HISTORY OP' THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. Ill 



safer quarters, and the weakflsh got iu sufficiently to furnish fair fish- 

 ing, and to promise a continuance of the supply. But that year the 

 pounds remained undisturbed, and not even the weakfish could find 

 an entrance. Formerly moss-bunkers, or bonyfish which are manu- 

 factured into oil and manure, frequented the bay and brought bluefish 

 after them. They are the favorite food of the latter. They have been 

 the foundation for quite a business in that part of our State, a number 

 of factories having been established along the shore. Now they are 

 never taken inside the bay, and the bluefish, whether for the reason 

 that their food is wanted, or on account of their natural shyness, are 

 also rarely seen inside. The latter are still caught iu seines at some of 

 the inlets, but seem to be stopped by the pound-nets, or else return of 

 their own accord to the ocean. They do not enter the pound-nets, being 

 seldom taken in them. This would go to show that they are frightened 

 away; that when they meet the wings of the net they do not attempt 

 to pass around it, but simply retrace their steps to safer quarters. The 

 loss thus inflicted on the residents along the bay, without benefit to 

 any one, is incalculable." 



Comments upon these allegations. 



154. It is the commonly received opinion that purse-net fishing is des- 

 tined eventually to destroy all the menhaden in our waters. Many de- 

 cided views to this effect have been advanced by correspondents. All 

 that can be said at present is that the commonly received opinion has 

 not yet been proved to be true. The same may be said regarding pound- 

 net fishing. It is doubtless true that the fisheries in a given locality 

 may deplete the waters of the immediate region in which they are prose- 

 cuted. The cod and halibut may be fished for upon a single bank until 

 the local supply is exhausted. This depletion does not, however, neces- 

 sarily affect the aggregate numbers upon the entire coast. 



The barrier of pounds will doubtless prevent the menhaden from enter- 

 ing a body of water like the Great South Bay, but this does not neces- 

 sarily have any effect upon the aggregate representation of the species 

 in the coast waters. The small number offish consumed by man propor- 

 tionately to the number consumed by other fishes has been alluded to. 



A writer in Chambers's Journal estimates the herring-eating power of 

 the Solan goose as follows : " Say that the island of St. Kilda has a popu- 

 lation of 200,000 of these birds, and they feed there for seven months; 

 let us also suppose that each bird, or its young ones, eat only five her- 

 rings per diem ; that gives a sum total of one million of these fish, and 

 counting the days in the seven months from March to September as 214, 

 that figure may be taken to represent in millions the quantity of her- 

 rings annually devoured by these birds. It has been calculated that the 

 cod and ling in the seas and friths around Scotland would devour more 

 herrings than could be caught by 50,000 fishermen. We have examined 

 the internal economy of a codfish, which contained in its stomach no less 

 than eleven full grown herrings." 



