The Penn's Grove record., 1895-01-18
FEW STURGEON LEFT.
In Columbia River.

The sturgeon fishing in the Columbia
bids fair not to amount to much this
year and probably not for many years
to come unless something is done to
protect those fish. When The business
of shipping sturgeon East was commen-
ced a few years ago, there appeared to
be practically no limit to the amount
that could be caught. The fishermen
were paid a cent a pound for the fish,
and a hundred carloads were shipped
In a season. Now sturgeon dressed are
worth Eve cents per pound, and carload
shipments are very few. The sturgeon
fishermen attribute the disappearance
of that fish 10 the great numbers OF
young destroyed by traps and wheels.
The thousands and thousands of hooks
set on lines strung across the river near
The bottom have rapidly cleaned out
the grown fish, and, when the young
ones are slaughtered in wheels and traps
in a reckless manner, it is not to be
wondered at that the sturgeon fishing
has been ruined. 1t is not known how
long it takes a sturgeon to grow up, but
1t probably takes some time, and, even
If the slaughter Of the Young could be
stopped now, it would be several years
before the fish would become plentiful.
The wasteful slaughter of young shad
in traps is likely to retard the increase
Of shad in the Columbia. Many shad
weighing only a pound, and of no val
ue for food, have been sent up here
from the mouth of the Columbia this
fall, and they are only a small portion
Of those killed. 1t may he proper and
necessary that traps should be used for
catching salmon; but it has never been
satisfactorily explained why these traps
should be made SO as to destroy young
salmon, sturgeon, shad, and other small
fish. Perhaps some fish trap man can
explain this. The traps appear to catch
everything from a sardine to a sea lion.
-Oregonian.
The above was taken from the New
York Fishing Gazette. 1t shows what
the sturgeon fishing industry is coming
to without any protection or close sea-
son to allow the fish to propagate and
grow to maturity. PENIS Grove stur-
geon fishermen use to go South in the
winter aud begin fishing in Georgia,
South Carolina and North Carolina.
Some sturgeon were caught on the Po-
tcmac river. The season in the Della
ware ~ came next, then the Hudson
river use TO produce some. In the fall
some of our fishermen use TO go TO st.
John, New Brunswick, Canada, to fish
and make q successful season at two or
three places in a year. Now it is not
profitable for our citizens to fish any
where except in Delaware bay.
What is the cause? 1t is because
the laws of all these places have allow
! ed fishing for sturgeon at all seasons
| and Lo close season made to give the
| fish time to spawn and the young to
| grow up. The fishermen have followed
their prey in every principal river of
their resort for spawning and feeding,
and it is only a question of time when
they will become as scarce in the Della
ware as in other rivers if they do not
receive some protection and be allowed
the summer time to spawn and grow
up.
AS 1901 as the most profitable season
Of April, May and part OF June is over
| there are a few fishermen, some who
have fished fer shad in their regular
season, who fit out sturgeon nets and
fish all summer for sturgeon. The roe
of many sturgeon aie unfit to salt be
cause it is too soft during warm wealth
q spawned and only the
meat, which is poor, is OF use. While
hundreds of half grown fish, from three
to four feet long, are caught and sold
heir meat only. If these roe fish
ct to spawn the summer caught
propagate thousands, and
a summer would be of
the next spring, es
" fish which
in a year