﻿24 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  North 
  Carohna 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   most 
  other 
  commimities 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  obedience 
  to 
  local 
  demands, 
  prejudices, 
  and 
  jealousies 
  rather 
  

   than 
  based 
  on 
  broad 
  principles 
  having 
  in 
  view 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  and 
  a 
  proper 
  regard 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  welfare 
  of 
  both 
  

   the 
  fisherman 
  and 
  the 
  consumer. 
  Tliere 
  was 
  at 
  first 
  a 
  gradual 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  the 
  yield, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  markets 
  and 
  the 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  means 
  of 
  transportation, 
  the 
  demand 
  thus 
  stimulated 
  re- 
  

   sulting 
  in 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   apparatus 
  employed. 
  For 
  a 
  period 
  this 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  intensity 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishery 
  had 
  no 
  very 
  conspicuous 
  influence 
  on 
  tlie 
  apparent 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  of 
  the 
  fishes, 
  the 
  efl^ects 
  being 
  further 
  obscured 
  in 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  by 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  imit 
  price 
  of 
  the 
  products, 
  due 
  to 
  

   broader 
  markets. 
  Eventually, 
  however, 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  fishes 
  

   began 
  to 
  manifest 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  catch, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  

   the 
  more 
  desirable 
  and 
  higher-priced 
  species 
  like 
  the 
  shad. 
  From 
  

   1880, 
  the 
  earhest 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  data 
  are 
  available, 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  gradually 
  increased 
  under 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  the 
  factors 
  just 
  

   mentioned, 
  but 
  after 
  attaining 
  a 
  maximum 
  about 
  1897 
  it 
  declined 
  

   rapidly 
  and 
  in 
  1904 
  had 
  sunk 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  1880. 
  Essentially 
  the 
  

   same 
  conditions 
  obtained 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  other 
  species, 
  although 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  food 
  fish 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  was 
  well 
  maintained 
  because 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   cheaper 
  fish, 
  justly 
  or 
  unjustly 
  regarded 
  as 
  inferior, 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  

   earlier 
  period 
  were 
  but 
  little 
  utihzed, 
  at 
  a 
  later 
  date 
  came 
  into 
  greater 
  

   demand 
  and 
  found 
  a 
  market 
  which 
  the 
  fishermen 
  could 
  supply 
  with 
  

   profit. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  shad 
  became 
  critical 
  and 
  was 
  

   imposing 
  a 
  serious 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  profits 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  an 
  inquiry 
  

   was 
  instituted 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  which 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  

   the 
  most 
  important, 
  if 
  not 
  practically 
  the 
  sole, 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  decrease 
  

   was 
  the 
  excessive 
  use 
  of 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  of 
  all 
  kinds, 
  fished 
  promis- 
  

   cuously 
  in 
  the 
  inlets, 
  channels, 
  and 
  sounds 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  efi"ectually 
  block 
  

   the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  other 
  anadromous 
  fishes 
  to 
  their 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Moved 
  by 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  these 
  facts, 
  the 
  legislature 
  of 
  North 
  

   Carolina, 
  in 
  1905, 
  passed 
  an 
  act, 
  popularly 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Vann 
  bill, 
  

   which 
  prohibited 
  fishing 
  in 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  inlets 
  leading 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  

   to 
  the 
  sounds, 
  and 
  restricted 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  pound 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  

   of 
  Pamhco 
  vSound 
  and 
  all 
  of 
  Croatan, 
  Roanoke, 
  and 
  Albemarle 
  Sounds 
  

   to 
  certain 
  prescribed 
  zones. 
  As 
  amended 
  in 
  1909, 
  this 
  law 
  now 
  pre- 
  

   serves 
  from 
  all 
  nets 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  varying 
  width 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   inlets 
  to 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  rivers 
  discharging 
  into 
  Albemarle 
  Sound. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  thus 
  created 
  a 
  broad 
  avenue 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  other 
  

   anadromous 
  fishes 
  may 
  travel 
  without 
  obstruction 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  

   their 
  spawning 
  places 
  in 
  the 
  rivers. 
  Tlie 
  efl^ect 
  of 
  this 
  has 
  become 
  

   increasingly 
  apparent 
  and 
  perhaps 
  may 
  be 
  illustrated 
  best 
  by 
  the 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau's 
  hatchery 
  at 
  Edenton, 
  N. 
  C, 
  

   at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Albemarle 
  Sound. 
  The 
  station 
  was 
  established 
  in 
  1889 
  

   for 
  the 
  utihzation 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  shad 
  resorting 
  to 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   beds 
  in 
  Chowan 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  sound. 
  Its 
  first 
  

   year 
  of 
  effective 
  operation 
  was 
  1901, 
  when 
  75,400,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken. 
  

   In 
  1902 
  the 
  take 
  fell 
  to 
  37,987,000, 
  and 
  by 
  1905 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  

  

  