The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-28
OUR NEW YORK FISHERIES.
WHALES IND PORPOIsEs THAT
WERE CAUGHTI ~ OUR HIRBOR.

The story Of Fisherman's Luck from tho
Days Of the nu,,b settlcrs-tireat Catches
OF Fish and Curious Laws aud Customs.
The nsh dealers aver that the waters of
our rivcts and harbor have not been SO lively
with fish for many year az during the present
season. Then they recall famous catches OF this
year and that. and appeal to tradition for mirac-
u,ous years that we're known by their grandfath-
ers History tells quito as strange stories as ira
ditlon. After enumeratine seventeen kinds Of
fresh water nsh aud nineteen Inclusive Of por-
poises) that belonged more properly to the sea-
Van der Donk, earliest Of historians, remarks
that "al the waters Of New Netherlands are
rich with fishes. Salmon are plenty In some
rivers and the striped bass are plenty In all the
rivers and BAYS Of the sea-" The historian evil
Gently had a toothsome taste, for he says that
there IA another species OF fish called black
FISH. which arc held In high estimation by the
Christians. When this kind OF FISH. which are
plenty, is served upon the table, 1t goes before
all others. for every person prefers It," Whales
seemed TO put In an occasional appearance, for
the same writer tells how in March, ldi7. at the
time Of u great freshet, two whales OF ordinary
sizs swan up the river FORTY miles. One re-
turned and WIS stranded on staten Island The
other ran w the river and grounded near the
great ChahoOs Falls. lhis nsh was tolcrahly iHl,
lar nlthourh the citizens ~ Rensselaerwyck
brOied out great quantity of tram oil, still the
whole river WIS oily Tor three weeks, ana Gov
cred with grease" OF whale flesh OF even stur-
they had discovered that HOLSTERS might be had
"from i've to six feet In length" and they had
early been told that some persons prepare de
licous dishes from the water terrapin, which is
luciOus food"
KILLED IN THE NORTH RIVER.
The Boston News Letter Of Feb. %, 1907, has
me ' that last S week whale, about forty feet
long, was struck a few miles to the eastward of
this city. and aiterward passed through the mar,
Dor. and was Killed III the Hudson river ana
brought down hither, whore she Is exposed to
view"
In July. 1908. Lord Cornbury made an address
said
The quantity Of train Oyl made In Long Island i.un;
oihers fer example last year they made ZOO esfscs
About a tne middle Of october they begin to ook out
for nsh; the season lasts all Noyemqcr, pcccnncr
sSS vii rsSnS s s sS P ory q u
ana The isrSt.t whale ever Knew d IN i6ese paris
yielded 40 barrels Of oyl and Loo weight Of nones
Of goldfish snd maekere put nsh Of several s!ris Is so
p people viii not take the pains to 90 to sea.
Samuel Milford writes In 1916 that II has been
the custom tor over sixty years for their MaJes-
then belonging to Connecticut colony. TO 70 out
upon the seas IN sm all boats TO Kill whales and
the captors to have all they Killed brought on
shore with wind and sea-" There was also an
Agreement made the 4th Of January, 1862. DO
tween We Whale Compsnies of East aud south
Hampton. IL any companie shall ind a dead
whale upon the shore. killed 10y ye other, per-
son bringing the news to pee well rewarded
Eariy ia the eighteenth century genius,
whose name denotes that he was probably a
New Highlander endeavored TO gam the mono
poly OF the nsn trade. Josiah quincy 10 peu-
for land at or near kingsbridcc TO erect fishery,
with liberty to 1sh Ia the river at that place ;
York with nsh very fresh and at very easy rates,
and IN payment rendering therefor yearly, on
every fourteenth day OF october, to this cor
po.ation a good dish OF fresh nsh.'
CORNER oS PoRroIsEs.
Mr.. Quincy did not succeed In making his COZ
ncr in nsh; but the journal OF the General As
sembly shows that all act was passed Ia April.
l726, ITO entItle Lewis Hector Plot dc Lang
loiserie to the sole fishery OF porpoiSes In the
province of New \ ork during tine term Of ten
writer IN the Independent Reflector u Nov.
| o., 1853, estimates the oyster trade Of New York
The New YORK Gazette Of April 10. 1855, men
| tions that :" on last Tuesday b,s5l shad were
| caught at one draught on the west side OF Long
Island" The same paper tells OF q whale forty
| Point, at the entrance of the Kills, and WAS
6ia by TSry from sSa n isi9Td Gm '9e I'm
bought for go by Mr. eanuel NaldIon If the
hrsSsg1 Of es a ras
sold TO the city for use in the street LAMPS, and
the city was generally Glad enough TO get u. AZ
| lighted for three mon hs. and every body asked
his neiShOor why he didn't 20 out aud catch d
| whale.
In October, l773 large whale cfuisod up the
| East river, and WAS finally ptured IA the North
river. Sevt raj have been taken outside since then
| ana lowed u ihe clty. Inc I'st capture MADE
was Of right whalo on sandy Hook 10y the
lsning schooner William Riley aud Is, T.
| Brown. April % 1857. The whale WAS forty light
| feet Ia length, ana yielded forty barrels of OIL
For some years prilr 10 the Revoluti onarl
war the tsner,es were go poor IN our waters thai
| the General Assembly were constrained 10 pass
| an ct. on the sta OF March. ll13, granting tht
! sum II ESQ per nnnum. Tor I'VE years " for INC
announcement Of a fishery on this coast flr Ia,
tctter supplying the markets OF this city VIII
fish,. The Chamber of Commerce thereupot
! 10 the amount Of So to the most succc-sfu
fishermen. Aecordinsly, in Jul, Ia, Pete
| Pcrks was paid go Tor bringing $40 live codfr
to market and Robert Heartshorne received e.
for 4JO sb.epsheud.
PLENTY OF FISH.
Fortunately things took a turn for.the bette
during the Revolutionary war, aud the rivers
inleis.1ud creeks IN ana around the harnor, ant
more especially the East river shores, were 5,
wen stotkei WIN hsh thsl lhcl nc'AIAe " Ntll
cheap article uf diet-mackerei selling at a shil
ling a dozen. The same thing happened "A th'
fan Ut lsli, when ever thing had become scarce
and dear ia consequence Of the war with Grea
Britain.
lne National Ht,Hgcnccr Of Oct. %, lsl3 says
Since me interruption q our Accustomed supplies q
the want !, IN great measure supplied hy rcuars ,ni
Sew ors nlarsat. Around lirv sre TAKEN not.
suoh gr At number that $4,000 were caught a, one hau
days since. such abundance OF THE fptcicr ~
4 IA has never been known u TINS CoulffI
lar occurrence during the keVOIutllnary
Happily the FISH known as the clam has neye
failed. Prof KAHN, when travelling here Il
l1iS speaks OF a shell FISH which by the Engli>
here are called clans, ana which bear some 10
seMblance to the human ear. Ihey are me
with In vast numbers on the sea shore OF Ne'
York Long Island, and other places. The shel
contains a large animal which Is eaten both b
the Indians aud Europeans settled here. A
soon az the shells are caught the Ash is take
out Of them, drawn upon wlre an hung n
In the open air IN order to dry by the heat Of IN
sun. Wnen this is done the nesh is put int
PROPER vessels and carried 10 Albany; there til
Indians buy them, and reckon them one u