190 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



as well as in other apparatus set iu the Eappahannock, is sent to Balti- 

 more by the daily steamers serving that river. 



From Deep Greek to Lay ton. — In the second of the three sections of 

 Eappahannock Eiver, covering Essex, Eichmond, and Westmoreland 

 counties, the forms of apparatus used are stake nets, pound nets, drift 

 nets, seines, and fyke nets. The total catch of shad in 1896 was 171,080, 

 valued locally at $13,489, of which 104,118 were taken in stake nets, 

 51,575 in pound nets, 7,580 in drift nets, 6,792 in seines, and 1,015 in 

 fyke nets. 



The pound nets in this section are much smaller than those near the 

 mouth of the river, averaging iu value $125 each against $235 near the 

 mouth. They are usually set singly, but occasionally two and even 

 three are set iu one string, especially between Sharp's wharf and Tap- 

 pahannock. Along the northeast side of the river there were 63 pound 

 nets, 52 on the shore of Eichmond County and 11 on the Westmoreland 

 shore. On the opposite side — the Essex County shore — there were 37 

 pound nets, making an even 100 nets for this section of the Eappahan- 

 nock. The catch was smaller than for several years preceding. Three 

 pound nets set near Sharp's wharf caught 4,442 shad in 1895 and 3,872 

 in 1896, 764 of the latter being obtained iu one day. The total yield in 

 1896 was 51,575, valued at $3,923, 38 per cent of these being roes. 



All the stake nets on Eappahannock Eiver are located iu this section, 

 and they extend throughout the 38 miles from Deep Creek to Leeds- 

 town. They are 8 or 9 yards long, 10 to 20 feet deep, with 4i to 5 inch 

 mesh, of linen twine, and must be renewed each season, if not more 

 frequently. They are set in strings of 10 to 30 nets on the sides of the 

 channel at intervals of a few hundred feet. The total number in use in 

 1896 was 3,263, aggregating 27,164 yards in length, the yield of shad 

 numbering 104,118, valued locally at $8,242. The stake-net season 

 began about March 20 and ended the last of April, the greater portion 

 of the yield being obtained during the first two weeks of April. Com- 

 paring the stake-net fishery of the Eappahannock with that of James 

 Eiver, it appears that the yield in the latter stream was 101,706 shad, 

 or 2,412 less than iu the former. But the value of the catch in the 

 James was $18,524, over twice that of the Eappahannock, the difterence 

 being due principally to the season in the James being nearly three 

 weeks earlier than in the latter stream. 



The drift nets in the middle section of Eappahannock Eiver are oper- 

 ated in the extreme upper end thereof above Leedstown. They average 

 over 200 yards in length, 5-inch mesh, 60 meshes deep, and cost about 

 $20 each, 2 nets being used by each boat, which requires the services 

 of 2 men. The season extends from the last week in March to the first 

 of May. The catch of the 9 drift-net boats iu 1896 was 7,580 shad, 

 worth locally $571, of which 40 per cent were roes, the percentage being 

 greater than for several years preceding. 



Two sluid seines were used on the shore of Essex County, one at Mal- 

 lory Point and the other at Port Tobacco, at distances of 46 and 71 



