SHAD FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. 



133 



greater abundance of fish in that stream, as well as to the meager ship- 

 ping facilities on the St. Marys, very little attention has been given to 

 catching shad in the latter river. The fisheries are confined to the use 

 of a few drift nets and stake nets by men living between Crandall and 

 Kings Ferry, most of the catch being landed at Oakwell, Ga., and 

 Kings Ferry, Fla., whence it is carted to the nearest railroad station 

 and shipped to distant markets. Some few shad are also taken for 

 home use by means of bow nets, but this fishery is of little consequence 

 and no data are at hand to show its actual extent. Seine fishing is 

 scarcely practicable on the St. Marys, as the stream is so narrow and 

 the tidal current so strong that seines could be hauled only during slack 

 water. 



The number of men employed in the shad fisheries of the St. Marys 

 in 1896 was 110, 40 of whom lived on the Florida side of the river 

 and 70 on the Georgia side. They commenced fishing about the 1st 

 of January and continued until some time in April, 80 using drift 

 nets and 30 using set nets. The drift nets numbered 80, with an 

 aggregate length of 5,(300 yards and valuation of $1,200. On account 

 of the numerous snags and the narrowness of the river, the longest 

 nets used are only 90 yards, and some are oidy 40 yards in length. 

 The mesh is generally 5 inches and the deptli about 14 feet. The stake 

 nets numbered 15, with a length of 1,275 yards and valued at $300. 

 By the drift nets 3,303 roe shad and 4,246 bucks, worth $1,313, were 

 taken, while the set nets caught 1,062 roe shad and 1,522 bucks, valued 

 locally at $441, making a total of 10,193 shad, worth $1,754, caught on 

 St. Marys River, of which 3,933 were taken by men living on the 

 Florida side and 6,260 by residents of Georgia. 



THE SHAD FISHERIES OF GEORGIA. 



Although requiring a greater number of fishermen the shad fisheries 

 of Georgia are not so extensive as those of Florida as regards the 

 value of boats, apparatus, etc., and the quantity and value of shad 

 taken, as appears from the following series of tables showing the extent 

 of the fisheries of Georgia by water-courses : 



Statement, by water areas, of the number of persons employed in each branch of the shad 

 fisheries of Georgia in 1896. 



