The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-05-02
THE sUsoUEHANNA FISHERIES.

The Baltimore Sun of Monday contained an
interesting article on Maryland fisheries. The
great increase in the number of herring which
have appeared in the upper waters of The Ches-
apeake Bay is remarkable. So many of these
fish are sometimes enclosed that it is imposs-
BILE to land the net, and to obviate the difficulty
the meshes are made large enough to permit
the herring to escape, while the scarcer and
more valuable shad are retained.
the distinctive feature of the Susquehanna
fisheries is the float, which is a huge raft or
barge, fitted up for seine hauling and towed to
q convenient position In the river, where 1t is
anchored for the season. From one side of the
float an apron is let down to the bottom, form
ing an easy inclined plane like shore, On
which the seine is hauled The fishermen are
comfortably housed on the float, where they
work and rest and sleep and eat The crews
pay out the seine, and 1t Is hauled in by
windlass worked by horse power. This season
there are six floats in operation in the Susque-
hanna, three above the bridge, one between the
bridges and two below. The highest up is that
of Messrs. jarrett Spencer u T. NJ Spencer.
Next below are two floats run by Silver, Spen-
Ger 81 Co. The float between the two railroad
bridges is operated by Cole d Bailey, and the
two below by Osmond d Sons and Gus. Brown
& Son. The old Spesutia Island shore is oper-
ated by George Carver q Co. In former times
shore fisheries were common, but they have
been gradually superseded by the floats, which
possess many obvious advantages.
Mr.. Jarrett Spencer, the veteran fishery pro-
prieior and typical waterman, lives at Lspidum,
where, in conjunction with his sons he has had
more than fifty years of experience in business.
In common with others Mr.. Spencer has gone
more largely into preserving fish this season
than ever before. variation of the business
is smoking the herring in the wel-founded ex-
pectaton of realizing better prices for the pro-
duct. As rule it is the habit of fishermen to
complain equally when there is light run Of
fish and when there is glut. In one case they
do not get sufficient reward from the water for
their toll and expense, and IN the other case
the supply is greater than the demand, and
prices do not pay. Now, 1t is hoped that
wholesale sailing and smoking will enable the
Susquehanna and other American fishermen to
drive out tine Nova Scotia fish. Our herring,
especially those of the Susquehanna this year,
are q superior article, and ought to fetch coed
prices even in an overstocked market if the pro-
duct is put in good commercial hands for dis
tribution and sale. At least it looks like the
extensive salIing and preserving appliances
which have been added to the Susquehanna
fisheries this year are an indication of the pull
pose of our home enterprises TO take possession
of the home market.
AS to the effects of artificial shad batchng the
wriIer in the sam thinks that there
are fifty or more gillers who take from
20 to 80 shad every night, in addi-
ton TO the large number caught in the seines
II NAV be safely concluded that there are as
MANY shad now as ever and if it were not fol
the government hatcheries the supply could
NOT he kept up as well as it is.