The Penn's Grove record., 1904-07-08
Why shad Get scarcer.

two springs. 1t is said by some that the
large number of snapshots now used by
the fisherman in their business frightens
the shad away and keeps them from COM
ing up the river. To attribute this as the
cause for the scarcity OF shad seems to
be too silly to need any refutatlon.
However, I will give it consideration and
endeavor TO prove to those who make
this sselaim that what little noise the
gasoline engine makes has no effect what
| ever in keeping the shad from coming up
the river.
In the first place only a small number
of the gasoline engines make any loud
noise. The four cycle engine makes very
little noise while running. In the second
place with the exception Of conveying the
fisherman to the fishing grounds and re-
turn they are not run very much.
While the nets are drifting they general
ly remain very quiet. The idea is absurd
to suppose the small noise of a gasoline
engine would keep the shad from coming
up the river. If this was possible why is
it that the large number of tugboats and
| other steamers that have been running
up and down the river and bay for many
years in the past, putting and snorting
and making a much greater noise than
the small fishing boats dol say why is
it that they haven't kept the shad from
coming up the river?
Some years ago the writer was fishing
| on the st. Johns River, Fla. The gov
eminent built a long ietty at the mouth
of that river in order to deepen the chan
mel. During the building OF that jetty
many thousand perch of stone were sunk
to hold the mats in place. l have seen
large numbers of men unloading scow
loads of stone. With all the noise and
racket the stone made in striking each
other on the bottom they did not keep
the shad from coming up the river in
large schools, Notwithstanding the chan
mel of that river is but a few hundred
yards wide at its mouth.
The width of the Delaware Bay where
we fish is from five to eight miles, giving
the shad the best of opportunity to get
up the river. l think the evidence sub
mitted is sufficient to show the fallacy OF
the argument that snapshots keep the
shad from coming up the river.
Other fisherman claim that the small
number of shad caught in the Delaware
the past spring was due to the long nets
in the bay. 1t is said they caught most
of the shad before they had a chance to
get up the river. | believe / can make it
clear to an intelligent fishermen that the
long nets in the bay was not the cause Oh
the scarcity of shad in the Delaware
Any well informed fisherman knows that
the catch of shad i'll the bay the past
spring was not half what it was a few
years ago, n%otwithsta nding the increase
of nets.
The shad had a better chance to get VI
the river the past spring than they have
for many years in the past, because O
the many distractions placed i'll the
tishermen's way by the American Dredg
ing Company preventing them from fish
ing on the regular fishing grounds.
From the revetment at Danbaker's shoaI
down the bay nearly opposite to Bombay
Hook wharf a distance of eight or ter
miles our best fishing grounds was GOV
cred with distractions such as dredging
machines, buoys and scows moored in
different places along the fishing grounds
and the space covered by these across the
bay was nearly a mile wide.
We could not do any fishing at night
over this ground which was so greatly OBJ
structed. Even in the daytime our fish
ing was done under great difficulties
Therefore, it is plainly to be seen the
shad had a splendid opportunity for get
ting up the river. Thus it will be seer
that the facts above stated is proof con
elusive that it was not the long nets thai
caused the scarcity of shad up the river
Again others have maintained that the
prevailing winds in the early part of the
spring was the real cause of such few
shad coming in the Delaware Bay an(
river. This argument may have som
weight. AS l believe all practical fisher
men have conceded this fact that sha(
follow a lee shore. This l have observed
not only in the Delaware Bay and rive
but also in the southern rivers. Wher
there is a heavy sea on shore at tht
mouth of these Southern rivers the shad
come in in much greater numbers. The
heavy sea makes the water thick and dir
ty gives the shad a much better chance
to avoid the schools of porpoises which
infest the mouth of these rivers and prey
upon the shad.
While it may be possible that if thu
prevailing winds are on the coast during
the spring of the year greater numbers O
shad will come into our bay and rive
than otherwise would, if the winds wer'
blowing in an opposite direction durin,
the shad season. This theory is more o
speculation than anything else.
Evidently it appears to me that I hav'
clearly shown that those things which
are claimed by some fishermen to be tn
cause of the falling off of shad in TIN
Delaware have no merit whatever.
In my opinion the real cause of so few
shad being caught in the Delaware rive
the last four years-is not because of tn
gasoline engines; neither is it ON accoun
Of long nets in the bay and it may b
that the winds have little effect as l hav
already stated is more speculation thai
anything else. 1t is because of the grea
destruction of the young shad durin
the spawning season and while on thei
return To the ocean.