The Hellgrammite-Crayfish Bait Fishery of the New River and Its Tributaries, West Virginia

Abstract

Abstract The bait fishery for hellgrammites Corydalus cornutus and for the crayfish Orconectes sanbornii sanbornii, O. virilis, and Cambarus sciotensis on the New River and its tributaries, West Virginia, includes commercial and angler harvests with a combined retail value of US$134,000 in 1983. Approximately 50 licensed bait dealers collected 10,812 dozen crayfish and 52,762 dozen hellgrammites, worth $2,000 per licensee in retail sales. New River anglers collected 5,640 dozen crayfish and 9,153 dozen hellgrammites in 1983. The overall commercial and recreational harvest exceeded 78,000 dozen organisms, 79% of which were hellgrammites. Most of the crayfish (70%) were bought and used locally. Only a small portion of hellgrammites (22%) were used locally; the remainder presumably supplied the statewide hellgrammite market. The commercial fishery is highly integrated, with most persons harvesting bait and selling directly to anglers. The hellgrammite–crayfish bait fishery is a “cottage industry” based on lo...