The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-09
A Nursery Of the Sea.

fishermen off-shore here, and there is
reason to believe that there will be
far-reaching results obtained in the
future through improved methods of
deep-sea seining. In the two winter
months of January and February all
of our littoral species of fish disappear
almost entirely from the waters off
our coast, and fishermen are compelled
to fold up their seines and wait until
spring for the temperance of their
faverite game. A very few daring
and adventurous spirits go far out to
sea with long lines, and succeed in
catching few each day to supply the
markets but, as rule, the catches
have been comparatively small and
insignificant.
Scientists have concluded that the
fishes 60 to some unknown region or
depths of the ocean to breed during
these two cold months, and upon their
return in the spring they are accom-
panied by innumerable hosts of young
fry. The discovery off-shore here is
nothing less than that Of a winter
nursery of our littoral species Of fish.
Frem six to eight fathoms below the
surface Of the water the fish have
been found to be literally swarming in
countless numbers, and hooks and
seines let down to that depth invaria-
bly, bring up rich hauls. No amount of
coaxing and temptation can induce the
fish to leave their warm winter habi-
tat far below the surface, and the fish
ermen have to adopt new methods Of
catching them.
The discovery is important in modi-
flying our prevailing methods Of catch
ing marketable food fish and in cheap
ening the supply in winter and in
furnishing the needy workers with
employment at an off season when
poverty and hardship often press most
severely upon them. Naturalists
have believed for some time that most
of our sea-food fishes migrated to war
mer climates in winter, as our birds
do, and returned in the spring; but
now it seems that they merely swim
off-shore some distance and drop down
into deep corrugations: and remain
happy and contented until spring re-
turns.
The fish are found off Beaufort and
Morehead City in deep holes or CORFU
cations. In the summer time they
come inshore further, and swarm
around the oyster beds and the bays
and inlets. A great variety Of food
fish is found in this winter nursery,
such as the red drum, gray trout or
weak6sh, spotted sea trout, blue6sh.
cronkers and many others. Last win
ter the fishermen, with decp-sca lines;
managed to make big hauls over these
winter pasture fields. They let down
lines from FIVE to ten fathems and
brought up big game. But this was
soon considered too slow work. and
special deep-sea nets were manufas
tured for the purpose. These nets
were heavily weighted, and when sunk.
to the proper depth they brought up
enormous hauls Of fish.
This winter the fishing has been
better than ever. Improvements have
been made upon the nets, and the
fishermen have been scoring wonder
ful successes. In the first FIVE days
of February $4,000 pounds of trout
and 125, 900 cronEers were caught in
this manner about 1-2 miles of shore
from Fort Macon, near the sea buoy,
where the depth averages six fathoms.
The fishing has been so good in places
that the men have made as high as
$40 each in one day. Men all along
shore ont of employment are focking
to the place to take part in the fishing.
\ man provided with decpsca line
and hooks, who is willing to endure
the hardships. can make good living
in this way. But it is no easy work
to operate line six to eight fathoms
in length, with several pounds of lead
and 6vc-pound fish on the other end.
Some of the line fishermen come in at
night with boatload of fish, but their
hands are so cut and mutilated that
they arc unfit for work the next day.
Thick buckskin gloves on the hands
are necessary for the proper protection
of the skin.
\ new sort of seine has been used
here this winter for the first time. 1t
is designed just for this deep water