BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 89 



The early history of the menhaden industry is given briefly by Earll 

 (1887). Early efforts to establish the menhaden industry in North Carolina 

 were inspired by Northern soldiers who had sojourned in the State during the 

 Civil War. Their glowing accounts of the abundance of menhaden in the 

 waters of North Carolina encouraged Northern capitalists to invest in the 

 fishery. Capital, and men experienced in the capturing and processing of 

 menhaden, were brought to the State to initiate the program. In spite of the 

 experience and background of the promoters, the establishment of menhaden 

 factories in North Carolina had rugged going, and at one time, even as late 

 as 1880, it was doubted that the menhaden industry could ever be developed 

 here. 



This early fishery was limited almost entirely to the sound waters, Core 

 and Pamlico sounds and a part of Bogue Sound being the principal fishing 

 grounds, with the exception of one fishery that was established on the Cape 

 Fear River. 



Some effort was made to fish outside the inlets, but the unpredictable 

 storms and the narrow circuitous inlets with their strong tidal currents dis- 

 couraged any extensive effort in this direction. The shoal waters of the sound, 

 the periodic scarcity of fish, and the poor yield of oil conspired to defeat 

 all the early efforts. 



The first processing plant was established on Harpers (Barkers? ) Island in 

 Core Sound in 1865. The first year, this plant was equipped with kettles 

 and hand presses and was dependent upon gill nets for its fish supply. Later 

 a boiler was installed and purse and haul seines were introduced for the 

 capture of the fish. In 1873 operations were discontinued on the Island and 

 the equipment was moved to Cape Lookout, which was considered a more 

 favorable location. The plant was never erected at the new site and the 

 project was abandoned with a total loss of capital of about $3,000. 



In 1866 the Excelsior Oil and Guano Company established a plant at 

 Portsmouth Island, near Ocracoke Inlet. This plant was financed by Northern 

 capital and was probably "modernly" equipped. It was an ambitious under- 

 taking, backed by $50,000 capital. Purse seines were employed and Northern 

 fishermen skilled in their use and acquainted with the behavior of the fish 

 were imported for the operation of the seines. After three years the project 

 was completely abandoned with the loss of the original $50,000 capital and 

 $25,000 more. The reasons given for the abandonment of this project were 

 (i) the scarcity of fish; (2) the limited range of operation due to the hot 

 weather. The boats could fish no further than 25 miles from the plant and 

 land fish in condition to process; (3) "outside" fishing was found impracti- 

 cable because of the shoalness of the inlets and the frequency of sudden 

 storms; the shifting channels prevented entrance into the sounds and fishing 

 boats caught outside were in a hazardous predicament; (4) the fish in the 



