comparative abundance by the catch for a 

 series of years at the Greenfield seine fishery 

 on Albemarle Sound. The catch increased from 

 1852 to 1870; the average annual yield was 

 1 17,218 lb. for the first 5 yr. and 146,11 1 lb. 

 for the last 5 yr. The catch decreased rapidly 

 from 1876 to 1880 to an average annual yield 

 of 60,148 lb. 



The catch varied widely from 1880 to I960. 

 In 1880 to 1897, the shad fisheries of North 

 Carolina had their greatest development, and 

 production increased from about 3 million 

 pounds to nearly 9 million pounds (table 24), 

 From 1902 to 1918, however, production de- 

 creased, and the decline was more rapid than 

 the increase had been. The catch in 1918 was 

 only 18 percent of that in 1897. Between 1923 

 and 1928 production increased slightly, but by 

 1931 decreased to less than 10 percent of the 

 1897 take. From 1931 to 1945 production re- 

 mained low, and the annual yield was about 

 12 percent of the 1897 yield. From 1950 to 



Table 24. — Shad catch for certain years. 

 North Carolina, 1880-1960^ 



[In thousands of pounds] 



Year 



Catch 



1880 3,221 



1887 4,783 



1888 5,725 



1889 5,403 



1890 5,815 



1896 8,843 



1897 8,963 



1902 6,567 



1904 3,230 



1908 3,942 



1918 1,657 



1923 2,370 



1927 2,387 



1928 3,118 



1929. . - . . 1,913 



1930 1,172 



1931 883 



1932 925 



Year 



Catch 



1934 1.274 



1936 1,095 



1937 698 



1938 1,032 



1939 859 



1940 801 



1945 912 



1950 1,100 



1951 1,244 



1952 1,479 



1953 1,188 



1954 1,445 



1955 649 



1956 773 



1957 837 



1958 493 



1959 419 



1960 702 



^Statistics 1880-1959, U.S. Fish and Wild- 

 life Service (1958-61); 1904 (Cobb, 1906). 



1 960 the annual production fluctuated from a 

 high of 1,479,000 lb. in 1952 to alow of 419,000 

 lb. in 1959. The I960 yield was greater than 

 that of the 2 previous yr., but was less than 

 10 percent of the yield of 1897. 



(Dverfishing was thought to be chiefly re- 

 sponsible for the decline in catch, and various 

 remedies were sought. In 1873 the State began 

 artificial propagation of shad, and in 1878 the 

 U.S. Fish Commission assisted in the attempt 

 to restore the fishery (Snnith, 1907). Early 

 results indicated that stocking of shad fry 

 accomplished its purpose since catch increased 

 from 1880 to 1897. After that time the catch 

 decreased in spite of continued plantings, and 

 in 1943 it was decided that artificial propaga- 

 tion as practiced was of little value in main- 

 taining the supply of shad; consequently, stock- 

 ing was discontinued. 



Cobb (1906) reported on the conditions of 

 the fisheries which resulted in the early de- 

 cline and recommended regulations to curtail 

 fishing intensity. He stated that seines pro- 

 duced nearly 2 million pounds in 1897, but 

 less than 1/2 million pounds by 1904. Gill nets 

 produced nearly 5 million pounds in 1897, but 

 only about 1 million pounds in 1904, even though 

 the number of nets fished increased during this 

 period. In 1887 the pound net catch was less 

 than 1/2 million pounds, but by 1897 it had 

 increased to nnore than 2 million pounds. 

 From 1897 to 1904 the catch decreased each 

 season, while the number of pound nets in- 

 creased from 1,575 to 2,837. 



A number of factors have been cited as con- 

 tributors to fluctuations and general decline 

 in North Carolina shad production. Roelofs 

 (1951) reported that the history of the decline 

 paralleled that of the entire Atlantic coast and 

 that dams, overfishing, and pollution were the 

 three pivotal factors, Mansueti and Kolb (1953) 

 cited increased fishing intensity in North 

 Carolina waters, andlisted the probable causes 

 as improved fishing methods, more fishermen, 

 and better market and transportation facilities, 



Pulpwood, petroleum products, andfertilizer 

 materials have been important items of com- 

 merce on most North Carolina rivers for many 

 years. The effect on shad abundance of oil from 

 ships and waste effluents from industrial plants 

 and pulpmills cannot be evaluated, however, 

 because no measure of pollution is available 

 to correlate with fish production. 



SHAD FISHERIES OF VIRGINIA 



In 1896 the principal shad fisheries of the 

 United States were in Chesapeake Bay and its 

 tributaries. The catch in Virginia waters was 

 11,170,519 lb., of which 4,507,184 were taken 

 in the Bay and 6,663,335 in the rivers (includ- 

 ing Potomac River landings by Virginia fisher- 

 men): drift gill nets produced about 42 percent, 

 pound nets 37 percent, stake gill nets 13 per- 



cent, seines 7 percent, and nniscellaneous gears 

 the remainder. 



Shad entered Chesapeake Bay in I960 as 

 early as January, and the run continued through 

 May. The estimated catch in Virginia was 

 1,386,138 lb.; Chesapeake and Mobjack Bays 

 yielded 488,200 lb., the Bay tributaries 892,938 

 lb., and the Atlantic shore 5,000 lb. Of the 



45 



