The Wilmington morning star., 1946-07-14

being the fish scrap valuable as
fertilizer.
The oil is valuable too and is
used in the manufac ture of paints,
varnish. soap, linoleum and many
other articles. Fish meal and scrap
have a value of about $73 per ton.
Each ton of fish produces an av-
erage of Is gallons of oil valued at
IS cents per gallon. There was a
total of g. ,914 tons of menhaden
handled last year which produced
in oil and scrap $1,359, 900.
Thirty menhaden boats operated
out of Beaufort last year. There
are nine fish factories in the state.
eight of which are in Carteret coun-
tv and one in Brunswick county,
representing an investment of over
81, 500, 900. In addition there is an
investment of 81. 500, 900 in
boats and $3.50, 900 in nets, a total
investment in this industry of 3d.
$50, 900. Approximately $500 men
are employed during the season Oh
these operations.
Sometimes Hazardous
Most of the menhaden are caught
at sea between Hatteras and Little
River Inlet. Despite the hazards in
connection with these operations
there has been only one large loss.
In 1912 the Parkins loaded very
deep, was sunk due to heavy seas
off Atlantic Beach. The crew of Is
men took off in their purse boats.
They were taken in tow by a Coast
Guard boat and due to The rough
ness at Beaufort Inlet were beng
towed to Cape Lookout. Near the
entrance to the harbor the Coast
Guard boats motor failed, causing
the purse boats to swing side to
the sea and capsize resulting in
the drowning of II men. Captain
Dave Davis, the only colored
master in the fleet, was master of
this boat and was one of the II
lost.
Captain Bonner Willis, skipper of
the Chas. S. Wallace, is rated the
champion fisherman. He has been
in charge Of a boat for about IS
years and for the greater number
of those years has led the fleet in
the number of fish caught. They
never say pouncs, always number,
and two and a half thousand fish
is considered equivalent to one ton.
Mullets Plentiful
Mary thousand of pounds of null
lets are caught annually by a SIM
pie operation. A crew compos-
ed of 10 or Is men with an or
binary rowboat and a net takes sta
ton on the beach. A lookout or two
r sent up the beach about a mile
to watch for a school. When one is
spotted, the lockout signals to the
waiting crew which makes ready to
launch boat anG net. The lookout
follows the school down the coast.
Occasionally a shark or other large
fish also spots the school which is
soon dispersed. With luck however
it continues toward the fishermen.
The net is stretched in the path
of oncoming school. AS it nears the
net the outer end is brought
around toward shore, encircling
the school. The circle is Their grad
ually contracted and worked to.
ward shore until the school is com.
pletely surrounded and close to the
beach. There is considerable com
motion in the net at this time, fish
Tapping and jumping in efforts tc
escape. 1t is slow work drawing
the net up on the beach. If a small
shark or a large fish shoulG be ir
the ret he will often tear through
it permitting many other fish tt
escape and seriously damaging
the net.
Wading in water to their waists
the crew throws the fish up on the
sand and after an hour or two the
jobs is finished except loading or
trucks and taking the haul to the
market. The size of the catch va.