66 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
The decreased run of shad and alewives in the Chesapeake Bay 
basin of Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in 1915 resulted in 
a noticeable decline in the amount of all forms of apparatus used for 
their capture. 
In Virginia the catch of shad in 1915, compared with 1909, de- 
creased 1,316,066 pounds, or 21.82 per cent in quantity, but increased 
$169,674, or 34.74 per cent, in value, and the catch of alewives 
decreased 11,733,850 pounds, or 42.22 per cent in quantity, and 
increased $37,575, or 29.26 per cent, in value. is 
The pound nets fished in Virginia in these waters during the season 
of 1915, compared with 1909, show a decrease of 31, but the number 
of gill nets increased from 7,121 in 1909 to 16,793 in 1915. The total 
catch of shad in Virginia during the year was 1,629,872 in number, or 
4,714,134 pounds, valued at $658,010, and that of alewives was 
40,135,328 im number, or 16,054,130 pounds, valued at $165,950. 
In the Potomac River there were but two seines fished during the 
season of 1915 for herring and shad—one on the Maryland side at 
Chapmans Point and the other on the Virginia side at Stony Point, 
There are very few pound nets along the Maryland side of this river, 
but quite a number of large traps on the Virginia side off Northum- 
berland County near the mouth. The alewife fisheries of Westmore- 
land County were quite extensive up to a few years ago, and it was in 
this county that the canning of the roe originated. Several large 
packing houses were located in this county as recently as 1909, but 
now there is but one, and that very small. There are a number of 
large packing houses in that part of Northumberland County bor- 
dering on the Potomac, or rather nm Coan River and Yeocomico River, 
which are tributary to the Potomac. Both alewives and roe are 
packed in large quantities at these points. Drift gill nets are not 
fished for shad below Maryland Point, and from this place they are 
used in various locations up to Jones Point, a short distance below 
Alexandria. The gill-net catch of 1915 was reported by fishermen 
as the lightest they had ever taken, and many of them made little © 
more than expenses. Some fishermen of Northumberland County 
along the Potomac reported the herring and shad catch for 1915 as 
very gratifying and thought that it was the best they have had for 
several seasons. 
The total number of pound nets fished in Virginia during the year 
was 2,012, valued at $408,675. Of these, 527, or about 26 per cent, 
valued at $107,200, were fished by Mathews County fishermen. 
Elizabeth City County ranks second in the number of pound nets, 
having 317, valued at $73,900; Accomac County third, with 273 nets, 
valued at $48,150; followed by Northumberland County with 269, — 
valued at $73,250, and Gloucester County with 204, valued at $33,100. 
The catch for 1915 showed a great many more bucks than for the 
average year, and many of these were smaller than usual. This 
seemed to be the case on all parts of the bay. 
In the James River stake gill nets are the leading form of apparatus 
used for shad fishing. The only drifting grounds remaining are 
located quite a distance up the river, and the catch with drift nets 
was negligible in the 1915 season. During the summer of 1909, when 
a canvass of the shad fisheries was made on this river, very few stake 
nets were found above Ferguson’s Wharf, now called Rushmere, 
located in Isle of Wight County about 12 miles above Newport News. 
