The Jersey City news., 1903-06-23

to reach close to bottom. This Is done
BY sinking the cork-line the necessary
distance below the surface by means of
extra heavy leads on the lower line, and
the net is kept track of By attaching to
it wooden buoys, called "bads.' by
means of ropes. The fishermen drift
along behind their net, usually about the
middle of it. Should buoy indicate
that anything has been captured in the
net, the fishermen at once take in that
section, and if FISH has been gilled it is
hauled into the boat and the net is re-
set
The sturgeon are taken aboard by
means of long-handled hooks Of round
iron., Although from six to ten feet in
length, they struggle very little when
gilled. When being hauled into the boat
they seem to lose all heart, and are gem
orally rolled in like log. They make
rather difficult object, however, TO get
into a boat, owing to their great bulk
and weight. The two men forming the
crew have all they can conveniently ham
die when big female sturgeon is taken.
A fisherman at Bayside has been known
to handle seven-foot female single
handled, but this was very unusual oc-
currence.
The net is usually fshed but once a
day. 1t is taken in at slack water and
the fishermen come back to camp with
the ebb tide. The fishermen classify the
fish as follows: 'tCow', fish, the female
sturgeon which have hard roe, the kind
used in preparing caviar; runners fe-
male fish with soft spawn which is rum
ming out Of the fish ard is generally too
soft to be used for caviar; eslunkers, =
female fish which have already spawned /;
bucks male fish of all kinds. The last
three are valuable only for the flesh.
Two thirds of the catch is Of 'cow fish,
while the remaining one-third is COM
posed Of "bucks" "slunkers" and ''run-
ners.'' The bucks will not average
more than one-tensh of the total catch.
By far the most valuable by-product
obtained from the sturgeon is the roe,
from which the valuable commercial
product called caviar is prepared For
this only the hard roe Of the Cow" FISH
is supposed to be used. The manner Of
preparation is as follows:
After the eggs have been removed from
the fish, they are placed in large chunks
upon stand, the top of which is formed
Of small-meshed screen. On the under
side is arranged zinc-lined trough about
eighteen inches deep, two feet wide and
four feet long. The operator gently rubs
the mass of eggs back and forth over
the screen. The mesh is large enough to
~ a. 49, 49, 4,,ax,, "a 49,,
4. 80, 4,,, ,,,,,,, y, !. 1,
.,,,,;ra .na, g {, thro,,.h 80 ~ 4,o,, =,
and are hence drawn off into tubs by
means Of a sliding door at the end of the
..,,,.,, 80. u, 4, Il u. ,a,,,, CO, 4
~, 4, IN, I, ..,,,,,.,, 5 81, s..t, /,
nro,,o.t;,n q ~ h,s+ ~ oa.,as y q,
saa as.su x,,h;.,, ~ ,,a..4,. 8, ,se,.,,,,
..;s. 49,. ~ s, ,,,,., Il. s J, s
NJ 49, a.,;.. 4. 3 t,,a ,,,.o,a s.,
a.a..... I. 4. 10 q .,...,. Il,
49, N, 81, : a;raa - 49, III
rost;on : AZ ror. S NC co,,,,;t;o,, j
No roe rao,,la ,es he time consumed ) ID
~ ,,annar 8 hor,,,;n. II rse,,;ros
80 o4;.a, vnor,enca s hsco,,,e ,,,.of;; ;s,,t
After oa5,no tbe so,t tbe ~ q u svss
6rst dries II M, 8 ton j. f;ftesn Mn
mas ~ stransfb = tbs z,lt draws from
,bs -. 3. ths;r 81 tarv con y, stitna,,tx IA
!, con;or. hr,ns Z formed xvh,,.h $ = &
poured off when ths tub becomes fun.