[1 7] THE SPANISH MACKEREL. AI1 
opposition on the part of the residents against the use of the pound. In 
this way he was successful in avoiding any open hostilities, and it was 
not long before others adopted the new apparatus. 
Though the pound-net was introduced into the Chesapeake against 
the prejudice of the fishermen, it has entirely revolutionized the fish- 
eries of Virginia. Prior to 1870 the fisheries of the region were of little 
importance, being carried on almost exclusively by farmers, who fished 
with hand-lines and drag-seines for a few weeks in the spring and 
fall, their chief object being to secure a supply of fish for themselves 
and their neighbors; while to-day the Chesapeake is the center of one 
of the most important shore fisheries in the United States. The pound- 
net has not only more than doubled the catch of ordinary fishes, but 
it has brought to the notice of the fishermen many valuable species 
that were previously almost unknown to them, the most important of 
these being the Spanish mackerel. In 1880, 162 pounds were fished in 
Virginia waters, with two others located at Crisfield, Md., just above 
the Virginia line. 
As the pound-net is such an important apparatus in the Spanish 
mackerel fishery, a brief description will not be out of place. The accom- 
panying diagram (Plate III) represents the particular kind of net used on 
the shores of Northampton County, Va. All pounds are constructed on 
a similar principle, though they differ considerably in size and shape in 
different States. Few are provided with pockets, and many have only 
one heart. 
The leader and hearts are vertical walls of netting, extending from 
the surface to the bottom, and simply answer the purpose of directing 
the fish into the pound, which has not only sides but also a bottom 
made of netting, there being but one opening (A B) through which the 
fish can enter or escape. This opening is rectangular in shape; it is 
about three feet wide, and extends from top to bottom, the netting be- 
ing so arranged that the aperture can be entirely closed before the 
pound is lifted. The poles, M, N, A, C, D, &c., to which the netting 
is attached, are from 4 to 8 inches in diameter, each being driven from 5 
to 8 feet into the mud or sand of the bottom by means of a maul or pile- 
driver. The hearts and bowls are placed ‘in water 15 to 18 feet deep. 
From these the leader extends to within a few yards of the shore. It 
varies greatly in length according to the slope of the bottom, the average 
being about 150 fathoms. The netting is of ordinary material with a 
three-inch stretch-mesh. The hearts are made of stouter twine, having 
«a mesh of 24 inches. The opening to the “ Big Heart” is 25 feet across, 
while that to the “Fore Bay” is only 8 feet. The pound or bowl is a 
rectangular inclosure 45 by 60 feet. The netting of which it is com- 
posed is of heavier material than that used for either the leader or the 
hearts, the mesh being one inch from knot to knot. The pocketis simply 
a bag of netting, 15 to 30 feet square and 6 to 8 feet deep, in which the 
fish are placed when, for any reason, it is found desirable to keep them 
