﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  SOUTH 
  ATLANTIC 
  STATES. 
  389' 
  

  

  the 
  river 
  at 
  various 
  localities 
  and 
  camp 
  until 
  the 
  run 
  is 
  over, 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  part 
  of 
  March. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  shipped 
  to 
  Savannah, 
  whence 
  it 
  is 
  

   distributed 
  to 
  the 
  northern 
  markets. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Savannah 
  River 
  show 
  a 
  decline 
  in 
  recent 
  

   3^ears. 
  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  this 
  condition 
  has 
  

   been 
  due 
  partly 
  to 
  muddy 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  jettj^ 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  fish 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  largel}^ 
  forsaken 
  the 
  main 
  

   channel, 
  and 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  now 
  taken 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  

   known 
  locally 
  as 
  Back 
  River, 
  an 
  arm 
  or 
  cut-off 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  stream 
  

   below 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Savannah. 
  In 
  1902 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  shad 
  obtained 
  

   was 
  63,000, 
  weighing 
  253,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  valued 
  at 
  $15,T50. 
  The 
  

   catch 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  120 
  fishermen, 
  using 
  60 
  boats 
  and 
  96 
  gill 
  nets, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  having 
  a 
  5-inch 
  mesh 
  and 
  an 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  600 
  feet. 
  

  

  With 
  improved 
  shipping 
  facilities 
  the 
  shad 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Altamaha 
  

   River 
  have 
  grown 
  in 
  importance 
  during 
  recent 
  years. 
  In 
  1902 
  the 
  

   catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  111,950 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $13,270. 
  The 
  shad 
  are 
  

   all 
  taken 
  in 
  drift 
  gill 
  nets, 
  between 
  Doctortown 
  and 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   river. 
  The 
  fishing 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  Altamaha 
  begins 
  and 
  ends 
  earlier 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  previously 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  period 
  being 
  fixed 
  

   by 
  law 
  from 
  January 
  1 
  to 
  April 
  20. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  make 
  their 
  headquarters 
  at 
  and 
  below 
  Darien 
  

   during 
  the 
  shad 
  season, 
  where 
  buyers 
  for 
  the 
  northern 
  markets 
  are 
  

   located. 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1903 
  large 
  prices 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  roe 
  shad 
  selling 
  for 
  $2.50 
  each 
  and 
  

   buck 
  shad 
  for 
  $1 
  each. 
  The 
  prices 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  averaged 
  60 
  cents 
  

   each 
  for 
  roe 
  shad 
  and 
  25 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  buck 
  shad. 
  

  

  The 
  fishery 
  on 
  the 
  Georgia 
  side 
  of 
  St. 
  Marys 
  River 
  is 
  of 
  little 
  con- 
  

   sequence. 
  In 
  1902 
  a 
  few 
  set 
  gill 
  nets 
  were 
  fished, 
  in 
  which 
  were 
  

   taken 
  11,200 
  shad, 
  or 
  56,000 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  |5,600. 
  These 
  were 
  

   marketed 
  at 
  Oakwell, 
  Ga. 
  

  

  Terrapin 
  jiHliery. 
  — 
  The 
  diamond-back 
  terrapin 
  fisher}^ 
  of 
  Georgia 
  

   shows 
  a 
  slight 
  falling 
  off 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  returns 
  for 
  1897. 
  In 
  

   1902 
  the 
  catch 
  consisted 
  of 
  1,282 
  dozen 
  terrapin, 
  weighing 
  33,308 
  

   pounds, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  111,136. 
  The 
  fishery 
  

   is 
  carried 
  on 
  principally 
  by 
  188 
  men, 
  with 
  121 
  boats, 
  valued 
  at 
  $2,140, 
  

   and 
  125 
  seines, 
  valued 
  at 
  $4,666. 
  There 
  was 
  also 
  one 
  vessel 
  engaged, 
  

   with 
  two 
  seines 
  valued 
  at 
  |80, 
  and 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  3 
  men. 
  The 
  boats 
  usually 
  

   start 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  make 
  trips 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks' 
  duration. 
  

   When 
  the 
  fishing 
  ground 
  is 
  reached 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  crew 
  raps 
  sharply 
  on 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  with 
  a 
  stick, 
  the 
  noise 
  causing 
  the 
  terrapin 
  to 
  rise 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface. 
  Their 
  whereabouts 
  thus 
  disclosed, 
  the 
  seine 
  is 
  set 
  

   around 
  them. 
  The 
  seines 
  used 
  are 
  generally 
  from 
  40 
  to 
  65 
  fathoms 
  

   long 
  and 
  45 
  meshes 
  deep, 
  the 
  meshes 
  being 
  z>\ 
  inches 
  stretched. 
  In 
  

   Jul}^, 
  August, 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  September 
  terrapin 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  "bogging." 
  

  

  The 
  eggs, 
  which 
  average 
  from 
  about 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  in 
  number, 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  

  

  