SHAD FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. 169 



in 1896, 32,178 shad were obtained in Pamlico River and 6,515 in the 

 Tar. 



Stake nets are set alonj^- both sides of the channel of this stream from 

 the mouth to the town of Washington. They average 20 yards in 

 length, 10 to 12 feet deep, with 5| to 5J inch mesh, and are made of 

 cotton twine, which must be renewed annually. In 1896 840 nets were 

 used, set in strings of from 10 to 40 nets each. The season began the 

 second week of February and closed about the end of April, yielding 

 4,260 roe shad and 3,854 bucks, with an aggregate value of $1,632. 



During heavy freshets a number of drift nets are used in the river 

 from 1 mile below Washington to the same distance above that town. 

 These nets are about 100 yards in length, with 5|-inch to 5i-inch mesh, 

 and cost $10 or $12 each. Two men are required for each net, and the 

 boats used are worth $10 to $15 each. The catch is small, as these 

 nets are used only when the water is high. In the 23 nets operated 

 at times in 1896 the yield of shad was 5,221, of which 2,867, or 55 per 

 cent, were roes. 



The bow-net fisheries are operated at various points from Washing- 

 ton to 25 miles above Tarboro, the total number of nets in 1896 being 

 120, of which 22 were operated in Pamlico River and 98 in the Tar. In 

 the lower part of the river two men are required for each net, but in the 

 upper portion a few of the nets are operated by one man each. The 

 catch in 1896 by those in the Pamlico end was 1,010 shad and in Tar 

 River 6,285. Most of these shad are consumed by the families of the 

 fishermen and their neighbors. 



The few pound nets or Dutch nets in Pamlico River are set near the 

 mouth of Pungo River, a short tributary of the former, from September 

 until the following May, and in these some shad are taken. An inter- 

 diction exists against the use of this form of apparatus, resulting in 

 restricting but not entirely prohibiting the fishery. In 1896 27 of these 

 nets were used, aggregating in value $3,325, being set in strings with 

 from two to four nets each. The catch of shad numoered 7,759, of 

 which 3,926 were roes. 



CROATAN AND ROANOKE SOUNDS. 



These sounds, separated from each other by Roanoke Island, form the 

 channel of communication between Pamlico Sound and Albemarle 

 Sound, all the waters of the latter, including its numerous tributaries, 

 passing through them. Croatan Sound is 10 miles long, 2^ to 4 miles 

 wide, and averages 8 to 10 feet deep, the bottom being very uneven 

 and broken. Roanoke Sound has the same length as Croatan Sound 

 and is 1 to 2 miles wide and very shoal except in a narrow channel 

 skirting the shore of Roanoke Island, where the depth averages from 8 

 to 12 feet. The bulk of the shad passing from Pamlico Sound traverse 

 Croatan Sound, in which there are consequently important fisheries. 

 In Roanoke Sound very little twine is set, and the experience of the 

 fishermen indicates that few shad pass through that body of water. 



