160 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The seines are 20 to 55 yards long, 1^-inch mesh, and with depth 

 from 10 to 12 feet. They are frequently hired out by the day to farmers 

 or timbermen desirous of securing a supply of shad for home use, the 

 usual compensation being $2 per day and the same amount per night. 

 Because of the distance from markets and the desultory manner in 

 which the fishery is carried on, the catch is not large for the number of 

 seines employed. In 1896, 21 seines were used, of which 12 were located 

 on the Six Runs and 9 on Black River. On the Six Runs the seine 

 shores are between the mouth of the river and the crossing of the 

 (Jlinton and Warsaw Railroad. Very few shad, however, are taken 

 above Taylor's Bridge, not a single shad being reported above that 

 point in 1890. The catch in the 21 seines in 1890 numbered 3,745, of 

 which 1,985 were bucks. Sixty bow nets were reported in 1896, mostly 

 on the Six Runs, below Taylor's Bridge, the total yield amounting 

 to 2,385 shad. Very few shad from Black River and tributaries are 

 sent to distant markets, most of them being used in the homes of the 

 fishermen. 



North East River. — This river rises in the northeast portion of Duplin 

 County, and after flowing 120 miles through a swampy section empties 

 into the Cape Fear at Wilmington. It is navigable for small steam- 

 boats a distance of 75 miles, to Hallsville. From that point to Korne- 

 gay, 15 miles, it is shallow and narrow — 20 to 100 feet in width — with 

 low banks. In the extreme lower portion of North East River some 

 shad are taken by Wilmington drift-net fishermen, as already noted. 

 In addition thereto, a number of men living about Castle Hayne use 

 drift nets, sending their catch to Wilmington. Twelve boats were used 

 in this fishery in 1896, the catch being 1,942 roes and 2,120 bucks. 



The principal shad fishery of North East River is the seine fishery, 

 which is prosecuted from Sandy Hill, 30 miles above the mouth of the 

 river, to Kornegay, a distance of 83 miles. In this section there are 

 about 30 seine beaches, but a decrease in the abundance of shad has 

 caused the abandonment of many of them. The seines range in length 

 from 30 to 100 yards, the depth from 8 to 20 feet, the mesh from 2 to 3 

 inches, and 3 to 5 men are required to each fishery. In 1896, 17 seines 

 were operated, the total catch by which approximated 6,989 shad, of 

 which 3,320 were roes. In 1S90, an uuusually good season for recent 

 years, 27 seines were used and 18,135 shad were taken. In 1891, 29 

 seines were used and the catch amounted to 13,455. The reduced catch 

 in 1891 and in 1896 was due to heavy freshets, causing a short season all 

 along the middle and lower end of the river, and this also explains why 

 the catch above Hallsville was larger in 1891 than in 1890. An inter- 

 diction exists against fishing for shad in North East River "from the 

 23d day of February to the 1st day of July each year, between the hour 

 of 12 o'clock midnight on Saturday nights and 6 a. m. on Wednesdays 

 of each week." The shad on this stream are very large, individuals of 

 7 or 8 pounds being occasionally taken, and the average weight of the 

 females probably exceeds 5 pounds. Formerly most of the North East 



