Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-12
STEAM AND MULE FISHING
The North Carolina style of Scooping
the RoanoEe

the Roanoke.
AS the herring fisheries of Maine are
credited with only 100000 this wear.
against q, ZOO, 900 last year, so these great
North Carolina fisheries are compare
tive FAILURE also. The reasons are not
far to find. Continued rains have fresh
ened the whole of Albemarle Sound. and
at the same time muddied the Roanoke in
particular until it would nearly choke a
yellow catfish. No wonder the anadro-
nous fish have gone North or spawned in
the open sound. Still the Copeharts say
that without apparent reason every few
years the catch is immense and then
Stacks on for several years, only to come
again. Against maximum hauls of two
and three hundred thousand some years
ago ten thousand is rare this season.
The selnes are piled upon two small
hat-decked steamboats,. each pile being
the size of small house, and carried out
into the sound for about mile, from
steam engine and siX-mule windlass re-
specuVely, a quarter Of a mile apart ON
the beach. Thus great bag is formed.
sweeping about 1000 acres of the bottom.
Net and rope are four miles long, the net
proper being 2,4S0 yards long by nine
yards deep. In addition to the rope on
the seine itself, 80 coils Of 200 yards each
are employed to bring it sin" This rope
IS the standard whale line made at
L ID.
ana One-eIghth inches in diameter. Forty
per cent. of it, costing $4,000, must be
renewed every year, and % per cent. of
the netting. Twenty-Five thousand dollars
is necessary to run fishery like this from
March to May 10, the usual ''season."
SeYenty-tiye hands are kept busy night
and day, all getting sleep as they can,
standing in the cold water or cutting the
flsh at long tables under a shed root.
These hands pOO1a O00 1niloc from Naxrv
berne, etc., to the fishery, which they en-
JOY socially in spite of all it's hardships.
AT its close they scatter inland to shoe de
cotton and de cOrn.''
A haul is not much of a sight until it
draws near to shore. The big black cOrks
as they approach alone are visible, re-
sembling lot of boys in for vacation
SWIM, AS the water shoals the excite
ment increases. The engine snOrts more
vociferously, the mule drivers crack their
whips. All cluster in an arc of respectful
receptiYity. The ''Captain," young Her.
cules named Walk, clad in rubber, walks
with two or three stalwart darkies out
into the water about waist deep. He has
a ''gat'' instead of trident. The herring
and little fish begin to ripple the water as
when flaw passes over the bosom of a
lake. But he is on the lookout for larger
game. Yes, there they are, two of them!
imagine CalaveraS buzz saw gone mad
and taken to aquatics and you have it.
Here, then, almost with the speed of light,
two raZOr-like fish nearly as long as a
mans arm, are darting, at imminent dam
ger to the net. Walk strikes at them but
misses, and is hid in spray. A third blow
and sturgeon of 225 pounds and seven
feet long is dragged upon the sand. His
companion is smaller, weighing not quite
100. The first will bring 81 80, or 81 as he
lies; the second 70 cents. Darkies say if
sailed down in their skins they are less
salt and more delicate.
Two thousand herrings and ninety shad,
the largest weighing six and-one-half
pounds. is the net result. An eight-pound
shad is the limit. Besides these there are
perhaps dozen hickOry-shad, believed by
the natives to be cross between the shad
and the gOggle-eye herring; some Mamie
shad, still tlatter and smaller; fifty cat
fish, few red-hOrse, two or three floun-
ders, as many gum cells, fifty white perch,
SIN gars, few sunfish and black bass,
and last but not less twenty-five striped
bass, which will bring down the beam
from few ounces to 105 pounds. The
shad and crock are iced and shipped, |
the herring cleaned and sailed in barrels.
the ''Odd lott left to feed ''the hands," At |
EdentOn the catfish are sent to their only |
considerable market. Philadelphia, bring !
ing from SIN to eight cents. No other city |
cares for them. Richmond is crazy after
herring, never gets enough; Baltimore for |
shad, New York for striped bass.
The nets have brought in 100 shad and |
1000 herring. But in 1910, with only 800 |
yards of seine, the COpeharts, most ele- |
CANT and hOspitable family, by the way,
took 6,0l9 shad at one haul, the largest |
known to them. They think there was
but divided among more prOprietors. |
Hence the number of fish must be |
less-a good argument for the various |
State fish commissions. The year 1884 |
was the poorest season until now.
At Hot Springs, on the Washita river, |
your correspondent some years ago identi- !
fed the true white shad, showing that if
may be planted about 500 or 900 miles |
from the sea and then return. In Nav. |
1876, were taken at one haul IS, 900 pounds |
of striped bass. After shipping all posi- |
bic, thousands OF pounds were sold at less |
than cents pound. The farmers car
ried them home to salt for many miles |
around. This fish goes 70 or 100 miles |
up into NOrthWay and BlackWater The |
shad will not ascend small branches. how |
ever. Sturgeon fishing comes on later. |
Some reach $50 pounds; average 70. |
Many sharks are taken along with them |
six to eight feet long. Twenty thousand |
shad eggs fill a quart measure, so that !
an epicure who has roe for dinner eats |
about 10000 fish. May 1 shad brought |
$50 a hundred in New York. Only |
10000 shad up to this date, instead of from |
four our five times that number as eX-
pected. In 1890, for example, the number !
was S0,116, The amount of time, money
and patience required to clear the bottom |
of logs, stumps, ETC., before it can be fished |
can only be imagined. Much drift is often
brought ashore now. a salt herring i'm
proves with age, if the barrel be not
opened, being like good wine in that re-
spect. The conger eel is thrown away as
poisonous. We fancy that it is not, accord |
ing to DelmOnicO. In conclusion, fish
dinners with Mr.. or DR. COpehart would |
astOnish Roman Emperor. Imagine the |
delicacy of the pick of 10000 fish, all |
alive when carried tn the monci0n hOuea