The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-03
FISH TAKEN BY MILLIONS.
ENORMOUS CATCHES IN THE INLAND
WATERS OF NORTH CAROLINA.
Catches OF Hsrriue Have Been as HiEh ss
Two Hundred Thousand Sometimes
Twenty Varieties OF Fishes Are Caught
In One haui-Nets Hauled by Steam.

Two Hundred Thousand Sometime,
Twenty Varieties OF Fishes Are Caught
In One haui-Net- Hauled by Steam.
ROANOKE ISLAND, n. c., May 1.-THE water
indented state of North Carolina has over
1900 miles OF riparian rights, and the fisheries
are the most important Of any In America,
Three hundred thousand yards of selnes are
operated In Albemarle Sound alone, in add.
tlon 70 thousands OF stake, drift, and pound
nets. Some seines arc nearly four miles long,
TIL" Investments In the large fisheries Of the
Automatic section sometimes reach . 10000,
and the profits Of many aggregate 100000
yearly. The fisheries employ 5000 people and
nearly 5000 boats, and the pounds of fish taken
yearly exceed 30, 00O,O 900. North Ca rolina
shad ommand the highest prices. because they
are enrly In the market. Formerly there were
operated along the shores OF Tyrrcll county
some OF the largest seine fisheries in the world,
but they were destroyed in the civil war, and
have never been reltted.
The great variety Of edible fresh water fishes
taken in the North Carolina rivers is surpris-
Ing. The drug nets of the Trent River often
capture twenty different species. Charles Hal
lock, the veteran ex-editor Of Forrest and Stream
and an authority on such matters. rays that
these species include large and small mouthed
black bass, striped base. blue and yellow cat
fsh, yellow perch, white perch, %cropples, null
lets. redhorse. sunfsh, white and hickory shad.
herring, drum. roach, weakish. pickerel, and
garflsh. Whore the streams meet the tide the
anodromous species come up from the ocean
to spawn. The fresh water species drop down
from the watersheds to disport In the brack-
ish Inflow. Herring choke all the streams.
Striped bass penetrate inland TO the very head
waters. Pickerel sport on the very edge OF the
tide, and weakfsh spawn in the deep fresh
water pools In the coves having obvious con-
nection with the ocean.
or the sound fisheries there are multitudes.
The channels leading down among them are
OF the lovely soft brown of the juniper. Tho
cypress forests draw toward them like single
masses of green. Touches of white in them
indicate houses. and patches of gray the
weather-beatcn wharves. Their deep waters.
cleared of cypress knees and stumps. are of the
pleasant colors that painters love. Thin
touches of mist here and there give a mys-
terry to the atmosphere and soften overrugged
outlines. Sailing In upon such lovely vistas.
one can have little reason for the disparaRe.
ment OF the first glimpses of the sound fish
cries of North Carolina in the memories of
any scene he may have left behind him.
There is no such nursery for fishes Of all
species and proclivities as the Trent River
says Charles Hallock. Most OF the channel
ways are paved with shell rock, and the spawn
finds choice repositories in the hollows and
c%revices. All the way up The river for forty
miles or more there are fishing stands made OF
poles projecting from the banks. where ne.
groes stand with lonR-handled dip nets and
scoop the fish rs they ascend. sometimes as
many as half a dozen or more at a time. Oc-
casionally there are rude windlasses fash
Toned OF unpeeled logs and poles. to he used in
hauling drag nets and stake nets set across the
mouths OF creeks. On the White Oak and
New rivers, in Onslow and Carteret counties.
bordering the sounds. fishermen often make
big earnings. The fish business of New Berne
alone occupies many big shippers. Vessels
from the outside and boats from the Neuse,
Bay. and Contentena rivers are constantly ar
crowded with tho craft. Winter fishing is
active from Roanoke Island to BoEnc sound.
dant, So are drum, spotted sea trout. mullets.
cro"kers, catfish. perchi redhorse; ,plckerei.
Ing improves daily, and Spanish mackerel. hog.
fish. sheepshead. and bluehsh afford good fish
poor fishing months. Fall fishing begins in
September with a big run of muilets. With
aegIlSg come 20 n ,t the roc Posk a 9d and perch;
tiers. Occasionally a venerable negro will
take his rickety old punt and steal away to a
and troll for blueash from = saifoat. or Dish
! nldNu llIltS VI "tdklFn. flCkeTel are |
plentiful In the spring. but OF little account.
This. larger number OF the fishes OF North
are many e o mnon Il fish feTiE se ON the a shores ,ne of
Albemarle Sound and the Roanoke and Chowan
rivers. At certain periods of the year so per
Railroad and its auxiliary steamboat lines con
sists Of hsh. shipped from New Berne. Eden
Island. Beauf lrt. Swansboro. and Nays Head,
principally to Fulton Market. New York. The
length of the seines is 5000 feet.
Horse ana steam mower are. ranuirp1 for fhagn
greater. economy of time two boats are
used instead Of one, as in many sections, the
middle is bc!nE worked up To the shore. When
the two boats have the seine on board they
the bag OF seine is dropped between them as
they move In opposite directions.
inward 10 the shore, and when the las, of The
has, gone overheard the lines are run out
the boats crate upon the gravel; An
wades ashore with the line, and quickly fas-
tens it to another lying in the furthest sheath
line begins to come In. straining upon the
seine. with It's leads lying upon the bottom a
,horeward, turning hack the bewiidered fish,
which. In the grasp Of the net; do not become
nSsh i nfte1 WSicb until dni II has ,sS closed sed upon three
'round the ends. Steadily the net lines
,ome in.
the next haul. take the lines into the boats as
as they are unreeled from the drums and
hS them III. u series OF great COILS along the
bottom of the boat. As soon as the ends OF
he seine reach the shore Its reloading begins.
As the seine approaches the shore silence
prevails. The area Of water inside the corks
which line the seine shows signs OF agitation.
quick swirls and RULED waveiets, cover the
.surface, Large fishes make rapid curves in
md out again. The splashing increases as
he mass Of fishes is pulled and crowded on the
)each;, Huge sturgeon slide heavily through
glistening, mass until struck with a gnff-
nook in the hands of n wiry negro. Every
hing is pulled out, high and dry, the Tapping
OOn CPQSoS. and n dead mass lies OD the Sbnro
n place OF the active, brilliant shoal OF fishes
which came up In the net.
The catches oftentimes are On
Dr.: .Capehart's plantation. at Avoca. nearly
10000 herring were brought In at one haul
" the seine. II required fifty men several
iours, tn get them ashore. Tho pile. when ON
he wharf, measured so feet long. 81 feet wide,
md " feet. deep. The fish would have filled
wenty coal cars. II has been said that as
many as, 400, 900 herring have been saved from
single haul of n seine In Albemarle Sound.
THEY COT TIE LION.
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