332 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



mackerel, but have met with indifferent success. After waiting for a long time for the fish to 

 appear, a few firms allowed the crews to take their steamers south and sell the fish to factories 

 there." 



Along the north coasts of North and South Carolina menhaden are abundant, but efforts to 

 establish fisheries in that region have not been successful. Mr. R. E. Earll, in another place, 

 discusses the possibilities of the menhaden fisheries of North Carolina. He says that an attempt 

 was made to establish an oil and guano factory at Charleston, S. C., a few years since, but 

 the plan was abandoned after the first day's fishing, on account of the abundance of sharks. 

 Several efforts have been made to locate factories on the North Carolina coast, and some parties 

 have prosecuted the business with varying success for several years. Thus far, however, no one 

 has succeeded in making it profitable. It is, therefore, an open question whether this fishery can 

 be prosecuted in the State. Tne currents are so strong at the inlets that sail vessels are often un- 

 able to enter them when the tide is unfavorable, and they are thus frequently delayed so long that 

 the fish spoil before they reach the factory. Menhaden are quite abundant in the inner sounds, 

 but the water is usually so shoal as to interfere seriously with the use of purse-seines, and the fish 

 are so scattered that only a few barrels can be taken at a haul. 



3. THE FISHERMEN. 



The men engaged in this fishery are, as a rule, employed in agricultural or other pursuits after 

 the fishing season is over. Along the Rhode Island and Connecticut shores many of them pursue 

 the cod or other fisheries throughout the winter and the menhaden fishery in the summer, while 

 the crews of menhaden vessels in Chesapeake Bay are farmers when the fishing is not in season. 

 The number of men required to man a menhaden vessel varies from two or three on a carry-away 

 boat or tender, to crews of twenty-seven or ( liirty on the double-gang steamers. The fishermen 

 were formerly allowed a certain share in the results of a cruise, but most of them are now hired 

 at fixed wages. On the steamers the crew receive from $30 to $40 per month and their board ; the 

 mate has wages and a share in the profits, and the captain receives no regular wages, but a share 

 in the profits of the cruise. The owners of the vessel furnish provisions and all the requisites for 

 fishing. In 1879 most of the owners of vessels engaged their crews on halves, the factory issuing 

 printed regulations as to the price to be allowed for the catch. The prices paid in that year were 

 30 cents per barrel of 200 pounds, from the beginning of the season until August 1 ; from that 

 date till the middle of September, CO cents per barrel ; and then 80 cents per barrel till the end of 

 the season in Maine. The increase in price was because of a corresponding increase in the fatness 

 of the fish. 



One of the ordinary size menhaden steamers carries fourteen men, consisting of a captain, 

 mate, cook, engineer, fireman, and a crew of nine men. The captain nmst, of course, be an expe- 

 rienced fisherman, and, as an incentive to hard work, he is frequently allowed a large share in the 

 profits. He must be a good navigator, and have a pilot's license to permit his pursuing the fish 

 into bays and sounds, and to allow his entering a harbor convenient for shelter. The mate also 

 must be an experienced fishermen and "have a good eye for fish "; for, as he is generally stationed 

 at the masthead to watch for schools, much of the success of the trip depends on him. A good 

 fisherman can sometimes see the fish swimming even 1 or 2 fathoms below the surface and deter- 

 mine whether they are herring, mackerel, or menhaden. As soon as they show themselves at the 

 top of the water he can judge the size and quality of the school. The duties of the mate are also 

 to care for the gear and to superintend the lauding of the cargo. The cook is in many cases hired 



