﻿EEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  25 
  

  

  secured 
  had 
  fallen 
  by 
  stashes 
  to 
  6,748,000. 
  In 
  1906, 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  Vann 
  bill 
  became 
  effective, 
  25,643,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken; 
  in 
  1909 
  

   the 
  take 
  was 
  59,685,000; 
  in 
  1913 
  it 
  had 
  risen 
  by 
  rapid 
  stages 
  to 
  

   138,912,000, 
  and 
  even 
  this 
  mimber 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  exceeded 
  if 
  the 
  

   capacity 
  of 
  the 
  hatchery 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  had 
  permitted 
  the 
  eggs 
  to 
  be 
  

   handled. 
  The 
  season 
  of 
  1914 
  showed 
  a 
  temporary 
  decline 
  owing 
  to 
  

   unfavorable 
  weather 
  conditions. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  fishery 
  in 
  Albemarle 
  Sound 
  in 
  1913 
  was 
  generally 
  said 
  to 
  

   be 
  the 
  greatest 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  if 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  locality. 
  

   The 
  facts 
  are 
  a 
  vindication 
  of 
  both 
  rational 
  legislation 
  and 
  shad 
  

   culture. 
  The 
  hatchery 
  was 
  ineffective 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  pre- 
  

   vented 
  from 
  reachmg 
  the 
  spawning 
  beds 
  where 
  ripe 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  

   obtained, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  an 
  unobstructed 
  way 
  was 
  opened 
  by 
  the 
  

   enforcement 
  of 
  a 
  reasonable 
  law, 
  its 
  operations 
  could 
  be 
  conducted 
  

   on 
  a 
  scale 
  sufficient 
  to 
  warrant 
  expectation 
  of 
  economic 
  results. 
  

   The 
  effects 
  of 
  the 
  heavier 
  plants 
  of 
  recent 
  years 
  are 
  in 
  turn 
  manifested 
  

   both 
  in 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   eggs 
  obtamable. 
  

  

  Fortified 
  by 
  the 
  conspicuously 
  good 
  effects 
  which 
  followed 
  the 
  

   passage 
  of 
  the 
  Vann 
  law, 
  the 
  friends 
  of 
  fishery 
  conservation 
  in 
  North 
  

   Carolina 
  have 
  been 
  endeavoring 
  to 
  have 
  its 
  essential 
  features 
  extended 
  

   to 
  all 
  maritime 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  the 
  moA'ement 
  to 
  that 
  end 
  

   has 
  been 
  supported 
  and 
  aided 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  In 
  1906 
  a 
  canvass 
  of 
  

   the 
  shad 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  an 
  agent 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  

   and 
  practically 
  every 
  year 
  since 
  then 
  an 
  assistant 
  has 
  been 
  detailed 
  

   to 
  assist 
  and 
  advise 
  in 
  the 
  campaign 
  \\ 
  hich 
  has 
  been 
  waged. 
  Although 
  

   the 
  desired 
  legislation 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  enacted, 
  each 
  year 
  has 
  shown 
  a 
  

   greater 
  willingness 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  interests 
  of 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  

   to 
  break 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  ineffective 
  and 
  pernicious 
  system 
  of 
  county 
  

   control 
  and 
  special 
  local 
  regulation, 
  and 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  broad 
  prmciples 
  

   of 
  State 
  administration, 
  without 
  which 
  no 
  effective 
  laws 
  can 
  be 
  

   drafted 
  or 
  enforced. 
  

  

  FRESH-W^ATER 
  MUSSEL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  A 
  general 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  fresh-w^ater 
  mussel 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  under- 
  

   taken, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  waters 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  

   from 
  the 
  Ohio 
  River 
  southward 
  w-ere 
  covered 
  for 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  

   1912. 
  This 
  fishery 
  supplies 
  the 
  raw 
  materials 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  pearl- 
  

   button 
  industry 
  and 
  yields 
  also 
  pearls. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  shells 
  obtained 
  

   are 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  but 
  small 
  quantities 
  are 
  exported 
  

   to 
  Canada 
  and 
  Europe. 
  The 
  increasing 
  demand 
  for 
  shells 
  has 
  re- 
  

   sulted 
  in 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  mto 
  streams 
  far 
  remote 
  from 
  

   button 
  factories. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  statistics 
  for 
  the 
  region 
  indicated 
  were 
  originally 
  

   issued 
  as 
  a 
  special 
  bulletm 
  that 
  was 
  extensiA-ely 
  distributed. 
  Over 
  

   4,800 
  persons 
  w 
  ere 
  engaged 
  in 
  taking 
  the 
  mussels 
  and 
  preparmg 
  them 
  for 
  

   market; 
  and 
  their 
  boats, 
  apparatus 
  of 
  capture, 
  and 
  accessory 
  property 
  

   was 
  valued 
  at 
  $241,000. 
  The 
  shells 
  were 
  obtained 
  principally 
  with 
  

   the 
  appliance 
  laiown 
  as 
  the 
  crowfoot 
  bar, 
  which 
  is 
  peculiar 
  to 
  this 
  

   fishery. 
  The 
  output 
  was 
  nearly 
  20,000 
  tons, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   received 
  $294,600. 
  The 
  pearls 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  mussels, 
  which 
  were 
  

   for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  only 
  an 
  incidental 
  item, 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $149,000*. 
  

  

  