HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN MENHADEN. 91 



25 miles along the shore there was a solid flip-flap of the iiorthward- 

 swiuiming fish." One enthusiastic member of the party jumped into the 

 water and with a dip-net threw bushels offish upon the beach. 



On the coast of North Carolina. 



115. Mr. Manning writes that at Edenton, North Carolina, these fish 

 are very few. 



Accoiding to Messrs. Jennettand Simpson the fat-back is by far the 

 most numerous species on the coast of North Carolina. Mr. Simpson 

 writes: " Heretofore the fat-back has been only about one-third more 

 abundant than any other species, but I have seen twice as many during 

 the fishery season of 1873 as I ever saw of any other species on our coast. 

 They are on the increase, and not even their wholesale destruction by 

 the bluefish seems to affect their abundance. About fifty barrels were 

 netted in 1873 at Cape Hatteras. In 1877, in Cape Dare County, about 

 300 barrels." 



"At Beaufort," writes Mr. A. C. Davis, "the menhaden are more 

 abundant than any other species and are increasing ; and so it is at 

 Body's Island, North Carolina, where 50,000 barrels were taken in 1868, 

 the fishery having since been discontinued. x\bout 500 barrels were 

 taken in 1877. They are used only for fertilizing purposes." 



Mr. Simpson describes their abundance at Cape Hatteras in 1874 in 

 these words: "During the past season the fishermen i:)rovided them- 

 selves with seines and boats in time to meet the first run of the blue- 

 fish. The seines were made of cotton marlin and were about 100 yards 

 long, 2J-inch mesh, and from 40 to 50 meshes deep. The blnetish 

 made their first appearance on the coast from the north. The menhaden 

 passed about three days in advance of the bluefish. I do not think I 

 ever saw so many of this species at any one other time, or at any one 

 other season. From the balcony of the light-house at least 25 schools 

 might have been seen lying along the coast, both north and south of the 

 cape. Each school seemed to cover many hundred yards of surface and 

 to be moving south at the rate of from four to five miles an hour. This 

 continued, and school after school followed, for ten days, before the 

 appearance of the bluefish j and when the bluefish did appear there 

 seemed to be more of the menhaden with them than had passed the 

 station during the three previous days. Hundreds of barrels, I think, 

 were washed ashore and were driven so close by the bluefish that they 

 had not the power to resist the surf, which was quite rough or heavy, 

 and they were consequently thrown ashore upon the beach. Only a 

 very small quantity of these fish were saved, as the fishermen give their 

 attention more particularly to bluefish, but some of them were saved 

 and salted down, when they were sold to a good advantage. Some sold 

 as high (in trade) as to bring ten bushels of corn, equal to $7 in currency, 

 for one common fish-barrel of the menhaden. 



" It has been generally thought by old experienced fishermen here, 



