Evening journal., 1909-08-04
FISHERMEN WANT
THE new STURGEON
New Castle Man Thinks Idea
Good And Welcomes the
Foreign Fish

TOTelgn TlSn
Continuing its series Of articles on
Delaware River Fish and particularly
the sturgeon, the Philadelphia North
American says today
Frank Beckett is a fisherman. He
has followed the business for forty
years. most OF the time on the Della
ware river But he has made trips to
foreign waters and has seen iish caught
in many climes. lie knows what the
Black sea sturgeon are, for he has
helped to catch them on the shores
Of the Azov.
"He stood on the little wharf az New
Castle, Del, the other day and looked
out over the sparkling river. whipped
into whitecaps by the brisk southern
breeze.
Its a great thing, this putting of
the Danube sturgeon into the Della
ware" he said. IT'S a grand idea. And
when we get the new sturgeon we
must keep them But we won't keep
them very long unless something Is
done more than is done now TO give
the fishes a chance. That's ADJUST
one chance. The FISH must have one
chance or she can't lay her eggs, and
there won't be any little fish 10 take
the place Of the ones that are fished
out.
1--WE been on this river since I was a
boy. and know something about stur-
geon. / mind the time. and not so lone
ago, when we just slaughtered them
to get them Pout OF the way. We
thought shey were worthless. Then We
began 10 sell them for the roe, and fol
years we hunted them without re-
: strictions.
First off. we didn't take anything
but tho roe. Then we began 10 sell th'
carcass for few cents. They bought
Iit for the fertilizer factories. But 4
: was the roe we wanted.
Millions OF pounds OF good mea
were thrown away. BY the time th'
s people learned that sturgeon flesh wa
I pretty good eating there weren't an,
s sturgeon TO speak Of. There hasn'
o been much for ten or twelve years.
n More Sturgeon in Sight.
y This year the catch has been bette
- than for some time past. But 1t ism
e anything TO speak Of when you think o
g what we used to get. Already this yea
e there have been twenty-five sturgeon
e And he pointed to the ice piers, not 10
yards apart.
"But don't think" he continued. "tha
. these sturgeon were roe fish. Not one o
d the twenty two was a roc. Most Of then
70 were just little fellows; some not NOR
e than three feet long. That's what IN
I law allows in Delaware waters-thro
o feet.
They tell me those Danube sturgeo
grow to be 200 and 500 pounds. neve
saw them that big on the Azov, but the
say they grow even bigger In the Dan
ube--l7oO IS the limit.
I "wen. as said. three feet is a prett
small sturgeon. It's a shame 20 cate
them. The fish ought 20 have chanS
TO grow. over on the Jersey side the
can't keep them unless they are n,
\. feet. That's not any too big."
cd Would uniform state laws help
rt protect the sturgeon" he was aske
ur Eyes, the three states ought 10 &
ch togeth and agree on something un
form. See how foolish the present la'
n are. over her we can catch sturgel
ha at three feet. We use a 10 12-inl
= mesh. on the Jersey side they have
4. use a 10 1-2-inch mesh and are n
allowed TO keep anything under a.
d, feet. That's right. But those Jers'
~ fellows can come over here and h'
i' with a u-mesh net, and then tai
three-foot sturgeon over there ar
us sell II In their r'-arket II they caucl
H. the fish over there, Il would be illegf
but they can come over here and cate
r. 4 and then take II back there and sell
ri "A couple Of years ago we had
~ close season over here, but we cou
mi go over there and FISH. Now, there is I
w fishing on the Jersey side from H.
Ie Saturday noon until Monday mornin
IN but all the Jersey fishermen can con
lis on this side and fish and sell the
ms sturgeon on the Jersey side.
Not Much Of Chance.
Between the two, the sturgeon hasr
=. got much OF a chance. He should ha'
"a chance-just one chance-thats on
fair. II he doesn't get IT, theren
no sturgeon in a few years, and there
:, mighty few now.
IL "Uniform protection and some tin
IL when the sturgeon can come up Il
rs river and spawn and nothing to
caught under FIVE feet-that's what
p call giving the sturgeon a chance. II
ls- the catching Of these little ones that
ch killing off the FISH. The little felloy
on don't have any roe. They're only hs
in grown. But, now that the flesh Is sci
ing 10 the jobbers for 12 and IA cen
)r. a pound and even more. the fishermi
mi are taking everything that the law a
w. lows"