FISHERIES OF PAMLICO AND CORE SOUNDS Sl 
In 1909, J. H. Potter, of Beaufort, N. C., said: °® 
I have been engaged in the fish business for 30 years. I commenced before 
the first pound nets were set in North Carolina, and was instrumental in putting 
in the first pound net. I have seen that net destroy more fish than have been 
caught in North Carolina since. 
THE PROBLEM 
As a result of this controversy there has arisen a general feeling 
that wasteful practices existed in these fisheries, which were in part 
responsible for the shortage of the fish supply. Many proposals for 
the regulation of the various types of gear have been offered by one 
faction or the other, and it was recognized by the State authorities 
that some regulation was necessary. Because of strong sectional 
feeling, it was impossible for the fishing interests to agree upon a 
method of regulation, and it finally became apparent that, in the in- 
terests of future constructive regulations, a comprehensive, impartial, 
investigation should be conducted. Three problems were presented 
for consideration : 
1. To find the actual composition of both the pound-net and long- 
haul seine catches throughout the entire summer fishing season and 
the degree of competition between the two types of gear. 
2. To ascertain the amount of destruction caused by taking under- 
sized food fish by each type of gear. 
3. To find a method of protecting undersized fish until they became 
valuable to the fishermen, to the fish dealers, and to the people of 
North Carolina. 
With these problems in mind, the Bureau of Fisheries, with the 
full cooperation of the North Carolina Fisheries Commission, under 
Commissioner J. A. Nelson, undertook an extensive survey of these 
fisheries. Too much credit can not be given to Captain Nelson for 
the excellent assistance rendered. The launch Neuse, with crew 
under the able handling of Capt. J. R. Morris, was detailed to the 
field work, and the financial burden of its operation, as well as half of 
the incidental cost of the investigation, was borne by the State. 
SUMMARY 
The findings of this investigation may be summarized as follows: 
1. Many lines of evidence indicate that the fisheries of North 
Carolina are undergoing depletion. 
2. Wasteful methods in the fisheries are believed to be a contribut- 
ing cause to the exhaustion of the supply. Pound nets and long-haul 
seines both have been accused as responsible for the decline in 
abundance. 
3. Pound nets are stationary gear operating on deep muddy bot- 
toms. Long-haul seines are dragged over shallow sandy bottoms. 
4. The catch of pound nets consists chiefly of gray trout or sque- 
teague (Cynoscion regalis) and starfish or harvest fish (Peprilus alepi- 
dotus). The catch of long-haul seines consists chiefly of croakers 
(Micropogon undulatus), spots (Leiostomus xanthurus), and spotted 
trout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Hence there is little competition between 
the two types of gear. 
5. The two types of gear are highly selective in their action, pound 
nets catching smaller sizes of all species than do long-haul seines. 

6 Report of the Fisheries Convention held at New Bern, N.C., Dec. 13,1911. North Carolina Geological 
and Economic Survey, Economic Paper No. 29, p. 184. Raleigh, 1912. 
