The Bounty of the Chesapeake: Fishing in Colonial VirginiaWharton, James
History
The Bounty of the Chesapeake: Fishing in Colonial Virginia
Wharton, James
Chesapeake Bay (Md. and Va.); Fisheries -- Virginia; Fishing -- Virginia
They have also another way of fishing like those on the Euxine Sea,
by the help of a blazing fire by night. They make a hearth in the
middle of their canoe, raising it within two inches of the edge.
Upon this they lay their burning lightwood, split into small
shivers, each splinter whereof will blaze and burn end for end like
a candle. 'Tis one man's work to tend this fire and keep it
flaming. At each end of the canoe stands an Indian with a gig or
point spear, setting the canoe forward with the butt end of the
spear as gently as he can, by that means stealing upon the fish
without any noise or disturbing of the water. Then they with great
dexterity dart these spears into the fish and so take them. Now
there is a double convenience in the blaze of this fire, for it not
only dazzles the eyes of the fish, which will lie still glaring
upon it, but likewise discovers the bottom of the river clearly to
the fisherman, which the daylight does not.
Under Governor George Yeardley in 1616, there were 400 people at
Jamestown and one old frigate, one old shallop and one boat belonging
to the community. There were two boats privately owned. The boats best
suited to local fishing, and the most easily available, were the Indian
dugout canoes. Such was the size of the trees that it was possible to
make them comparatively roomy, as Strachey noted.
Every passing year brought home to the steadily growing Colony the need
of improving its fishing practices. Most nets had to be bought in
England. Here is a London item from a 1623 _List of Subscribers and
Subscriptions for Relief of the Colony_: "Richard Tatem will adventure
[speculate] in cheese and fishing nets the sum of L30 sterling."
Jamestown had by 1624 begun to spawn little Jamestowns throughout the
countryside. A census was ordered of all settlements. In January, 1625,
there were 1209 white persons, and 23 negroes. This first American
census listed, among general provisions, the stocks of salt fish. On
hand at thirteen settlements was 58,380 pounds. James City had the
largest supply, 24,880 pounds. Elizabeth City was next with 10,550
pounds. A community listed only as "Neck of Land" adjacent to
Jamestown, consisting of perhaps ten dwellings and plantations, had
4,050 pounds. The smallest store, 450 pounds, was credited to another
"Neck of Land" in Charles City. From the accumulated evidences of
disorganized home fishing, coupled with the deficiency of salt, it is
to be concluded that most of this supply had come from the Northern
fishing grounds.
There were 40 boats of various sizes and uses listed in this census.
For example, at Jamestown a "barque of 40 tons, a shallop of 4 tons and
one skiff" were among the ten there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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