The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-13
FISHING FOR WHITEHALL.
The Interesting Periodic Campaign
Along the Shores of Essex, in England.

If YOU pass along the Essex shore at
the Withdrawing centres toward the end
of October you will find un~mistakable
evidences Of the coming campaign, says
the London Clone, and If you are curious
you will be able to examine the nets,
with their very fine meshes, which are
being got ready for the fishing. Ih6
Withdrawing legally commences on Mo-
vember 1. although the boats are allowed
to go out on October 81, but f1Shlng must
not until after midnight. AT
Q"Geensboroueh and Burr -on Crouch
the restrictions are not so great, and
Withdrawing goes on when the closure Is
in force at Leigh and Sorthend. The Close
time lasts three months, from August
until November. That some of the fisher
men are eager to commence operations
two or three cases of Illegal fishing to be
heard in the local courts toward the end
of the close season.
On soft, humid November days with
alternate cloud and sunshine, you will
often see the w~hitebaiters at work; per-
haps in the Thames estuary over BY
lower down toward the More. The nets
with their fine meshes go over the sides
of the boats and remain in the water for
some four or five hours, and the whites
bait drifts into them with the flood and
the ebb. Although, from various causes,
the general fishing in the estuary is not
SO good as 1t formerly was, the whitebait
Is still plentiful; In fact. much more SO
than in the old days. when a box or two
was accounted a fair haul. Nowadays
several boxes are filled, but the white
bait is larger. You will often see. so 70
speak, a Triton among the minuows:
years ago the trunks or boxes were filled
with tiny little fish which made the
mouths of eplcures wateri still the pri4<
cipal whitebaiters exercise due care and
send excellent supplies TO the market.
Whitebaiting appears to be a rather
lucrative pursuit, and the owners of boats
engaged In it often do remarkably well
and are able to pay their men good wages.
Prices. however. do not rule so high as
formerly, because there Is more compe-
ution. It vas by no means an Uncommon
occurrence for a quart OF whitehall to be
sold for half a crown, or even a higher
price but now, In the markets and shops.
you can often purchase 1t for ninepence or
a shilling a quart; sometimes at a lower
price. The fresher You can procure white
bait the more delicious it Is. The hon
vivart' who happens to be close at hand
when the whitebaiters come ashore. and
Who IS fortunate enough to secure a sup
swiftly dispatched to the metropolis and
larger t~owns-will duly appreciate II il it
be nicely cooked and served with the
usual accessories of brown bread and but
ter. thinly sliced lemon and a powdering
OF cayenne pepper. Stale whitebait must
be avoided, and 1t is positively injurious,
hence the cOnmendable haste the white
baiters make to reach shore and dispatch
their boxes to town.
If you should have a chat with a fisher
man he will probably tell you, with a sly
Twinkle III MS I'VE, tnaI ne DeleNeS tuH-
the distinct species Of whitehall is. like the
Dcdo, extinct, and that 1t is the fly Of he
herring, sprat. pauling and other fish. "a
fact. it is almost a case of "aafs fish thst
comes a. the net" Still, whatever white
bait really is, and we are only giving lie
isherman's view of the question, il Is m
proved by the epicure; and what would III
metropolitan restaurants be without this
delicacy in its proper season? Some Of tns
fishermen rlon2 short have theories al we'll
about the anchovy and the prolific sardtne.
and scornfully say that huge quantities or
sprats are consigned to factories on the
continent. You Try Ia reason with them.
and inform them as gently as possible o.
the habitats of the anchovy and sardlle.
but it is difficult TO convince themi they
Will have their way. and. OF course, tneY
know a great deal about spratting ard ths
ultimate destination of some Of the silvefT
fish which are caught in such large guam
titles. The shermen are pretty wei in
formed as to piscine affairs, and you cans
not but reflect q little after listening -
their harangues. for they ace close 0bserv
erS and experienced. and these engaged 10
the whitehall fishery are, as 4 ruiz Yes
intelligent ard respectable class Of men
In a week or two's time, IL You sllonl3
be looking out into the Thames essnary
On a fine November day. when the tide has
ac we'd sufficiently 10 ill or partly I'LL thA
creek which winds frcm the fatstretching
Ray. at Leieh. to the little quay, you vii
see the whitebaiters coming ashore WIFI
their boxes OF fish, which they place or
their shoulders and hurry of with 70 uae
station which is close By. rhey
have timed everything to a nicely. and fef
train soon steams in which will convey
the whitehall to town. The journey
performed IN a little over an hofr, evea
the slower passenger trains, and toe
often arrives as fresh as Il can
lie and is served for supper. ut is good
news for the epicnre that the whitehall y
more plentiful than ever. and iuuch
cheaper than was formerly the cass
Sometimes, in the old DAYS. even in me
season, a great difficulty was experici;ceA
ia getting a supply. but there Is nowadays
IA fear OF a scarcity. and we may take
heart o. grace in consequences.