The daily gazette., 1879-05-03
ss4aehanns Fisheries.

The fishermen on the Susquehanna ar,
nearly In the midst of their busy season
but the 0ateh hns only been mod.rate iu
quantity, ne vsEy largo hsuls having besI
made The AshiuG 10 now nearly a
eone from doate anchored in the river eI
Day, Instead offt0m the shore. A recent
visit TO MessEs. william B. Michael aud
B. +. Cronjn's 1oxt, near Cedar Point
Spsautsa Narrow, sfForied an excsiien,
opportunity Of seeing how the work !,
managed. The Aoa; b abous % feet Ii
length, and contains quarters for sbou
forty men, With kitchen, packing house
and stables for tho horses used To hauI
ing In the seine. A shelving platform
extending from the float to the bottom
0ftho oa9, furnishes CON venient way q
landing the fish on the float. Messrs
ntohael d Oronin use . seine sbUu
ehree-Quasters Of q mile In length, buI
some Of the seines used on the head
~ateu Of the bay are nearly two mllet
ewenty-hvs fest, one side being kept on
'ehe boetoo By rope 70 which piecss d
lead aso attached. The other side 10 kep,
q the surface Of the water by means ei
large pieces Of cork. Nd nl itfl.f 4f
The seine being property disposed In
the stern OF largo boat 30 or 90 feet IL
length, manned By 16 or IL men, is LAID
1t at the distance of half mile or MOI q
fi0m the hOat, and 10 attached BY stOu.
ropes TO windlasses 1t each end OF the
noat. A soon as the seine Is set 1t IL
hauled In, the operation Of setting ard
hauling requiring about two hours. The
homes are attached 10 . sweep power,
and the seine " slowly and steadily
drawn towards the float. Great care is
taken 10 keep the lead line, as the lower
side Of the seine is called, on the bottom.
The ends Of the seine are gradually
drawn In, the seine being piled up as II
Y drawn In, Ut the end Of Che boat. As
the seine approaches the float, ths men
wade Into the water, on the shelving
platform, and BY keeping the seine in iIs
place prevent the escape Of the fish. The
hSh are landed on the deck of the float,
and the moment they touch the dry and
hot boards they toss themselves into the
part Of the catch IL shad and herring, but
eels, catdSh, carp and perch are also
found among them. The shad and her.
ring make two or three convulsive flOps
and die, but the catfish and eels appear
to suffer very little immediate incsnven-
ience from the change, and live out OF
the water for many hours. '
The fish are Soid to wagons on the
shore, or taken to Havfe de Grace, from
whence tney are sh1pped to oPhiiadelphia
or Baltimore Shad have beeu selling at
from $lS 20 so end herring ct 81 per
hundred. The catfish and eels are placed
in live box, and sold at the rate OF
about % cents . bushel. The process OF
setting and hauling the seine proceed.
with scarcely any interinission, day and
night, while the fish are running. The
fishermen are satisfied when they take
i've or six barrels of herring, and 90 or
~ shad at haul. but some years ago q.
many as i've hundred barrels Of herring,
and All immense quantity Of unmarked
able or 0fjal nsh, such - catfish, eels,
moccasln, perch, &c., were taken at one
haul. Frequently large portion of the
dsh we're released from the net, because
the entire catch could not be disposed Of
Immediately, Occasionally q salmon and
= few black bass are caught. These have
aCcidentally made their way, out of the
river, which has been stocked with them
within the last few years. IN a..