208 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



WICOMICO RIVER. 



Wicomico River rises near the elevated rim which encircles Great 

 Cypress Swamp, in which Pocomoke River has its origin, and after flow- 

 ing a distance of 35 miles enters the head of Tangier Sound. Near its 

 mouth it expands into a broad, shallow sheet of water, called Monie 

 Bay, characteristic of nearly all tributaries of Chesapeake Bay. It 

 is navigable for vessels of 7 feet draft from the bay to Salisbury, 23 

 miles above the mouth, where the lowest milldam crosses the stream. 

 For many years the river was made a receptacle for refuse matter from 

 the numerous sawmills on its banks, to the great injury of the spawning- 

 grounds ; but during recent years this refuse has been burned in the 

 mill yards. Considering its small size, the yield of shad on the Wicom- 

 ico is remarkable, with a navigable length of ouly 23 miles the product 

 averaging about 75,000 shad annually. In actual yield it ranks third 

 among Eastern Shore rivers, being surpassed by the Choptank and the 

 Nanticoke. The apparatus employed consists of drift nets, stake nets, 

 seines, pound nets, and fyke nets, the catch by the first named in 189G 

 being 67 per cent of the total yield on the river. 



Drift nets are operated from White Haven to Williams Point, 1 mile 

 below Salisbury, a distance of 12 miles. The length of the nets varies 

 from 100 yards at White Haven to 40 yards at Williams Point, and the 

 depth from 53 to 31 meshes, with from 4£ to 5£ inch mesh. The season 

 begins about the middle of March and lasts six weeks, the catch rang- 

 ing from 100 to 900 shad to each boat. The yield in 1896 was unusually 

 small, averaging only 274 shad per boat, the catch by the 106 boats, 

 using 307 nets, numbering 21,275 roes and 24,123 bucks, valued locally 

 at $5,442. 



There are usually several rows of stake nets operated each year near 

 the mouth of the Wicomico River by men living at Victor and Mount 

 Vernon, in Somerset County. The nets are 20 yards long, 40 meshes 

 deep, with 5 to 5 J inch mesh, and are worth about $4 each. The season 

 begins about the third week of March and lasts four or -five weeks, the 

 yield averaging about 250 shad per boat. In 1896 there were 19 boats, 

 using 70 stake nets, taking 2,320 roe shad and 2,405 bucks. The num- 

 ber of stake nets in this portion of the river is increasing and the yield 

 during recent years has been good, although somewhat less than usual 

 last year. 



During the season covered by this report there were 5 " double-heart '* 

 pound nets located on the north side of Wicomico River 4 miles below 

 White Haven, being set across the current on the side of the channel, 

 with one net on each string. They cost about $100 each, and the 5 nets 

 required the services of 6 men and 3 skiffs. The season began March 14 

 and ended the first week in May, the catch numbering 7,064 roe and 

 5,472 buck shad, worth $1,667 at local valuation, and in addition thereto 

 57,860 alewives and also numerous striped bass, perch, catfish, spots, 

 suckers, squeteague, etc., were taken. 



