The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-31
SALMON ~ THE DELA WARE.
Success OF the Psnnsyivnnin Fish Commits
aioner- In Stocking the River.

PHILADELPHIA May 90. There are many
reasons to believe that the efforts of thu Penn
sylvanin Fish Commission to make a salmon
river Of the Delaware have been successful.
Last year more than 200 salmon wcre taken
In the shad nets In the river, and this year.
with the season hut little moro than half over,
nearly ms many have been captured. The fish
caught last year averaged from twelve TO fifteen
pounds. Some Of thosc ncttod this season
wore no larger, but most Of them weighed from
twenty TO thir;y-four pounds each. This indi-
Gates that a great number of salmon passed
last year from the sea to tho h~eadwnters Of
the Delaware, spawned, passed down again
to salt water, aud returned again to the river
this year. Several of the fish caught this
spring were reported to he full Of spawn, not
ripe, OF course, for the spawning season does
not come until October. but the fact is inter-
esLing nevertheless, as indicating the suilabil-
Ivy OF the Delaware for the retcction and in.
crease of this highly priced fish
In view of the large number taken md of
the N'ans mapped ont by the Pennsylvania FISH
Commission, IL seems now no ,'oubt t.ut in
less than ton or twelve years the Delaware
River from the Water Gap to its head waters
along the New York state line. will become
nearly ms famous among salmon anglers as
some of the best salmon rivers in Canada.
The deep pools above the Delaware Water
Gap, and the larger streams, like the Big
Fquisunk and Dyberry. are unquestiona ply
suited, say cX experienced anglers, to the salmon.
Last year. during June. July. and August.
many fin" salmon were seen playing in some
Of the large pools between Bushkill aud Ding
mans Ferry, and some efforts, all Intellectual,
were made by black bass fishermen to Induce
these tsh to rise to n fly or to take bait. The
water of the upper Delaware is cold, pure. and
clear. and throughout the entire length OF
this great river there Is nothing to bar the as
cent or descent Of the fish between its source
ana inc sea. nor are there ANY nsh baskets Dr
other deadly ievices to capture them.
the Delaware with salmon. The first. which
was practically n failure. was undertaken by
that loyable and genia. old angler. 'Thad"
in its infancy, and mistakes were made which
are avoided nowadays. Ten thousand eggs
Duchess coubty. New YORK. Only ABOUT halt
'of these were Matched; and but $500 reached
rGe oeI' IN the " Bnshki ihi cr ta.s,e ns saroP Ea,t wns
and. in nearby streams.
The following year $4,000 were placed in
Five years after the first planting about TWEEN
ty-five grilse were taken in shad nets, and one
tempting to ascend theBushkili at Easton. After
that very few salmon were seen. and on the
ffaHID nothin "s fae iMaes w Pls"df DONG n Mefe q qsso. In
that year Henry c. Ford. Preside mt of the Penn
sylyania Fish Commission, who long before con-
United states Governmsnt 0 1000 eggs and had
thchi huN Z ~ Tx <tlitIlONn SIitlOU. lax
ing n lesson from. "Thad" Norrls's failure.
Mr.. Ford had the fry taken to the head wa
tiers OF the Delaware and planted in the nu-
merous tributary streams there. The next
spring the little fish showed themselves so
plentiful and rose to the fly so eagerly that one
fishing organization closed its stream to angling
In order to give them a chance.
In that year also 200. 900 more fry were
planted and the success with them was as
marked as In the previous year Large mum
beers OF the fish chose the Delaware as their
home, and for months reports were received
by the Commission that salmon had become
common in the river above Port Jervis. In
1893, POS, O0eJnore salmon fry were planted,
making nearly half n million in all. In 1894
and 1895 no eggs or fry were procurablc, but
100 900 fry were deposited in the upper wa
tiers of the river last week. The salmon
caught last year were the planting of 1890,
ard this year of the paintings of 1890 and
1891. Next season the Commission intends
to secure all the eggs possible, although the
only hatchings available are those at Corey,
in the western part of the State, and at AL
lcntowa, both used for trout culture, and
greatly overcrowded at that.
There is q state law, con yurred in by New
York and New Jersey, forbidding the catch
than by hook and line, hut the Penn
sylvania Commission has been 30 anxious to
learn the results Of its work in planting this
fish that II deemed it best not to urge en-
of such a law at present.