SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 273 



All kinds of fish of suitable size are eaten by the striped bass. In North 

 Carolina in spring, shad and alewives are the principal food and are consumed in 

 enormous numbers, the bass being gluttonous and becoming very fat. Crabs, 

 shrimps, lobsters, squid, clams, and other invertebrates are also devoured. 



The striped bass is one of the best and most valuable of American fishes, the 

 flesh being white, flaky, well-flavored, and remaining firm when shipped to 

 market. As a game fish it is a general favorite in both salt and fresh water, and 

 by many anglers it is more highly esteemed than any other species. A popular 

 method of fishing, practiced mostly in southern New England, is heaving and 

 hauling in the surf with a stout line baited with menhaden or other fish. 



In North Carolina the striped bass ranks next in importance to shad and 

 alewives among the anadromous fishes, and the quantity here caught exceeds that 

 in any other state except California. While considerable quantities are taken 

 with seines, gill nets, lines, and slides, the bulk of the yield, considering the entire 

 state, comes from pound nets; most of the apparatus is operated primarily for 

 shad and alewives. The fishery is most extensive in Dare County, where about 

 half the total product is obtained. Other counties in which large quantities are 

 taken are Currituck, Chowan, Bertie, Martin, Halifax, Washington, Beaufort, 

 and Craven. In the waters about Beaufort and Morehead, striped bass are 

 caught in only small quantities, but they are more numerous at New Bern and 

 other points on the Neuse. The fishery is more important in Roanoke River 

 than in any other stream, and there the catch is chiefly with sweep seines, the 

 leading seine fishery being near Plymouth. Other methods of fishing in and near 

 the falls in the upper river are thus described by Mr. Worth (1903): 



The fish go up there in March and April, and if there is water enough they distribute 

 themselves over the falls where the current is so strong that it is apparently dangerous to go 

 even when the river is at moderate stages, and when it is high it is really very dangerous; 

 and these fish get up in these numerous channels between the islands, and are inaccessible 

 until the water begins to fall. When it falls to a certain stage the fishermen use finger traps 

 and begin to take those fishes. They are swept out by the current on the finger boards and 

 are captured. As soon as the river falls somewhat lower the fish become uneasy on account 

 of the light covering of water on the falls, and drop below the foot of the falls at Weldon, and 

 from that point down 2 miles there is fishing carried on with dip nets; they are after the man- 

 ner of the shad skim nets, and are rigged on a bow; one man sits in the bow of the boat and 

 the other in the stern, paddling, and they float down the river one or two miles and then turn 

 back. There are quite a number of boats engaged in this business, and they catch very con- 

 siderable numbers of fish there. 



Comparative statistics of the North Carolina striped bass catch. 



Years. Pounds. 



Value. 



1880 770,000* 



1887 499,586 $24,944 



1888 560.354 27,981 



1889 581,.349 30,611 



1897 845,123 58,035 



1900 568,341 I 32,138 



1902 1,183,400 I 114,111 



* Estimate. 



