EFFECTS OF MENHADEN FISHING UPON THE SUPPLY OF 
MENHADEN AND OF THE FISHES THAT PREY UPON THEM. 
Pd 
By WALTER E. HATHAWAY. 
rd 
The object of this essay is to determine impartially, as nearly as possible 
from the facts and information obtainable, the effects of fishing, with modern 
and improved apparatus, on surface-swimming fishes and on such fish as prey 
upon them. This inquiry, therefore, will naturally proceed from two stand- 
points: First, the effect directly on the surface-swimming fishes, and, second, the 
effect on such predatory fishes as feed upon those of the former class. 
While it is the habit of nearly all of the migratory fishes that inhabit the 
waters of the middle and north Atlantic coasts of the United States during 
the spring, summer, and fall months of the year, such as bluefish, weakfish 
(which south of the Delaware Bay are known by the general name of ‘“trout”’ 
and north and east of Montauk Point as ‘“‘squeteague’’), drum, bonito, mack- 
erel, and menhaden, while on passage, to travel in schools and largely on or 
near the surface of the waters, these all, except the mackerel and the menhaden, 
disperse when reaching their feeding grounds and appear infrequently on the 
surface thereafter. While the mackerel is at times during the entire summer 
and fall a surface-swimming fish, and is also found in schools, it is more gener- 
ally found in small and scattered numbers and often deep under the surface. 
Therefore for the purpose of this inquiry the menhaden alone will be con- 
sidered, as of all the fishes that inhabit these waters it alone, strictly speaking, 
is a surface-swimming fish, and invariably swims in schools. However, con- 
ditions of the weather, especially the temperature of the water, and the pres- 
ence of enemies, whether man or fish, have great influence upon the actions of 
these fish. They have often been known to be in certain waters in great 
abundance for days, weeks, and even months, but in such scattered numbers 
that they could not be successfully taken in purse nets, and at such times appear- 
ing on the surface only at intervals, longer or shorter, under the most pleasant 
_and favorable weather conditions. 
No notice will here be taken of such fish as shad, herring, and alewives, 
which seek the shores only to spawn and not for feeding grounds. The prin- 
ciple governing the catching of them is entirely different from that of catching 
the menhaden, which come to the shores to feed and not to spawn. 
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