REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 67 
Such nets are now found at various points up as far as Tar Bay, near 
Coggins Point, within a short distance of the mouth of Appomattox 
River. The shad run appeared in 1915 about March 15 to 20, though 
a few stray fish were seen earlier, and the gill-net fishing was prac- 
tically over by the third or fourth week in May. Gill nets can not 
be used after the water is warm enough to start the crabs, as these 
hang in the nets and interfere too much with the handling of them. 
The run was much lighter than usual, but the greater part of the gill- 
net catch was roe fish, and the high price received partly made up 
for the decrease in the catch. : | 
The apparatus used in the Chickahominy River consists entirely of 
seines and drift gill nets, and the catch includes shad and other 
species. Pound nets are not permitted in this river. 
In the Rappahannock River stake gill nets having 2?-inch mesh 
are fished during the winter for perch and discontinued when the 
shad season opens. The shad nets are then used on the same stands, 
being the same length as the perch nets but of alarger mesh. Herring 
do not usually figure in the catch of the perch nets, but there was an 
early run of branch herring in 1915 and some of the nets made fairly 
ood catches. The fishermen received as high as $20 per thousand 
or these early herring. Some herring are caught also in the small 
pound nets in this river, and the average price for these was about 
$10 per thousand. 
The number of persons engaged in the shad and alewife industries 
of Chesapeake Bay and tributaries in 1915 was 8,839, of whom 6,612 
were fishermen and 2,227 were employed in shore industries. The 
investment in boats, fishing apparatus, shore and accessory property, 
and cash capital amounted to $1,528,824. The products of these 
fisheries aggregated 2,129,486 shad in number, or 6,225,549 pounds, 
valued at $857,771, and 71,571,278 alewives in number, or 28,628,510 
pounds, valued at $297,899, a total value for both species of 
$1,155,670. Compared with the returns for 1909, there was a de- 
crease of 258 in the number of pound nets and an increase of 7,968 
in the number of gill nets operated. The catch of shad decreased 
3,114,219 pounds, but increased $88,322 in value, and the catch of 
alewives decreased 22,803,590 pounds and increased $13,855 in value. 
Statistics by States of the shad and alewife industry of Chesapeake 
Bay and tributaries in 1915, and also comparative statistics for Mary- 
land and Virginia for various years from 1880 to 1915, and by waters 
fet ote years from 1896 to 1915, are given, in detail in the following 
tables. 
4 
