494 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



man usually backs his cart into line at the market, aucl disposes of bis entire load a bunch or two at 

 a time. In this way he realizes considerably more than he would by selling directly to the dealers. 

 The city trade is thus largely controlled by the producers, and the dealers must confine themselves 

 to a wholesale shipping business, and, when there is a local demand for the catch, it is difficult for 

 them to get their supply at reasonable rates. There are but two firms engaged regularly in the 

 trade, and these, with a few others who buy at intervals during the height of the mullet and trout 

 season, control the shipping trade of the city, which, if the anadromous and fresh- water fishes are 

 omitted, amounted in 1879 to about 60,000 bunches. 



THE TRADE IN SALT FISH. Wilmington has long been an important market for salt fish, and, 

 next to Beaufort, it has the largest trade in salt mullet of any city on the Atlantic coast. The 

 business reached its height about 1871, when, according to Messrs. Hall & Pearsall, 6,000 barrels 

 were handled by the dealers. On account of a growing demand for fresh fish the trade has gradu- 

 ally declined, and for the past eight years has averaged only 4,000 barrels annually, while in 1879 

 there were but 2,800 barrels of mullet and 200 barrels of other fish brought to the city. The trade 

 is controlled by the wholesale and retail grocers, who get their supply from the fishermen living 

 between Bear Inlet and Little River. Over one-half of the catch comes from New River. The price 

 realized by the fishermen ranges from $1.50 to $4.50, according to the season and size of the fish. 

 A fair average would be $2.50 to $3.25 for packages of 100 pounds. 



The city has also a small trade in salt and dried mullet roes. According to Hall & Pearsall, 

 6,000 dozen were handled in 1871, and 2,000 dozen in 1879 ; but the average annual trade does not 

 exceed 1,500 dozen. Two thirds of the entire quantity arc brought to market in pickle and sold at 

 40 to 50 cents per dozen ; the remainder are dry-salted and bring a trifle more. 



THE TERRAPIN TKADE. According to Mr. W. B. Davis the terrapin taken in the vicinity of 

 Wilmington are quite small, and not more than one in twenty is large enough for a "count." It 

 seems that no terrapin were shipped prior to 1875, when a steamboat captain began buying for the 

 New York market. In 1878 a party living on Wrightsville Sound began buying and shipping to 

 the Northern market. In 1879 about 500 dozen were shipped, and as many more were consumed 

 locally. 



THE SHRIMP FISHERIES. Shrimp and prawn are said to be very abundant in the sounds and 

 bays near Wilmington from the middle of May till October, though comparatively few are taken. 

 TJp to 1872, when the first shrimp-seine was introduced, the catch was wholly with skim-nets, and 

 not over 100 bushels were marketed yearly. From this date the business rapidly increased, and in 

 two or three years eight seines were fished in the locality, the catch being sold in Wilmington at 

 10 to 25 cents a quart. No shrimp were shipped at this time, and the market was so often over- 

 stocked that the business became unprofitable and a number were obliged to turn their attention 

 to other fishing. The first shipment of shrimp from Wilmington, according to Mr. Davis, was in 

 1878; since that time a trade with the neighboring cities has sprung up that seems destined to 

 become very important. At present (1880) there are four shrimp-seines owned by the fishermen of 

 Middle Sound, each landing about 500 bushels during the season. In addition to these, fifty men 

 are engaged in the fishery with either cast-nets or skim-nets during the height of the season, catch- 

 ing about 60 bushels to the man. Only the largest are saved, and of over 5,000 bushels taken less 

 than half are marketed. The shrimp are usually boiled by the fishermen, after which they are 

 brought to market where they are retailed at 10 cents a quart or sold to the dealers at about $2 a 

 bushel. The sales for 1879 reached about 1,800 bushels, valued at $4,500. 



STATISTICS OF THE FRESH AND SALT WATER FISHERIES TRIBUTARY TO WILMINGTON. 

 The catch of salt-water species for the district lying between New and Little Rivers was 595,000 



