G42 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



1705. 



April 2 : At night caught :i fevr shad ; the first this season. 



May 18: Declined hauling my seine, altlio' what few are caught are tolerable gooil. There have been the 

 fewest and smallest shad caught this season of any within my remembrance. 



Swift Islands are about 1 mile above Midway Mills and 102 miles above Richmond, via James 

 River as it meanders. 



Wood's Island, now known as Norwood Island, 10 miles above Richmond, via James River as 

 it meanders, the largest and uppermost of tlie Swift Islands, containing- 9 <v:res, where there was 

 a most excellent fishery, was granted to Moses Ray, by patent bearing date December 15, 1749. 

 Moses Ray died in 17(iO, and Col. William Cabell, sr., administered on his estate, and bought the 

 said fishery from the heirs in October, 17S4. 



Hiift'alo Tultntd, containing 40 acres, was patented by Dr. William Cabell iu 1738, and deeded lo 

 his oldest son Col. William Cabell, of Union Hill, in 1703, first called Buffalo Island, then Wood's 

 IuJmul then rpjx-i- Fishery, then IIiHjliex Tslitntl, and now Norwood Island. 



From a memorandum, of Col. William Cabell, jr. (the son of Col. William Cabell, sr., of Union 

 Hill), who had recently married and had just begun to keep house : 



178T. 



Manli '-' 1 : 40 white shad were taken atone haul at the Swift Islands. March 28 : Received 20 white shad from 

 Swift. Island fishery. March 30: Received 2(> while shad from Swift Island fishery. 



April 1 : Received ;"1 white shad from Swift Island fishery. April a: Received 32 white shad from Swift Island 

 fishery. April 9: Received 37 white sliail from Swift Island fishery. April 10: Received 30 white shad from Swift 

 Island fishery. April 13: Received. !."> white shad of my father. April II: Received 50 shad, 39 of which I sent up to 

 my quarter. April 24 : Received 20 white shad of my fat her. .Ijiril 25 : Received 19 white shad of my father. Ajiril 

 2rt: Received 4'J white shad of my father. 



J/n.i/ !l : Received -jll while shad of my father. 



1788. 



A/nil t: B''U-;IM lo eateh white shad. 



From Col. William Cabell sr's. account books I find that fresh shad sold at 2 to 4 pence each, 

 before and after tin.- revolution. During the war prices varied with the currency. 



Pickled shad in barrels, containing from 150 to 200 shad, sold Cur about $6 to $9 a barrel. 

 V* ry few shad, fresh or pickled, were sold, but very many were given away. 



3. YORK EIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



The York River is the common estuary of the Pamunkey and Mattapony Rivers, which have 

 their confluence at West Point, about 20 miles west of Yorktown and Gloucester Point. 



The area of the hydrographic basin drained by the tributaries of the Mattapony and Pa- 

 muukey is small compared with that of any of the principal rivers of the State; yet, in conse- 

 quence of not being obstructed for some distance above the head of tide, the actual spawning area 

 for shad and herring is greater than iu the James, the Rappahauuock, or even in the Potomac. 

 The fact that these waters have been able to maintain a respectable shad fishery, in spite of the 

 excessive drafts made upon them, clearly illustrates the disastrous influences exerted upon the 

 fisheries of our principal rivers by the obstructions which restrict the migrations of the shad and 

 herring (alewife) to the tidal areas. 



Even in these rivers there has been a steady decrease in the value and the production of these 

 fisheries. The herring fishery no longer exists. Probably 250,000 to 300.000 are taken in gill- 

 nets for local consumption. Formerly with a haul seine, upon a single tide, over 100,000 have 



