Evening journal., 1909-08-05
FOOLISH LAWS
SLAUGHTER FISH
Fishermen Tell Of What They
Consider Foolish Legal
Regulations

NeguldI!0nS
The Philadelphia North American
says:
David J. Smith is another New Castle
fisherman. He thinks he has the re-
] cord Delaware sturgeon of the season
so far. 1t weighed 331 pounds. Up to
date this year he has caught sixteen
sturgeon.
But they weren't roe FISH," he says.
Most Of them were slunkers."
A slunker. he explained, is a cow
sturgeon that has already deposited her
eggs. The 331-pounder was run
ner." A runner" is fish in which
the roe has become detached from the
+ tissues and is ready to be deposited.
The roe Of runner is very soft and
mushy. and does not bring the best
iprice from tho caviar dealer
several Of my sixteen sturgeon this
year" said Mr.. Smith "were only small
and fair-sized ones. You can see such
fish any time right out there between
the piers. They come to the meadows
to feed We call them moose because
they have long noses like the moose in
the woods They are young sturgeon.
The law ought to protect them, but il
doesn't. And. as long as they can be
caught, of course. those who are in
the business will catch them. II
wouldn't do any good for one man TO
leave them in the river for another to
Iget
For Uniform Laws.
There ought to be some way Of
making the law the same for the
three states. II would be better for the
fishermen, for the fish would have a
chance to increase. and we would get
more when the season was open ti.an
We do now all the year round
John Peterson. fisherman from
Pennsville n. j.. right across from.
New Castle. matched Smiths score and
went him one better Peterson has
caught seventeen sturgeon so far this
year. His largest was 800 pounds. a
roe fish. for which he got about 500.
The fishermen explained that the
roc is bought for caviar by the dealers.
The method is to buy by the bucket,
the price ranging from s25 to S35 a
bucket, according to the quality Of the
caviar When it is hard and firm. it
brings better prices than when it is
soft. sturgeon will have from one
TO five buckets Of caviar.
Nearly all the fish caught from New
Castle north are sold at Pennsville and
Pennsgrove. ~ ]. Those are the CEN
tiers of the trade in caviar and sturgeon
flesh for that part Of the river.
Frank Beckett, the fisherman. who
believes in giving the sturgeon a
chance, is positive that other fisheries
will be destroyed as the sturgeon have
been unless there is some uniform
action on the part of the authorities.
THE catfish said he, follow the
sturgeon. once the river was full of
catfish, but there have been none al
all in late years. Now this year, when
there has been a good run Of sturgeon,
the catties are coming i'm again. When
we lose the sturgeon we lose the cat
fish.
THE shad. too. are in danger There
must be uniform protection or they'll
so like the sturgeon.
Across the river I'm + nnsville, IcHial
Hancock, of Hancock Brothers. talked
frankly with The North American rep.
resentative ON the business of buying
caviar. He believes that better protec.
tion must be afforded the Danube stur
geon if they are TO thrive after having
been put in the river. II these grea
fish have a chance TO multiply in thl
delaware it viii make it a source o.
large profit to the fisherman and thl
dealers.
How Il Has Dwindled.
An estimate. based on figures sup
piled by Mr.. Hancock, puts the Dola
ware catch OF sturgeon this year a
100000 pounds. In 1895 il was 5000 00l
pounds and in 1883 II was more than
100000 In those days the fish wa
taken solely for the caviar and th'
flesh was thrown away or sold to tn
fertilizer plants
+ Joshua H. Wheaton is another buye
Of caviar at Pennsville He is the MAJ
b lwho made the statement quoted before
/ that at one time there wasn't a spo
twenty feet long on the river shor
that didn't have a dead sturgeon on II
But said Mr.. Wheaton cautiously
II can't believe that the fish are grow
, ling scarcer because they are caugh
, out II must be something in tn
water"
, Mr. Wheaton buys caviar by tn
, bucket and sells it by the pound.
T, brings $3.50 a pound TO the dealer.
After II is washed and salted it
shipped TO New York. where the can
lneries prepare It for the market B
- the time it gets to the consumer
>, costs something like 81 a pound an
upward.
Profits and Sturgeon.
There is good profit all along IN
line i'm tho caviar business. Mr. Whea
q ton. however. insists that it isn't III
= catching of tho sturgeon that has re
d duced them in number. However. u
things that uniform laws would nc
$ do any harm. although he hesitate
o about recommending moro stringer
J. laws
.. Mr.. Wheaton also owns the hutche
f shop and the candy store in Pennevin
g The dealer buys tho roe by N
. bucket and the carcass is thrown il
q He sells the hsh FOR - or "a cent
S pound. Mr. Wheaton says he ha
n received as high as 20 cents poun
this year FOR bull sturgeon. the mea
4 being firmer and choiccr than that
e the roe fish. Smoked sturgeon sells fc
from 80 TO 80 cents a pound to III
s consumer. according to the qualit
and the method Of curing.
70 With Danube sturgeon thriving in N
f river this wholesome and highly price
= flesh might be selling for 10 or !
n cents a pound to the consumer. and
r. quantities 10 make the beef trust e