﻿378 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   FISHERIES 
  OF 
  SOUTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  

  

  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina 
  consists 
  of 
  swampy 
  

   land 
  intersected 
  with 
  numerous 
  creeks, 
  rivers, 
  and 
  ba^'s. 
  In 
  these 
  

   waters 
  the 
  shore 
  or 
  boat 
  lisheries 
  are 
  chiefly 
  prosecuted, 
  while 
  the 
  

   vessels 
  resort 
  for 
  their 
  catch 
  principall}" 
  to 
  the 
  offshore 
  grounds. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  coast 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  state 
  

   in 
  1902 
  was 
  3,713, 
  of 
  whom 
  97 
  were 
  vessel 
  fishermen, 
  10 
  were 
  on 
  ves- 
  

   sels 
  transporting 
  fishery 
  products, 
  2,071 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  

   1,536 
  were 
  shoresmen 
  in 
  the 
  wholesale 
  fisher}^ 
  trade, 
  oj'^ster 
  canneries, 
  

   and 
  other 
  industries 
  on 
  shore 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  Compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  returns 
  for 
  1897, 
  the 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  last 
  cauA-ass 
  was 
  

   made, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  1,574 
  persons, 
  or 
  73.58 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested 
  was 
  $320,723. 
  This 
  included 
  25 
  

   fishing 
  and 
  transporting 
  vessels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $21,450, 
  their 
  net 
  tonnage 
  

   being 
  310 
  tons, 
  and 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  their 
  outfit 
  $6,282; 
  1,106 
  boats, 
  val- 
  

   ued 
  at 
  $31,335; 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  used 
  on 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  to 
  the 
  

   value 
  of 
  $19,438; 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  propert}^ 
  worth 
  $86,518; 
  and 
  

   $152,700 
  cash 
  capital 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  fishery 
  industries. 
  These 
  

   data 
  indicate 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  investment, 
  since 
  1897, 
  of 
  $146,309, 
  or 
  

   83.94 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  3-ield 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  8,174,403 
  pounds, 
  having 
  

   a 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  $263,023, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  increase 
  over 
  1897 
  of 
  

   2,894,017 
  pounds, 
  or 
  54.80 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  of 
  $52,567, 
  or 
  

   24.97 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  value. 
  Notwithstanding 
  this, 
  however. 
  South 
  

   Carolina 
  is 
  now 
  last 
  in 
  importance 
  among 
  the 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  States 
  in 
  

   both 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  its 
  fishery 
  products, 
  ha\'ing 
  exchanged 
  

   places 
  with 
  Georgia 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  

  

  Shad 
  iisheri/. 
  — 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  shad 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina 
  in 
  

   1902 
  was 
  434,133 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $20,782, 
  a 
  decrease, 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  yield 
  for 
  1897, 
  of 
  71,992 
  pounds 
  and 
  $6,914. 
  There 
  was 
  an 
  

   increase 
  in 
  certain 
  localities, 
  but 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  great 
  enough 
  to 
  olfset 
  

   the 
  decline 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Charleston 
  the 
  catch, 
  taken 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  in 
  

   the 
  Edisto 
  River, 
  was 
  much 
  larger 
  in 
  1902 
  than 
  in 
  previous 
  A^ears. 
  A 
  

   small 
  amount 
  of 
  fishing 
  was 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  Ashepoo 
  River 
  between 
  its 
  

   mouth 
  and 
  the 
  railroad 
  station 
  at 
  Ashepoo, 
  whence 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  

   shipped 
  to 
  Charleston. 
  The 
  shad 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Combahee 
  River 
  are 
  

   prosecuted 
  between 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  railroad 
  crossing 
  

   at 
  Salkehatchie 
  station. 
  Very 
  little 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  above 
  this 
  point, 
  

   and 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  desultory 
  manner, 
  the 
  few 
  shad 
  caught 
  being 
  consumed 
  

   locall3^ 
  

  

  Winyah 
  Bay 
  and 
  its 
  tributor}' 
  streams 
  constitute 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  

   shad-producing 
  regions 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina, 
  and 
  yield 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  

   of 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  The 
  bay 
  and 
  Waccamaw 
  River 
  fur- 
  

   nish 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  this, 
  Santee 
  River 
  a 
  small 
  quantit3\ 
  The 
  

  

  