172 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The following summary shows by counties its location and extent 

 in 1896: 



Counties. 



Dare 



Tyrrell 



Washington 



Bertie 



Currituck . . 



Camden 



Pasquotank 

 Perquimans 

 Chowan 



Total . 



a Includes six nets in Alligator River. b Includes four nets in Little Alligator River. 



c Located in North Eiver. 



Haul seines were the ouly apparatus of capture employed in the shad 

 fisheries of Albemarle Sound until about 1860, and until quite recently 

 they have been the principal apparatus. At the present time, however, 

 they play a minor part in the shad fisheries of this region, only 4 being 

 operated — 3 on the shore of Chowan County and 1 in Bertie County. 

 They average in length about 2,500 yards each and in depth 12 to 16 

 feet, with 2-inch mesh in the bunt and 3-inch in the wings. From 25 to 

 35 men are required at each fishery, and steamers or steam flats are 

 used in hauling each seine. The catch of these four seines in 1896 was 

 69,857 roe shad and 62,356 bucks, with a local valuation of $25,401. In 

 addition to shad, 4,235,324 alewives were taken, the value being $11,655. 

 A very small quantity of striped bass, perch, and sturgeon are also 

 caught in the seines. 



To illustrate the comparative abundance of shad during the last half 

 century, the following statement is presented, showing for a series of 

 years the yield of shad at the Greenfield seine fishery on Albemarle 

 Sound: 



Year. 



1852 . . 



1853 . . 



1854 - 



1855 . . 

 1856.. 

 1857.. 

 1858 . . 

 1859.. 

 1860 . . 

 1861a 



1866 . , 



1867 . . 



1868 . . 

 1869.. 

 1870.. 

 1871.. 

 1872 . . 

 1873. 

 1874. 

 1875. 



No. of 

 shad. 



13, 849 



25, 552 

 36, 979 

 54, 910 



35, 806 



26, 344 



36, 242 

 37,818 

 49, 427 

 33, 213 

 43, 862 

 49, 249 

 37, 566 

 44,695 

 33, 358 

 31, 991 

 42, 694 

 40, 245 

 54, 870 

 33, 394 



Average 

 for 5 

 years. 



33, 419 



36, 609 



41, 746 



Tear. 



1876 



1877 

 1878 

 1879 

 1880 

 1881 

 1882 

 1883 

 1884 

 1885 

 1886 

 1887 

 1888 

 1889 

 1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 

 1895 

 1896 



No. of 

 shad. 



17,919 



14, 603 

 10, 485 

 17, 225 



25, 692 



19, 777 



21, U00 

 16, 894 

 17,011 



20, 774 



21, 038 



22, 600 

 29, 484 



22, 791 

 16, 655 



15, 861 

 26, 163 



26, 352 



23, 245 



27, 403 

 46, 522 



Average 

 for 5 

 vears. 



17, 185 



19, 091 



22, 514 



23, 805 



a Fishing interrupted during 1862-65 on account of war. 



