548 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 
* 
disposed of their property and returned to the North. In 1875 Mr. Snediker went to New 
Point, Va., and built a large pound in the waters of Mobjack Bay for the capture of shad and 
other species. The fishermen of the neighborhood, being wholly unacquainted with the pound- 
net, were very jealous of the stranger that came among them with such destructive apparatus. 
They watched Mr. Snediker’s movements closely for several weeks, and, after seeing the enormous 
quantities of fish taken by him, at once informed him that he must take his “traps” and leave 
the country. Refusing to comply with their demands, a number of them sawed off the stakes of 
the pound even with the water and carried the netting to the shore, assuring Mr. Snediker that if 
he attempted to put it down again they would destroy it. Seeing it was useless to continue the 
fishery here, he decided to seck some more favorable locality. Before leaving he sold the stakes 
that remained in the water to a resident fisherman, who obtained from them a pattern of the pound, 
and in a short time had one properly arranged for fishing. This was also destroyed by the fisher- 
men, but not until enough had been learned to convince them that pound-nets could be used with 
great profit, and within a year from that time 12 pounds were fished in Mobjack Bay. In 1879 
the number had been more than doubled, and on our visit to the region in 1880 we found that 
every available site was taken up, and often three, or even four, nets were placed in line, the 
leader of one being attached to the outer end of another, for the purpose both of economizing 
space and of securing the fish that chanced to be passing at a distance from the shore. 
Mr. Snediker, on leaving New Point, proceeded to the eastern shore of the Chesapeake, and 
associated with himself one of the most popular fishermen of the region, hoping in this way to 
prevent any organized opposition on the part of the resident fishermen against the use of the 
pound. By this means he was successful in avoiding any open hostilities, and it was not long before 
others became interested in the use of pounds. Though the pound-net was introduced into the 
Chesapeake against the prejudice of the fishermen, it has entirely revolutionized the fisheries of 
Virginia. Prior to 1870 the fisheries of the region were of little importance, the business being 
largely in the hands of the farmers, who fished with hand-lines and drag-seines for a few weeks in 
the spring and fall, their chief object being to secure a supply of fish for themselves and their 
neighbors ; while to-day the Chesapeake is the center of one of: the most important shore fisheries 
in the United States. The pound-net has not only more than doubled the catch of ordinary fishes, 
but it has brought to the notice of the fishermen many valuable species that were previously 
almost unknown to them, the most important of these being the Spanish mackerel. In 1880 162 
pounds were fished in Virginia waters, with two others located at Crisfield, Md., just above the 
Virginia line. 
As the pound-net is such an important apparatus in the Spanish mackerel fishery, a brief 
description will not be out of place. In the accompanying diagram, Fig. 9 represents the particular 
kind of net used on the shores of Northampton County, Virginia. All pounds are constructed on a 
similar principle, though they differ considerably in size and shape in different States. Few are 
provided with pockets, and many have only one heart. 
The leader and hearts are vertical walls of netting, extending from the surface to the bottom, 
and simply answer the purpose of directing the fish into the pound, which has not only sides, but 
also has a bottom made of netting, there being but one opening (A B) through which the fish can 
enter or escape. This opening is rectangular in shape, it is about 3 feet wide, and extends from 
top to bottom, the netting being so arranged that the aperture can be entirely closed before the 
pound is lifted. The poles M,N, A, O, D, &c., to which the netting is attached, are from 4 to 8 
inches in diameter, each being driven from 5 to 8 feet into the mud or sand of the bottom by means 
of a maul or pile driver. 
\ 
