Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-14
q Correspondence Of EverY Evenlnr-

stan Correspondence Of EverY Evening
New Castle, May H. John W. Tit
comb, who is in charge of the Division
of Fish Culture, Bureau of Fisheries,
Department of Commerce and Labor, at
Washington, was in this city on Satur-
day at the request of Congressman
Hiram r.. Burton and was the guest Of
DIR. John j. Black, who has at heart
the best interest of everybody and who
had been i'm consultation with Con
gresham Burton in relation to the
shad fishing industry and thus OBJ
tanned the services of Commissioner
Iitcomb To- talk over the matter at "a
meeting of the shad fishermen in the
Opera House on Saturday afternoon.
The meeting was interesting from
start to finish and lasted about Ia
hours. Alexander B. Cooper, one of
the Delaware New Jersey boundary
commissioners, was an Interested spec
tator and took part in the discussion.
George Peirce, Major Black, Ira Lunt
and others were attentive listeners.
MIR. IitCOmh was favOrably inn
pressed with the results of the meet
ing and stated during the meeting that
he was being made acquainted with
N
Dr. Black, presided and introduced
Mr. Titcomb. lie said, "The meet
ing rs called for the purpose of trying
TO better the condition OF the shad in
dustry and there is no use of my vast
ing words or time on the sub iect. -
The commissioner stated that he had
come at the request Of Congressman
Burton, to discuss the shad question
and then he told Of the results of the
propagation of the fish artifcially.
lie showed the results of the work
among the game and food fish and the
number of men employed in the work,
and then told of the time that the Ash
were iit TO strip of the row and the
fertilization of the fish row. He stated
that the fish must be ripe. There is
the soft and the hard roes. The latter
are not tit to strip and the former are
not fit for food
j. Al. Davis, who has been a fisher
man for upwards of 40 years, said I:
We have the soft shad here and so
soft that they have spawned in the
boat. This surprised Mr.. Titcomb
who said. This is news to us. That
being the case, what you need and
what we need is a stripper or strippers
here who can look after the forward
shad here and we need them because
We cannot get enough at Gloucester,
where the Fish Hawk is now taking
on all that can be secured / had no
idea that the fish were so forward this
far down the river. -
DIR. Black "What prices are paid
for the shad used by the government,
MIR. TitcombYn
Mr.. Titcomb; "The government
pays $40 per million eggs and each
shad averages about 30 900 eggs,
which would place the-price of the fish
at 3315 cents each. -
DR.. Black 'What is supposed to be
the age OF shad TO obtain their
growthin
Mr.. Titcomb; "Three years usually,
although some contend but two years.
The theory that shad re-enter the
waters whore they were Matched has
been upset, as is shown where the
shad were sent TO the Sacramento
| river, on the Pacific Coast, and now
| they are thick in the Columbia river
and Puget Sound. They have not been
caught up like they have here because
/ OF the salmon, but now the salmon are
becoming scarce and shad there are
taken in larger quantities. -
When asked why shad are disappear
! ing mere the commissioner said /:
There are many reasons. The pounds
/ and stake nets take the shad in the
salt waters and they do not get a
chance to get into the head OF fresh
waters TO lay their spawn and the
catching OF the fish kills the goose
/ that lays the golden egg. There is no
/ chance to restore the fish which has
| been continuously falling off since 1901.
The commission is spending as much
money now as in 1901, and putting forth
/ eyory effort to fertilize the shad and
| increase their numbers. Unless some
| legislation Is secured the shad will
soon go whore tn esturgeon have gone.
| The gillers with their powerboats
take more drifts than they formerly
did "
When asked if the fishing could be
regulated, the speaker answered that
lt could il it were placed in the hands
of the Federal government.
Mr. Cooper asked if he suggested a
closed season for several years and he
was told that this was not necessary,
and that he was not ready TO make
suggestions, but there should be requ-
lations governing fishing in the salt
waters
Are the menhadens causing the
| shortagefn was asked by Mr.. Cooper.
To this the commissioner replied,
am not in position to say that the
! menhadens are not catching the small
shad. There is no question but that
/ the menhaden fisheries are destructive
| TO food fishes. -
Mr.. Davis: "I have seen shad rang
ing from 4 TO 6 inches ia length in
/ schools of thousands swimming along
or near the surface of the water and
| when they 60 out toward the ocean
they too go into the circle Of the nets
of the menhaden fishermen and are
scooped up placed in watts and become
oil and phosphates. 80
The catching of spawned shad was
taken up and Mr.. Davis stated that
M many cases where these were caught
| they were returned Co the water IL
there was any life in the fish.
Mr. Iitcomb said that the fishermen
could take the roe from the fish them
selves when they found the right kind
of fish and the government would
allow $40 per million eggs and furnish
the fishermen with proper buckets and
pans.
Pollution in the river was stated 10
seriously affect the egg and young fry.
The pollution of the waters hy chemi-
cal mills IS stronger at the bottom or
bed Of the stream than at the top.
John III. Wright of Pennsville, n. j. ..
stated that thousands of shad were de-
stroyed annually by the chemical mat
Ter from the powder plant at Carney $
Point and that the shores near that
rNn kassa - !