﻿MENHADEN 
  INDUSTRY 
  OF 
  THE 
  ATLANTIC 
  COAST. 
  11 
  

  

  Fear 
  to 
  Ocracoke 
  Inlet; 
  some 
  are 
  also 
  caught 
  in 
  Core 
  Sound. 
  The 
  

   steamers 
  hailino; 
  from 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  region 
  generally 
  begin 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  second 
  week 
  in 
  May; 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  chiefly 
  at 
  sea 
  from 
  

   the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  until 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  July, 
  and 
  during 
  that 
  

   month 
  and 
  throughout 
  August 
  and 
  September 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  

   fishing 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  fully 
  75 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  is 
  taken. 
  From 
  September 
  until 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  season, 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  November 
  10 
  to 
  15, 
  the 
  vessels 
  go 
  oytside 
  

   again. 
  The 
  range 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  Virginia 
  vessels 
  is 
  from 
  Cape 
  Hat- 
  

   teras 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  to 
  Sandy 
  Hook 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  The 
  season 
  and 
  

   fishing 
  grounds 
  for 
  the 
  Delaware 
  and 
  New 
  Jersey 
  steamers 
  is 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  given 
  for 
  those 
  from 
  Virginia, 
  except 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  excluded 
  from 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay. 
  The 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Connecti- 
  

   cut 
  menhaden 
  fishermen 
  have 
  a 
  shorter 
  season 
  and 
  their 
  range 
  differs 
  

   in 
  that 
  they 
  seldom 
  go 
  farther 
  south 
  than 
  the 
  Virginia 
  capes; 
  their 
  

   northern 
  limit 
  is 
  rarely 
  extended 
  beyond 
  Boston 
  Bay, 
  though 
  the 
  

   northern 
  limit 
  of 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  menhaden 
  is 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy, 
  but 
  

   they 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  sufficient 
  number 
  to 
  warrant 
  going 
  farther 
  than 
  

   is 
  here 
  stated. 
  Schools 
  of 
  menhaden 
  were 
  reported 
  in 
  Casco 
  Bay 
  a 
  

   few 
  years 
  ago 
  but 
  very 
  few 
  were 
  caught. 
  Some 
  are 
  also 
  caught 
  in 
  

   Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  Vineyard 
  Sound, 
  and 
  Gardiners 
  Bay. 
  

  

  FISHING 
  METHODS. 
  

  

  The 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  steamer's 
  departure 
  from 
  the 
  factory 
  depends 
  

   chiefly 
  upon 
  the 
  running 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds; 
  they 
  are 
  

   usually 
  in 
  readiness 
  and 
  off 
  by 
  4 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  though 
  they 
  

   frequently 
  go 
  earlier. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  general 
  belief 
  among 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   that 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  time 
  for 
  fishing. 
  Very 
  little 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  need 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  tides 
  when 
  fishing 
  offshore, 
  but 
  in 
  inside 
  

   waters 
  the 
  tide 
  is 
  often 
  so 
  strong 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  the 
  

   seine 
  difficult, 
  and 
  better 
  results 
  are 
  obtained 
  when 
  working 
  on 
  slack 
  

   water. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  are 
  reached 
  the 
  captain 
  and 
  

   the 
  mate 
  repair 
  to 
  the 
  ''crow's 
  nest" 
  at 
  the 
  mast, 
  from 
  which 
  point 
  of 
  

   vantage 
  they 
  survey 
  the 
  surrounding 
  waters 
  to 
  locate 
  the 
  fish, 
  an 
  

   experienced 
  eye 
  readily 
  distinguishing 
  the 
  reddish 
  hue 
  which 
  indi- 
  

   cates 
  their 
  presence. 
  When 
  a 
  school 
  is 
  sighted, 
  those 
  aloft 
  rapidly 
  

   descend 
  and 
  prepare 
  to 
  "lower 
  away" 
  the 
  seine 
  boats; 
  the 
  striker 
  

   drops 
  off 
  in 
  advance 
  and 
  rows 
  toward 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  keep 
  trace 
  of 
  them 
  

   and 
  indicate 
  to 
  the 
  captain, 
  by 
  signals 
  made 
  with 
  an 
  oar, 
  the 
  direction 
  

   in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  moving. 
  The 
  captain 
  is 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   boats 
  and 
  the 
  mate 
  directs 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  opportune 
  time 
  the 
  seine, 
  one-half 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  stowed 
  in 
  each 
  

   boat, 
  is 
  thrown 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  "seine 
  setters," 
  the 
  oarsmen 
  rapidly 
  row- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  a 
  circular 
  direction 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  surround 
  the 
  fish; 
  

   the 
  striker 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  has 
  taken 
  a 
  position 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  

   9497°— 
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