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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  they 
  are 
  consumed 
  locally 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  A 
  plant 
  of 
  shad 
  was 
  

   made 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  several 
  years 
  ago, 
  but 
  

   from 
  some 
  unknown 
  cause 
  the 
  increase 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  as 
  rapid 
  as 
  was 
  

   expected. 
  Some 
  fishermen 
  think 
  better 
  results 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  

   secured 
  had 
  the 
  fish 
  been 
  planted 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  the 
  river, 
  where 
  the 
  fry 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  safe 
  from 
  the 
  predaceous 
  

   salt-water 
  species. 
  A 
  few 
  shad 
  were 
  planted 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  Jordan 
  River 
  

   about 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  record 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  an 
  occasional 
  

   capture. 
  

  

  Crabs. 
  — 
  Both 
  hard 
  and 
  soft 
  crabs 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  this 
  state, 
  but 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  is 
  much 
  the 
  greater. 
  Hard 
  crabs 
  are 
  generally 
  

   taken 
  on 
  trot 
  lines 
  baited 
  with 
  fresh 
  meat, 
  tripe, 
  or 
  the 
  sinews 
  of 
  cat- 
  

   tle. 
  The 
  season 
  at 
  Biloxi, 
  where 
  the 
  largest 
  catches 
  are 
  made, 
  lasts 
  

   about 
  nine 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  weather 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  

   usually 
  from 
  December 
  16 
  to 
  March 
  15, 
  being 
  too 
  severe 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishery. 
  In 
  one 
  locality 
  a 
  few 
  hard 
  crabs 
  were 
  taken 
  with 
  drop 
  nets, 
  

   an 
  apparatus 
  consisting 
  of 
  an 
  iron 
  hoop 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  with 
  a 
  

   shallow 
  net 
  attached. 
  The 
  net 
  is 
  baited 
  with 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  meat, 
  and 
  

   then 
  dropped 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  line 
  10 
  or 
  15 
  feet 
  long 
  

   attached 
  to 
  the 
  hoop. 
  This, 
  however, 
  is 
  i-ather 
  a 
  slow 
  method 
  of 
  cap- 
  

   ture. 
  Soft 
  crabs 
  are 
  taken 
  mostly 
  by 
  hand 
  during 
  the 
  night, 
  a 
  lighted 
  

   torch 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  find 
  them. 
  The 
  fishing 
  season 
  is 
  from 
  May 
  15 
  to 
  

   October 
  15. 
  Until 
  recently 
  the 
  crab 
  catch 
  has 
  been 
  used 
  largely 
  for 
  

   local 
  consumption, 
  but 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  shipments 
  is 
  now 
  being 
  

   made. 
  

  

  Terrapin. 
  — 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  credited 
  

   to 
  Mississippi 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  marshes 
  of 
  Louisiana. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  secure 
  the 
  terrapin 
  while 
  fishing 
  for 
  oysters. 
  Nippers 
  

   are 
  commonly 
  used 
  for 
  catching 
  them, 
  but 
  many 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  by 
  

   hand. 
  At 
  Biloxi, 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  terrapin 
  trade 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  pound 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  placed 
  until 
  they 
  reach 
  a 
  

   marketable 
  size, 
  or 
  are 
  held 
  for 
  profitable 
  prices. 
  

  

  Dredges 
  ahcl 
  tongs. 
  — 
  These 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  apparatus 
  are 
  employed 
  

   exclusively 
  for 
  taking 
  oysters, 
  and 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  

   vessel 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  dredges 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  is 
  comparatively 
  

   recent, 
  dating 
  back 
  only 
  to 
  1897. 
  As 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  stated, 
  steam 
  

   dredging 
  was 
  permitted 
  until 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1902, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  prohib- 
  

   ited 
  by 
  the 
  legislature. 
  

  

  Semes. 
  — 
  Two 
  kinds 
  of 
  seines 
  are 
  used, 
  one 
  for 
  catching 
  shrimp 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  for 
  catching 
  fish. 
  Shrimp 
  seines 
  average 
  from 
  100 
  to 
  125 
  

   fathoms 
  in 
  length, 
  an 
  occasional 
  one 
  being 
  150 
  fathoms 
  long. 
  The 
  

   size 
  of 
  the 
  mesh 
  is 
  1\ 
  inches, 
  stretched. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  seines, 
  

   both 
  for 
  shrimp 
  and 
  fish, 
  widen 
  toward 
  the 
  center, 
  forming 
  a 
  pocket 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  catch 
  settles 
  when 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  are 
  brought 
  

   together. 
  At 
  Scranton, 
  where 
  fish 
  seines 
  are 
  in 
  more 
  general 
  use 
  than 
  

  

  