132 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



SCARCITY' OF REACKFISH— MORTALITY OF CODFISH. 



By CIIAS. C. LESLIE. 



[From letter to G. Brown Goode.] 



For the past four or five years we have noticed the scarcity of black- 

 fish in the summer, and especially this summer. The smacks here have 

 not made their expenses for the past two months. I have just seen 

 Capt. S. M. Corker, one of our expert blackfish fishermen, who has 

 been in the business lor thirty years. He tells me that he has never 

 seen them so scarce as they are at present, and that in former years 

 the fishermen were accustomed to catch enough to pay expenses during 

 the summer. Captain Corker also tells me that about June 1 a vessel 

 came into this port, and, according- to the statement of her captain, she 

 sailed through acres of codfish, floating belly up, between Hatteras and 

 Cape Henry. The fish were not dead, but very weak. 



Charleston, S. C, June 29, 1882. 



SIIAD FISHING OIV THE SAI1VT JOHN'S RIVER. 



By JOHN IB. OSBOK1V. 



[From a letter to Prof. S. F. Balrd. ] 



The past winter was very poor; the river was quite low and every- 

 thing favorable for a good run of shad. I fished from January 12 until 

 February 25. This is my sixth and last winter on the Saint John's. 

 Our average catch nightly was 13 during January; during February it 

 was 20. We had a good many northeast winds and many very cold 

 nights, both of which stopped shad from running. 



Several fishermen on the lower river have quit the business. Messrs. 

 Melton & Tote, the largest fishery near Jacksonville, running 30 nets, 

 did not pay expenses. Shad sold in Palatka and Jacksonville for 50 

 cents apiece. We sold a 1 we could catch at Sanford and Orange City. 

 Could have sold ten times as many if we could have caught them, in 

 the winter of 1876 1 caught, on an average, 200 shad per night, with a 

 300-foot uet,20 meshes, 2^ inch mesh, rigged 3 meshes to a 5-inch span. 

 Shad have gradually decreased since, and last winter I fished a 400-foot 

 net, 25 meshes deep, 2.', inch mesh, rigged to 3 meshes on a 4-inch span. 

 M\ net was rigged to catch fish and she did catch them, except shad, 

 from a 5-inch herring up to 40 pound cattish and gars. 



Soeeento, FLA., Jvne 5, L882. 



