Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-05-08
GENERAL.
The Chesapeake Fi-he les


EXTENSIVE OPERATIONS HAULING ASD GILL
ING sEINgs--How MANAGED. &c, nc.
The hauling seines and gilling fisheries make
up them extensive business operations of any
on the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. A
vast amount of capital and labor is required to
successfully operate one of the large hauling
seine fisheries, such as those of Orothers, Son
& England at Red Point; Whitaker a Crothers,
and Wilson n Son, at Bulls Mountain, and
Washington Barnee, at Carpenters Point These
are some of the largest establishments on the
Bay
The fishing on these shores begins about the
9Th of April and is continued till about the mid
die of May. For the accommodation OF fisher
men, frame houses, or shantes, are built, which
are occupied, generally two weeks before the
commencement of fishing. This time is spent
in general cleaning and clearing up and getting
ready The shore il TO be cleared OF the vast
amount of drift wood and rubbish. which collects
during the summer and fall the boats are to
be oyerhauled aud made ready for service the
seines are to be mended, tarred. and hung IN
the ropes the capstans are to be put III place,
while the shanties have to be newly cleaned and
repaired, and everything made ready and COM
Portable for the men who occupy them. These
two weeks are tile busiest of the season for
during this time great deal OF work is to be
done.
There are about fifty men engaged on one OF
these shores Most of them are colored except
the owners and overseers, the colored men be-
longing, for the most part, on Bohemia Manor,
and in that section of Maryland. In order to re-
cure good set of men, some one oolored man
is engaged to enlist them during the winter in
whose charge is placed sufficient sum OF mon
ey, which ID paid in advance to those in needy
circumstances. When the fishing season has ar
rived they are all collected together at George
town. on the Sassafras river, when they receive
more advance money, which is left with their
families (they mort all have families.) Jhey get
good wages, and nearly all get fish enough to do
| them through the following summer. They are
| conveyed to the ''shores," by vessel, and when
| there one day is most always allowed for hoh'
/ day. an 81 -
| and from one Thousand to fifteen hundret
fathoms, (6000 to 5000 feet,) in length, while
/ at each end is used about 800 wards of heavy rope
| making the entire length Of the longest abou
| two and a half miles. The boats used are large
fat-bottomed ones, propelled by twenty-five long
| heavy sweep oars, each one manned by coloret
oarsman. From one of these boats, seine Il
8" laid out and then drawn ashore by horse
4 power, assisted by the men,. Six " hauls art
| made il day and from basket full to as much
| az three hundred barrels of shad and herring
are landed at each haul. The fish traders secur'
the greater part, and supply the towns through
| the upper part of Maryland and in the lowe
counties Of Pennsylvania Lancaster being thu
| principal market. A great many, however, are
brought to this city, wuils the Baltimore market
is also supplied from these shores. Sales to the
amount OF $1,000 are sometimes made in ON
day, and at times they fall as low as $40 The
expenses of one of these large fisheries var,
from SO to 5100 per day.
The season, 30 far, the fishing has been fail
ure on no one OF these shores have they NOR
than cleared their expenses. and the prospect ]
very poor now, to better their condition, to an
great extent
This glng seine fishing is of much less mac
nitude. and consequently the profits and losse
are made up of much smaller figures Shad ar
the only fish caught in these nets, except a fe'
rock fish or perch, occasionally. The boats use
in this mode of fishing arelight, six-oared skiifi
and three men manage each boat. The seine
are laid out in the water, at night, and are a
lowed to drift with the tides At each end OF
net is placed floating light the lanterns bein
of various colors The many hundreds OF thet
Z lights on the bay, at night, when the water
calm, present most beautiful sight, and range
| as far as the eye can reach.
As with the hauling seines, this season, tt
'"gillersn have made very poor fishing Son
OF them have not yet, thus far, caught iii
enough to amount to $50 in sales. They, ho'
ever, may yet, possibly, better their fortune
aud make up for their past losses before Il
law compels them to cease operations.