The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-12-31
Total,
67coo

that any laws should be passed for the pro-
lection of these fishes. 1t is Important that
the number of salmon captured III our river
should be speedily and precisely KNOWN
Were protective laws passed the obtaining OF
! information upon this point would he SIM
pie impossibilty. Passing up the river ut
the same time as the shad, numbers must
necessarily he captured in the gill nets. and
would be destroyed in the act of extricating
| them.
Over six hundred thousand spawn of the
Sacramento salmon IS. Quinaat) have been
received ut the establishment of one of your
commissioners The final destination of the
| young has not yet been decided, but large
number will be placed in the rivers of our
State. The spawn of the s. Quianat was
taken on the Mcleod river, tributary of the
SACRAMENTO by Mr.. Stone, the expense being
betrayed by the general government. The
initiatory steps towards stocking the Della
ware with shad were taken during the month
of June last. A camp was pitched upon the
Delaware near Point Pleasant, and over half
million of shad Matched and turned into the
river. Much time was lost in the selection of
the site and in preparatory arrangements,
which being once made will not require to be
repeated. The operations were conducted
under the charge of one OF your commission
ers, the entire expenses having been betrayed
by the general government.
OF the white catfish (AmiNras afJidHs)
an immense number have been taken it has
been estimated by propretors of fisheries in
the vicinity of Lambertville, that the value
Of these fishes taken during the past season
was fully equal to that of the catch of shad
Fair sized fishes were sold as low as ten cents
per dozep. The number taken In this vicinity
is believed to be no less than 20, QUO.
This enormous CATCH far exceeding that of
any previous year. is universally ascribed by
the fishermen to the removal of the fyle-nets
at Wells falls, by Mr.. A. J. Scarborough, the
active and energetic Esh Warden Of Hunter
don county, under the direction of your COM
missioners last year. These fykes formed an
insurmountabe barrier to the passage of the
fishes up stream, and as is shown by the above
has been followed by the most satisfactory
results.
Mr. A. j. Scarborough, Fish Warden of
this comfy, reports
That he has frequently paid unexpected
visits to the fisheries in his district, that he
has traverscd the entire river border on Sun
days and has never met with or known sim
gle instance of any violation of the fishery
laws. On the contrary he has met with kind
and gentlemanly treatment from the fisher
men, who in the main, heartily approve of the
laws lately passed at the suggestion of your
commissioners, and especially of those by
WHICH liSl-DdSkttS, Stukt-iclS anu Olicl liAtQ
engines of destruction are prohibited.
/ The catch of shad has been upon the whole
less than last year. The fisheries may be di-
/ vded into three classes LIST. high water fish,
cries these are situated near deep reaches of
the river, connected with the shore by flats !;
| it is only when these Hats are covered with
water that the seine can be drawn. I'd. low
water fisheries at which the reverse is the
case, and 3D. high and low fisheries, where
the net can be drawn at amy stage of the
water. The first and second classes of fish
cries have done badly, the catch being but
little more than half that Of 1872. The third
class, however, have done fully as well as du-
ring the previous year. But the increased
catch of the smaller fishes has fully compen-
stated them for the dimnutios in the catch of
shad never before has the river been so pro-
life; this is universally attributed to the re-
moval of fixed engines Of destruction. Six
or twelve dozen fishes captured by the hand
line has been an ordinary half-days work /;
seven dozen sun-fishes were taken with one
line by Mr.. Scarborough in three hours. A
number of persons have been engaged in line
fishing as means of livelihood and with
/ good results, from one and n half to two dol
| lars being the daily profit. On the 18th of
1 August, Mr.. Moore, at Moore 3 fishery in this
county, captured at one haul of a small seine
over eight bushels Of sun-fsh, catfish and
pefcn anG OH the 18th, four bushels more
were taken. The bass have been found in
abundance. The number Of young shad seen
descending the river has been so great as to
excite wonder, even among those who have
known and fished the river for over quarter
of a century. Attention is called to the fact
that large Numbers Of male shad, too small to
be used for food, are taken in the carly
spring. Many fishermen request that the size
of the mesh be regulated by law so as to pre-
vent the capture of the useless fishes, which
in another year would have doubled or tieblet
in size and have become fit for food. The law
passed by New Jersey in 1872, and approved
by Pennsylvania in 1873, wide Appendix, No
. q. prohibits the capture Of fishes in the Del
aware. above Trenton Falls, between the 1911,
Of June and 10th Of August, by any means, ex.
cept with hook and line, this therefore. as Mr..
Scarborough properly observes, prohibits the
use of coscuEus indicus (ish-berries, crazy
: bait), within the above mentioned limits.
The temporary dam erected by the Della
ware and Raritan Canal Company at Bulls
Island, further narrowing the space between
the wings of their permanent dam, has beer
denounced by many as impeding the ascent OF
the spawning fishes certain it is that the OPP
ersti0ns of the United States Commission Of
Fish and Fisheries at Point Pleasant were
brought to close for want Of spawning shad
immediately ON its completion at least z
curious coincidence. Concerning the lcgalit,