The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-04-24

THE SHAD AND THE ALEWIFE.

THE SHAD AND THE ALEWIFE.
/ Hnper'S Mog0:inc for M0g.
The management of a great seine might
well employ the talent of skillful civil
engineer. there are 50 many mechanical
forces to put in operation, and so much
skill and Judgment to be used i'll struc-
lures and appliances. The seining ground
has to be cleared up. requiring divers.
giant powder, and losting apparatus to
raise rocks and the great cypress stumps
and knees. Steam-tugs and small YES
sells for transporting the fish. and steam
engines and machinery, az part of the
general outfit. Many of the devices and
improvements are invented on the shores.
The seine must be carefully hung be-
tween the cord and lead lines, so that the
lower portion will draw little in front
of the upper. and so that the Irvine shall
not strain unevcnly. \ seine badly hung
may have the tendency to lift the lead
line from the bottom in places, and allow
the fish to escape: or it may give the lead
line the tendency to roll up the lower por-
| ton of the SEINE or tend to sink the line
in front of the bag i'll the mud, and
anchor it there. The wind tide. and cur
rent influence the latter positions Of the
seine and must be considered before it
is "shot from the boats. \ constant
watch is required upon its workings, and
it is qnite usual to keep horse saddled,
to send orders down the beach to each
end of the line
The investments III large fisheries some
times reach the sum of $50 600. \ fish
cry on Albemarle Sound, from the foot
ing up of its books, during a period of
nine years. exhibited an aggregate profit
Of SO. 600.
The propretors of the plantations
| often men of culture and education-not
seldom exercise direct daily supervision
of their fisheries. This has been the Gus
tom in these regions from early times.
| The fishery once owned by General Wash
ington, which frequently had his personal
control, is still represented by one in the
immediate vicinity. at Ferry Landing on
the Potomac.
In the shad fisheries of the bays and
some of the Southern rivers we have the
drift-fishing, of similar character in its
methods to that on the coasts of Scot
land, which has been made interesting in
the novels of Reade and Macdonald. The
head of Chesapeake Bay is the center of
laIge fleet of drift-net fishing boats, or
"gillers.' which is the comprehensive
local term.
The 'gilling ground" extends from
Harre de Grace, Maryland, eastward and
southwark to the mouth of the Chester
River. Between lIavre de Grace and
Spesutie Island shoal extends with the
navigable channel to the westward. and
to the eastward an old partially filled up
channel known as the Swash. Near the
center of the shoal lighthouse has been
built, called the Battery Light. When
the shad have reached this pointsin the
bay, they come up OH the shoal i'll the
night, ut slack water of ebb and flood of
tide. From the Battery Light to the
head of the island is known to be the
center of their congregation, and great
strife for the good berths prevails, so
much SO that enterprising fishermen will
lie i'll their boats for half 4 day, anchored
to the spot where they desire to cast the
nets after dark.
These drift nets are made of fine Irvine,
and entangle the fishes by the gill flaps
as they swim against them. The cork
line floats at the surface. and the lightly
weighted lead line at low tide trails along
the bottom. At each end of the nets.
which have ordinarily length of three
hundred yards. a float is tied, upon which
rides a lantern. These lanterns are re-
luircd to distinguish the different nets.
rs they are cast along the Shoal parallel
TO each other. often with not more than
tifty or sixty feet intervening. They drift
with the tide, and one floating too slow
ly, or snagged at the bottom, becomes
toultd with its neighbor as soon as it is
overtaken. 1t is essential that all arc
put out simultaneously, or the dividing
spaces soon become irregular. and many
Of them too narrow. resulting i'll the nets
becoming entangled with each other.
A still night on the bay. in the height of
ohe season, is pleasant experience. The
anchored boats, scarcely discernible in
the dusk, become deep shadowy masses
It intervals or disappear in the darkness
suddenly a mutiied, quiet movement of
oars is heard, and in quick succession
lights appear on the water in a long line
md the rapid movement of Il hundred
pairs of oars is heard as they click in the
rowlockS. Each rover vieS with his rival
to run ont the three hundred yards of
net, his comradc i'll the stern rapidly and
skilltully throwing the corks and leads
Some impatient fellow usually pulls up
his anchor silently. but the light on the
water telegraphs the fact to the rest, and
he rarely gets halfa dozen strokes ahead.
One hundred boats often pull abreast
across the line of the shoal. The second
lantern floating on the water announces
the net all out.
Standing in the night on an elevated
point of the island, with many hundred
lights strewn thickly over the wide ex-
panse of water, the observer is impressed
with the similarity of the view above
him and below, as if the stars overhead
were reflected on the surface of the bay
with double brilliancy.
The boatman either turns directly back
and runs the net '-passing the cork
line through the Enthusiastically detect
ing the presence of the fish. OF he rows
back to the starting point. and it is run