FISHERIES OF SOUTHERN DELAWARE. 529 



Burkalow, of Magnolia, many of the fishermen at that place and adjacent towns work in the fruit- 

 canning establishments from July to September, but in the spring nearly all of the farmers in that 

 section catch fish, at least for their own use. At Milton, says Mr. J. DC Morris, the trout fishery 

 lasts about five weeks, and during this period the men pursue it with ardor, devotiug all their time 

 to handling seines. Those who own farms hire some one, generally a colored man, to do the farm 

 work while they are fishing. At Lewes thirty men make a business of fishing for trout from 

 May 1 to July; in addition to these there are fifty others, one-fourth of whom are colored, who 

 fish for pleasure or profit at odd jobs. Taking them altogether these semi-professional fishermen 

 are employed about one half of their time in catching trout, using for this purpose seines, gill- 

 nets, and, rarely, hook and line. Those fishing with hook and line in the spring do this only for 

 pleasure, or to secure a supply for their own table. After the rush of the trout fishery is over the 

 semi-professional fishermen, as we have seen, engage in other pursuits, leaving the professional 

 fishermen to continue the work on a more limited scale. The latter, as a rule, peddle their fish in 

 the villages and surrounding districts during the period between the 1st of July and November. 

 The catch of trout, however, as has been previously stated, is very small after the 1st of August. 

 A few colored men are engaged in the trout-fishery in the towns above Lewes. So far as we learn 

 it would be a liberal estimate to say that more than five or ten per cent, of the fishermen were 

 colored. 



3. APPARATUS AND METHODS OF FISHING. 



BOATS AND THEIR FITTINGS. The ordinary sharp-bowed, wide-sterned, flat- bottomed skiff, 

 or batteau, known in other sections of the country as the sharpie, is the style of boat almost uni- 

 versally used in the Delaware Bay fisheries. These vary in length from 12 to 20 feet, and in value 

 from $10 to $20. They are almost exclusively built by the fishermen themselves, with few excep- 

 tions propelled by oars, and are employed both in the gill-net and seine fisheries, the larger ones 

 being used for carrying out the haul-seines. At Bowers' Beach, however, there are a few round - 

 bottomed boats, such as are elsewhere described as the "gill-net shad-boats;" and at Lewes, also, 

 there are a few of these, as well as a limited number of the New Jersey surf-boats, such as are in 

 use at Long Branch. A full description of the various forms of boats may be found in the report 

 on fishing vessels. It may, however, be well to say here that the sharp-bowed boat is propelled 

 both by sails and oars, but the New Jersey surf-boat rarely has a sail. 



SEINES, NETS, AND LINES. There are several kinds of seines used in the trout-fishery by the 

 fishermen of Delaware Bay, differing principally in length. They may be classified under three 

 general heads : First, the large haul-seine, ranging from 75 to 150, or more, fathoms in length, 

 chiefly employed in the trout-fishery, and managed by a crew of four to seven men. Second, the 

 small haul-seines, from 40 to 70 fathoms long, frequently used both in fresh and salt water fishing, 

 and managed by a crew of two to four men. Third, the " wade-seines," 30 to 40 fathoms long, 

 operated by one or two men who have no boat, but wade out to the depth of 3 to 5 feet, setting the 

 seine as they go, after which it is hauled on the shore. The large seines range from G to 9 feet in 

 depth, while the smaller ones are rarely deeper than 7 feet. The mesh varies from 1 to 2 inches. 



According to Mr. D. R. Tomliuson, of Dover, the fishermen of that place use small seines, 40 

 to 45 fathoms long and 6 to 7 feet deep, for the capture of various species of fish, such as trout, 

 shad, herring, rock, and perch. For the management of these seines they are each provided with a 

 "shore-line" 50 fathoms long, and a "water-line" 100 fathoms in length. In addition to these 

 nets the fishermen use, during the trout season, from May 1 to July 1, a number of large seines 

 which are 150 to 175 fathoms long, 7 feet deep, having 2-inch mesh. These nets are provided with 

 SEC Y 34 



