Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-04-19
SHRIMPING.
THE COASTwIsE IIAUNTs OF A
POPULAR OCEAN DELICACY.
Whore tho Canncrics arc Located
They arc the Sea Chamcleons-
Extensive Southern Fish
eries-Chinosc Shrimpers.

Whoever has walked down Fulton
street on the way to the ferry must have
noticed temptipgly displayed outside tho
fish stalls quantities of small red objects
which look for oil the world like infant
Holsters. A reporter stopped the other
day at one of those stalls, and asked the
proprietor to tell him something about
these OBJ Gets, which of course were
shrimps 80
"Certainly," said the dealer, as ho
took one of tho creatures between his
forcfinger and thumb by the hard part
or shell, and ripping OF the tail, atc it
with evident relish. ''5hrimps arc
caught and eaten all over the world. In
our waters there are at least six different
varieties, ard the commonest one of tho
lot, tho q. Vulgaris, curiouslY enough,
is tho kind 10 which the New York
paluto most kindly takes. The q. Vul-
garis is found both IN tho Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans. On tho cast coast thov
are found up North us far as Labrador.
In the months of May and June they
spawn in Chesapeake Bay, aud are then
preferred by many.
Tho shrmps most eaten in New
York und tho South are about six inches
long, exclusive Of the fcclcrs. They are
caught along tho coast in tho warm
weather, but us soon rs winter sets in
they move out into deeper water. Dur
ing the winter months, therefore, VIC got
most of our shrimps from tho South
Shrimps differ from lobstors in possess
ing the power of changing to limited
extent the color of their shells, accord
ing to their surroundings. They are sea
chamcleons, so to speak. Many shrimp.
are obtained from the Jersey iats, Bay
Ridge shore, and Long Island, where
men and boys mako long nets from fine
muslin. aud drug them ovor tho bars
-Four or Ave thousand gallons arc oh
tained in this way from Bay Ridge alone
every year.
''rhe most important shrimp iishcric.
are in tho South. North Carolina is d
great shrimp country, and in Virginia
they arc plenty up the bay and about the
York River. At Beaufort and Newberr
many bushels are caught ut ono haul,
and the price there Is about fifty cents o
bushcl. In Virginia they bring at re.
tail from ten cents to u dollar quart.
In the ncighborhood of Charleston the
shrimp fishing Is tho mort important OF
oil, and the season laats from March un.
til November. About dozen boats arc
engaged In tho business, aud the hauling
is done at night when tho tide is low,
for under these conditions tho shrimps
seems to como in shore. Tho oolored
people are fond Of them. and they readily
sell at from ton to twenty-five cents by
the plate, sixty to the plato.
''ln the St. blary's in Georgia shrimp.
ing is good, and about 500 men are en-
gagged In tho business in that State.
Large quantities of tho Georgia catch
arc sent to Savannah and thence shipped
to New York. II the season Is mild,
they can bo caught in Florida tho yo or
round. In the st. Augustine fishery
about 1000 barrels are caught yearly,
selling at fifteen conts pluto In the
height Of the season. New Orleans and
San Francisco nrc the great shrimp CON
tres, and immense quantities Of them aro
received Mt those cities every year. At
several places In the South there nro
canning factories, where about half q
million half-pound cans are turned out
yearly.
cat Tomales Bay in California there
are very extensive shrimp fisheries, car
ricd on almost entirely by the Chinese,
who send great quantities of the she'll
fish to nina and the Sandwich Islands.
Every day after the haul is mado you
can see tho shrimp dealers coming into
market with hugo nettcd baskets filled
with the fish, on thcir backs. What
cannot BIO sold while fresh are put in
boiling brine and picklod; aftorward
being spread In the sun and dried. Then
they arc tramplcd on by tho wooden
shoes of the Cinnamon, and thus tho
meat is separated from the shell, tho
former being shipped to China and the
latter being utilized fQs fertilizer. y
Ne,o York Post.