Each of these nets was 100 yd. long and 35 

 meshes deep; nneshes ranged from 4 to 5 1 /Z 

 in. Between Palatka and Welaka, a distance of 

 20 miles, drift gill nets and haul seines {locally- 

 termed "shad nets"--see fig. 4) were used. 

 Three gill net operators near Palatka caught 

 a total of 24,600 lb. of shad. The nets were 80 

 to 100 yd. long and 25 to 50 meshes deep and 

 had 5 l/4-in. nnesh. Eleven haul seines fished 

 between the Palatka gill net area and Welaka 

 caught 298,700 lb. The seines were 300 to 380 

 yd. long and 2 to 30 ft. deep and had 2- to 

 4-in. mesh. There was no shad fishing in the 

 55-mile section of the St. Johns from Jackson- 

 ville to Palatka. 



Sport fishing for shad by hook and line has 

 become popular on the St. Johns River in re- 

 cent years (Nichols, 1959b). The first fish 

 taken in this nnanner reportedly was caught in 

 1942, west of DeLand. In 1960 the fishery was 

 concentrated near Sanford, between Lakes 



fined to the Palatka -Welaka area. In I960 

 sport fishermen caught shad in the area be- 

 tween Lake George and Lake Harney. In 1896 

 most fish were taken by drift gill nets, but in 

 I960 most were caught by haul seines. The 

 catch was 1,287,507 lb. in 1896 and 703,0001b. 

 in 1960. 



In 1896 Stevenson predicted that the spread 

 and growth of water hyacinth would lead to 

 abandonment of shad fishing near Palatka. 

 This plant is still very much a nuisance on 

 the St. Johns, where it has spread to areas 

 south of Lake Harney despite a control pro- 

 gram with 2, 4-D spray conducted by State and 

 Federal agencies. Also, there is a large popu- 

 lation of gizzard shad, Dorosonna cepedianum , 

 in the Palatka area, and at tinnes drift gill nets 

 sink from the weight of these fish. Because of 

 the abundance of water hyacinth and gizzard 

 shad, drift gill net fishing upstream from 

 Palatka has been reduced. 



5^.p::?,-' 



Ifc-^*^' 



Figure 4.~Beachlng a shad net on the St. Johns River, Ha. 



Monroe and Harney, which was also the nnajor 

 spawning area. Fishing was done almost ex- 

 clusively by trolling from boats with various 

 types of small spoons and weighted jigs (fig. 5). 

 The first shad were taken early in December, 

 and the fishery continued into April. The best 

 catches were made between mid-January and 

 mid-March. 



A comparison of gear and location fished for 

 shad in 1896 and I960 indicates a definite 

 change in the fishery. Channel in-iprovements 

 at the mouth of the St. Johns required a change 

 from drift gill nets fished in the river to 

 anchor gill nets fished outside the river mouth. 

 In 1896 haul seines were fished between Lake 

 George and Lake Harney but in 1960 were con- 



st. Marys River 



The St. Marys River is formed by the union 

 of numerous streanns that have their source in 

 the Okefenokee Swamp. It forms a boundary 

 between Florida and Georgia for 175 nniles to 

 its entrance into the Atlantic Ocean 3 miles 

 below St. Marys, Ga. The river channel is 

 narrow, and tidal currents are strong for 

 much of its length. Pulp mills are located on 

 both sides of the river near St. Marys. 



In 1896, because of the greater abundance 

 of shad in the St. Johns River, as well as 

 nneager shipping facilities on the St. Marys, 

 little attention was given to the fish in the 



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