The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-26
SHAD RUN BY THOUSANDS.
FISH DEALERS SAY THEY NEVER
KNEW ANYTHING LIKE 1T.


Dealers Caught the Market Right
and Are Making quite Good
Thing of 1.-THE Cold Weather
Shut the Northern Fishermen Out
and the Savannah Men Have Had
the Market All to Themselves.
Savannah fishermen are enjoying the
most prosperous shad season they have
known in years. That unusual combina-
ton, large quantity and high prices, was
made last week for the fishermen. All fish
dealers who were seen agreed that
the run of shad for the week had
been unprecedented. Shad have rarely, if
ever, been known to come into the mar
ket in such quantities.
The great run began Tuesday and
has continued since without intermission.
1t is estimated that 5000 shad a day have
come into the local market since the start
of the run end there is yet no sign of
let up As the shad have not yet begun
to run to any extent in the streams to the
nor Inward of Savannah the local dealers
have had the market all to themselves.
The results have been quite satisfactory
and their only fear now is that this state
of affairs is too good to last. In fact, they
anticipate that as soon as the fish begin
to reach the market from the rivers fur
Their to the north the increased supply
will meet an immediate reduction in price.
1.-THE shad season is late this year" said
one dealer. THE season with us begins
early in January and lasts until the end of
March. There were very few fish caught
In January and not many in February I'M
til this heavy run began. During the cold
weather very few shad could be caught
i'm this locality. and none further north
The result was that what fish we did get
into the market brought fancy prices. AS
high as ~ apiece were paid for roe shad
in New York in January. For a recent
shipment of two barrels to New York
received $40. The shipment contained 20
roe shad which brought $1.60 each and 100
buck shad which brought so cents each.
The roe shad weighs about twice as much
as the buck shad and then the roe Is in
great demand with the restaurant people.
being favorite dish with epicures."
Savannah getting the first heavy run of
shad after the cold SPELL the dealers here
We're enabled to reap a harvest ont or
the Northern markets. All the fish houses
on Bay street lane were busy yesterday
packing fish in barrels and getting them
ready for shipment. A very large ship
ment went North on the Kansas CITY. one
nrm shipping forty barrels. The shad run
about sixty to the barrel and are packed
closely in layers with layers of crushed
ice between. They are said TO bear shin
ment very well. If the prices quoted by
New York buyers yesterday hold out the
shippers will have good thing of it. Tel
egraphic advices from New York state
VUp bF;p 81
and bucks so to SO cents.
Nearly all the shad marketed at Savan-
nah are from the Ogeechee river. Very
rev are now caught in the Savannah
river, though in former years the runs of
shad in this river were very heavy and
savannah river shad had quite a reputa-
ton in the market. The decline is ar
tributed to various causes. One explana-
ton is that the dam across the river al
Augusta for the purpose of feeding fine
canal there prevents the shad from reach
ing there spawning grounds in the upper
waters of the Savannah. Formerly shad
were caught freely in the river as far
north as Augusta
The Savannah dealers each have a MIMI
Der OF men engaged in catching the shad
at points along the Ogeechee. They
are caught by means of gill nets struns
across the river and allowed to float wits
the tide. The fish become entaneled In
these nets or are caught by the gilIs in
attempting to pass through the mesbes
The fish are hauled to Savannah in wagons
from nearby points and are shipped here
by express from points higher up the
river. One fisherman at WAYS station
sent IN 600 shad yesterday at one shin.
ment.
The Georgia law terminates the fisb,rs
season for shad April 20. As a matter Of
feet, the season in this locality ends near
~ month carrier. Toward the close
OF the season the shad, those which have
escaped the fishermen on their wav nm
are returning to the sea. They are tben
IN poor condition and the flesh is coarse
and lacks that fine flavor which ca,ses
the early shad TO be in such demand with
lovers or good things. For this reason ara
also because the Northern market is u,aI1
supplied from points further North tha
local dealers turn their attention to other
matters about the end of March.
considering the ruthless ons1auehts
made upon the shad, 1t Is a wonder that
the supply keeps up so wei. A schooi as
shad runs gauntlet of nets from the t,r,o
1t enters the mouth of the river until II
reaches the spawning grounds. some ON
10 800 miles beyond. The few shad vybIob
escape deposit their eggs and then return
TO the ocean. AS each roe shad denosit.
several thousand eggs, however. there will
be no difficulty about the supply SO long
as they are not shut out from their spawn.
ing grounds. The Georgia law prohibits
shaa hshlng on Suncay, and the fish are
thus given one day in the week 70 raoo,,
their spawning grounds in safety ana mr.
vide for the next years supply It is said
that the shad always seek the river in
which they were spawned, and hence the
annual supply depends upon the condition.
of the spawning grounds
As is well known TO fishermen. shad arc
one Of the mysteries of the sea. Wbenca
they come and whittier they go, no man
knows. Nine months out of the tweIva
they are out Of the reach of man ana he
has never been able to find where thew 90
Shad have never been caught at any dentb
at sea, and their habitat during their nina
months absence is totally unknown