The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
1.-THE HERRING HAVE coMEw
That's the Cry on the Jersey Coast, and 1
Means Lots OF Fun and Little Money.

9Ns II
| Means Lots OF Fun and Little Money.
The herring are making great sport along
the jersey coast Wherever there is an inlet
| or a pond that connects with the ocean. schools
| OF herring are rushing into the quieter waters
| to spawn. And wherever this 10 tho case the
natives are after them with nets There are
two sorts OF fishing on the jersey coast that
| are peculiar. One sort Is the catching OF frost
| fsh that are thrown UP on the beaches In the
winter time. They are usually found at night
| and the men are directed to the fsh By the pc
culiar Shaping noise that the creatures make
| whom they ind themselves landed high and
dry above the waves The frost nsh are picked
| up like kindlng wood and carried away in
baskets No nets are used. They are gath
| cred like ripe apples that drop from the trees.
| To give an idea OF how the herring are being
| caught at this time description OF a scene on
the Asbury Park shore on last Sunday after
noon will sufflce. Between the Park and
Loeb Arbor. a large body OF fresh water. called
Great Pond" Sy the natives and Deal Lake
by city folks. empties into the ocean through .
wooden sluiceway. The herring taste this
| outrunning fresh water long way out at sea.
and make for 1t to leave their eggs In the
lake When this happens the men at the life-
saving station tell the town boys and the town
boys tell the town. On last Sunday fifty or
| sixty men and boys. armed with nets. gath
cred on the sluiceway and on the beach be-
| side 1t to get the herring. The fellows on the
| sluiceway. where the water is deep. could not
see the herring. but held their crab nets against
| the side OF the sluiceway and trusted to luck.
Herring were SO thick and so often got in the
nets that there was q steady shower Of the
beautiful silyery fish as the fishers slung them
out OF the nets over the heads Of the crow ! on
the beach. Each fisherman had helper on tho
sand. and to him he flung his FISH. The silver
like bodies OF the fish cleaned in the sun as
they few through the air and fell with slap
on the sand. Every helper had made a little
round bowl in the sand to store Dis fish in. and
many yards OF the beach were dotted with
these nest-like bowls filled with dying fish OF
one TO three pounds weight. that writhed and
leaped and huttered as they died.
But the most fun and the truest sport was
enjoyed by the fellows who hshed In the break
ers There were dozen OF these men and
boys and they wore rubber boots that reached
up to their thighs and they carried long han
died crab nets; They stood about yard apart
breakers. where It shoots upon the beach aud
thins out, and then PUSHES back again 10 the
ward rush. The water was too deep But
when the water thinned and began 70 return
S s1 se S SSgd s 30 In
the soapy froth on the water In trying TO
swim in too shallow water they exposed their
so'Ao nhS"SN - "AAsSAhs bAVoA Al hho
The fishermen have trained their sight till It
iaintest sign OF herring the man nearest to
IL would scamper through the water and strike
msnt 6ilioS Would sresE right over the fsS.
and then ths man with the net would have 10
whsrs had and e tssP on
sS. sN up as or h got nss5nS s.2
could not see. With even more astonishing
fairness each man kept to his own section
on his neighboE Scores OF times man
would see herring on his neighbor's baili-
and nointings so that the tish should not es-
cape In one afternoon the iisheTmen got
ESSf .:E2n Scf q d s AID hs fsDo sHa
asked what price they asked for the fish.
Fifteen cents a dozen" was the reply;
aud the muscles OF an s!hists, But there were
1t is a question whittier all fetched as high.
n the mean time the ospreys. or fishhawks
e Ght miles inland. were attracted to the scene
and they nshed all the afternoon over the
ss9. 81 shs on sS
big, buslness-like birds was not numbering
clumsilY away from the land to stralghten his
wings ami float with the VERY poetry OF grace
iHl motion around and around over the water.
with hody level but with the neck twisted so
SSrshs OF the air elreled swiftly overhead;
Whenever "a bird saw fish the people could
see his body CULVER, Then he folded his
wings thrust down his head aud fell like a
plummet into the sea Under he went as a |
stone sinks. In from i've 20 httssn seconds he |
TsappeaTed. thrashing the water with his
wings and usually. a. he rose into sight, the |
hshs head toward the birds head nearly
always. With a plaintive twsak-twsak' the |
big bird numbered up and away toward the |
land and toward vile or husband waiting in
the nest Under no circumstances will one OF
these birds eat or even nibble fish, but he |
carries II TO the nest there 70 let II bs divided
and to take his share with contentment