VIRGINIA: FISHERIES BY COUNTIES. 463 



faber), bluefish or tailors, and trout could readily be taken in this way. Gill-nets were first intro- 

 duced for the capture of mackerel about 1878, since which time they have been generally, adopted 

 in certain localities. At present they are extensively used between Hungar's Creek and the Mary- 

 land line from May until November, with the exception of about five or six weeks in midsummer. 

 The men often go singly, though more frequently two fish together. The boats for this work are 

 worth about $35 apiece, each being provided with three to five nets. The nets have a mesh meas- 

 uring 3 inches, are about 25 fathoms long and 30 meshes deep, and cost from $5 to $7. They are 

 set along the main shore and on both sides of Tangier Island, in from 6 to 14 feet of water. For- 

 merly the fishing was prosecuted only at night, but within the last year it has been found that the 

 mackerel will gill in the day time, and the Tangier fishermen often set their nets in the afternoon. 

 There are about two hundred gill-net fishermen on the peninsula during five months of the year, 

 and landing fish valued at $25,000, the greater part of which are shipped by steamer to Norfolk 

 and Baltimore. 



The first pound-net was introduced into the region by Messrs. Snediker & Warren in the spring 

 of 1877. This apparatus was found to be peculiarly adapted to the eastern shore, and a large profit 

 was derived from its use. Others soon engaged in the work, and there are now fourteen pounds 

 between Hungar's Creek and Cape Charles, a distance of 15 or 20 miles. There are three others 

 at Tangier Island, situated only a few miles below the northern boundary of the State. The 

 pound-nets in the first-named region are necessarily very large and strong, on account of their 

 exposed position. They cost about $1,000 each, and during an average season take about $4,200 

 worth of marketable fish, catching, in addition, about 500 barrels of menhaden and other non-edible 

 species, which are usually thrown away. The principal species taken are mackerel, bluefish, and 

 trout, though at times large catches of sheepshead and porgies are reported, and numerous other 

 species are often taken in limited quantities. The seventeen pounds require the service of sixty- 

 four men, who receive about $18 per mouth, the value of the catch for 1879 amounting to $57,000. 

 The law forbids the use of pound-nets prior to the 25th of June, and requires that they be taken 

 up by the 1st of October. The fishermen seriously object to this law, as it prevents their fishing 

 in the early spring and in the fall, when the catch would be very large. 



Haul-seines have been extensively used for many years, and prior to the war the greater part 

 of the catch was taken in them. At that time shad were very abundant in the region, and large 

 hauls were made during the spring and early summer. Of late, however, the shad visit the shores 

 in much smaller numbers, and seine fishing has proportionately decreased. In the summer of 1879 

 there were only twelve seines, employing eighty-five men, fished along this shore. The value of 

 the fish taken amounted to about $16,000. 



One other industry promises to become quite important, namely, the menhaden fishery. The 

 first oil and guano factory in Virginia was built near Cape Charles by Gallup & Kenniston in 18C6 

 or 1867, but owing to its exposed location it was abandoned, and the business was for a time dis- 

 continued. A few years later the work was revived on the western shore of the bay, and in 1875 

 Capt. L. Crockett, of Tangier Island, built a factory for utilizing the menhaden that were pecu- 

 liarly abundant in the vicinity. In 1878 another factory was built at the same place. In 1879 

 several other establishments were located along the shore, and in the spring of 1880 there were 

 seven factories in the region, six of them using kettles for cooking the fish, while one was provided 

 with the more modern steam apparatus. 



