162 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



stations, shad fishing is carried on by men living at Chicamicomico 

 or Rodauthe, Clarks, and Hatteras, on the banks. Stake nets and 

 pound nets are used, set in the same general vicinity, but the latter 

 usually inshore of the former. At present the stake nets greatly out- 

 number the pound nets, but the latter form of apparatus is rapidly 

 increasing in popularity. 



The stake nets measure 16 to 18 yards in length, G to 16 feet deep, 

 with 5J to 5£ inch mesh, and from 50 to 500 are set in a string. They 

 are made of cotton twine and cost, with necessary appliances, about 

 $125 per 100 nets, the twine being renewed each season. Some of the 

 nets are placed in very shoal water, as on Duck Island Fla^s, where the 

 depth averages about 3 feet, and in many places so shoal that the fish- 

 ermen are compelled to jump overboard and shove the boat along while 

 overhauling the nets. The nets frequently remain in the water from 

 the beginning of the season to the close, whereas when set in fresh 

 water they must be taken up and cleaned every week. The 24,808 stake 

 nets set in Pamlico Sound in 1896 required the services of 184 boats, 

 worth $18,785, and of 368 men. The season began the first week in 

 February and continued until about the middle of April. The total 

 catch numbered 387,236, of which 207,736 were roes and 179,500 bucks, 

 the total valuation being $96,249. 



The stake-net catch at the various stations is affected largely by the 

 prevailing winds both preceding and during the fishing season, the 

 former determining to a certain extent the salinity of the water. 

 The temperature of the water and of the atmosphere also influences 

 the yield on the various reefs. On the Duck Island Flats in 1896 the 

 water was low and quite salty, causing many fishermen who usually 

 occupy those grounds to set their nets in Croatan and Albemarle 

 sounds. Contrary to expectations, shad were more numerous on the 

 Duck Island Flats than for many years previous, and the few fishermen 

 operating there obtained large results. At Hog Island, one of the 

 most important fishing stations, and which is separated from Eoanoke 

 Island only by small creeks, the yield of shad was exceptionally large, 

 over 90,000 being taken. The catch in 1895 was nearly as good; but 

 1894 and 1893 were poor seasons, the former being the worst during 

 recent years. On Long, Pingleton, and Gibbs shoals the catch was 

 only about two-thirds as great as in 1895, and the yield in the nets set 

 by the "Bank" fishermen from Chickamicomico to Hatteras was also 

 unusually small. 



The pound nets operated in Pamlico Sound are of the type known 

 as "Dutch nets," costing from $80 to $1,100 each. The "pound" is 

 generally 10 yards square, the " heart" 45 yards on each side, and the 

 "leader" from 100 to 350 yards long. The mesh in the "pound" is 1\ 

 inches, in the "heart" 3 inches, and in the "leader" 4 inches. They are 

 set along the shore across the current in strings containing from 1 to 11 

 nets each. The number used in Pamlico Sound is constantly increasing 

 and they are gradually superseding the stake nets. They are set 



