Evening journal., 1890-03-27
DELAWARE'S FISHERIES.
AN INTERESTING STORY or a
LUCRATIVE SPRING TRAFFIC.

Penn the Most Important Points.
One Of the greatest industries in the
State of Delaware during the months of |
April and May is that Of handling fish. |
The work of gilling shad sometimes com
mences about the middle of March at |
Woodland Beach and neighboring points. |
but by the first Of April this fish has got
ten up the river as far as New Castle, |
and for the next two months the traffic |
is carried on at thriving rate, from the
lower part of the bay to the city of |
Gloucester and other points up the river. |
The life of good shad OF herring fisher
man is hard one. He is compelled to |
be in his boat in all kinds of rough |
weather, or when the sun is fairly boiling |
the water in which he is drifting. He
must be out at all hours of the day or
night when the tide is favorable, sleeping
when he can. He must subject himself
| to all sorts of drawbacks and discourage
ments, such as getting his net fast, on
| which occasions it is sometimes torn to
pieces, being run into by a large boat,
and many other happenings Of much less
/ consequence.
To fit out boat for shad or herring
fishing also requires big outlay of time,
labor and money The expense in fitting
A net like those used at ths present time
costs 1926 and the hireof a boat for sea-
son is $25. Suits Of rubber clothing for
the two men who are required in the
boat lone of whom holds the boat while
the other handles the net and fish, and
other incidental expenses, amount to at
least $50.
Until within few years only hand
made. nets were In use, but since the
knitting machines have been introduced
in this country this is just reversed and
hand made net has become q novelty.
When fisherman had to knit his net he
began about January / and dropped every
thing else bearing resemblance to work,
devoting his whole time and energy to the
work of knitting his net. This was pro-
baby completed about March /, and he
was then ready to "hang in" or to attach
lead and cork lines to the leash.
Even now, after the latter is manufac.
tured, the fishermen have to begin the
work of hanging in" early in March.
} Cotton lines, one-fourth of an inch
thick, are procured and stretched. Leads
| and dobbeTs are attached and the lines
are then knit on the leash One net win
last, when properly taken care Of, for
J two and one-half seasons, although it is
} torn so many times, that at the end of
( the second season the new net with
which it has been patched predominates,
and there is very little left Of the old
Lines will stand years of hard usage, and
when the boat is properly fitted out, 1t
I win cost the owner or renter very little
for many seasons. The nets are usually
brought ashore and carefully hung on
racks, on Saturday evening, where they
remain all day Sunday. They are taken
down Sunday evening and placed in the
I boat. The fisherman then gets every
thing ready for 1.-THE first water" after ~
o'clock Sunday night. It is then that
some enormous hauls are made, and the
brightest thiag of the fisherman's life,
luck, is experienced. Another bright
! season is after the net has paid for
} itself, to make big hauls, receive good
prices, and pocket the hard cash. all of
z which is clear. 1t is then that his labor
Y is all paid for and his face begins to
ve5roadsn.
4 Penn are the principal fishing points
Q in Delaware. At the first named place.
g which is the most important Of all, the
. boats and men engaged in this occupation
! will be more numerous than ever before.
. The new industry of sturgeon fishing,
: which has assumed such extensive pro.
e portions, the last few years, will be car
4 ried on at greater extent than last year.
4 Reuben Anderson & Sons, James r. Sad
= Ter & Sons, and Harry Clark the three
q firms which handled so many fish last
e season, win begin fishing in the bay the
h drst of next month, with about sixty
!. fishing slxiffs. 150 men and three schoon-
K ers, which win be used as quarters fol
II the men. They will begin work at Bow
= erss Beach and move slowly up the bay
II as the weather gets warmer
a The fish are entrapped in huge gill nets
p and thrown aboard the schooners where
q the roes are removed and converted int
caviar, which commands a very high pric,
!, in foreign markets. They are then loaded
q in sloops and brought to Delaware City
3 Here they are transferred to floats
is dressed packed and shipped to New
L York, which point is sometimes reached
II within twenty-four hours after the stur
geon are caught. six dollars is received
i, for a roe sturgeon, and from $1.2j &
IN l.50 for the male fish.
in About twenty boats are also engaged
" in herring fishing, and twenty-five boats
D. well manned hunt down the delciou
Is shad This makes total of 100 boat
and about 250 men engaged in the iishin
ST industry there. At New Castle the prin
D. cipal piscatorial industry is shad fishing
IN Herring are not trapped, except 70
r. sport. Last year two boats were ftte
he up for sturgeon fishing, but, althoug
at they we're well manned, but very few Q
the swimming monsters were captured
as they do not get up the river this fal
as general thing. at this point. trader
We from all over the country are supplied
u and on Monday mornings and marke
~ days the wagons on the Delaware stree
i, wharf are so numerous that they II
Il semble a street market John A. Wall
4 and Joseph II. King are the ''middlemen,
" as they are called. They employ men t
u unload the boats Immediately on thei
hs arrival at the docks. They receive
NJ schedule of prices every morning fror
~ the firms for whom they purchase shad
= Callahan & Benner and Morton Hal,
~ These firms are the most reliable, as ia
n as buying is concerned, OF any wholesal
% firms in the country. Shipments al
m sometimes made TO New York and Bal
timore.
d AS soon as the schedules are receive
or by the agents in the morning. the fisher
ric men know exactly what they will ge
Oh The agents allow them, or claim to
h. so, the full market price less 81 p,
he hundred. Although the fishermen fin
ed many opportunities of disposing of the
en- catch at much better price than Il
rs. agents are paying, they dare not tab
I l.. - a. ~