NORTH CAROLINA: THE MOKE IMPORTANT DISTRICTS. 481 



When the ends have been brought together the men begin "hauling in" one of them, and they 

 continue their work till the circle has become very small and the fish are brought together in a 

 limited space. The seine with its fish is then quickly lifted into the stern of the boat. In warm 

 weather this method would be hardly practicable, for in hauling the lead-line is frequently raised 

 several feet above the bottom, and the fish have an excellent opportunity to escape; but the fishing 

 occurs chiefly in winter when the water is cold; at this time the fish are so sluggish that they 

 make little effort to escape. The fishing is not confined to any particular region, but extends 

 over the entire sound, and even as far south as Kitty Hawk Bay, a few miles above Roanoke 

 Island. In the winter of 1879-'SO there were two hundred and eighty men with one hundred and 

 forty boats and a like number of seines engaged in this fishery. 



171. THE FISHERIES OF ALBEMARLE SOUND. 



THE FISHING WHOLLY FOE FEESH-WATEB AND ANADEOMOUS SPECIES. Albemarle Sound, 

 a sheet of water 50 miles long by 7 to 10 miles wide is the center of the shad, herring, and rock 

 fisheries of the State. Its only communication with the sea is through Oregon Inlet, situated some 

 distance below Roanoke Island. The water of the sound, under ordinary circumstances, is fresh, 

 but during seasons of extreme drought it becomes more or less brackish, especially in its lower 

 part. 



The fishing is confined wholly to the capture of shad, herring, rock, and perch. Formerly 

 haul-seines were almost exclusively used; as the fishery increased in importance these were made 

 larger and larger, until, at the present time, they average 2,000 to 2,500 yards in length, being 

 among the largest in the country. Within the past three or four years small steamboats have 

 been introduced into the fishery for the purpose of "laying out" the seines, and horse and steam 

 power are frequently employed in hauling them to the shore. In 1870 the first pound-nets were 

 introduced into the region by Mr. J. P. Hetterick, of Huron, Ohio. They have proved very 

 successful in this fishery, and are not only coming into general favor, but seem destined to revo- 

 lutionize the fisheries of the Albemarle. Stationary gill-nets, or stake-nets, are also extensively 

 used in the lower part of the sound; and, according to Col. M. McDonald, the first drift-nets were 

 introduced into the region in 1880. 



A large part of the shad, rock, and perch are shipped in ice to New York, Philadelphia, and 

 Baltimore; but so many herring are taken, that no market can be found for them fresh, and nearly 

 all are salted. 



A detailed account of the fisheries of this region will be given by Colonel McDonald in the 

 chapter on the shad and alewife fisheries. 



172. THE FISHERIES OF ROANOKE ISLAND. 



Roanoke Island, lying between Albemarle and Currituck Sounds on the north, and Pamlico 

 Sound on the south, has a population of about 1,100, largely dependent upon farming and fishing. 

 Capt. J. W. Etheridge estimates that fully three-fourths of the total earnings of these people come 

 from the water. Probably 223 men are extensively engaged in fishing, while the others fish occa- 

 sionally for local use. 



THE FISHERIES OF THE REGION. The principal fishing is for shad (Clupea sapidissimd), herring 

 (Clupea vernalis and C. cestivalis), and rock (Roccus lineatus), in spring; for mullet (Mugil albula), 

 hogflsh (Diabasis sp.), spot (Liostomus xanthurus), and terrapin, in summer; and for bluefish 

 (Pomatomus saltatrix), rock, and terrapin in the fall and early winter. Oysters and quahaugs are 

 also gathered for local use and for sale in the interior. 

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