548 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES. 



disposed of their property and returned to the North. In 1875 Mr. Snediker went to New 

 Point, Va., and built a large pound in the waters of Mobjack Bay for the capture of shad and 

 other species. The fishermen of the neighborhood, being wholly unacquainted with the pound- 

 net, were very jealous of the stranger that came among them with such destructive apparatus. 

 They watched Mr. Snediker's movements closely for several weeks, and, after seeing the enormous 

 quantities of fish taken by him, at once informed him that he must take his " traps" and leave 

 the country. Refusing to comply with their demands, a number of them sawed off the stakes of 

 the pound eveu with the water and carried the netting to the shore, assuring Mr. Snediker that if 

 he attempted to put it down again they would destroy it. Seeing it was useless to continue the 

 fishery here, he decided to seek some more favorable locality. Before leaving he sold the stakes 

 that remained in the water to a resident fisherman, who obtained from them a pattern of the pound, 

 and in a short time had one properly arranged for fishing. This was also destroyed by the fisher- 

 men, but not until enough had been learned to convince them that pound-nets could be used with 

 great profit, and within a year from that time 12 pounds were fished in Mobjack Bay. In 1879 

 the number had been more than doubled, and on our visit to the region in 1880 we found that 

 every available site was taken up, and often three, or eveu four, nets were placed in line, the 

 leader of one being attached to the outer end of another, for the purpose both of economizing 

 space and of securing the fish that chanced to be passing at a distance from the shore. 



Mr. Snediker, on leaving New Point, proceeded to the eastern shore of the Chesapeake, and 

 associated with himself one of the most popular fishermen of the region, hoping in this way to 

 prevent any organized opposition on the part of the resident fishermen against the use of the 

 pound. By this means he was successful in avoiding any open hostilities, and it was not long before 

 others became interested in the use of pounds. Though the pound-net was introduced into the 

 Chesapeake against the prejudice of the fishermen, it has entirely revolutionized the fisheries of 

 Virginia. Prior to 1870 the fisheries of the region were of little importance, the business being 

 largely in the hands of the 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. In the accompanying diagram, Fig. 9 represents the particular 

 kind of net used on the shores of Northampton County, Virginia. 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 has 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 3 feet wide, and extends from 

 top to bottom, the netting being so arranged that the aperture can be entirely closed before the 

 pound is lifted. The poles M, N, A, 0, 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. 



