The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-08-04
STURGEON FISHING.

The eeasss n Fafiurs-Cavizr Has Bee
come n Valuable Export--Considered
n Dainty Luxury-Used for Sand
witches.
The Delaware. Pennsylvania and
New Jersey sturgeon fishermen have
had a hard run Of luck this year. and
now that the seBson has closed 1t ran
be said that it has proved q decided
failure. A few years ago sturgeon
fishing was but of small account, and
good sized fish could be bought at the
wbarves In Philadelphia for from so
cents to 81 apiece. The roes were not
considered OF any account whatever,
and were generally thrown away or
given to the boys for fish bait. But In
time 1t became known that q luxury
known as caviar, could be made from
the roes and under the name of al
bany Beef" All increased demand
arose for the meat at a higher price.
The roe. however. was the principal
part. and as II was learned that 1t could
be sailed and sent to Hamburg, where.
after going through the packers hands.
1t was returned to this country, an IN
Pepnsgrove, In which over half a mill
lion dollars 10 invested.
Nearly everybody supposes that all
caviar comes from Russia, but In this
they are much mistaken, for the Euro
pean markets are supplied with many
thousand kegs of American caviar
every yeLr. 1t 10 repacked In foreign
ports and sent over here with Euro.
pean labels and prices to recommend
1t to the connoisseur.
At first this luxury was almost I'M
known outside OF Europe, but now
the American eplcura has learned to
eat caviar sandwich along with his
European brother, but this year 1t will
have to be stricken from his bill OF
fare.
The Delaware Bay is the greatest
iiehing ground for sturgeon in the
United States. The fishermen of
three States congregate there. Bay
side Is the principal point, because 1t
Ia connected direct by rail with New
York over the New Jersey Southern
Railroad. 1t carries plenty of al
bany beer to New York markets, and
the caviar for the European canning
factories. Now the fishermen have
hung up their nets and found that
their booke do not balance, because
the sturgeon were entirely too scarce.
This year there was a good demand,
both for the meat and the roes, and
the price OF sturgeon WAS from to
$50 for a key OF 1870 pounds.
A. good season on the Delaware
should produce at least Is. 600 sturgeon
and 5000 kegs of caviar. The amount
produced in New Jersey in 1855, which
was Rigood year. was IL, 500 surgeons,
and $500 kegs OF caviar. Total num-
Der of men employed. 20T2. This Is
more than one-half the number OF per-
sons employed In all the sturgeon
fishing industries In the United States.
There were not 500 sturgeon caught
this year, consequently the loss to the
fishermen was heavy. especially us
shad fishing was also a failure.
Sturgeon are caught entirely by
nets and the fish average from 100 10
SEQ pounds. The roe sturgeon brings
the fishermen from 81 to ss. while 8
buck is only valued at from 81 te
&1.50
The Jersey fleet has 146 boats. A
majority of these are controlled by
small firms who operate from four Ia
dozen boats and who sell the meal
and roe to several larger firms, who
make the shipments direct to New
York. Nearly every part of the fish is
used. The offal is gathered up and
made into fertilizers by two plants
near Bayside. Sturgeon oil is extract
ed from other parts and used by har
ness makers. but the principal indus
try is the manufacturing Of caviar. A
good sized sturgeon will give from
eggs are separated by running them
through course sieve several times.
and then sailed down by q compost
tion Of salts, which is made in Ger.
many. 1t takes from three to four
sturgeon TO mike key of caviar.
The sturgeon meat Is sent to Phlla-
delphia and New York, where II Is of
fered In the markets at a low figure.
but lately several small concerns have
taken to smoking it, and 1t is consid-
cred a rare delicacy.
Some twenty years ago sturgeon
were SO plentiful that the fisherman
frequently spent their leisure time in
killing them on account OF their being
SO Obstructive on other fish, aud the
havoc they caused among the shad
DeAs. Now the tisharman,a wall Ia that
the sturgeon are becoming so scarce
that the industry is threatened. The
cause OF this decline has been the de.
struction OF the mammooes, which Is
the little sturgeon, but now protected
by law. and the other 10 the fact that
there is no close season for catching
sturgeon. They can be caught in nets
at any time.
The Sturgeon Fishing Association
have been discussing the matter FOR
some months, and are trying to get
the sturgeon fishermen OF PenDsyi
vania and Delaware to enter into q
compact with them and seek legisla.
ton In three States, fixing tho limits
OF O season. Five years ago the New
Jersey fishermen were at war on the
subject, but now they are all of the
same opinion that some hing must be
done on there will be no sturgeon tc
catch.