The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-11-18
Alleged Russian caviare.
From the New York Times.


From the New York Times.
Just as the caviare sandwich becomes
popular the sturgeon becomes scarce. The
Jersey fisherman who grow rich making
kegs Of caviare for the Hamburg Gamers
to repack for the American trade have
grown respondent. 1t is not generally
known that there is at the lower end Of
New Jersey great industry that repre-
sents the investment of 100000, and
gives employment to several thousand men.
1t is catching the sturgeon for the roe,
out of which is made cayiare, which is
preparation of sturgeon egg that is consid-
cred delicacy in European cafes and is
now fast becoming midnight tidbit in the
German and French restaurants in the
United States.
Nearly everybody supposes that all cavi-
are comes from Russia, but in this they
are much mistaken, for the European
markets are supplied with many thousand
kegs of American caviare every year. 1t
is repacked in foreign ports and sent over
here with European labels and prices to
recommend it to the connoisseur.
The Delaware bay the greatest fishing
ground for sturgeon in the United States.
The fisherman of three states congregate
there. Bayside is the principal point, be
cause it is connected direct by rail wit
New York over the New Jersey Southern
railroad. 1t carries plenty of "Albany
beef to the New York markets and the
caviare for the European canning facto-
ries.
The fishermen have hung up their nets
and have found that their books do not
balance, because the surgeons were entire
ly too scarce. The Delaware and Pennsyl-
vania fishermen had the same hard luck
that has caused the New jersey fishermen
to be respondent. There was a good
demand for both the meat of the fish and
the egg. The price of sturgeon was from
four to eight cents per pound, and the
caviare brought thirty dollars keg of one
hundred and thirty pounds.
Less than one-half the quantity was
made this year than last. For the first
time in many years there was a demand
for the delicacy. Both the European and
American markets have been well supplied
with caviare, but during the last twelve
months the foreigners in this country, as
well as the Americans, have developed an
affection for the caviare sandwich.
A good season on the Delaware should
produce at least $4,000 surgeons and
5000 kegs of caviare. The amount pro-
duced in New Jersey in 1888, which was
good year, was 16,5OO surgeons and
5 200 kegs of cavaire The total number
of men employed is 2,O72. This is over
one-half the number of persons employed
in all the sturgeon fishing industries in the
United States.
Other states have sturgeon fishermen,
but in numbers employed and capital in.
vested New Jersey leads and represents
over one-half of them The capital in
vested in the sturgeon and caviare industry
in the United States is over S1,000,000,
and the people employed about 4,OO0
There are twelve frus in the lake re-
gions of the west, where fishing is carried
on in pound nets and seine nets Many
of the lake fishing firms use large steam,
boats and tugboats to collect the sturgeon
from the small fishing points.
Outside of New Jersey the largest
amount of capital invested by these lax,
fishermen is about $685. In good
season they will capture from 600 to 7OC
tons of surgeons and from $50 to 200
kegs of caviare.
There are only half dozen firms in New
York state engaged in the business. Along
the Columbia river, in Oregon and Wash
ington, there are a half dozen firms
There the sturgeon is principally caught
with hooks, and very few of them have
any roe or caviare. They manage to shiI
by refrigerated cars about 1900 ton
of sturgeon each season to the eastern
market, while the caviare produce is quit,
limited, not exceeding 300 kegs.
The roe from the Columbia river stur
geon is larger grained than either the Del
aware bay or the lake caviare, mucl
stronger in its taste, and not so desirable
as an article of food.
The caviare production of the Unitet
States is from 5000 to 1000 kegs year
This year it viii be considerably less thai
5000 kegs Each keg holds 1876 pound
and is valued at S35. The total caviar,
for the past season will be about 100000
About 1000 kegs are kept in this country
and canned in New York city by a firm
that has very largely developed that indus
J try in this country. Besides being uset
as a .lelicacy in restaurants, caviare is useC
somewhat in cooking for the purpose o
making sauce and gravy and fish filing
The Solution.
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