236 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



THE PRODUCTS BY APPARATUS. 



The products of the vessel fisheries of New Jersey in 1897 were 

 valued at $1,167,553, and those of the shore fisheries at $2,446,881. 

 In 1898 the vessel fisheries yielded $1,192,723, and the shore fisheries 

 $2,371,043. The more* important forms of apparatus are used on both 

 vessels and boats, but pound nets, weirs, and a variety of smaller 

 apparatus are employed exclusively in the shore fisheries. 



Seines are used on vessels chiefly for capturing menhaden, and occa- 

 sionally for other species. In shore fisheries the}^ are more widely 

 distributed than any other apparatus, taking principally alewives, 

 carp, cat-fish, eels, flounders, menhaden, white perch, shad, sque- 

 teague, striped bass, suckers, and soft crabs. The catch taken with 

 them by vessels and boats in 1897 aggregated 31,398,546 pounds, valued 

 at $235,745, and in 1898, 23,403,012 pounds, valued at $193,457. 



Gill nets were used extensively in the shore fisheries, but on vessels 

 to a limited extent only, in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The}^ are 

 especially important in the capture of shad and sturgeon. In 1897 

 they took 11,161,755 pounds of shad, valued at $277,529, and 989,096 

 pounds of sturgeon, including caviar, valued at $92,682; and in 1898, 

 11,447,220 pounds of shad, valued at $248,867, and 847,740 pounds of 

 sturgeon products, valued at $99,720. In addition to this there were 

 large quantities of other species taken, the more important being blue- 

 fish, white perch, and squeteague. The yield of the gill-net fisheries 

 in 1897 was 12,875,038 pounds, valued at $400,459, and in 1898 

 12,980,292 pounds, valued at $378,997. 



Pound nets are employed to a greater or less extent in five counties, 

 but principally in Monmouth and Cape May. The more important 

 localities in Monmouth County in which they are used are Keansburg, 

 Port Monmouth and vicinity, and along the ocean shore from Sandy 

 Hook to Manasquan. The remaining pound nets on the eastern side 

 of the State are in Middlesex, Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May coun- 

 ties. In Cape May County a large number of small pound nets are 

 set in various localities on the Delaware Bay shore for fish and king 

 crabs, and a considerable number of weirs are fished exclusively for 

 king .crabs. In 1897 the catch of all species in pound nets and weirs 

 was 16,013,724 pounds, valued at $214,068; and in 1898 14,070,839 

 pounds, valued at $216,455. The species taken in greatest abundance 

 were blue-fish, bonito, butter-fish, cod, croakers, flounders, menhaden, 

 scup, sea bass, shad, Spanish mackerel, squeteague, tautog, and king 

 crabs. Squeteague was the most important species, and comprised 

 about one-half the quantity and value of the entire catch. Cod were 

 also abundant, especially as compared with former years. 



Fyke nets and stop nets are used to a limited extent in the vessel 

 and shore fisheries, the value of the catch by fyke nets in 1897 being 

 $38,929 and in 1898 $36,412; and by stop nets $20,617 and $7,471 for 

 each year, respectively. Stop nets are set at high tide across the 



