The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1852-06-19
For The Cecai Wig
THE HERRING FISHERY.

From the earliest settlement Of Cecil
county, the herring fishery has been
considered an object Of great Importance
by the inhabitants, as furnishing a cheap
and wholesome article of food, and until
OF late years, the supply has always been
abundant. In the ear y spring, during
the first warm weather Of March, the
run of behring's, known as the branch
lerrings, push up to the head of tide
water, and thence up the creeks for
some considerable distance or until .hry
meet distractions to their further prog
ross. There is reliable tradition that
in early times, they ran up the Little
Elk as far as the iording near MackalI's
mill. The first settlers about the head
Of Elk river, were most probably persons
who came over from the Swedish settle.
mcnt at Fort Christiana, to fish at the
head of tide water, and had their huts
erected along the shore, in which some
OF them took up their permanent abode;
and this idea receives additional confr-
nation from the fast, that the names of
some of the first settlers in that locality,
are found in the list of names of the
Swedish settlers at Fort Christiana, as
gwen by the Rev. c. C.. CLAW, in his
history Of the tSwcdish settlements on
the Delaware"
The writer of this article made an es-
innate of the Fisheries of Cecil county
in 1912, and having served considcra-
BILE apprenticeship to the fishing bust
ness, and being at that time pretty well
posted in regard to the fishing opera
tions Of the county, he may have approx
mated very nearly the truth. The
number of Fisheries is set down at fifty,
the number of hands employed eight
hundred and fifty, and the amount of
fresh sales of shad aud behring's, at thirty
five thousand dollars. The sailed fish
probably amounted to an equal sum; but
there was considerable nuctuatlon in the
produce of the Fisheries in different
years, owing to the quantity, and price,
and it probably ranged from fifty thou
sand to one hundred thousand dollars
annually.
My recollection is that the inspection
of herring in the city of Baltimore has
been as high as l20, 900 barrels, but what
part OF these came from the Fisheries OF
Cecil. have no means of asccrtaining,
as the behring's from the Hartford county
and from the Potomac Fisheries were
generally sent to the Baltimore market
Some twenty-five years ago, the her.
| rings were so abundant in Elk river tina,
some persons iished for the purpose Of
manuring their lands with hcrrngs
They were a powerful manure for one
or two crops, but it was not lasting.
There were many persons who were
very much opposed to the application
Of behring's as a manure, on the ground
that it was perverslon of the bounty
of Providence, and they predicted tina
that in consequence Of this iniquity, the
supply would be cut off; and even now
this argument is frequently adduced te
account for the decline Of the herring
fishery. On the other hand the advo
Gates of fish manure contended that j
was no perversion Of the gift of Provi
dence-that the herrings were sent fol
food, and when they used them for ina
nure, they produced bread, which is the
staff of life.
The decline of the fisheries has be
come so great of late years, that it il
now not only loss to individuals, bu
a public loss to continue the business
When the fisheries were productive they
brought muck money into the county
which was distributed among a grea
number of persons, but even then the,
conAicted with the farming interest, by
calling off so great an amount of labo
when it most needed in farming opera
tons, and numbers of persons neglcc
their farms to attend to the more pre-
carious business Of fishing.
A great majority OF those who hav'
been engaged in the fishing bushes