Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-20
THE sHAD FISHERIES.
The Citizens Of the Sea at Alba.
marie Sound.
An Enormous Catch with 5000 1afd
Seine-A Solid Mass of Fish Hauled
on Shore-The Rubber Man
at Work.

Orr AYOcA, ALBkAAkLE co5Np' ~. Vs.
gust 1O.-The Albemarle shad fisheries are
the most important in the world. There
are ten separate fishing stations on the;
sound. ranging from Edenton. the Oldest
town on the coast, to Avocs. The iohsess
of these is the Scotch Hall fishery, owned
by DIR. W. Il. Capehesrt, the richest planter
in all this section. He caught over So,ooV
sbad here in enc season, and many OF the
other fisheries do as well. The process by
which this is accomplished and the results
that come from the catch will make up an
interesting story.
An Enormous Seine.
Ic,nnot do better than describe 4 catch
Ionce saw made right here. To begin witn'
the seine was over a mile ana naii III
length, or exactly 1850 yards When we
reacked Scotch Hall the seine was tumg T
steamers APPROACHED the wharf from differ
ent directions, and when within about one
hundred feet OF each other the two ENDS Oh
the seine were placed on the boats. win
hinge windlass the crew OF each boat began
10 mill the seine on the deck, until II was
Ali taken in, half being on each boat.
Then. with shrill whistles. the ooats
started out in the bay, steaming aiongsiHe
about twenty feet apart with the miuuie
OF the seine suspended between them.
When they had gotten about I'VE mus
from shore they dropped the middle Oh lhS
seine into the water, and then nioNea
snsrt having out the seine from each boat.
They gradually steamed shoreward so that
the seine made the arc OF great circle, the
centre being furthest from shore. When
the decks had been cleared OF every mesh,
the boats made directly for the shore pull
inc the enormous semi-circle after them
and
Sweeping Thousands Of Fish
into the fatal arc. As the steamers neared
the shore they came closer together until
thew were but hundred feet apart, which
distance measured the plank wharf on
which the catch was to be landed. Iney
then transferred the ends OF the seine 10
force of men standing in the water, VINO
affixed the pulling ropes to two stationary
ENGINES. These we're started, and by turn
inc huge yindlass drew the Seine slowly in.
By this time there were probably two
acres of water enclosed within the meshes,
and this was being gradually diminished.
The whole enclosed space seemed perfectly
alive with fish. Fins bristled everywhere
above the yater-bright sides flashed. and
here and there fish leaped out OF the
water, reminding one Of big pan Of o.
f'f A solid Mass ofFish
would rush against the side Of the seise
and II would creak and bend and give way
under the pressure. But a large force Oh
the men in rubber boots were by this time
in the water, shouting and beating it. anc
protecting the arc OF meshes by driving
| The fish shoreward or scattering them
Occasionally a huge sturgeon several zee
long, mad with fright, would rush agalns
man and knock him whirling. ANY o
| the men could catch shad with their hands
az they dashed ahead seeking to escape
Rut in spite of all this commotion theil
prison walls narrowed inexorablyi TIT
merciless engine drew the seine u
shore. mesh after mesh until hardly
| quarter acre of water was lett. Iheh
Looked as if the seine held dense mass
fish. They dashed the water into foam
threw the sand up from the bottom, AM
hundreds, bewildered but lucky, Jumpe'
over the outer rim OF the lines ana wer
lost. The wharf to which the ENDS Oh th'
seine converged, and to which the mas
was being pulled, was simple plant ana
about 100 feet long and 20 feet through, iai'
fiat on the beach. One more turn OF tn.
yindlass andthe first rows OF fish were land
edon this wharf. Another turn and still
others were thrown up; another turn AM
the rim of the seine was lifted ahoyo I'll
water and hundreds Of bushels ls.! oil nsh
Could be seen. The men then seized tn
top meshes from behind, and assisting tn
memorable roll of the windlaSs landed TIL
whole spluttering mass on the wharf
High planks braced from behind, wer
then thrown up between the fish and tn
sea, SO that they could not roll back, an
the catch was finished.
There's over forty two-horse wagon
loads" said DR.. Cary, Fish Com missionc
for Georgia, who stood by, "heaped1up a
that"
Such pile OF fish / never saw. The
we're heaped up a dozen deep all along tn
wharf, and through its entire width
The pattering made by their tail
on the planks and on each othe
made roll that was deep and res
onant The bulk Of the catch wa
herring. OF these there was over lO0.0OC
There were over 1000 shad, and about
many rock, or bass, as We call them, an
then lot of casual fish such as sturgeon
etc, some of them very large. AS soon a
the catch was landed, three men dressed II
navy uniforms
Hurried Into the Mass,
and, wading ankle deep through it, bega
an inspection OF the shad that were caught
They would take up a shad, strike its sid
hands, and then either throw il back int
the heap, or toss il to group OF men ais
in naval uniform. who stood near by at
table covered with pans.
"Them's the spawners, volunteered ably
stander.
what are spawners9'
"They belong to the government fis
commission and they are looking for ripe
shad."
soon understood it. These men ver
part OF the crew of the Fish Hawk, the Uni
ted States fish steamer, which had estat
ished Matching station near by. A ifs
is said to be ripe when by pressing tn
hands slowly down the sides toward tn
abdomen, the roe or eggs will flow out ca
lily. AS soon as such a fish was discovere
it was passed TO the men who had tn
matching pan. They would take the sha
firmly in the hand, with its head lying u
the arm, and with the other hand pres
down its tanks. By this means the spaw
was forced into the Matching pan, each fis
yielding
About Thirty Thousand Pfsh-Eggs,
or as many young shad, perhaps, as ar
eaten by Atlanta in season.
The eggs drop into the pan, in whic
there is perhaps half cupfull Of waite
The mass OF eggs about doubles this. !
male shad, or buck" as he is called,
then procured from the spawners, an
about spoonful OF milt forced from hir
in the same way. The pan is then title
slightly and shaken so that every egg ca
be yitalized by contact with the milt |
ten minutes the mass of eggs is treble II
original size, and in each one there is j
black speck. This is the life germ OF tn
young shad, and the growth OF the fis
has begun.
The pans filed with eggs-at each cato
of the seine about a half million egg ar
obtained-are then hurried TO the Els
Hawk. On the deck of the steamer an
hanging from her sides are double an
triple rows of what are known.as hatchin
cones. These are simply two pyamids
cones placed inside OF eacn other, with aer'
ted water OF graduated temperature flown
, through them. 1t is intended that "a
heat and the motion Of this water shall
just the same as the water in the shoa
where shad find their best spawning place
The eggs grow steadily from the time the
| 49, ho fourth