﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  SOUTH 
  ATLANTIC 
  STATES. 
  353 
  

  

  STATISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISHERIES 
  BY 
  COUNTIES. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  tables 
  show 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  North 
  Caro- 
  

   lina 
  by 
  counties. 
  Carteret 
  and 
  Dare 
  counties 
  easily 
  lead 
  in 
  number 
  of 
  

   persons 
  employed, 
  in 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested, 
  and 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  products, 
  the 
  yield 
  amounting 
  to 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   weight 
  and 
  40 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  value 
  for 
  the 
  state. 
  They 
  also 
  

   have 
  the 
  greatest 
  variety, 
  nearly 
  every 
  important 
  fisheiy 
  product 
  of 
  

   North 
  Carolina 
  occurring 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  counties. 
  

  

  In 
  1902 
  Carteret 
  County 
  produced 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  menhaden 
  

   credited 
  to 
  this 
  state, 
  85 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  crabs, 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  38 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  quahogs, 
  and 
  blue-tish, 
  22 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  mullet, 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  squcteague 
  or 
  sea 
  trout, 
  and 
  

   a 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  species. 
  Dare 
  Countj^ 
  yielded 
  

   70 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon, 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  striped 
  bass, 
  30 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  blue-fish, 
  hickory 
  shad, 
  mullet, 
  shad, 
  and 
  squeteague, 
  and 
  9 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  oysters. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  noticeable 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Carteret 
  County 
  since 
  

   1897 
  is 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  menhaden 
  from 
  11,310,000 
  to 
  

   18,862,000 
  pounds, 
  of 
  mullet 
  from 
  953,775 
  to 
  l,505,-472 
  pounds, 
  of 
  

   03'sters 
  from 
  365,325 
  to 
  393,980 
  bushels, 
  and 
  of 
  quahogs 
  from 
  38,426 
  

   to 
  54,925 
  bushels. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  

   the 
  catch 
  of 
  blue-fish 
  from 
  596,835 
  to 
  350,728 
  pounds, 
  of 
  king-fish 
  

   from 
  192,365 
  to 
  56,590 
  pounds, 
  of 
  pig-fish 
  from 
  145,265 
  to 
  22,820 
  

   pounds, 
  of 
  sea 
  bass 
  from 
  113,950 
  to 
  31,900 
  pounds, 
  of 
  sheepshead 
  f 
  rom 
  

   116,555 
  to 
  57,162 
  pounds, 
  of 
  squeteague 
  from 
  742,758 
  to 
  562,078 
  pounds, 
  

   and 
  of 
  soft 
  crabs 
  from 
  2,937,600 
  to 
  512,673 
  in 
  number. 
  

  

  In 
  Dare 
  County 
  the 
  catch 
  decreased 
  from 
  8,560,398 
  pounds 
  in 
  1897 
  

   to 
  8,031,922 
  pounds 
  in 
  1902; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  the 
  value 
  increased 
  

   from 
  1290,225 
  to 
  $422,882. 
  The 
  quantit}' 
  of 
  spots, 
  squeteague, 
  striped 
  

   bass, 
  croakers, 
  oysters, 
  and 
  quahogs 
  increased, 
  but 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   alewives, 
  blue-fish, 
  and 
  shad 
  decreased. 
  

  

  Currituck 
  ranks 
  third 
  among 
  the 
  counties 
  as 
  regards 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   yield. 
  In 
  1902 
  it 
  produced 
  83 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  632,675 
  pounds 
  of 
  black 
  

   bass 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  state 
  and 
  43 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  941,050 
  pounds 
  of 
  white 
  

   perch. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  all 
  

   others 
  in 
  this 
  count3\ 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  black 
  bass 
  and 
  white 
  perch 
  was 
  

   somewhat 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  1897, 
  but 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  shad 
  decreased 
  from 
  

   364,400 
  pounds 
  to 
  168,050 
  pounds 
  in 
  1902. 
  The 
  total 
  catch 
  in 
  Curri- 
  

   tuck 
  County 
  was 
  1,780,482 
  pounds 
  in 
  1897 
  and 
  1,803,551 
  pounds 
  in 
  

   1902, 
  but 
  the 
  value 
  per 
  pound 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  3^ear 
  was 
  3.31 
  cents 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  latter 
  7.22 
  cents. 
  

  

  Chowan 
  Count}^ 
  yielded 
  nearly 
  30 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  alewives, 
  more 
  

   than 
  twice 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  any 
  other 
  county. 
  It 
  also 
  produced 
  11 
  per 
  cent 
  

  

  F. 
  C. 
  1903—23 
  

  

  