Figure 18. — Fyke net fished for shad and other species. North Carolina and Virginia 



Fredericksburg (Massmann, Ladd, and 

 McCutcheon, 1952b). 



The estimated shad catch in 1960 was 89,364 

 lb., of which approximately 61 percent was 

 taken by stake gill nets, 21 percent by pound 

 nets, 16 percent by drift gill nets, and the re- 

 mainder by fyke nets. Pound nets were fished 

 from the river mouth upstream 85 miles to 

 Port Royal. The lower 10 miles had 25 stand- 

 ard-size pound nets; upstream the pound nets 

 were smaller. Stake gill nets were fished from 

 Monaskon to the outlet of Portobago Bay, a 

 distance of 55 miles. Net strings were 30 to 

 200 yd. long. The nets were 35 to 55 meshes 

 deep, had 5 l/4- to 5-7/8-in. mesh, and were 

 concentrated mostly between Monaskon and 

 Tappahannock. Drift gill nets were operated 

 from Leedstown to Port Royal, a distance of 

 10 miles. Between Port Royal and Portobago 

 Bay, the river was closed to all fishing except 

 with drift nets; the nets were 75 to 125 yd. 

 long, and 35 to 60 meshes deep and had 5- to 

 5-3/8-in. mesh. Fyke nets (fig. 18) were used 

 from Weems to Tappahannock, but the shad 

 catch was incidental to the catches of other 

 species. 



Table 27. — Shad catch, by area and gear, 

 York lUver, Va., and tributaries, 1960 



Potomac River 



Although the Potomac River forms the 

 boundary between Virginia and Maryland, the 

 Maryland line follows the low-water mark on 

 the Virginia side of the river. By an 1875 



51 



