Fishes Rarely Caught in Shrimp Trawl

Abstract

During a three year study made of the offshore waters of Mississippi the author became interested in the fishes "rarely caught" in shrimp trawls. This report concerns all data for the project, which was carried out during 1967, 1968 and 1969. The only characteristic common to the following species is the rarity with which they are taken in regular shrimp trawling operations. Some are by no means rare in terms of total number available in the Gulf of Mexico, but it is worthwhile to report data collected as compared to others taken thirty-nine to forty-one years ago in nearby Louisiana. (Gunter, 19G5). Later Gunter (1941) listed certain rare fishes from Texas taken in both inside and outside waters. The data given here concern only offshore stations, which extended farther out than any previously reported from this coast.