FISHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY 
21 
ANALYSIS OF THE DATA 
Attention already has been called to the fact that, due to a change in the 
apparatus used, only the statistics for the shad and the herrings are directly 
comparable for the entire period covered. The operation of the pound nets was 
discontinued about July 20 and an 1,800-foot seine was used for the remainder of 
360 
1912 '13 '14 '15 '16 'll '18 '19 '20 '21 '22 ^ 
Fig. 12.— Graphic representation of the number of pounds 
of butterflsh ( Poronotus triacanthus) taken from 1912 to 
1922 at the Buchanan Bros, fishery, arranged by years. 
Although a seine, in addition to a set of two pound nets, 
was used from about July 20 to October, from 1912 to 
1917, few fish were caught by this method, and this does 
not affect the final results greatly. Note the great abun- 
dance of this fish in 1912. This species was taken in large 
quantities throughout May and June of 1912, the largest 
single catch consisting of 19,400 pounds and was taken 
on June 25. The straight, heavy line shows the general 
trend in the quantities caught 
the season from 1908 to 1911, because 
this gear, during that part of the fishing 
season, was thought to yield more profit- 
able results. Then followed the period 
(1912 to 1917) when the pound nets were 
operated throughout the fishing season, 
and in addition an 1,800-foot seine was used after about July 20 until the close of 
the fishing season, and thereafter pound nets only were used. It is probable that a 
larger quantity of fish was caught with the seine than would have been taken with 
the pound nets during the same number of fishing seasons, and the annual catch 
undoubtedly was considerably increased for most of the species from 1912 to 1917 
by the operation of both gears. The tables and graphs for all the species, exclusive 
of the shad and herrings, therefore, must not be interpreted too literally, as the 
April May June July 
Fig. 13. — Graphic representation of the number of pounds of 
butterfish ( Poronotus triacanthus ) taken from 1912 to 1922 
at the Buchanan Bros, fishery, arranged by months 
