SHAD FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. 183 



about 700 yards long, with 3-inch mesh in the bunt, and required the 

 services of 9 men each. The season began May 12 and ended about 

 the last of April, the catch of shad aggregating 5.482 in number, of 

 which 4,355 were bucks. 



From Chickahominy to Appomattox. — On the middle section of James 

 River drift nets constitute the principal form of apparatus, yet a few 

 seines are used, and in the extreme lower end there were 8 strings of 

 stake nets in 1896. These strings, containing 235 nets, were operated 

 by men living at Claremont and Sandy Point, taking 9,928 shad. The 

 drift nets measure about 350 yards in length and 05 to - 80 meshes deep, 

 with 5-inch mesh. Where the channel is narrow, as from Coggins 

 Point to City Point, this length is divided into two or three sections. 

 On the shoal grounds between Coggins Point and City Point a number 

 of shallow nets, 30 meshes deep, are used. These contain from 4 to 6 

 pounds of twine and are usually operated in two sections. Other than 

 in depth they resemble in every particular the nets used in the channel. 

 The total number of drift-net boats in the middle section of James 

 River in 1896 was 182, using 69,727 yards of twine, and the catch of 

 shad numbered 162,655, valued locally at $14,706. 



Between the Chickahominy and the Appomattox there were formerly 

 many seine beaches, most of which are now abandoned on account of 

 the unprofitableness of the fishery and, in one or two cases, destruction 

 of the beaches by engineering operations tending to improve the navi- 

 gation of the river. In 1896 only four seine shores were operated, viz : 

 Harrison Landing, Beechwood, Coggins Point, and Flowerdew Hun- 

 dred. The seines were from 250 to 500 yards in length, with 2£ and 2| 

 inch mesh, and the yield of shad was 18,208, valued locally at $1,770. 

 The large proportion of bucks in the catch of these seines is somewhat 

 noticeable, numbering 13,385, or 73 per cent of the total yield, this 

 being due doubtless to the large quantity of roes caught in gill nets in 

 the lower part of the river. 



From Appomattox to Bosher's Bam. — Above the entrance of Appo- 

 mattox River drift nets are the only apparatus used in the James 

 River shad fisheries. The principal fishing centers are Bermuda Hun- 

 dred, Turkey Creek, and Deep Bottom, while a few nets are used above 

 Dutch Gap, in Cox and Graveyard reaches. Formerly drift nets were 

 used in Trent and Coal Yard reaches, situated in the loop of James 

 River around Farrors Island, but since the opening of Dutch Gap that 

 portion of the river has shoaled to such an extent that it is impracti- 

 cable to drift in it. On account of the narrowness of the channel the 

 nets above City Point are much shorter than those below, the length 

 ranging from 40 to 100 yards. Usually two nets are operated by each 

 boat, requiring the services of two men. The mesh is from 4£ to 5^ 

 inches and the depth from 50 to 110 meshes. The season begins about 

 the last week of March, three or four weeks later than at the mouth of 

 the river, and closes about the end of May or first of June. In 1896 128 

 drift nets were used, the catch amounting to 33,385 shad, worth $2,709 

 at local valuation. Of this yield, 23,387, or 70 per cent, were bucks. 



