Evening journal., 1915-03-08
Fishermen AWAIT
THE SHAD season
Delaware City Men Expect
Big Run OF Fish This
Spring
$4,000 IS IN
THE INDUSTRY

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL
DELAWARE CITY. Del, March 3.
The shad fishermen of the lower
Delaware are getting their fishing
equipment ready in anticipation Of
an early run OF fish. Boats are be-
ing overhauled and painted. old nets
are being repaired and now ones are
being hung in by the fishermen. so
that by April I, the followers Of the
fishing industry VIII be prepared for
a busy season
During the height Of the season.
this is tho center of the fishing in
dustry. There is about $4,000 worth
Of equipment here. and about $4,000
worth. of equipment on this side OF
the river. in the vicinity Of Duck
Greek, Port Penn. and New Castle.
while over at Hope Creek. about
100000 worth OF equipment is lo-
Gated already. in anticipation of an
early run of the fish. The fishermen
are looking for an early season this
year owing TO the continued mild
weather
There will be about twenty-five
boats from here. as well as a larger
number from New Castle and Port
Penn. II is estimated that with q
successful season. the fishermen from
/ here alone will catch at least 10000
FISH. worth $4,000 Tho fishermen
are enthusiastic over the bright fu-
| turc of the shad fishing industry. and
/ believe that this season will see a
/ catch Of $500 fish surpassed in a
single day. They declare that in re-
cent years shad arc being caught IN
| greater quantities and that they are
larger than ever before.
Government protection Of the in
! dustry and successful propagation OF
young fish in the hatcherios arc cred
tied with saving the industry. II Is
said that the artifcially hatchod shad
arc harder when young and grow 10
be larger than those hatched by nat
ural means.
The herring season opens about the
same time as the shad season This
place Is one Of the greatest centeri
OF herring fishing on the Delaware
The haul seines att the locks of tho
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal al
tract hundreds of visitors who watcl
the daily hauls made in the locks
IN former years as many as $1,000
herring have been caught in one haU
al the locks. But the herring have
fallen off in numbers and the large
catches are unusual now. There arr
a number of fishermen. who FISH fo
the herring in the harbor here. at tn
mouth of the locks. where the fisi
come for fresh water.
Following the herring and shad fish
ing season. the sturgeon industry
the next pursuit followed by the fish
ermon This industry is followed b
all the fishermen. as the returns an
hig. In some instances, sturgeon net
ting as high as 5000 apiece have bee
caught here On one day last yea
fourteen sturgeon we're caught by tn
fishermen from this place. The stur
soon fishermen are pesslmistic thi
year. owing TO the war in Europe
which has hit the sturgeon industr.
hard. Following the sturgeon sea
son, come carp and trout fishing
which mark the close Of the ishini
season.
II will he but short time now be
foro on some beautiful spring morn
ing. the residents will wake up ant
behold the streets near the wharve
lined with wagons, some of whicl
have Travelled over twenty-five mile
to obtain fresh shad and herring