The Penn's Grove record., 1906-01-12
WHY sHAp ARE DECREASING
A Call To Fishermen

Penn's Grove, N. j., Jan. 8, 1906
EDITOR Or PENIS GROVE RECORD,
Dear SIr;-Thanking you for your kind
ness in allowing me space IN the columns
of your paper for a short article Ill winch
l wish to discuss some features OF the
shad fishing industry and also the pros
pective new fish bill which is said Will be
introduced i'll the present session OF u
Legislature. As | understand, 1t is to have
a law enacted making it unlawful to f1sh
more than five days in a week. Should
this bill become a law it would virtually
ruin our business.
The shad fishermen of Salem and Cum
berland Co., have invested $500, 00O or
more i'll boats, nets, engines, and cabins.
The loss of one day a week besides the
loss of five more days at least, Oh the ac-
oun of high winds would mean fifteen
days i'll all, which would be about Ole
fourth OF the fishing season i'll the bay.
Put this loss at $40 a day, which is a very
low figure, would mean the loss OF $3.50
during the fishing season. That would
about take all the profit for the season.
The Sllad Fishermen's Protective As
ISOLATION OF South Jersey will stand to-
gether as one man i'll opposition to any
such change in the law. We say: Let
the law stand as it is without any change.
Now a few facts as to why there has
been a falling off in the catch OF shad the
last few years. 1t has been the contention
of the up-river fishermen that the large
number of nets and their great length be-
ing operated dav and night is the cause
OF the decrease in the catch of shad up.
the river. Tread an item in one OF the
Philadelphia daily papers last week stat
ing there were 800 Swedes operating huge
nets day and night i'll the bay. This Is a
gross Misrepresentation. Take 725 off OF
that number and it will be very nearly
correct.
1t is claimed by the up-river fishermen
that the bay nets are tisLed continually
day and night preventing the shad from
coming up the river. This is false as |
can prove to the satisfaction of any in
tell gent fisherman, as there are but flew
nets that fish in the bay at night and
then only in good weather. Much of the
time in the springof the year the high
winds make it impossible Tor us to fish, |
ever in the daytime. Some days we do
rot 90 out at all and much less at nights
when the weather is rough.
Shad in their passage up the bay have
no distractions i'll their way, at least hall
of the time during the week, and nearly
all the time in the Ships channel as
vessels are passing up and down the
channel AMIDST continuously and besides
this the entire bay is clear of nets from
Saturday night shutdown, until II O'Clock
Sunday night, giving shad a clear run up
stream. These lacts ought to be clear to
every up river fisherman that it is not
the number of nets and the hard fishing
OF the same that keeps the shad from 60
ing vp the river.
The question will then be asked, "What
is the real cause OF the great falling off i'll
the catch OF shad?' The catch OF shad
has not fallen off any more in proportion
up the river in the total catch than they
have in the bay.
| do not think there was an average
catch of 1000 shad to q net in the bay
last spring. A few years ago 1T was no
uncommon thing for net to catch from
1000 to 10000 during the season.
The whole truth of the matter is this.
The only cause for the great reduction in
the catch of shad is that the factories,
mills, acid works and coal-oil companies
from the upper end of Philadelphia III
both sides OF the river down to Dupont's
Powder Works have been dumping all
their filth and obnoxious gases into the
Delaware River, which has so polluted
the water with these poisonous gases
which has killed hundreds of thousands
of young shad every summer besides
thousands OF small fish of other varieties.
thousands OF these young fish have
been seen dead washed up on the shore,
almost instantly after swimming in this
polluted water. As the Delaware River
is becoming more and more polluted
every year it will naturally follow there
will be a decrease in the catch OF shad
every year, unless some way is provided
for the projection OF young shad and to
restore the fishing industry to what it
was in former years is for the States of
Pennsylvania and New Jersey to enact
stringent avs compelling them to dis
pose of the refuse and poisonous gases in
other way besides dumping them
into the river.
OF late yeas a large number of shad
have deposited their spawn well down
the river even as low down as the bay.
God has given all animal creation an in
stinct to look after the welfare of their
young. This ~willlapply to the fish in
the waters, as well as the birds of the air.
Shad will not go into filthy and impure
water to deposit their spawn. Instinct
teaching them if they did it would be
death to their young. Hence, this is the
reason SO many shad spawn down the
river where the water is pure, as the up
per Delaware is SO narrow, and is more
easily polluted by these poisonous gases.
/ will add that it is important that all
the South Jersey fishermen be united in
opposing any bill that may be introduced
III the present session of our Legislature
limiting our time to less than six days in
a week.
l would urge every member of the Shad
Fishermen's Protective Association to
come out Saturday night at our meeting
held in the Band Room at s o'clock.
Yours. T.. S. HARRIS.