constant, but the catch per bow net in I960 

 was more than twice that of 1896. Since 1896 

 sport fishing for shad has been introduced in 

 certain Georgia rivers. 



FISHERIES BY WATER AREA 



State regulations divide Georgia fishing 

 waters into coastal areas (which are under 

 the jurisdiction of the Coastal Fisheries Divi- 

 sion of the Georgia State Game and Fish 

 Commission) and inland areas (under the 

 jurisdiction of the Inland Division of the Com- 

 mission). In this report, the fishery in each 

 river in Georgia is divided into coastal and 

 inland areas. 



In 1960 the legal connmercial season for 

 shad fishing was January 1 to April 1, except 

 in the St. Marys River where it was December 

 15 to April 15. Fishing was not pernnitted 

 during weekends, fronn sundown Friday to 

 sunrise Monday. There was no closed season 

 for taking shad with sport tackle, and the daily 

 creel limit was eight shad. 



Shad were taken by commercial gear in 

 seven rivers: St. Marys, Satilla, Altamaha, 

 Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, and Savannah 

 (fig. 6). In the latter two streams, shad were 

 taken also by sport fishermen. The fishery 

 in the St. Marys River was described in the 

 fisheries of Florida. 



Satilla River 



The Satilla is the southernmost shad river 

 completely within Georgia. It rises in Irwin 

 County, flows 200 miles southeast, and enters 

 the ocean 30 miles below Woodbine. In addi- 

 tion to other tributaries, the Satilla re- 

 ceives the White Oak River 18 miles below 

 Woodbine. 



The shad fishery on the Satilla River origi- 

 nated in 1894, although before then many were 

 taken earlier for home use (Stevenson, 1899). 

 In 1896, 5,591 lb. were caught by three drift 

 gill nets, each 150 yd. long with 5-in. mesh, 

 operated between Woodbine and Bailey Mills, 

 a distance of 30 nniles. The catch in excess of 

 local use was sold in Brunswick, Ga. 



In i960 the river was free of obstructions 

 to the passage of fish, and shad ascended 95 

 miles to Waycross. According to observations 

 of ripe females in the catch, the major spawn- 

 ing grounds were near Owens Ferry in the 

 Satilla River and near U.S. Highway 17 bridge 

 in the White Oak River. 



The coastal fishing area in 1960 extended 

 from the river nnouth to Owens Ferry, a dis- 

 tance of 40 miles, and the inland area com- 

 prised the rennainder of the river. In both 

 areas fishing began the first week in Feb- 

 ruary and ended about mid- March when most 

 females had spawned. In the latter part of the 



season, some netters shifted to the White 

 Oak River. 



Drift gill nets were fished in the coastal 

 area, and set gill nets were fished in the in- 

 land area. The drift nets were 60 to 130 yd. 

 long and 35 to 40 meshes deep and had 4 3/4- 

 to 5 l/2-in. stretched mesh. Aggregate length 

 of these nets was 6,072 yd., and the catch was 

 17,600 lb. of shad. Set gill nets were fished in 

 the inland area; they ranged from 10 to 20 yd. 

 long and 35 to 70 meshes deep and had 4 3/4- 

 to 5 l/2-in. stretched mesh. Total length of 

 these nets was 1,920 yd., and the catch was 

 4,594 lb. of shad. Drift gill net fishermen and 

 Sonne set gill net fishermen depended on shad 

 for part of their livelihood. The catch was 

 sold to dealers at Woodbine and shipped to 

 northern markets. Fish taken in the inland 

 area generally were for home consumption. 



Altamaha River 



The Altamaha River, with its many tribu- 

 taries, is located entirely within Georgia. It 

 is formed by the junction of the Ocmulgee and 

 Oconee Rivers and flows 150 miles before 

 entering the oceanbelow Darien. The Ocmulgee 

 is formed by the union of the South and Yellow 

 Rivers and flows 300 miles to its union with 

 the Oconee. The Oconee is formed by the union 

 of the North and Middle Forks and flows 280 

 miles before uniting with the Ocmulgee. 



Shad were abundant in the Altamaha River 

 in 1896, but shipping facilities were so un- 

 satisfactory that the fishery was undeveloped 

 except for local use. Drift gill nets were fished 

 principally in the lower river below Doctor- 

 town, and set gill nets and bow nets were op- 

 erated above this location. Drift gill nets were 

 45 to 55 yd. long and had 5- to 5 l/2-in. mesh; 

 set gill nets ranged from 30 to 35 yd. long 

 and had 5 l/2-in. mesh. The amount of gear 

 fished and the catch by gear in 1896 are given 

 in tables 13 and 14. 



In i960 the river and tributaries were free 

 of obstructions to fish passage, and shad as- 

 cended the Oconee 100 miles to the vicinity 

 of Dublin and the Ocmulgee 150 nniles to the 

 vicinity of Hawkinsville. Ripe fish in the catch 

 indicated the major spawning grounds to be 

 from State Highway 144 bridge in the Altamaha 

 upstreann into both tributaries. 



The coastal fishing area in 1960 extended 

 from the river mouth to the Seaboard Air Line 

 Railroad Bridge between Everett City and Cox, 

 a distance of 40 miles, and the inland area 

 comprised the remainder of the river including 

 tributaries. Drift gill nets in the coastal area 

 were 35 to 200 yd. long and 35 to 50 meshes 

 deep and had 4 1/2- to 5 l/2-in. mesh. The 

 number of drift gill nets was 99, the aggregate 

 length was 7,722 yd., and the catch was 237,898 

 lb. of shad. In addition six set gill nets, each 

 75 yd. long, 70 meshes deep, and with 5 l/2-in. 



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