480 



GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



Detailed statement of the quantities and values of the products. 



B. THE MORE IMPORTANT FISHERY DISTRICTS. 



170. THE FISHERIES OF CURRITUCK SOUND. 



A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OP THE REGION. Currituck Sound is a shoal body of water beginning 

 near the northern boundary of the State, and extending about 40 miles southward in a direction 

 nearly parallel with the coast. It has an average width of 3 or 4 miles, and is separated from the 

 sea by a belt of low sand-hills less than a mile in breadth. Formerly it communicated freely with 

 the ocean through a large inlet, and, the water being salt, it was a favorite resort for the various 

 species of marine fishes common to this portion of the coast; but the inlet has been closed for 

 many years, and the water has gradually freshened until now only the fresh water and anadromous 

 fishes occur. Chub (M. pallidus) and perch (E. americanus) are particularly abundant in these 

 waters, while other species, including rock (Roccus lineatm) and "herring" (Clupea vernalis and 

 C. mtivalis), are found at certain seasons. The region is also visited each winter by enormous 

 numbers of wild fowl, including ducks and geese of several species, and it is one of the most 

 popular resorts of the entire coast for the sportsmen of the larger cities. 



THE FISHERIES. The country has a scattered population depending largely on farming, gun- 

 ning, and fishing. It is quite isolated, and up to 1869 had no regular communication with any 

 of the larger cities. At that time a steamboat line was established between Poplar Branch and 

 Norfolk for the purpose of carrying the game and fish that might be taken. Prior to that date a 

 few fish had been carried to market in wagons, but the distance was so great that not many were 

 caught beyond those needed for local supply. With good shipping facilities the business at once 

 assumed important proportions, and the steamer often carried 15,000 pounds of chub and perch at 

 a single trip. The fishery reached its height about 1872, when, according to Captain Walker, 

 nearly 1,000,000 pounds of these species were taken, the bulk of the catch being shipped to the 

 Norfolk market. In 1875 the catch had fallen off one-third, and in the winter of 1879-'80 it reached 

 only 350,000 pounds of chub and 83,000 pounds of perch, from the sale of which the fishermen 

 realized about $13,000. 



The fishing begins in October and continues till the following April. The fish are taken 

 chiefly in small drag seines. These are fished in the grassy bays both along the shore and at a 

 considerable distance from it. In fishing the men remain constantly in their boats. After properly 

 stowing the seine in the stern they proceed to the fishing grounds, and, when a suitable locality 

 is reached, a pole to which one end of the seine is attached is imbedded in the mud of the bottom, 

 after which the seine is "shot" in the form of a circle in order to surround and retain the fish. 



