The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-01-06

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ysed the board that the first section of
the act gives the holder of a license aa-
tholity to take any Kind Of fish even
though it be issued for the taking of
menhaden cnly. The present Attorney
General, Robert H. Mccarter, was
asked for an opinion which he gave, and
wherein he held that no person granted a
lceilse by the board for the taking OF
menhaden solely. has the right to take
any other kind of fish than those express
ed in the license. This settles the legal
question involved SO far as this board
is concerned, and in case of any Yioiatiyils
of the law the commission will appre-
hend tie parties accordingly. The
beard never granted a license to any
body, if it had any knowledge that the
first making them promise not to, take
food fish under the license.
ITO put the whole question: at rest in
the future it might be wise if the Leg
islature, at its next session. amended the
law by striking out the words sporgies,
herring and other fish from the first sec
ton of the act and provide penalty for
taking food fish in such purse or shirred
nets. Such amendment would undoubted.
" have beneficial results.
"Shad are unfortunately disappearing
from the Delaware river. a large de-
crease was noted last spring. Your COM
mission has done all it could to remedy
these conditions. In May, in connection
with the Pennsylvania commission and
the United States commission it placed
100000 shad fry in the river. The
trouble is principally due to the fact that
the close periods at the end of three
weeks is too short dura ton. 1t should
be made to extend from midnight Friday
to midnight Sunday.
"A practice which has grown of late
is that of catching bait fish from New
Jersey waters and Shipping them toother
States. This threatens to depiete the
supply to an extent that will cause ssri-
out inconvenience. Your commission is
convinced that prohibitory legislation is
urgently required.
The gradual decrease Of shad in the
Delaware for the past few years Is a
matter which should be carefully consid-
cred by our State Legislature, as it is OF
great Importance to- every resident of
the State. 4:
I'm the spring of 1904 there were in
use on the Delaware River and Bay
from Trenton to Bayside S29 nets which
caught ], ,140,350 shad, an average Of
nearly 1,500 net. The statistics gather
ed this year show that in the same
territory 800 nets were in use and the
catch was only S70,975, an. average Of
a little more than 1000 fish a net,
THE marked decrease in he catch Of
shad was more apparent in the Delaware
from Camden to Lambertsvne. In 1904
there were 10,S50 shad caught at Tr~n-
ton, while during the past year but 4,400
were taken. Bordentown fishermen
caught 1900 shad in 1904 and 1000 this
year. Camden County shows a decrease
of from 3S, 100 to 16,45O.
''The same fisheries at Washington
Park and further down the river suf-
fered decreases in catches such an
extent that fishing was diseontinued
May 80, two weeks before the close 81
the season.
After a lengthy resume Of the hatch
ing snad egg system the report goes on TO
say that 1T is the opinion of the conn
mission that law preventing the use
Of nets in the Delaware Bay and tribu,
taries from midnight Friday until mid
night Sunday would arrest the threatened
extinction of this valuable Hsh and would
benefit a vast number of people through
out the State. Such a law would meet
the approval of a large number Of fisher
men Fishermen realize that something
should be done to increase the, supply
of shad and believe in longer clesei
period during the week.
IF the legislation here recommended
is enacted The number of shad VIII no
doubt be increased. The consumer will
be assured OF fresh fish every day in the
week and the commercial fisherman will'
net be nterfered with to any great ex5
tent" E
Under the head Of recommendations
the commission finds fault with some
legislative misunderstanding of last year
which resulted in the taking away from
lit of $1,000 that had been saved for
propagatfng purposes and without any
melhbsr aof the Commission having been
consulted. The commissioners trust this
will not happen again and that when the.