450 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
STATISTICS OF SPECIAL FISHERIES. 
THE SHAD FISHERIES. 
The shad is the most valuable fish taken in the Middle Atlantic States and is 
second only to the oyster among all tlie fishery products of the region. In every 
State it is the most important fish taken. In being the fish which has been most 
extensively propagated in the United States, the shad has additional interest, and 
much of the present imiiortance of the shad fishery is undoubtedly due to the effects 
of the fish-cultural oj)eratious of the General Government and the States. 
The folio \ying tables show the full extent of the shad fishery in each of the States 
of this section. In the preceding tables only the quantity of shad taken and the 
value of the catch are given. In the present statistics, however, the number of shad 
fishermen and the quantity and value of the shad apparatus are exhibited. The fig- 
ures relate to each State and the entire region, and apply to the year 1891. 
The first table shows tlie number of persons in each State who fished especially 
for shad and used the forms of apparatus indicated. While it is probable that slight 
duplication occurs in some localities in which fishermen may operate more than one 
kind of apparatus for shad, the extent of this practice is very limited. 
The number of shad fishermen was 11,592, of whom the greatest number, 3,835, 
were in Maryland, and the smallest, 658, in Delaware. More than half the men 
emj)loyed gill nets, and about a fourth used seines, these two forms of apparatus 
being prominent in every State. A few persons fished shad fykes in Uew Jersey, and 
a small number used dip nets in Pennsylvania. Pound-net fishermen, who were found 
only in Maryland and Virginia, rank after the gill-net and seine men in number. 
The value of the apparatus, boats, and other property devoted to the shad fishery 
of the Middle Atlantic States was $1,018,466. The principal items in this sum were 
gill nets, of which 23,197, valued at $325,767, were fished. The 5,858 boats emxdoyed 
in the various branches of the fishery had a value of $314,867. The number of pound 
nets set was 1,333, with a value of $193,390. Next in value were the 564 seines, 
$100,918. Two hundred and twenty four fyke nets worth $4,050, and 170 dip nets with 
a value of $494, complete the list of apparatus. Eeels and other shore property con- 
nected with the fishery had a value of $78,980. The largest investment w-as in 
Maryland, which had the most seines and gill nets. Virginia ranked next in aggre- 
gate investment, and took irrecedence in the number of poirud nets. 
Airparatus used specially for shad took 8,247,191 fish, for which the fishermen 
received $1,187,969, or an average of 14.4 cents per fish. The number of shad taken 
incidentally in apparatus fished primarily for other fish was 190,955, worth $28,620. 
Two-thirds of the shad were caught with gill nets. Pound nets ranked next, and 
then seines. The catch of the other apparatus was relatively insignificant. Gill nets 
as means of capture were most important in New Jersey, seines in Pennsylvania, 
pound nets in Virginia. 
Persons engaged in the shad fisheries of the Middle Atlantic States. 
How engaged. 
New 
York. 
Hew 
Jersey. 
Penns^'l- 
vania. 
Delaware. 
Mary- 
land. 
Virginia. 
Total. 
253 
351 
V19 
201 
1, 255 
2, 102 
478 
93 
2, 932 
Gill-net flsliery 
988 
1,724 
350 
397 
1, 585 
894 
146 
1,372 
23 
23 
119 
119 
1,241 
2, 098 
1,188 
058 
3, 835 
2, 572 
11,592 
