Commercial Fishing Industry thrives at the Southern Shore Region

New Jersey's Southern Shore Region, encompassing Cape May and Cumberland counties, perhaps best known for its expansive beaches, exhilarating boardwalks and exciting nightlife. Those attractions serve as the engine that keeps the region's tourism economy running, but the year-round, albeit less glamorous industry upon which the Southern Shore Region has depended for centuries continues to thrive.

The fishing port of Cape May/Wildwood is the largest in New Jersey and one of the largest on the East Coast. Homeport to some of the largest vessels fishing on the Atlantic Coast, the Cape May/Wildwood fisheries focus on squid, mackerel, fluke, sea bass, porgies, lobsters and menhaden. In addition to these, Wildwood boats are also in the surf clam/ocean quohog fisheries.

New Jersey is the leading supplier of hardshell surf clams and ocean quahogs to not only the United States, but the world. More than 18.7 million pounds of ocean quahog - 90 percent of the national total - was landed in New Jersey in 1999, the last year for which such figures are available.

The majority of those clams from the Southern Shore Region are processed and wind up in chowders, sauces, breaded strips. A significant portion of them, however, are distributed through local seafood markets and sold fresh to consumers.

On the western side of the Southern Shore Region, from the bayside communities of Cape
May County north through Cumberland County, the Delaware Bay serves as a treasure trove for shell fisheries. Port Norris is one of the region's largest suppliers of oysters and crabs. In 1999, Port Norris brought in 3.4 million pounds valued at $4.9 million, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Much research and development in recently years has been put into reviving the oyster industry, which at one time served as the primary employer for communities on the Delaware Bay. Many small fisheries have proliferated along the bay, with local clammers and oystermen finding that they are able to make a living selling their catches for an ever-increasing public consumption of seafood.

While many types of commercial harvesting gear are prohibited in inshore waters, the flourishing hard clam fishery using hand gear employs thousands of full-time and part-time baymen in the region New Jersey's commercial fishermen land between $70 and $100 million in finfish and shellfish every year, most of it from the Southern Shore Region. These landings generate on the order of $500 million of economic activity annually. That figure does not include the economic impact of recreational fishing.

The Southern Shore Region's fishermen and women are a unique hardy group. For those who choose employment in the fishing industry, the work can be grueling and dangerous. At sea for days - sometimes more than a week - at a time, they are at the mercy of powerful Atlantic Ocean and the weather. A significant number of them have lost their lives in pursuit of their jobs, and a monument dedicated to their memory stands in Cape May. Each year, the names of the most recent fishermen lost at sea are added to the monument.

Yet there are men and women - some whose families have produced several generations of fishermen -- who choose to make their living on the waters of the Atlantic and in the Delaware Bay. While technology has found its way into the industry in the form of navigation and locating potential catches, the job for most of those on the boats is the same as it has for previous generations.

The hours are long and if a particular trip isn't fruitful, the pay isn't good.
Travelers across the Middle Thorofare, a bridge that adjoins Cape May with the Wildwoods,
are frequently made to stop their vehicles on the bridge to wait as one of the local fleet begins or ends its journey.

Once docked, the large, rustic-looking vessels unload their haul and it is shipped out to processing plants or distribution centers in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York.
Visitors to the area can catch a glimpse of the modern-day fishing industry by paying a visit to one of Cape May docks at Schellenger's Landing, home to the Lobster House Restaurant where the catch is hauled in daily.

The region's fishing industry is often overlooked as a source of economic power. Not only is the impact commercial fishing makes to the area's economy substantial, but it is also serves as an added attraction for visitors to the Southern Shore Region who want to witness men and women who perform a difficult, noble and age-old trade.

The Southern Shore Region Tourism Council is comprised of Cape May and Cumberland counties and is one of six regional councils in the State of New Jersey. For further information or to receive a brochure of the Southern Shore Region contact the Cape May County Department of Tourism at 1-800-227-2297 or the Bridgeton-Cumberland Tourist Association at 1-800-319-3379 or 1-866-866-MORE.