222 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



St. Jones Creek. — St. Jones Creek is a tidal stream, 40 miles in length, 

 which empties into Delaware Bay immediately above the entrance of 

 Murderkill Creek and 75 miles below Philadelphia. It is navigable for 

 vessels of 6-foot draft to Lebanon, 12 miles above the mouth; thence 5 

 feet can be carried a distance of 9 miles to Dover, the head of naviga- 

 tion and the capital of the State. The shad fisheries are limited to the 

 use of haul seines at Lebanon, Cherrytree Landing, and Dover. These 

 seines are each from 80 to 100 yards in length, with 2^ to 2J-inch mesh, 

 requiring 4 men each. They had a fairly good season in 1896, the catch 

 in the six seines numbering 1,656 roe shad and 2,404 bucks, worth 

 $507. There is a State interdiction against placing "any net, seine, or 

 other device used in fishing in or across St. Jones River on or during 

 any flood tide." 



Leipsic Greek. — Leipsic Creek differs little from the other small creeks 

 of this State, and its shad fisheries call for no special description. A 

 few drift nets and seines are used between the mouth of the creek and 

 Leipsic, 10 drift nets being employed in 1896, catching 900 roe shad 

 and 800 bucks, and 4 seines caught 500 roes and 598 bucks — a total of 

 2,798 shad, worth $420. 



Buck Creek. — This stream is narrow and winding, 15 miles in length, 

 and empties into Delaware Bay 5 J miles above Bombay Hook Point. 

 In 1896, 14 fishermen from Smyrna, in Kent County, used 4 seines, each 

 80 yards in length, with 2^-inch mesh. From Walker, in Newcastle 

 County, 8 men used 2 seines, each 53 yards in length. The catch by 

 the former approximated 1,000 shad, of which two-thirds were roe; 

 and the catch by the Walker fishermen was about one-half as large, 

 with the same proportion of roes and bucks. 



Appoquinimink Creek. — This is a tidal stream, 20 miles in length, 

 lying altogether in Newcastle County, and emptying into Delaware 

 River 5 miles below Port Penn and 46 miles below Philadelphia. It is 

 navigable for vessels of 7-foot draft to Odessa, a town of 500 inhabi- 

 tants, 9 miles from the mouth. Two seines, each 80 yards in length, 

 with 2J-inch mesh, were used in 1896 by 6 men from Odessa. The 

 catch of shad was small, numbering only 350, of which nearly 60 per 

 cent were roes. 



Christiana Creek. — For purposes of navigation this creek is the most 

 important one in Delaware, as it forms the harbor of Wilmington. It 

 is navigable to Wilmington, a distance of 8 miles, and above that 

 point it is crossed by several dams for generating water power. Six 

 seines were used in 1896, averaging 50 yards in length, with 2^-inch 

 mesh. Their catch is reported at 2,300 shad, of which two-thirds were 

 roes. Four drift nets were also used, each 120 yards long, with 5J-inch 

 mesh. They caught 400 roe shad and 200 bucks, making a total of 

 2,900 shad, worth $484, taken during the year herein reported. 



