the vessels berthed in Belford are owned by members of the Belford Fishermen's Cooperative, one of the most active fishermen's cooperatives on the Atlantic Coast. The fleet is composed of otter trawlers, gill netters, lobster boats and purse seiners. Many of the fishermen there rely on the "traditional" Mid-Atlantic mixed trawl fishery, having adjusted their fishing - and marketing - efforts to be in tune with the annual migrations of the silver and red hake, fluke, flounder, sea bass and porgies that make up a large part of their harvest.

Not too many years ago Belford was home to a large fish meal and oil processing plant which utilized the menhaden stocks that are so plentiful in all of the Atlantic coastal waters. While this plant shut down fifteenor so years ago, there has been a recent resurgence in menhaden purse seining by boats out of Belford. Today, however, it is to supply menhaden to an expanding bait market.

Belford, wintertime, with ice on the bay and most of the fleet out. The new ferry terminal is at upper-right. Unfortunately, the waters around the jetty are much too shallow for diving.

The co-op has a large, recently modernized retail market and a seafood restaurant that provide freshly caught seafood to the surrounding communities.

Point Pleasant

Located midway on the New Jersey coast, Point Pleasant could be used as a textbook example of a traditional fishing community existing in harmony with the surrounding tourist dependent businesses. With a fleet made up of medium sized otter trawlers and a few gill netters,