The Penn's Grove record., 1909-05-07
Danube Sturgeon fof the Delaware

Forty years ago sturgeon were plentiful
iii the Delaware river and bay. The,
tore up the shad fshermen's nets and
were declared such a nuisance that they
were killed and left along the shore where
their rotting carcasses made all OBJ
noxious stencil. They were considered
fit only for hogs to eat.
About thirty-years ago Bendix Blohm
(fat.ler OF our townsman, Henry J.
Biohm) who was a native OF Germany,
knew the value of the sturgeon meat and
roe and had caught the fish in the Hud-
son for a few years, came to Penn's Grove
and began catching the sturgeon for CON-
niercial use. The Delaware was a veri-
table gold mine for him who soon taught
the native fishermen how to pickle the
roe and preserve i, i'll kegs. The meat
and caviar were shipped to German dealers
i'll New York who soon began to furnish
capital Tor native fishermen to catch the
sturgeon i'll the Delaware. which had be-
come a great mine of wealth. For TWEEN
ty years the industry hourished. A large
cold storage house was built at Penn's
Grove twenty-five years ago in which to
keep the sturgeon meat, but they were
caught out SO 0 o that the headquarters
of the industry soon went down the river
to Bayside.
During the last ten years the sturgeon
fishing has decreased SO rapidly that there
are now no exclusive sturgeon fishermen.
Henry j. Blohm was the last as his father
was the first. This is the first wear lie be-
gan fishing with a shad net, as mauy
have been doing, until sturgeon came.
While siiad have been p~ropagated ar
fiiaiailU tho bofol,ino of - -
never been carried on successfully to any
extent. There has been no protection for
tile sturgeon excepting for a few years.
New Jersey prohibited the catching after
July l, while Pennsylvania and Delaware
fishermen continued thru the summer
when they should be allowed to propa-
gate They become fewer every yearand
none are now caught in Southern waters
where Pennss Grove fishermen use to
get a harvest during the winter months.
Caviar is SO scarce that it now sells in
New York and European cities for from
% to Slo a pound and is eaten only by
epicures.
The TACT that sturgeon are getting scarcer
is being noticed by the U. S. Fish Com
mission who are o taking action to nl-
crease the supply by artificial propaga-
tion. Commissioner Bowers has announ-
ced that there is a strong probability that
the famous Danube sturgeon will be in
trodnced into United States waters. Hor-
ace Knowles, OF Wilmington, Del, until
recently minister to Roumania, Servia
and Bulgaria, now credited to Nicaragua,
arranged with the officials of Roumania
to sepd to the United States a large GUAM
tity OF Danube sturgeon fry, also several
cans OF ~sterlet, another very valuable Dan
ube fish. "
Through the arrangements made by
Minister Knowles, there will be ship
ped from R0umania a large number OF
2O-gallon cans containing millions of
young sturgeon and sterlet. Without
any expense to this government these
cans of young fish will be delivered at
Bremen or Hamburg to a representa-
tive of the United States Fishing Com
mission, who will take charge OF them
and bring them OH one of the fastest
express steamers to- New York. The
young fish will then be sent to the
nearest hatchery and there cared for.
These W. Danube fish are particularly
valuable, because they are not a season
fish like the shad, but runin the waters
their habitat throughout the year.
The Danube sturgeon grows to an enor-
NOUS size and weight, 900 to 800 pound
fish are frequently caught. All 800 pound
fish will give about $50 pounds of caviar. 4
The sturgeon from the region of the
black. sea and It's tributaries are largely
imported into this country notwithstand- |
ing the high price. Ferdinand Hansen.
of New York, within the past eight
months sent about $4,000 worth of Rus |
sian caviar in kegs to his packing house |
Penn's Grove to be repaekedinto from
two to eight ounce packages. .ata
1t seems useless to send to Europe for
to restock the waters when
nothing is done to protect the fish by |
a closed season during the sum |
ner when they would naturally, propa- |
gate themselves. |