Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-04-03
MILLIONS OF FISHES.
OUR VIRGINIA WATERS ARE TEEN
ING WITH THE FINNY DENIZENs.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THEM,
Thousands Upon Thousands Are the
Prey of voracious Waterfowl and
Other Piscatorial Enemies - The
Greediness of Birds.
(For the Dispatch.)

| (For the Dispatch)
The habits of fish have been, and pro-
| badly will ever remain, a mystery 10
man. Science has labored long, ardu-
| ously and extravagantly, TO ferret out
| the subtle influence which pilots the
myriads of fish that annually leave the
waters of the Gulf stream, course the
shores of the Southern States. and then
| enter the capes of Virginia for awhile,
and become the prey OF mans machina-
| lions, the birds of the air. and the canni-
| bal nature of other fnny tribes. And
science is likewise puzzled at the mil
| lions Of little fish that are spawned in
the waters Of the Chesapeake and its tri-
butaries (for 1t is Of Virginia's waters
We at this time write), and are seen for
while, after which they pass out of the
apes and are never noticed again-if at
lll-until two or more years have elapsed
and they have reached maturity. Nor
yet can science trace the wherefores in
the evolution Of tho tiny, soft crab,
through it's stages Of periodical shedding,
until il reaches that point when IT
ceases to shed and becomes permanently
a hard crab, or old chandler (channeD
crab" as they call 1t in the vernacular
Of Tidewater Virginia. Nor do the wise
ones understand why this self same
, chandler" will take unto himself wife
only from the soft-shell kingdom, and
in nine cases out of ten will, unless the
process Of hardening is rapid, make
meal OF her after their honeymoon is
ended. Vertically, the lot OF the soft crab
is beset with vicissitudes. When the
time approaches for his expanding body
to burst it's shell, he seeks shallow waters,
and getting up TO the very edge
of land and water, kind stick, bush, or
shell is sought for security, from under
which, If he dares venture, one Of his
own kind with sharder shell, or a rapa-
cious fish, will make short work of the
impotent, defenceless morsel. But a few
hours will grow a harder shell upon him
and he in turn searches for some UNI
fortunate in the throes Of his recent
state, or for a sluggish or disabled fish.
His nature, in hardened state,
is Of the bravest, for he will not
hesitate to attack the toes or limbs of
bathers, and is the first scavenger Of the
deep to mutilate the bodies of the drown
ed. His presumptuous claws often
awaken the ravenous bluefish, and even
the shark, from his siesta. But 1 am
DEPRESSING; my object in this writing IS
to acquaint those not directly connected
with our water Industries, and particu-
larly those resident Of the other sections
OF our great Commonwealth, with some
of the peculiarities Of our fishes and
water fowl, which have been moro In
evidence during the past few weeks than
ever before In tho recollection OF our
fishermen.
NfENHADEN FISHING.
The menhaden fishing season has open
ed, and the ever-present dangers 70 those
harmless and edibly worthless minions
Of the deep have increased since the
ponderous purse-net Is being cast in the
blue waters OF the Atlantic and the
Chesapeake, and soon millions OF mem
baden will be transformed into dust that
forms tho basis of the principal ferti
lizers used by farmers, not only In Vir-
ginia, but throughout tho entire Atlantic
seaboard-an item which Is far-reaching,
as only through the fish OF our waters
are the farmers enabled to procure
genuine fertilizers At the figures that
they now do. This soft crab. as We have
shown, is only during certain periods OF
short duration the prey OF others. but
the luckless menhaden from It's begin
ming is food for fish, fowl. and Mother
Earth. Defenoeless and harmless, nature
was wise In multiplying It TO the extent
that year by year they become more
numerous. The menhaden is not hook
and-line fish (neither is the shad nor
herring, which are caught by gill-net, |
haul-seine and pound-net, all in shore) |
and is worthless as food except for the |
birds Of the air and the fishes OF the |
sea. Its habit is 10 travel in close, COM |
pact schools, and during the spring, sum |
mer. and fall under certain conditions Of |
the weather and temperature Of the wa |
ter. it skins the surface, making a ripple, |
by which IL Is sighted from tho menhaden !
fishers masts. A deep net Of about a |
quarter Of a mile in length, having corks |
strung along its upper selvage and lead !
sinkers on its bottom one, Is hurriedly |
thrown out from two small boats in /
advance OF the school. When all or a |
portion OF the shoal Is surrounded and |
the two boats como together. a rope, |
strung along the bottom of the net, is |
rapidly drawn in, and the net at the |
bottom Is soon "pursed," like the mouth |
Of a tobacco bag and the fish are cap /
tive The blunt" or main body OF the |
net Is by degrees hauled into the two
boats until only a comparatively small
part OF IL Is in the water, and there the |
fish are packed together living mass, |
from which they are dipped out with
stralner scoops holding a thousand Din
measured each. operated by windlass or
pulley from the steamer or schooner.
which hitherto had been lying off some
distance, but has now approached. IL Is
seldom that all of a school is captured,
for sometimes they number many mil
lions OF these FISH. which ordinarily are
about the size OF a herring. A half mil
lion at one time Is considered a good
catch. Oftentimes the quarry escapes
through the presence OF vicious blue
hsh or sharks which have been In the
school feastinz. The fishermen dread