﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  INTERIOR 
  WATERS. 
  

  

  531 
  

  

  ALABAMA. 
  

  

  Alabama 
  is 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  water-courses, 
  aud 
  its 
  fisheries 
  are 
  of 
  

   considerable 
  extent 
  and 
  importance. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Ten- 
  

   nessee 
  River 
  all 
  the 
  streams 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  now 
  supporting 
  commercial 
  

   fishing 
  ultimately 
  enter 
  Mobile 
  Bay 
  through 
  Mobile 
  Kiver. 
  These 
  

   drain 
  a 
  large 
  area, 
  and 
  are 
  navigable 
  for 
  considerable 
  distances. 
  Fish- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  mostly 
  centered 
  at 
  the 
  cities 
  and 
  towns 
  along 
  the 
  different 
  rivers, 
  

   and 
  the 
  products 
  are 
  usually 
  marketed 
  locally; 
  very 
  lew 
  fish 
  are 
  sent 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Decatur, 
  Bridgeport, 
  and 
  Whitesburg, 
  on 
  the 
  Ten- 
  

   nessee; 
  Montgomery 
  and 
  Selma, 
  on 
  the 
  Alabama; 
  Epes 
  and 
  (laines- 
  

   ville, 
  on 
  the 
  Tombigbee; 
  Tuscaloosa, 
  on 
  the 
  Black 
  Wariior, 
  and 
  Mobile, 
  

   at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  tlie 
  river 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  name, 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  fishing 
  

   centers. 
  Altliough 
  fishing 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  waters 
  of 
  

   this 
  State 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  comparativelj' 
  recently 
  that 
  

   the 
  industry 
  became 
  prominent. 
  In 
  marked 
  contrast 
  with 
  the 
  adjoining 
  

   State 
  of 
  Mississippi, 
  Alabama 
  has 
  no 
  lakes 
  in 
  which 
  economic 
  fishing 
  

   is 
  carried 
  on. 
  

  

  Formerly 
  white 
  men 
  predominated 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  

   gradually 
  withdrawn 
  from 
  the 
  business, 
  leaving 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  col- 
  

   ored 
  men. 
  While 
  the 
  fishermen 
  do 
  not 
  engage 
  in 
  fishing 
  the 
  entire 
  

   year, 
  they 
  depend 
  on 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  income. 
  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  with 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  trammel 
  nets, 
  and 
  set 
  lines, 
  the 
  catch 
  

   in 
  fyke 
  nets 
  surpassing 
  that 
  with 
  all 
  other 
  apparatus 
  combined. 
  The 
  

   leading 
  products 
  are 
  the 
  buffalo-fish, 
  catfish, 
  suufish, 
  and 
  fresh- 
  water 
  

   drum. 
  

  

  Tabic 
  showing 
  by 
  icaterstlie 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  each 
  fishery 
  of 
  Alabama 
  inlSOi. 
  

  

  *ExcIusive 
  of 
  duplication. 
  

  

  Table 
  showing 
  by 
  waters 
  Ihr 
  apparalns 
  and 
  capital 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  fmherics 
  of 
  Alabama 
  

  

  in 
  1894. 
  

  

  