The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-11-06
PORPOSE FISHING,
a Profitable Industry Pursued in Winter
OFF Cape Hatteras.

OFF Cape Hatteras.
During the summer porpoises are
scattered all over the seas, and are a
familiar sight to the steamship passen-
ger, but when cold weather comes the
prey upon which they feed, menhaden,
herring, and other small fish that as
sociate in schools, go southwark, and
assemble by millions in the shadows
lying between Ocracoke and Hatteras
inlets. Cape Hatteras affords barrier
against the fierce winds from the north,
and in the water below it these little
fishes see shelter. There, according
~. thousands of porpoises congregate.
There, too, men gather to fish for por-
poises.
Usually there are about 20 men in
aporpoise fishing camp. There must be a
sufficient number to manage four boats
and as many seines. The boats are dis
tributed at three stations along shore.
Two of them are together in one spot,
while the third is mile above, and
the fourth a mile below. Each boat
has seine on board. Lookouts are
continually stationed upon high bluffs
to watch for game, and they signal
with flags when school of porpoises
is coming.
Suppose the porpoises are coming
down the coast. Warned in time by
the signals, the men at the station
furthest south rapidly row their boat
out to sea, dropping their seine as they
go. If the thing has been properly
managed, they have been in time with
their net to head off the first of the
animals. AS soon as the school, or most
of it, has got past the station furthest
north, the boat from that point is run
out, dropping it's seine on the way
Thus the porpoises find themselves
hemmed in between two fences of net,
each stretching mile out into the
ocean.
They might easily escape by swim
ming seward, save for the fact that
meanwhile the two boats from the mid
die station have put out a mile from
land, not dropping their seines on the
way, but extending them on line par
allel with the shore, and joining the
two seward extremities of the other
seines. In this way is made within a
few minutes rectangular pen two
miles long and one mile broad, in which
the luckless beasts are confined. They
could easily get out, of course, by
breaking through the nets. inasmuch
as their strength is enormous, but they
do not think Of that.
The porpoises thus inclosed are sur.
rounded with smaller seines and drawn
in shore, where they are kept in pond
until the fishermen wish to kill them
Sometimes as many as 200 will be Sc
cured at a single haul. The fishery is
very profitable, because there are sew
cral products of the porpoise which are
valuable. The skin affords an excellent
leather. Upon being stripped from the
animal, the hides are sailed down.
tanned crudely and shipped to northern
markets, where they are used in tho
manufacture of shoes, travelling bags
and other goods. This leather has
particularly fine grain, and boots made
from it derive a waterproof quality
from the natural oil of the skin. The
highest priced porpoise leather, which
is very costly indeed, is obtained from
the unborn young. 1t is of most deli.
cate texture and exquisitely notified
in black and white. For book covers
il is an admirable material.
Everyone has heard of po1poise oil.
which is used for watches and other
delicate machinery. 1t is one of the
most costly oils known, because only
a few ounces of it are got from each
animal. 1t is obtained from the Jaws
only, being tried out from the bones
after the skin and flesh have been re,
moved. There is another sort of oil,
Of very little value, procured from the
fat beneath the skin and from the liver
and other Yiscera. Hides are worth
from IS cents to $3.50 apiece, the latter
price being paid far the best skins OF
unborn calves. a school of 200 repre-
sents about $500 to the fishermen. No,
body has ever attempted to make any
use of the skeletons, which are scat
tered by tens of thousands along the
shore below Cape Hatteras-N. Y. Sun.