﻿354 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  shad 
  taken 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  The 
  jueld 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  species 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  in 
  the 
  entire 
  county. 
  

  

  The 
  catch 
  in 
  Onslow 
  Count}' 
  was 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  143,716 
  worth 
  of 
  

   mullet, 
  $16,522 
  worth 
  of 
  squeteague, 
  117,788 
  worth 
  of 
  o.ysters, 
  $11,475 
  

   worth 
  of 
  quahogs, 
  and 
  $5,085 
  worth 
  of 
  other 
  species. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  

   a 
  very 
  large 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  crystcr 
  yield 
  in 
  this 
  county, 
  and 
  the 
  plant- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  New 
  liiver, 
  which 
  was 
  so 
  promising 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago, 
  

   is 
  now 
  attracting 
  little 
  attention. 
  

  

  In 
  Beaufort 
  County 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  37 
  per 
  cent 
  and 
  shad 
  

   20 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  yield. 
  The 
  catch 
  credited 
  to 
  this 
  county 
  in 
  

   1897 
  was 
  only 
  $31,565; 
  in 
  1902 
  it 
  was 
  $78,930, 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  150 
  per 
  

   cent. 
  

  

  In 
  Craven 
  County 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  decrease 
  since 
  1897 
  of 
  96 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  

   sturgeon, 
  66 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  striped 
  bass, 
  62 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  shad, 
  60 
  per 
  cent 
  

   in 
  alewives, 
  56 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  white 
  perch, 
  44 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  spots, 
  and 
  31 
  

   per 
  cent 
  in 
  squeteague, 
  but 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  100 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  croakers. 
  

   The 
  product 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  in 
  1897 
  was 
  2,624,168 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  2.62 
  

   cents 
  per 
  pound; 
  in 
  1902 
  it 
  was 
  1,706,240 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  3.01 
  cents 
  

   per 
  pound. 
  

  

  New 
  Hanover 
  County 
  shows 
  a 
  falling 
  oft' 
  in 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  yield 
  

   from 
  $94,249 
  in 
  1897 
  to 
  $75,370, 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  oysters 
  alone 
  being 
  

   from 
  $28,000 
  to 
  $2,000. 
  The 
  yield 
  of 
  shad 
  decreased 
  from 
  236,781 
  

   pounds 
  to 
  167,280 
  pounds, 
  croakers 
  from 
  84,025 
  to 
  24,350 
  pounds, 
  

   squeteague 
  from 
  148,550 
  to 
  104,650 
  pounds, 
  sturgeon 
  from 
  93,750 
  to 
  

   17,338 
  pounds, 
  and 
  shrimp 
  from 
  144,000 
  to 
  61,560 
  pounds. 
  Mullet 
  

   increased 
  from 
  282,410 
  to 
  1,025,390 
  pounds, 
  and 
  clams 
  from 
  18,000 
  to 
  

   21,965 
  bushels. 
  

  

  The 
  Brunswick 
  County 
  fisheries 
  are 
  devoted 
  principally 
  to 
  mullet 
  

   and 
  quahogs, 
  and 
  in 
  1902 
  the 
  j'ield 
  was 
  valued 
  at 
  $57,892, 
  of 
  which 
  

   $26,871 
  represents 
  the 
  mullet 
  catch 
  and 
  $24,065 
  the 
  quahog 
  catch. 
  

   The 
  output 
  of 
  salt 
  mullet 
  had 
  increased 
  158 
  per 
  cent 
  since 
  1897 
  — 
  from 
  

   333,100 
  to 
  858,700 
  pounds. 
  

  

  In 
  Bertie, 
  Tyrrell, 
  and 
  Washington 
  counties 
  52 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  

   of 
  the 
  catch 
  consisted 
  of 
  shad, 
  22 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  alewives, 
  and 
  nearly 
  7 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  hickory 
  shad. 
  The 
  yield 
  in 
  the 
  remaining 
  counties 
  was 
  

   largely 
  shad, 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  quantity 
  but 
  an 
  increase 
  

   in 
  value 
  since 
  1897. 
  

  

  