Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-21
FISHERMEN PLAN
TO SHAKE TRUST
See a Way to Send Fish from
Jersey to Own Markets
in New York.

Special TO tne Evening
NEW YORK, Sept. ELL. G. Mes
bit. a pound net fisherman of Spring
Lake, n. j., came to New York to
look into the possibilities of the es-
tablishment of fish market where
Independent fishermen may send their
catches to sell at wholesale and at
retail He said he likes the idea i'm
mensely and believes 1t would be a
go"
Ninety per cent. of the fish that
comes to New York; Mr.. Nesbit said,
isn't fresh, and the only way that
this city can get fresh fish is to get
1t from the fisherman. As it is now
fishing smacks go out on a cruise to
catch fish. They don't come back
until they get what they go after. 1t
may be five days and it may be two
or three weeks. They ice the fish as
best they can and deliver it to the
commission men. The latter put the
fresh fish in storage and the stale is
sold first. The same thing happens to
the fresh fish that is shipped to Full
ton Market by the men down on the
Jersey coast.
At Mercy of Commission Men.
I'VE are at the mercy of the conf
mission men. They take their l21a
per cent. on the price we get for
shipment. although in other cities
they are satisfied with 10 per cent
They even get 80 cents for the barrels
in which we ship the fish.
81 understand that they sprinkle a
white powder--I think they call it
benzoate of soda-on the fish they
- iii oil T nj
ways called it embalming powder.
Fresh fish. you know, has no odor.
"As I said, 80 per cent. of the fish
that you find in the retail markets
here is junk. 1t isn't real fresh fish
Some of the fish that is sent TO Full
ton Market from Manasquan IS placed
in the freezers up here, and If the
market isn't just right it goes back
to Manasquan, where 1t goes into
freezer again. They've got big one
down there. 1t has a capacity of
100000 pounds"
Fisherman Nesbit hasn't a very
good opinion of cold storage of any
kind, and he doesn't care who knows
1t.
Cold Storage a Curse.
az think freezers and cold storage
are curse to the country" he said.
Iney were jill llio COSN
of living would be reduced.
Now the independent fisherman"
he continued, lis at the mercy of Full
ton Market. The point ] want to make
Is that the city OF New York can get
all the absolutely fresh fish 1t wants
by getting it directly from the pound
fishermen. They take UP their nets
twice day and they need a ready
market where they can deliver their
fish soon after it is caught.
1.-THE trouble now is that the indie
pendents are not organized and can't
regulate the output. If there were an
independent market here with facili-
ties for shipping in our output. re.
CARELESS of the Fulton Market men
| New York would be able to get fresh
| fish. The fishermen should have o
| selling agent here to have charge OF
| the retail and wholesale end of 1t.
| Mr.. Nesbit said that he had looked
over many retail markets and was
surprised at some of the fish that wa:
sold as fresh"
Fishermen All Agree.
| Joseph Hartigan. commissioners o.
the Mayors Bureau of Weights anc
Measures, who has been much inter
ested in the problem of bringing thu
producer and consumer together
made trip with Fisherman Nesbi
along the Jersey coast from Seaside
Park to Seabright on Friday, and to
gether they interviewed twenty-five
fishermen.
"rrhey told me-" said the commits
hsioner. that they would be glad t.
come into the open markets of New
York with their catches If II could b'
arranged"