The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-18
QUEER YARNS ABOUT FISH.
sTUBGEoE oAUeHT UNExPEcTRDLY
IN THB SOUND.
1fueash Ests Flercea ~ voraessus s-ueran.h-
A Catch er Msckerei That sank = heat
Valuable Porpo,ses Driven Ashore-A Mig
Turtie Out srIts Beartnrs-A skunk In n po,t

a Catch of Mackerel that sank n neat
Valuas,s Porpotses Driven Ashore-A Bir
Turtle Out srrts BeartnEs-A skunk In . Hoat
WATCH HnI, r. L, July 1.-THE seashoro
fishermen have been having a lively time OF IL
this summer, for, although prices OF fish havS
ruled low, catches have been very heavy, and
some odd happenings have been reported from
the blue water. Two good-sized sturgeon were
caught on Napeasue, L l., on "Wednesday by
Charles Champlin and Frederick Chapman.
These fish are little known to fishermen east OF
the Hudson River and arc rarely caught hera.
The two men wero fishing for blackhsh. and
caught the sturgeon almost simultaneously. In
both cases the lines were left carelessly on the
bottom, and the sturgeon rooted tho bait
out OF tho mud. One was about i've
feet long and the other four. Another
sturgeon was taken In . similar manner al
Bushy Point, near New London. last week. and
consequently some of the shore fishermen believe
that these fresh-water alligators, as the Yankees
call them, are making q pilgrimage down the
Sound this season. Acting on this belief q party
OF fishermen at Nspeague are rigging up q trawt
to be set for them. The sturgeon IL q bottom
feeder. and when II finds tho bafs n sucnB "a
Into Its little round mouth back oe
its long snout When hooked 10 makss
not the slightest effort to get away until its head
Is lifted out Of tho water. Then 10 lashes ana
tumbles like . mad bull. and. as the hsh 10
usually heavy and strong, quick work n required
to secure It. gan hook is put into its head auA
the fish Is thus held against tho gunwalo Of th1
boat until its skull can be crushed with q ofuh,
The hsh's throat Is then cut 90 that It WIN bleed
to death. All the sturgeon caught about hero
arc shipped to New York. Eastern peopiewuul6
no moro think Of eating sturgeon than New
Workers. would Of tackling q Juicy swordnsh.
Tho swordfshing season at Block Island han
opened well. and o largo feet of vessels from
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine IL there.
pursuing tho fish and making ready to follow
them into waters further east next month,
Swordfsh have been very plentiful OF Montauh
Point lately, but as they have been as wild 90
hawks, it has been dificult for tho fishermen b
got near enough to harpoon them. A now thinR
for a swordhsh to do In these waters Is 10 ATTACK
a nsh seine as It II being hauled. swordfsh arc
fond Of bluefsh, and ono Of them ripped
open a Seine in which Q largo haul Of,
bluefsh and menhaden was being taken BY
Dennis Riordan Of Green's Hill. while of Fort
Pond Bay, L l., last Monday. Riordan did not
know that there was a swordhsh within q mile Of
him. and was beginning to purse up his seine
when he saw commotion among the fish in
through them, out of the water and fell bacS
upon them, killing several and probably deyour-
through the opposite wall Of the net, and the
fish in the net swan out after it. All that was
holes in II. 4 similar story comes from Point
Judith, where u swordfsh ran through a seine.
way. it would appear. for the fishermen to stoS
such onslaughts. as when the swordtish is maxi
the surface OF the water that its prominent dor.
sal nm cannot be seen. and consequently its pres
AT Block Island great schools of mackerel
santb been Fer Play1ns direeIiy under the edges Of
hotel guests have watched the operations Of tbS
SEEMING Meet with marine glasses by the hour.
The e., run no Of mackersl CONTINUES large: The crew
day around a school OF these fish OF Clay Head
they were ,pursed into a solid mass. Before tho
seine could be attached TO the smack the fish
began to sink in a body, taking the large seine
the seine boat were thrown into the water. and
but for their ability to swim must have been
could be picked up by the smack. More thai
500 barrels of fish were lost, and the seine Urt
was not cleared Of the wreck and recovered .or
Capt. Harvey Durham, who. with the little
at Mencmsha Blight on 1Iartha's Vineyard this
summer. shipped a load OF fish from Newport's
ton was short.handed. two OF her crew having
been left on the little island OF No Mans Land.
and to skin four large p]orroises which were
driven DRY ashore 11sre; The P9rnoises were worth
known, but it IS possible that a whale or a whip
tail shark or something OF the sort got in among
on the beach before they had a chance to save
themselves.
The advance guard OF the blucfsh are al.
ready, abundant midway between Montauk and
Watch Hill. Fishermen heaving and hauling
with squids can once more stand on the rocks at
Montauk and twitch these fierce and sarny fish
out OF the incoming tiCc. Hamilton II. Bush of
Brook!yn. n member of n yachting party OF tho
Point. hauled in a twenty.dve-pound swapping
turtle on his squid the other day. in this manner.
How the turtle came to be so far away from its
native pond hole Is a mystery. The Fishers
Island feet Of b.uei -hcrmcn will try seining
hluGfsh this year. Capt. J. W; Tryon Of Port
lana. Conn. hns Just completed a hluetsh not
for immediate u.s.. which, II is believed, is larger
than anything OF me sort ever before MANN
featured. Il is LOO feet long and sixtysix
feet deep. The Cage Hatteras bluehshing fleet,
which Is largely owned in this section. has
caught vast numbers OF the fish this year. but
them.
When Charles Lester. A lobster man Of Napa.
tree Point, went down to his boat the other
morning he pushed he: from the shore while he
was SIN half .s.CcT, md started - row out 10
his pots in Fishers ! land Sugud. lie saw a
dark object in thr bottom %. the boat and kicked
II 70 see wha' i was. Lester ioupd out. Il was
n SINK. Hall Chok"d. Lest or lcsuci overheard
and swan ashore. II was long after sunrise bo.
fore he had r.. urn! and buried his clothea.
donned some fresh ones and killed the skunk.