492 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



from Virginia vessels, while in 19(»1 it employed its own steamer and 

 bought only a small proportion from vessels outside of the State. 



Striped hass mid white perch. — Striped bass is one of the best selling 

 species taken in the State. Very little change has taken place in its 

 abundance, though it was a more special object of capture in 1901 than 

 in 1897, an increased number of purse-seiners fishing for this species 

 and incidentally for white perch. There has been a noticeable decline 

 in the catch of white perch since 1897. 



German carp). — While this species is not of great importance com- 

 pared with many others, there has been a large increase in the catch, 

 especiall}" in Harford, Kent, Calvert, Cecil, Charles, and Prince George 

 counties. One small pound net set in the Patuxent River, off Calvert 

 County, caught 10,000 pounds of carp during the fall of 1901, which 

 were sold at an average price of 1 cents a pound. 



Gar pike. — This species is not of great importance in any one local- 

 ity, but in the aggregate quite a number are caught in pound nets 

 and shad gill nets. They are sold principally to colored people for a 

 few cents a Y)iece and it is not uncommon at some places to see several 

 colored people awaiting the return of fishermen to buy their gar pike. 



Terrapin. — This fishery has decreased in value within the past ten 

 years from $22,333 in 1891 to $1,139 in 1901, and it is now followed 

 in but few localities as a business, most of the catch being taken inci- 

 dentally by men engaged in other pursuits. If this decline continues 

 it will be onl}^ a few years when the terrapin will be practicalh^ 

 extinct in the State. 



Other species. — Other important species are squeteague, cat-fish, 

 butter-fish, sturgeon, and eels, all except squeteague and butter-fish 

 showing a decrease since 1897. The increase in these two species is 

 chiefly due to the extension of the pound-net fisheries in the Atlantic 

 Ocean off Worcester County. 



Apparatus. — Taking the value of the catch as a basis, the most 

 important kinds of apparatus of capture are tongs and nippers, 

 dredges, pound nets (including trap nets and weirs), seines, crab 

 scrapes, lines, gill nets, scoop nets, and f3^ke nets, in the order named. 

 The catch by these kinds of apparatus ranged from $1,873,905 worth 

 taken b}^ tongs and nippers to $24,211 worth in fyke nets. Minor 

 forms of apparatus were used, but their catches were small. 



With the exception of $14,381 worth of clams and $99 worth of 

 terrapin, the catch by tongs and nippers consisted of oysters. Two 

 kinds of tongs areaised, the ordinary shaft tongs and the patent tongs, 

 the former being in nuich more general use. The emplovment of 

 patent tongs is confined almost exclusivelj^ to Kent, Calvert, and St. 

 Mary counties, their use being general in the two latter counties near 

 the mouth of the Patuxent River, where they are especially advanta- 

 geous owing to the depth of water being too great in most places for 

 shaft longs. The shafts of tli(> latter \:iry in length in different parts 



