NOTES ON AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MENHADEN FISHERY. 
297 
Of 1,078 seine-hauls, 301 were made in August and 219 in September. Some idea 
of the variations in the relative sizes of the schools, shyness of the fish, etc., may be 
obtained from the following table, showing the average number of menhaden taken 
at each seine-haul during each month : 
Months. 
N umber 
of successful 
sets. 
Number of 
unsuccessful 
sets. 
Average 
catch ai each 
successful 
set. 
May 
117 
22 
28, 145 
J une 
83 
21 
34, 773 
July 
130 
30 
27, 912 
August 
277 
24 
26, 315 
September 
211 
8 
34, 630 
October 
79 
22 
25, 577 
November 
49 
5 
31, 457 
Total - 
946 
132 
29, 562 
DISPOSITION MADE OF THE CATCH. 
The following table is a detailed exhibition of the use which was made of the 
menhaden and other fishes taken, the figures for the two vessels being shown sepa- 
rately in order to illustrate more fully the variations that occurred. It will be 
observed that 199,900 menhaden were sold for bait and 25,000 were salted for food 
by the vessels’ crews. The remainder of the menhaden catch was rendered into oil 
and scrap, with the exception of 2,500 fish that were thrown away, owing to the 
vessel’s distance from the factory. 
Of the most important food-fish taken, bluefish, 1,292 were consumed fresh by 
the crew and factory hands, and 572 were salted on occasions when more were taken 
than were necessary for the food of the crew. The agent on the steamer J. W. 
Hawkins reports that the bluefish landed at the factory with the menhaden numbered 
410 ; none of the fish caught by the other vessel was so disposed of. It is probable 
that a large part of these were later taken by the shore employees and eaten ; there 
are about the factories persons always on the lookout for good fish brought in by the 
vessels. 
The foregoing statement applies also in part to the croakers, flounders, shad, 
squeteague, and other typical food-fish shown in the table as being utilized for oil and 
guano. The discharge of the vessels’ cargoes is usually accomplished at night and 
some fish are thus overlooked in the darkness. In warm weather, and when fishing 
is done at places remote from the factories, menhaden are sometimes landed in a partly 
decomposed state, and whatever food-fish happen to be mixed with them are thus lost. 
All of the sharks caught were thrown in the vessels’ holds and taken to the 
factories to be treated with the menhaden, with the exception of 13 which were thrown 
back into the water after being killed. The skates and rays were rendered into oil 
and guano like the sharks, only 4 being returned to the water. 
The observations of the Commission’s agents proved that, as a general thing, not 
enough desirable food-fish are taken by the menhaden steamers to keep the vessels’ 
crews regularly supplied with fresh fish. As a rule, all the food-fish caught are eaten 
either by the crews or by the factory hands, but it occasionally happens that schools 
of bluefish, butter-fish, shad, river herrings, etc., are taken, and more fish are thus 
provided than can be consumed. 
