Viewing Topic: Connecticut River Fyke and Shad Fisheries 1900-1920 -IMEP 21
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Location: New Haven/Madison/Essex
|Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:00 pm Post subject: Connecticut River Fyke and Shad Fisheries 1900-1920 -IMEP 21
|The Sound School Inter-District Marine Education
Program Newsletters - IMEP # 21
Habitat Information for Fishers and Fisheries Area Managers Understanding Science Through History
Connecticut River Fyke and Shad Fisheries 1900-1920
Connecticut Leads Region In Fyke Net Fisheries 1885-1915
Research Areas for Fishing Gear Capstones
Models of Historical Fishing Gear
Tim Visel, The Sound School
As the very cold 1870s came to a close Connecticut’s coves and rivers witnessed both ice and storms. Ice was common then and cold is frequently mentioned by fishers by the old terms of “heavy” or “light” ice. When ice first broke early spring, fishing companies made ready hickory poles and wood hoop “barrel” cotton mesh fykes. Fykes were circular hoop shaped trap with funnels and a leader that guided fish into the traps. These fish traps were “passive” gear types often relying in upon movement of the fish themselves as opposed to much later “active” methods which involved moving the gear. Here instead these fykes were set to intercept winter flounder returning each spring to spawn in lower rivers coves and salt ponds as shad intercepted returning to fresh water habitats. Fykes consisted of three basic components – the body or barrel, a series of graduated hoops enclosed by webbing (netting) with funnels or throats (best described as one way valves – similar to lobster pot funnels only larger) one or two wings (arms) that guide fish into the funnel or throat. A “leader” was linear sheet of webbing that functions much like a terrestrial fence that guides or leads fish into fyke barrel. Fykes were set on the bottom held in place by stakes, or in later years, with anchors. Shallow and firm bottom habitats were preferred setting locations for fykes.
Fykes as most other traps kept fish alive in the trap (similar to most static or fixed traps) unwanted fish returned to the water alive or occasionally during low market prices just dumped back. Larger mesh in the fykes allowed smaller fish to escape, while reducing “weed” that also could enter fykes. Fykes were set “to the bottom” depending upon water depths. Years of severe storms no doubt washed and scoured out any organic debris in high energy areas, so set fykes often found firm shelly bottoms.
The storms during the 1870s were severe and created the foundation of the extensive breakwater construction program of the 1890s. But storms in the building heat of the late 1890s now made for excellent soft shell clams sets. Transitioning habitats made this choice of gear type most appropriate. From historic fishery reports – shallow areas now supported immense sets of the soft shell clam a favorite food for winter flounder. This bivalve shell liter is often a preferred habitat type for winter flounder (Howell, Molnar, Harris, Juvenile Winter Flounder Distribution by Habitat Type, Estuaries Vol. 2, No. 4, December 1999).
This paper was developed for the Connecticut River Museum celebration of the annual Essex Rotary Shad Bake held each June since 1957. A model net display was organized in conjunction with the Shad Bake in the Boat House of the Connecticut River Museum June 7, 2014.
The eastern section of Long Island Sound is open to large storms and its rivers mouths often contained several sand bars which moved with them when they did sets of bivalves often occurred on these new marine soils. Inside these river mouths were coves also swept clean by heavy ice and strong storms. Areas of cobblestones and clean sand frequently covered by kelp could be found in them. It is these eastern areas that winter flounder sought out to lay eggs – estuarine bays that had slightly alkaline “sweet” marine soils. This is in stark contrast to those soils covered in Sapropel – high in sulfur and containing organic acids, a black ooze like material deadly to winter flounder eggs. Col