408 FISHES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



salt-water fishes are the mullets, squeteagues, croaker, spot, Spanish mackerel, 

 and menhaden. The most important of the migratory river fishes are the shad, 

 alewives, hickory shad, striped bass, white perch, eel, and sturgeon. The lead- 

 ing fresh-water species is the large-mouth black bass. 



Fishes that are taken in larger quantities in North Carolina than in other 

 states are the spotted squeteague, pig-fish, hickory shad, and black bass; while 

 the local catch of alewives is exceeded only in Maryland and Virginia, of striped 

 bass only in California, of Spanish mackerel only in Florida and Virginia, of 

 mullet only in Florida, and of spot only in Virginia. 



It is not necessary to refer again in detail to the fisheries for the individual 

 species, but a few special notes on several of the most important fisheries may be 

 supplied as a supplement to the information already given. Of the leading 

 salt-water fish and the peculiar methods adopted for its capture, Dr. Robert 

 E. Coker contributes the following account, which applies more particularly to 

 the Beaufort region: 



The common mullet, or "jumping mullet", is the most important food-fish of the Beau- 

 fort waters. The mass of the fish consumers of North Carolina and neighboring States demand 

 a cheap fish, and for them the mullet, being of good quality and very abundant, is the chief 

 food fish. The mullet fishery is the largest industry in the State derived fjom salt-water 

 fishes. The importance of the mullet to the fishermen is increased by the fact that it is taken 

 during the summer when most other fish are scarce. On the whole, the loss of no other fish 

 could so embarass the fisherman as a failure of mullets, and it seems a very unwise policy to 

 use the small-mesh seines, taking the very small, almost finger-sized mullets, which are next 

 to valueless- on the market. 



Mullets are taken chiefly with "drag nets", or "hauling nets", worked from sail skiffs, 

 singly or in groups of two to four or more in cooperation. The fish are commonly landed on 

 an exposed shoal or beach, or are "pounded". The method known as "footing" is not econom- 

 ical in the case of mullets, as a considerable number escape by jumping over the cork line, 

 and this plan is followed only when other methods are impracticable. A "dragnet", or "haul- 

 ing net", is a seine 150 to 200 or more yards in length and 40 to 80 or more meshes in depth, 

 with mesh of 1-inch to IJ-inch bar. In mullet fishing in early summer a long shallow net 

 with small mesh is desired, later in the season the deeper nets with larger mesh are used. The 

 size of mesh and length and depth of seine to be used are determined according to the size 

 of fish to be taken, and according to whether they are expected to be found scattered over the 

 shoals or in schools and in deeper water. 



In "pounding" mullets on the shoals, if the catch is light, it is customary to break the 

 necks as they are meshed to prevent their escape, but if a heavy catch is made it is not economi- 

 cal to do this. The Portsmouth (North Carolina) mullets have quite a reputation in some 

 of the State markets as a result of the method of taking them and preparing them for market, 

 and this method has grown out of the peculiar conditions prevailing about Portsmouth (on 

 Pamlico Sound), near which place there are a great many shoals where the water is a foot or 

 more in depth. The fishermen, working in groups of 2 to 10 skiffs, surround the mullets 

 ("pound" them) on such a shoal with their seines used in combination, then frighten the 

 fish into the nets, and in order that as few as possible may escape, go about breaking the necks 

 as fast as the mullets are meshed. The fish are left in the nets or in the enclosed area until 

 all have been killed. Then they are collected and taken into the boats. The appearance of 

 their fish has become a matter of pride to Portsmouth fishermen, and great care is taken in 

 preparing them for market; the backbone is removed, the intestinar cavity thoroughly washed 

 and the dark lining of the cavity rubbed off with bagging. When carried to market Ports- 



