaged in metal or pl~itilC, perceptioncan make the differenc.~ in a marketproduct being successful or not. Plasticconnotes freshness to consumers andconveying the idea of 1:reshness isessential in seafood produc:ts.

Rippen is workinlg with twomanufacturers testing the ]performance ofvarious plastics for use in packaging.The problem has been in finding theright polymer that can I~ither resistdistortion during the heatin~: and coolingprocess or snap back afteJr the process iscompleted. Additionally, plastics can beshipped and stored mClrf: efficientlybecause they can be nestf:d. Anotheradvantage is the option of marking thelids to produce a resealal~l1~ II margarine

Marketing (cont.)Vanderbeek with the National FisheriesInstitute says the video, which wasproduced just a few months ago, hasalready sold 40 sets. She feels this is agood indication that this kind ofmarketing definitely has a place in theseafood industry. The only study at thistime shows seafood sales up 11 % at thetest grocery market during the month thetape was available.

Aware that remaining competitivemeans remaining innovative, the industrysupports ongoing research anddevelopment studies. One of the mostexciting projects currently underway ison packaging pasteurized crab meat.Using this process, the product retains itsflavor, texture and moisture for up to sixmonths when refrigerated.

Tom Rippen, Marine Advisory Agentwith Virginia Tech Seafood Lab inHampton, says that one company inMaryland now packages the product in (continued page 13)

8

Greg Morgan holdscustomers' favorite,

Crab Imperial.Morgan is a student

at ChristopherNewport College who

works at CaptainGeorge's on

weekends. (right)

Archie Pitsilides, co-manager of Captain

George's inWilliamsburg, stands

by the restaurant'sseafood buffet. (far

right)

"Followed closely by stl~amed shrimp,cold crab salad and cold shrimpsalad." "People eithl~r choose allsteamed or all fried seafood," headded. "Normally we SI~rve about halfand half; half fried, half' steamed."

Cleanthis Andreo'u is kitchenmanager at the ~Villiamsburgrestaurant. It is his job to make surethere is enough food evl~ry night. "We

"We use 5-7,000pounds oj' crabmeat a we,ek..."

use 5-7,000 pounds of crab meat aweek, 10,000 pounds clfcrab legs, 2-2,500 pounds of shrim]~ a week and avariety of mussels, fish, oysters,clams and other seafoods." Thekitchen staff starts at ~: am and oftenworks late into the everting depending

on the crowd. "If I see we're gettinglow," says Andreou, "We'll pullanother 500 pounds of seafood outand prepare it Even at that we seldomhave more than 1/15th of what we'veprepared left."

The secret to figuring the numbersaccording to Andreou is, "Keepinghistorical records. For instance, youknow that Mother's Day is ~ biggestrestaurant day of the year, but bykeeping accurate records you knowEXACfL Y how many you served theyear before and the year before that"Those records work equally well forthe rest of the year, particularly in atown based on tourism such asWilliamsburg.

Each week Andreou calls around tothe local dealers to see what theyexpect to have in and how their pricescompare. "If they say they have a newproduct or a better product, I sample itfirst. If it's good, we buy it. Wemake an effort to buy the majority ofour products locally, because they'refreshest"

What brings thousands of people aday to the Captain George'srestaurants? According to Andreouit's a simple formula, "Quality food,good atmosphere, quantity and goodprice capture customers."

With a capaci~ of 1,200, CaptainGeorge's Seafood Restaurant onRoute 60 in Williamsburg is me largestindoor restaurant in Virginia. Onweekends nearly 3,000 diners a dayare fed and the majori~ come for theseafood, served as a single entree orfrom the famous seafood buffet

George Pitsilides staned the firstCaptain George's in Hampton in1975. Today there are five similarrestaurants all specializing in seafoodand all with a nautical motif.Combined, the stores in Hampton,Pungo, Williamsburg, Virginia Beachand Richmond employ nearly 500people.

Archie Pitsilides is one of fourmanagers at the Williamsburg location;he staned at 16 working as a busboyand has since worked in all of therestaurants. "The most popular dish isthe Crab Imperial," he says,

9

Kei1th Gore opens the door ofthe Beach Smokehouse's giantsmoker. The Gore's use onlyhicll:ory for smoking seafoodand poultry.

operation to Randy and April Tennienso the Gores can concentrate onsmoking.

The work area is immaculate; onelarge room is dedicated to preparingthe fish and poultry for smoking and asecond room is completely taken up bya huge smoker which holds up to 400pounds of poultry or 150 pounds offish. In addition to large gamefish, theGores also hickory smoke shrimp,scallops, mussels, oysters and a widerange of finfish.

The finished products are vacuumpacked and will keep two weeks underrefrigeration, up to a year in thefreezer. The Gores say there is someconfusion about keeping their smokedproducts; smoked foods must berefrigerated.

iced onboaro. Gore began researchingfish smoking and then bought a tinysmoker to try his hand al: producingsmoked fish. June says she knewsomething was up when s,moked fishbegan appearing on clotties lines intheir kitchen, hun~~ by tinyclothespins.

In 1980, the Gores rented a smallbuilding and had a smokf~r built. Theybegan marketing their products to localrestaurants and quickly adCled poultry.They have created a market in theHampton Roads area for smoked fishand poultry that is so succ:essful theyhave u-ouble keeping extta ;products onhand. Their growing mailorderbusiness is particularl)" :popular atChristmas time, and the deli theystarted at the same location became sopopular and busy they have leased its

June and Keith Gore of VirginiaBeach have a great thing going -theBeach Smokehouse located onNorfolk Avenue. Over the past sevenyears the couple have created a marketfor smoked seafood and poultry wherenone existed.

The art of smoking foods for tasteand preservation goes back to earliesttimes and existed in nearly everyculture. But in the United States,smoked products have only beenpopular in a few regions. Herring, forinstance, are caught in the UnitedStates, smoked in England and thenre-sold in the U.S. northeast.

Keith Gore learned to appreciatesmoked fish during long sailboatcruises in the Caribbean. The fishkept well and continued to maintaintaste appeal when kept refrigerated or

10

At present there are six employeesat the Beach Smokehouse. Their goalis to produce 1,000 pounds of hickorysmoked products a week; a goal theymay achieve this year.

Some of the gamefish they smokecomes from recreational fishennen. Ifyou're interested in having the Goressmoke your catch, please read"Caution -Quality at Risk -Handlewith Care" on this page. If you wantto get on their mailing list for smokedproducts, call Beach Smokehouse at804/428-2281.

Following these guidelines couldalso get you a very good deal onsmoked fish. Keith Gore has offeredgamefish fishermen an opportunity tohave their fish smoked at the BeachSmokehouse (see article this page).However, there are several conditions.The minimum amount which will beaccepted is 50 pounds per product, andthe fish must be in excellent condition.The fish should be gutted and icedaccording to the directions provided byNancy Chartier. The fish may havebeen frozen, in fact it is preferred thatway. You should also call the Goresto make arrangements and make surethat they have room to smoke the fish.

Nancy Chartier, ,rIMS' graduate student is using a Torrymeterwhich measures characteristics of the tuna skin and muscle tissueas an indication or freshness.

Nancy Chartier

Graduate Assistant

Sea Grant Marine Advisory Services

The quality of the fish that ends up atyour table after a day of recreationalfishing is directly affecb~ by the way itwas handled. From thl~ time a fish islanded on your boat to the time it iseaten, protection of th«~ quality of themeat's flavor, odor, texture, and shelf lifeshould be of utmO!it importance.Onboard deterioration of the quality ofyour fish can be retarded simply by usingsome care in handling :md an adequateamount of ice. The following guidelinesshould be helpful in m~lking the best ofyour recreational catches, resulting inmore appealing and bettc~ tasting fiSh.

1. Once a fish has been landedonboard, it should be killed immediately.Bruised flesh and soft, mushy fillettextures may result fronl allowing a fishto beat itself to death slowly in a cooler.

2. Evisceration (gultting) is the nextstep, if boat and sea conditions allow.This step is especially important forsmaller fish which can deteriorate morerapidly than larger on4~S, Removal of thegut and intestines eliminates a large

One of the Gore's favoritesmoked fish recipes.

SMOKED FISH SALAD

1. cups smoked fish, naked1/4 cup sweet cucumber relish3/4 cup celery, diced1 tbsp onion, grated1/2 cup mayonnaiseBasic Seasoning or salt andpepper to taste1 tbsp lemon juice1/4 cup light cream

source of bacteria from your fish thatcould cause spoilage.

3. After evisceration, the fish canthen be bled. Sometimes bleeding occursincidentally to gaffing, Bleeding canimprove the odor and color of fish fillets,especially those fish with a highpercentage of red muscle (for example,.tuna). Cutting the base of the tail(caudal peduncle), making slits under thepectoral fins, or removing the gill covers(opercula) are common bleedingtechniques.

4. If possible, a fish should then berinsed off to remove slime and bloodbefore it is iced.

5. Proper icing of a fish is the mostimportant factor in preserving the qualityof your fish. Rapid chilling of the fishby packing its belly with ice (ifeviscerated) and completely surroundingit with more ice is crucial to slowingquality degradation. It is especiallyimportant to ice quickly and substantiallyfish that are caught in warm temperate

(continu~d)

Combine smoked fish,relish, celery, and onion.Blend mayonnaise, seasoning,lemon juice, and cream; mixwith fish-relish mixture andchill. Mound in lettuce cups.Serve at once.

Serves 4 to 6.

11

QUALITY A~T RISKHAND LE WITH CARE

Two excellent broc;hures forrecreational fishermen havl~ tleen prepared

by Joyce Taylor, Univelrsiity of NorthCarolina Sea Grant Seaflocld EducationSpecialist. They are av~lilable withoutcharge by writing to:

UNC Sea Grant Collei~e ProgramBox 8605NCSU

Raleigh, NC 27695..8605

smoking will be minimal. If you havenever smoked fish before, one thing youshould know is that a very large fishreduces to a small amount of fish fillet.For example, a game fish with a largehead Jrnay weigh 50 pounds when caught,but the smoked fillets may only beftfteell pounds.

Filllally, taking care of your fishonbo~lfd could change how you and yourfamil:y view eating your catch. Thedifference in taste in properly handledcatch is very noticeable. Fish that arenot glltted and properly handled oftenhave a very strong taste, particularlydisagteeable to most children.

Request brochures b:~ number

UNC-SG-S6-26 Bringing theCatch Home. Describe!. the properhandling of fish and shellfis:tI from catchto freezer. Detailed instructions forpacking in ice and also h,OIN to preparefor freeZeJ".

Editor

Sea Grant PublicationsFor Recreational FishermenUNC-SG-86-10 Dressiing Finfish.

Detailed instructions with illustrationson how to clean and fillet a fISh or cut itinto steaks.

A series of brochures describing thehabits of many of Virginia's mostpopular fin and shellfish are available.Each brochure also contains fishing,migration, economic value and includesrecipes. The brochures are free uponwritten request

Because the Beach Sm<>kehouse meetsUSDA standards, only high quality,carefully treated fish can b4~ !iInOked there.When available, the Gores lire willing toswap already smoked fis~1 for fresh fISh,particularly if the fishermlalt is from outof town. Also, if there: is a largequantity of fISh, you may be able towork out a trade so that your costs for

waters (like those of Virginia), sincespoilage occurs more rapidly under warmconditions.

Recognizing that you are forced towork within the constraints of yourparticular vessel with regard to space andworking conditions, the guidelines listedabove are general ones. Too often,inadequate amounts of ice are carriedonboard recreational vessels. If a day offishing turns out to be very fruitful,careful consideration should be given tothe amount of ice you've brought and theavailable storage room in the fishbox orcooler. Leaving fish to lie covered oruncovered on boat decks or piling themup in fish boxes with little or no iceencourages rapid spoilage, which can leadto unsafe meat and/or wastage.

There are other factors that affect thequality of the meat that you have nocontrol over. These include the health ofthe individual fish, its state ofexhaustion, the stage of its spawningcycle, whether or not the fish had beenactively feeding when caught, andenvironmental conditions such as thetemperature of the water. However,following these guidelines should help topreserve the quality of your catch,making it the freshest and best tastingever.

For more information on preservingyour catches, write to: Marine AdvisoryServices, Virginia Institute of MarineScience, Gloucester Point, Virginia23062.

The American ShadThe BluefishThe Black Sea BassThe SpotThe FlounderThe SeatroutThe CroakerThe Blue CrabThe American OysterThe Hard ClamThe Soft Shell CrabThe MonkfishThe Bluefin Tuna

Advisory No. 22, Chart of FishHavens off Cape Henry, Va. isavailable for fishermen particularlyinterested in fishing for sea bass andtautog. The Chart shows the locationsof wrecks, artificial reefs and otherbottom obstructions which are feedinglocations for these fish. The area coveredis the mouth of the Bay to about 30miles offshore and south to the NorthCaroljna border. The cost of the chart is$1.00..

To orcrer any of these publications, sendyour request to: Publications Request,Sea Grant Advisory Services, VirginiaInstitute of Marine Science, GloucesterPoint, V A 23062. (Include payment to"Sea Grant Communications" ifapplic,able.)

Graduate student,Charlie ]1J~arr, assistsChartier ~'ith hertuna Quality handlingresearch..

12

Refrigerated trucks at the M & G Transporta-tion terminal in Gloucester.

Marketing (cont.)Lab scientists also work with

processors to improve and maintainquality operations. In any foodprocessing facility, there are inevitabletimes when problems such as highbacteria counts arise. The lab assists intracing, identifying and controlling theseproblems.

Other on-going studies at the SeafoodLab are aimed at identifying impedimentsto marketing seafood products inland.On board, packaging fish in boxes andstoring the boxes on shelves reducespressure and damage to the product.Studies in conjunction with Krogergrocery chain focus on identifying thespecies that have the best shelf life forshipment to particular areas.

For example, oily fish like bluefishhave a short shelf life and are not likelyto arrive looking fresh after a long tripby truck. The "Fish Washer" is one

(continued page 14)

Workers load seafood packed in ice into arefrigerated truck. When seafood is plentiful thetrlllcks are filled with nearly 47,000 pounds ofrrlesh crab, finfish, and other Virginia products.

M & G Transportation inGloucester has been transportingseafood from Hampton Roads to theBaltimore and Philadelphia seafoodmarkets since 1947. In those fortyyears there have been a lot of changes,according to Carl D. Thomas,President of the company. Thomastook over management of the firm in1980.

"Years ago we packed just in iceand transported to market," Thomassays. "Today we have refrigeratedtrucks that maintain a temperature justabove freezing." The modem 44-foottrucks can carry 45,000 to 47,000pounds of fresh seafood.

Every day Archie Carter of M & Gmakes the rounds of piers and fishhouses to pick up the day's catch. Byearly evening he's back in Gloucesterready to load the big trucks. Theloading begins at 6 pm and includesshipments of products from furthersouth, such as calico scallops fromSouth Carolina, destined for morenorthern markets.

Arthur Eastwood, a Gloucesterfisherman, brings his, day's catch ofshad, croaker, catfish and bluefish todIe loading dock at M & G just beforethe driver arrives. Eastwood fishesyear-round, switchin~: from finfish tocrabs and back again dle~nding on theseason. He packs the fish in iceonboard his boat in coated boxes. Theboxes are the last load for this

shipment.At 7 pm the driver arrives and by 2-

3 am fresh Virginia se:afood is arrivingin Philadelphia after a stop inBaltimore. During the weekend atruck goes to Pittsbur:gh, another goodmarket for Virginia se-.afood.

Despite the growing popularity ofVirginia's various marine products,Thomas says that M & G just isn'tseeing as much as they used to."Twenty years ago," he says, "wesent three trucks a day out of here andall we handled was seafood." Nowthe company transports bottled drinksand other products to make up thedifference. "Early spring wasparticularly bad," Thomas says."There just weren't any crabs and veryfew clams."

Carl Thomas hopes that by summerthe M & G trucks will once more bepacked from top to bottom with thefull range of Virginia's seafood.

13

when packaged in cotton biigs they havean especially long shelf llife..

With this rapid growth woo expansion,some wholesalers and J:etailers areconcerned that the high demand andincreased prices could le;td to problems,Robert Lawson, a Han.1plton retailer,wonders if we are "in dan~:er of pricingourselves right out of the market," Inthe long-range best int~~rest of theindustry as a whole, there is a feelingthat it is not too soon to begin to payattention to potential ~;upply sideproblems.

Serving as a watchdo;g, the VirginiaSeafood Council follow~; the status ofstate and national legislation that couldaffect processors and packers. TheCouncil worked with the E:rlvironrnentalDefense Fund and the Clltesapeake BayFoundation on a state and national levelagainst the use of TBT. tI,fe:mbers of theCouncil also sit on the J\1id-AtlanticFisheries Development F'oundation andthe Gulf & South Atlantic FisheriesFoundation to keep locBIl packers andprocessors informed about die industry inother states and how the:y are handling

As more efficient shedding tanks weredeveloped, the potential for large-scaleprodulction was evident. Ironically,initial attempts to introduce the productthrou;gh foreign hotel and restaurant tradeshows were not highly successful. Fiveto six years ago there was virtually noexport market for crabs and today it is amulti-million dollar business withexports to at least fourteen countries.

The turning point came three yearsago when Bill DuPaul from Sea Grant,Terry Conway, the region's largest softcrab processor, and Peter Law, an exportagent from the Virginia Department of

Agriculture, spent seven days in Japancalling on everyone who had expressedeven a remote interest in soft-shell crabs."We listened, we really listened, to themfor seven days to find out what themarkl~t potential was for soft-shell crabsin J aJ:lan," said DuPaul.

Tl:1e next step was to find a discerningdistributor who would be willing toprom~[)te the product. A major companyservicing numerous hotels andrestaurants, became the sole distributorfor Handy brand soft-shell crabs in Japan."We had some unique things going forus," reflects DuPaul, "we had a newprod\Jlct, a high quality product and aconsi:,tent supply of a product that couldbe selved in a variety of Japanese menus-tempura and stir-fry for example."U sinj~ their own marketing andmana,gement techniques, the distributorlaunc]ood an educational and promotionalcampaign for buyers dubbing the newproduct "Crab of the Moonless Night."

At the time of the trip there weresome 30,000 dozen crabs from variousU.S. imarkets in freezers in Japan. Noone h;td been able to find an effective wayto get them to the dining public. Brandname identity became an important partof the distributor's marketing campaignas thc~ name Handy Soft Shell CrabsbecaD1e associated with the new product.

Or:iginally estimated to be a marketfor 100,000 dozen crabs a year, exportsare now up to 300,(XX) dozen per year andthe demand continues to increase.MarkE:t demands have been the drivingforce t>ehind the growth and developmentin this industry. Being able to meet theyear-ri[)und demand for frozen soft-shellcrabs has solidified and stabilized theprices watermen receive. Establishedproducers have expanded their productionfacilitiles, and new producers have beenable tc) enter the market with less risk.

u .S. Seafood ColI~sjrlmptionper person continue~1 to rise.In 1986, Americall~s ate 14.7pounds per person. In the

late '70s, the typiclj~l Americanate only 11 pounds ~f seafood

a year.

problems. The Council is a non-profittrade association that gives time andvocal attention to issues tl:la1: are relevantto the industry. Charles R. Amory, anofficer of the Council, sa:ys, "There is acertain camaraderie among those in theseafood business; if the iindustry stickstogether, we're apt to be heard a littlequicker."

Developing an export llllarket requiredpatience and persistence. :)ea Grant inconjunction with th~ VirginiaDepartment of Agricultlllre/ConsumerServices, and the Gulf & :50uth AtlanticFisheries Foundation explored exportpossibilities for several ye:mi before theyfound a successful market. lliche to opendoors for introducing 111lCIre Virginiaproducts abroad. It is not stlll"prising thatsoft-sh~ll crabs, a delicacy we on thecoast enjoyed almost eJ(clusively foryears, became the first hi~~h]ly successfulproduct from the Chesapellkl~ Bay on theforeign market

Marketing (cont.)product being tested that shows promise.Fin fish are taken directly from the boatand passed through high pressure spraynozzles. In some species, the naturalbacteria count is reduced by 99% adding2-4 days to their shelf life. This can bevery significant to wholesalers anddistributors working with a mid-westmarket.

Transporting such a sensitive productalso requires special attention. Mostseafood is transported in refrigeratortrucks. Products are placed in plastic,snap-top containers surrounded by ice.Compartments are kept just cold enoughto prevent the ice from melting too fast.Maintaining temperatures around 35°F to36OP keeps the products at close to 33OP.Similar packaging is used to ship by airalthough most airlines are not equippedto provide refrigerated compartments andmany are not experienced in handlingmarine products. The VPI Lab islooking into ways to improve producthandling for processors and airlines.Rippen stresses that all these elementshave to be constantly monitored andevaluated to maintain a consistently highquality product

Improved technology and a strongmarketing program have resulted in asteadily expanding market. Localwholesaler, Dan Kauffman with AmorySeafood Inc. in Hampton says theycurrently have a strong market forcroakers in some mid-west areas, a bigmarket for flat fish (flounder) in theChicago area, and a well establishedmarket for mackerel in the northeast

He also notes that seafood marketsremain fairly traditional, It A fish that will

sell well in one community won't sell 30miles away in another community.1t Inthe past, most seafood consumers haveeither been upper or lower economicgroups. The trend is clearly changing asstudies and market demand showconsumption is definitely up in allincome groups.

Wholesalers are basically dealing witha commodity, and like other commoditiesthe laws of supply and demand come intoplay. Amory regularly ships clams andscallops to west coast distributors."Even when prices are high, this marketremains open to us because, byreputation, Virginia clams last longerthan Florida clams," says Kauffman.Scallops that are not native to the Westcoast are also a high demand product, and

14

It Last year, ...we opened

markets for the sale of $2million worth of Virginia soft

shell crabs. tt

Governor Gerald Baliles speaking atthe 18th Annual Conference on U.S.-Japan Agricultural Trade held inRichmond. (Quoted in the VirginiaM aritimer .)

At the most recent Hong Kong tradeshow for hotels and restaurants, severalVirginia seafood products were displayed.Bill DuPaul, representing the Gulf andSouth Atlantic States FisheriesDevelopment Foundation and JimWallace of the New England FisheriesDevelopment Foundation offered U.S.products for potential buyers.

This year, there was particular interestin sea scallops, Virginia's highest valuefishery. Hong Kong presently is a largeimporter of sea scallops from Australia.The scallops are an expensive delicacy inmany Hong Kong restaurants. Last year,the Colony imported 1.65 millionpounds of sea scallops at a value of $9.8million in U.S. dollars.

According to DuPaul, "Marketconditions and sea scallop supply presenta timely opportunity for U.S. sea scallopproducers to enter this market."

At this time, three of the largestimporters are currently evaluatingsamples of sea scallops from Virginia.

Sea Grant provides the link betweenthe industry and the university system tomake certain accurate information reachesproducers, processors and consumers.Their activities are interwoven withactivities of various federal and stateagencies as well as private foundationsand industry representatives. Theultimate success of the industry and allthose involved in it depends not only oncontinued effective marketing but also oncontinuing research to protect and notdeplete this vast natural resource. It is adeep awareness and appreciation of thisfact that has contributed to the cohesivespirit within the Virginia marineproducts industry.

Wanda Cohen is a free lancewriter from Newport Newswhose work appears frequentlyin marine and maritime-relatedpublications.

15

Donna SoulExtension SpecialistSeafood Utilization

tuna salad made with pc)ached bluefishwill really swprise your taste buds.

Fresh fish can be poached, debonedand flaked for the salad, or leftovers canbecome plan-overs and nlalde into a tastysalad for lunches. Salads can be madewith mayonnaise. oil and vinegar or sourcream; for a healthy alteimative try plainyogurt. Most salads taste better chilled

than at room temperature. And contraryto p<>pular belief, a mayonnaise-basedsalad is not prone to rapid spoilage.Whelrl properly refrigerated the acidity ofmayonnaise may ~tually slow down themicrobial spoilage.

Tlry one of these seafood salads asthey are or substitute the stated seafoodwith your favorite species.

Bluefish Sala~tI

2 cups cook;eci, flaked bluefish1 cup choPilef celery1/2 cup chop]~d onion1/2 cup ch<Jlp]Jed dill pickle1/2 cup ch<J~p]Jed black walnuts1/2 cup rna:'f<Jonaise or salad dressing1 tablespooln lemon juice1/2 teaspoo.o salt

Combine fish, celery, onion, pickle Imd walnuts. Mix togethermayonnaise, lemon juice and salt. Add dressing to fishmixture. Toss lightly and chill. Serve on lettuce, withcrackers, OJ' ill a wedged tomato.

In today's health conscious societ)rseafood is a front runner! Over the pasttwo years consumption has increasedmore than 9 percent, with the per capiUlconsumption for 1986 above IS pounds"More people are learning about the healtlibenefits of eating more seafood. Mudiresearch has been done linking the specialfat compounds (omega 3's) found iliseafood to a reduced risk of coronary heartdisease (the nation's number one killer).

The quest for a healthy diet hasbecome an everyday concern for many 01Fus. Many consumers are including mo«:seafood in their diet for the health valuc~and finding out they like it. Eatin~~something 'because it's good for you' nolonger has to mean that it won't tastl~good.

Nutritionally, seafood has a lot tooffer. Most seafood is high in protein,low in fat and provides many essentialvitamins and minerals. Since thc~research on omega 3 fish oils wa:spublished, consumers want to know whatimpact this will have on their well-being. The New England Journal ofMedicine article stated that as little astwo seafood meals per week significant1~,lowered the risk of heart attack amonJ~middle-aged men living in Thl~Netherlands.

Today, a wider variety of seafood isavailable to consumers in a greaterdistribution area. Consumer educatiollland better transportation have aided in thc~increased seafood consumptions. IJIladdition, the switch back to full servioeseafood counters allows consumers to as][.direct questions about the seafood OJIl

display.With summer and picnic season upon

us, it's time to make up some seafOO4:1salads. Most any seafood can be put in asalad and the salad can be as simple or asfancy as you like. Starting with a basic;

NOTE: Fisk may be cooked by poaching or steaming. Left-over baked or broiled fish may also b~ used.

16

Any Fish Salad.

lIb lean fish fillets, or 1 1/2 lbs dressed fish,~hed

1/2 cup green onions, chopped1/2 cup celery, chopped2 tablespoons pimento, chopped5 oz pCk::kage frozen ~, thawed1/2 cup mayonnaise2 teaspoons prepared mustard2 teaspoons dry parsley1/4 teaspoon each of dry mustard, CWTy powder,

celery powder, paprika (or 1 teaspoonseafood seasooing)

PJ.epare a basic poaching liquid in a 3-quart saucepan.Combine 1 onion (sliced), 1 celery rib (chopped), 1 carrot(chopped), 4 whole bl~k peppers, 3 tablespoons lemon juice orwhitc~ wine vinegar, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt (optional),aboult 1/2 cup dry white wine (or water) and about 3 cups water(you will need enough water to just cover the fish pieces, morewine can be added to bring up the volume). Heat liquid toalmo,st boiling and cook for about 30 minutes before addingfish. Reduce heat and add fISh. Cover and simmer (do not boil)for 10-15 minutes. The meat will begin to separate when thefish i~ cooked -do not overcook. Drain and let fish cool. (Thepoaching liquid can be reused <X" it can be used to make a sauce.)

~Ieanwhile, mix the vegetables in a mixing bowl. In aseparate bowl, blend mayonnaise, mustard, parsley andseas4)ning, thoroughly.

When fish has cooled, cut or break it into bite-size pieces.CoJTlbine fish, vegetables and mayonnaise mixture and stircarefully so as not to break fish flakes. Serves 4 to 6.

*Try this recipe with your favorite fish, or bluefish,croaker, mockerel, black sea bass; spot, trout or whiting.

Sea Scallopsand Pasta Salad

1 1/2 lbs sea scallops :)prinkle about 1 1/2 teaspoon each seafood seasoning and1 12 oz pockage colorful seashell pasta (beet, tomato, spinach chives over scallops and stir thoroughly; then steam scallops,

and/or egg), cooked covered, over 1/2 cup boiling water and 1/4 cup vinegar.1 cup frozen peas, thawed Scallo~ are done when they turn op~ue white througoUl1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half ICombine scallops, pasta, peas, tomatoes, onions and parsley1 small red onion, chopped in a large sallki bowl, toss. Cover and refrigerate until ready to1/3 cup chopped, fresh parsley serlre.

DressingCombine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, basil, salt, garlic and

pellper in a shaker or a jar (widt a tight-fitting lid); shake well.PoIlf dressing over saloo immediately before serving.

M~lkes 6-8 servings.

Dressing1/2 cup olive oil1/4 cup red wine vinegar2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon basil1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspooo garlic powder1/4 teaspoon pepper

17

MARINE NOTES (contilUIed)

Private boat fishermen willing toassist dte researchers can contact them at:Reef Fishing Study, Virginia Institute ofMarine Science, Gloucester Point,Virginia 23062 or call 804/642-7166; amessage can be left on VIMS answeringservice after 5:00 pm (804/642-7000).

Artificial reefs are located in dte Bay(off Gwynn's Island and Cape Charles)and offshore (Light Tower, TriangleWrecks and two sites offWlK;hapreague).A diagramatic chart of dte sites and dteirLoran coordinates is available free uponrequest. A chart of wrecks andobstructions (fish havens) off CapeHenry, Virginia, is also available fromdte researchers at a cost of $1.00 percopy.

1986 Virgirula Top Twenty Species By Pounds and Value*

lb..s.** .$.**

Sort-Shelled CrabSymposium

1. blue crab 1(1)2. menhaden (~~)3. surf clam I(nleats) (3)4. market oY:Stl~ (meats) (5)5. sea scallop (meats) (6)6. fluke (4)7. croaker (7:18. grey sea b-out (8)9. spot (10)

10. bluefISh (9)11. catfish (13,)12. Boston mac)(erel (12)13. sea bass (17)14. hard clam (nteats) (16)15. alewives (:ZO)16. scup(-)17. American sh ad (15)18. conchs (mea.ts) (-)19. gizzard sh~1d (-)20. loligo squild (18)

1. sea scallop (meats) (1)2. blue crab (2)3. market oyster (meats) (4)4. surf clam (meats) (3)5. fluke (5)6. hard clam (meats) (7)7. menhaden (9)8. gJ1ey sea trout (8)9. sea bass (12)

10. spot (10)11. cr<,mr (11)12. conchs (meats)13. catfISh (19)14. anglerfish (tails) (13)15. lobster (-)16. bluefish (14)17. scup (-)18. Atnerican shad (16)19. Atnerican eel (18)20. loligo squid (19)

* does not include ocean quahog, menhaden purse seine orlobster pot landings

** 1985 rankil1lg in parenthesesSource: Virgiluli Marine Resources Commission

1986 U'.~;. Commercial Landings -Top 10 States

ThousandPoun~

ThousandDollars

Louisiana 1,699,321Alaska 1,236,062VIRGINIA 528,239Mississippi 418,409California 386,740Massachusetlts 272,393Washington 186,756Maine 174,932North Carolina 168,885Florida 166,577

752,417321,514246,122243,524154,501139,205111,347108,72079,41075,089

AlaskaLouisianaTexasMassachusettsFloridaCaliforniaWashingtonMaineVIRGINIARhode Island

Mike Oesterling, commercial fisheriesspecialist, has announced plans for theSecond National Symposium on die soft-shelled blue crab fiShery to be held at dieVirginia Institute of Marine Science onNovember 4-5, 1987. The Symposium isbeing sponsored by the Sea Grant Mid-Atlantic Advisory Service Network, theMid-Atlantic Fisheries DevelopmentFoundation and the Gulf and SouthAtlantic Fisheries DevelopmentFoundation.

According to Oesterling, soft-shelledcrab sales in Virginia increased by over100,000 dozen last year and an increasingnumber of new producers are entering thegrowing industry. The symposium willallow scientists, resource managers andshedders to exchange information." Although the soft- shelled crab is just a

blue crab that is molting," Oesterlingsays, "Its body-chemistry changesradically during the process. Whereas thehard- shelled blue crab is one of thehardiest of marine animals, during itssoft- shelled stage it is easilytraumatized." Modem producers try tomaintain stable water temperatures,salinity and other conditions whichincrease the percentage of survival in theshedding tanks.

"Every season, shedders learn moreand experiment with the sheddingsystems to increase productivity. Andevery year scientists learn more aboutthis stage in the blue crab's life whichwhen passed on to industry helps increasethe productivity and quality of ~e soft-shelled crab," Oesterling said.

Source: Natjional Marine Fisheries Service

18

PERSONS RETURNING TAGS WILL RECEIVE $2.00 FOR EACHTAG. IN ADDITION. EACH RETURNED TAG WILL BE INCLUDEDIN THE ANNUAL FALL DRAWING FOR PRIZES. THE FOLLOWINGAMOUNTS WILL BE AWARDED IN 1987 AND 1988:

TAG ONE PRIZE AT $500.00-tJ VIMS.OLOUC. PT.. VA. --1-0 TWO PRIZES AT $100.00

0-1, "EW~ VI .'0'- I+-..c -, FOUR PRIZES AT $50.00

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL:

1-804-642-73098:00 A.M.-4:30 P.M. -MONDAY-FRIDAY

changes in the minimum legal size offlounder (12" presently) may affect theflounder population and the fisheries inVirginia.

The VIMS Fisheries Departmentplans to tag and release about 10,000summer flounder from the lowerChesapeake Bay and seaside EasternShore during the summers of 1987 and1988. A reward of $2.00 is offered foreach returned tag with special rewards upto $500.00 being determined by adrawing to be held eCk;h year.

The Fisheries Department of theVirginia Institute of Marine Science hasbeen awarded funding to conduct atagging study on summer flounder inChesapeake Bay and seaside EasternShore of Virginia. The study issupported by Wallop-Breaux fundsadministered through the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service and the Virginia MarineResources Commission.

The objectives of the study are asfollows:

1. To determine the stock composi-tion of inshore populations of summerflounder in Virginia and North Carolina

through tagging.2. To determine the seasonal migra-

tory patterns of these populations.3. If different stocks are present, to

estimate the relative contribution of eachstock to the total landings in Virginia.

4. To better define age-growth andsize at maturity of the inshore (southern)flounder stock.

5. To make fmdings available to theMid-Atlantic Fisheries Council so thatthey may be incorporated into futurerevisions of the Fisheries ManagementPlan for summer flounder,

6. To determine how projected

19

FLOUNDER ARE BEING TAGGED BY THE VIRGINIA INSTITUTEOF MARINE SCIENCE WITH LOOPED INTERNATIONAL ORANGEPLASTIC TAGS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON MORTALITY.MIGRATION AND DISTRIBUTION.