92 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
the season advances. The species are not separated for the market and are sold either as river 
herring or alewives; therefore, the available statistics include both species, and their x - elative abund- 
ance is judged only from the observations made of various catches. Observations made at Lynn- 
haven Roads, Va., from April 4 to 8, 1922, showed that the catch taken in pound nets consisted of 
27 per cent branch herring and 43 per cent glut herring. At Lewisetta, Va., from April 24 to 28, 
1922, the catch taken with pound nets consisted of 29 per cent branch herring and 61 per cent glut 
herring. The largest catches of herrings are made in the southern sections of the bay between 
March 20 and April 20, whereas in the vicinity of Havre de Grace, Md., at the head of the bay, the 
principal fishing season usually extends from April 10 to May 10. 
Throughout Chesapeake Bay, during 1920, the alewives ranked first in quantity and second in 
value, the catch being 22,986,158 pounds, worth $416,968. 
In Maryland the alewives ranked first in quantity and third in value, the catch being 6,604,891 
pounds, worth $163,544. Of this amount, 87 per cent was caught in pound nets, 9 per cent in haul 
seines, 3 per cent in gill nets, and 1 per cent with other apparatus. The five leading counties, with 
respect to the pounds of alewives caught, were Talbot, 1,506,865; Cecil, 1,170,780; Dorchester, 
595,482; St. Marys, 534,888; and Harford, 453,840. 
In Virginia they ranked first in quantity and fourth in value, the catch being 16,381,267 pounds, 
worth $253,424. Of this amount, 90 per cent was caught in pound nets and 10 per cent with seines, 
gill nets, fyke nets, and slat traps. The five leading counties, with respect to the pounds of alewives 
caught, were Northumberland, 5,726,586; Mathews, 3,057,900; Lancaster, 2,060,353; Elizabeth 
City, 1,120,000; and Gloucester, 1,068,800. 
Somewhat over half of the herring catch is salted. In 1920, 1,456,300 pounds of salt herring 
were marketed by fishermen, and an additional 7,696,420 pounds were put up by wholesale and 
canning firms, making a total production of 9,152,720 pounds, valued at $291,948. Salting fish and 
canning roe is engaged in only during the height of the run. As a rule, vegetable canneries are 
utilized, as very little added equipment is necessary to handle the fish. The greater part of the salt- 
ing and canning is done at Havre de Grace and Oxford, Md., and Lewisetta and Gwinns Island, Va. 
One cannery at Havre de Grace during most of April, 1922, utilized about 125,000 herrings per day. 
The prices that the fishermen receive fluctuate considerably from year to year and during the 
same season. During the 1920 season the average price was slightly less than 2 cents per pound, 
or about $8 for 1,000 fish. During 1922 the prices were lower and the salting houses paid $5 per 
thousand fish during the earlier part of the season, but this price had dropped to $1.50 by the middle 
of April. All the salting establishments employed run boats for collecting the fish from the fisher- 
men, and many fishermen preferred to dispose of their catches in this way, as it obviated packing 
and shipping to market. The market prices always were higher than the price paid by run -boat 
operators. The difference in the prices, however, was somewhat offset by the cost of packing and 
shipping. 
Comparison of lengths and weights 
ADULT FISH 
Locality 
Date 
Sex 
Length, inches 
Average 
weight, 
ounces 
Havre de Grace, Md._ 
Apr. 30,1912 
Females 
lH6tol2Ji (5 fish) _ 
9.6 
10Pi to Ufi (7 fish) 
8.0 
May 9, 1922 
U ndetermined 
loii to 13 (14 fish) 
7.6 
Lewisetta, Va 
Apr. 24, 1922 
Female 
llii (1 fish) 
9.6 
YOUNG FISH 
1 opt. 28. 1921 
4 Pi to 4M (2 fish) 
0. 55 
5 to b% (2 fish) 
.8 
Habitat . — Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Landlocked in Lakes Cayuga and Seneca, N. Y., 
and also present in Lake Ontario. “In Lake Ontario, since the introduction there of the shad, 
the alewife has become so plentiful as to cause great difficulty to fishermen, and its periodical 
