﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  19 
  

  

  pounds, 
  was 
  larger 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  previous 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  statistics 
  

   are 
  available, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  marking 
  a 
  climax, 
  because 
  the 
  

   following 
  season 
  showed 
  a 
  decided 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  available 
  supply 
  

   of 
  menhaden 
  and 
  a 
  corresponding 
  drop 
  in 
  the 
  product. 
  In 
  addition 
  

   to 
  the 
  menhaden, 
  about 
  5 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  sharks, 
  skates, 
  and 
  other 
  

   waste 
  species 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  seines, 
  and 
  alewives 
  and 
  other 
  fishes 
  

   bought 
  from 
  boat 
  fishermen, 
  were 
  consumed 
  at 
  the 
  factories. 
  

  

  The 
  manufactured 
  products 
  consisted 
  of 
  6,651,000 
  gallons 
  of 
  oil, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $1,552,000, 
  and 
  over 
  88,000 
  tons 
  of 
  scrap, 
  valued 
  at 
  over 
  

   $2,100,000. 
  

  

  The 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  menhaden 
  fishery 
  consist 
  of 
  steamers, 
  

   auxiliary 
  schooners, 
  and 
  gasoline 
  boats. 
  The 
  steamers 
  are 
  built 
  

   somewhat 
  on 
  the 
  tug 
  model, 
  with 
  high 
  bow. 
  The 
  living 
  quarters 
  are 
  

   forward, 
  while 
  the 
  engine, 
  boilers, 
  and 
  coal 
  bunkers 
  are 
  aft, 
  and 
  the 
  

   hold 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  where 
  the 
  deck 
  is 
  low 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  facilitate 
  the 
  

   transfer 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  net. 
  The 
  auxiliary 
  schooners, 
  most 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  owned 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  have 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  arrange- 
  

   ment. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  steamers 
  now 
  in 
  use 
  are 
  lighted 
  with 
  electricity 
  

   and 
  have 
  searchlights. 
  The 
  largest 
  one 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  1912 
  has 
  a 
  carrying 
  

   capacity 
  of 
  over 
  a 
  million 
  fish, 
  while 
  a 
  larger 
  one 
  built 
  in 
  1913, 
  at 
  a 
  

   cost 
  of 
  $100,000, 
  has 
  a 
  carrying 
  capacity 
  of 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  million 
  fish, 
  

   or 
  4,500 
  barrels. 
  The 
  largest 
  gasoline 
  fishing 
  boat 
  is 
  owned 
  in 
  New 
  

   Jersey, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  carrying 
  capacity 
  of 
  400,000 
  fish. 
  There 
  were 
  27 
  

   steamers 
  built 
  in 
  1911 
  and 
  1912, 
  and 
  several 
  others 
  were 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  

   construction 
  in 
  1913. 
  The 
  seine 
  boats 
  are 
  built 
  mostly 
  of 
  cedar, 
  and 
  

   are 
  28 
  to 
  33 
  feet 
  long, 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  feet 
  beam, 
  2 
  feet 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  10 
  inches 
  deep, 
  

   and 
  cost 
  $275 
  to 
  $400 
  each. 
  

  

  The 
  purse 
  seines 
  are 
  generally 
  about 
  135 
  to 
  200 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  9 
  to 
  

   10 
  fathoms 
  deep, 
  with 
  If-inch 
  stretched 
  mesh. 
  The 
  "bunt" 
  or 
  

   center, 
  which 
  is 
  400 
  to 
  500 
  meshes 
  square, 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  No. 
  15 
  and 
  No. 
  18 
  

   cotton 
  twine. 
  The 
  other 
  parts 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  No. 
  20-9 
  and 
  No. 
  20-12 
  

   tfwine. 
  The 
  cork 
  and 
  lead 
  lines 
  are 
  9 
  and 
  1 
  2 
  thread 
  manila 
  rope, 
  and 
  the 
  

   purse 
  line 
  is 
  36 
  thread 
  Russian 
  hemp. 
  The 
  brass 
  rings 
  through 
  which 
  

   the 
  purse 
  line 
  passes 
  are 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  weigh 
  1^ 
  pounds 
  

   each; 
  they 
  are 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  lead 
  line 
  by 
  beckets 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  and 
  are 
  from 
  3^ 
  to 
  5 
  fathoms 
  apart; 
  and 
  the 
  final 
  rings 
  

   are 
  placed 
  about 
  10 
  fathoms 
  from 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  net. 
  The 
  corks 
  are 
  

   3 
  to 
  4^ 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter; 
  the 
  larger 
  ones 
  bemg 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  

   of 
  the 
  seine 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  close 
  together. 
  Each 
  seine 
  has 
  

   from 
  2,200 
  to 
  3,200 
  corks, 
  costing 
  from 
  $30 
  to 
  $45 
  a 
  thousand. 
  The 
  

   cork 
  and 
  lead 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  are 
  tarred, 
  but 
  not 
  the 
  purse 
  line; 
  the 
  

   net 
  is 
  also 
  tarred 
  once 
  when 
  new. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  preserving 
  the 
  seine 
  during 
  the 
  fishing 
  season 
  is 
  by 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  salt. 
  After 
  the 
  day's 
  fishing 
  the 
  seine 
  is 
  stowed 
  in 
  the 
  seine 
  

   boats, 
  and 
  about 
  4 
  bushels 
  of 
  coarse 
  salt 
  are 
  sprinkled 
  over 
  each 
  arm 
  

   or 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  in 
  each 
  boat. 
  From 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  buckets 
  of 
  sea 
  

   water 
  are 
  then 
  poured 
  over 
  the 
  netting 
  in 
  each 
  boat, 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  collects 
  

   in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  it 
  is 
  pumped 
  into 
  buckets 
  and 
  poured 
  over 
  

   the 
  twine. 
  This 
  is 
  repeated 
  several 
  times 
  a 
  day 
  while 
  the 
  seine 
  

   remains 
  in 
  the 
  boats. 
  When 
  the 
  twine 
  is 
  very 
  slimy, 
  as 
  is 
  frequently 
  

   the 
  case 
  after 
  a 
  haul 
  has 
  been 
  made, 
  it 
  is 
  washed 
  by 
  a 
  stream 
  oi 
  water 
  

   from 
  the 
  fire 
  hose 
  of 
  the 
  steamer. 
  The 
  seines 
  completely 
  rigged 
  for 
  

   fishing 
  cost 
  about 
  $1,000 
  each, 
  and 
  are 
  seldom 
  used 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  

   season. 
  

  

  