﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  SOUTH 
  ATLANTIC 
  STATES. 
  379 
  

  

  number 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  140, 
  having 
  a 
  

   length 
  of 
  54,100 
  yards 
  and 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $8,190; 
  230 
  men 
  were 
  employed 
  

   in 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  using 
  110 
  boats, 
  which 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $5,160. 
  The 
  

   catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  81,000 
  shad, 
  having 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  311,133 
  pounds 
  

   and 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $15,207. 
  The 
  prices 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  averaged 
  

   about 
  25 
  cents 
  for 
  roes 
  and 
  15 
  cents 
  for 
  bucks, 
  the 
  catch 
  being 
  three- 
  

   eighths 
  roes 
  and 
  five-eighths 
  bucks. 
  In 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  shad 
  fisheries 
  

   in 
  this 
  section 
  have 
  declined 
  materially, 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  1902 
  shows 
  a 
  

   falling 
  off 
  of 
  133,867 
  pounds 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  $11,083 
  in 
  value 
  since 
  

   1897. 
  During 
  the 
  shad 
  season 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  rivalry 
  among 
  

   the 
  dealers 
  in 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  shad 
  from 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  some 
  dealers 
  

   supplying 
  boats 
  and 
  nets 
  free 
  of 
  cost 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  obtaining 
  

   their 
  catch 
  of 
  fish. 
  

  

  Sturgeon 
  fishery. 
  — 
  The 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  of 
  South 
  Carolina 
  shows 
  a 
  

   great 
  decline 
  when 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  statistics 
  for 
  1897. 
  The 
  catch 
  

   in 
  1902 
  aggregated 
  83,950 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $3,736, 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  

   327,150 
  pounds 
  and 
  $3,589. 
  The 
  quantit}- 
  of 
  caviar 
  made 
  from 
  stur- 
  

   geon 
  roe 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  10,200 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $5,410, 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  

   59,605 
  pounds 
  and 
  $12,115. 
  Many 
  persons 
  attribute 
  the 
  growing 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  sturgeon 
  to 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  gill 
  

   nets 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  fishermen. 
  Very 
  few 
  such 
  fish 
  are 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  

   water 
  alive, 
  which 
  negligence 
  materially 
  contributes 
  to 
  the 
  extermina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  apparatus 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  is 
  gill 
  nets. 
  These 
  

   average 
  900 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  22 
  feet, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  

   mesh 
  of 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  inches. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  fishery. 
  — 
  In 
  South 
  Carolina 
  the 
  oyster 
  fisher}^ 
  represents 
  

   about 
  45 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  catch 
  in 
  

   1902 
  was 
  689,700 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $118,460, 
  an 
  increase, 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  1897, 
  of 
  474,800 
  bushels 
  and 
  $73,100. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch, 
  or 
  609,500 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $103,450, 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  

   fisheries 
  by 
  938 
  men, 
  with 
  609 
  boats, 
  valued 
  at 
  $21,430. 
  In 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   fisheries 
  80,200 
  bushels 
  were 
  secured, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $15,010. 
  

  

  Terrainn 
  fishery 
  . 
  — 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  diamond-back 
  terrapin 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  

   in 
  1902 
  was 
  27,521 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $5,850, 
  a 
  decrease 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  statistics 
  for 
  1897, 
  of 
  13,395 
  pounds 
  and 
  $3,785. 
  This 
  fishery 
  

   emploj^s 
  98 
  men, 
  with 
  49 
  seines 
  having 
  a 
  total 
  length 
  of 
  12,000 
  feet, 
  

   and 
  34 
  boats, 
  valued 
  at 
  $940. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  men 
  and 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  

   seine 
  fishery, 
  100 
  men 
  and 
  boys, 
  using 
  50 
  boats, 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  what 
  

   is 
  locally 
  termed 
  "bogging." 
  The 
  "boggers" 
  tramp 
  through 
  the 
  

   bogs 
  and 
  marshes 
  bordering 
  the 
  remote 
  inland 
  creeks, 
  and 
  the 
  splash- 
  

   ing 
  noise 
  thus 
  made 
  attracts 
  the 
  terrapin 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  pools, 
  

   when 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  caught 
  by 
  hand. 
  They 
  are 
  sold 
  to 
  dealers 
  

   who 
  visit 
  the 
  fishermen 
  weekl}^ 
  and 
  who 
  keep 
  them 
  in 
  "crawls" 
  or 
  

   pounds 
  for 
  fattening 
  for 
  the 
  late 
  fall 
  or 
  winter 
  market. 
  

  

  