Smyrna times., 1918-05-15
BOMBAY HOOK FISHERMEN
REAP A GOLDEN HARVEST"
DELAWARE BAY INDUSTRY FINDS
GOOD MARKET AT NEW CASTLE


GOOD MARKET AT NEW CASTLE
Delaware City the Seat of the Big Her
ring lndustrY-Shad Season Ends
Successfully-Now Trout is on
While many fish are bought up
from Bombay Hook to Smyrna, the
bulk of the fishing industry in the
Delaware River and Bay finds its way
to the big market at Delaware City
and New Castle. This year fishermen
along with the advanced prices due to
the war, are reaping a harvest. Some
years ago the farmers and traders from
all parts of New Castle county and
the adjoining counties of Pennsylvania
drove to New Castle and lined up at
the wharf by the scores to get the
shad at So per hundred. The fish were
in demand for winter use. Men at
the wharf used to earn big pay clean
ing the fish at one cent each so that
the farmers could salt them down
for winter. AS high as upwards of
20, 900 shad have been shipped from
the Delaware street wharf in one day
to Wilmington, Philadelphia, Lam
caster, Newark, New York and other
cities. But this year it is far differ
ent. The shad are sold at 81 each to
a Wilmington dealer and New Castle
people are compelled to go to Will
mington where the fish sell at 80 cents
a pound.
Delaware City Big Herring Industry
Delaware City has been the seat of
the great herring industry. Few peo-
pie have any idea of the number of
herring caught there. The first haul
in the lock on Monday mornings is US
ually the largest catch of the week,
when from $4,000 to 10000 are
caught in one haul. The largest haul
ever made was on Thursday morning
when 127, 900 were caught. The
herring come up the river in search of
still, fresh water in which to spawn.
To get into the canal the herring must
first pass through the locks and it is
there they are caught in large numbers.
, When the locks are full of herring
! and large boat is locked in, thous
ands of the fish are crushed against
, ,, the lock wall. Sometimes while the
fish are in the canal the water becomes
stagnant and kills the fish. Whel
this happens thousands of them floa
on the water. The dead fish are pushe,
n into the locks. and locked out into tn
d river, where the current carries then
f away. These dead fish are calle
s "blind robins The herring tina
! go in the canal and spawn are calle
: "razoT bellies" and are not acceptabl
q in sale, as they have no roe and afte
n being in the canal, acquire disagree
N able taste.
IS How the Fish are Caught in the Lock
N The net used in the docks is {
er heavy twine with inch meshes fsstene
ID to three poles, one on the bottom ar
te one on each side. The net fits I'll
is locks with about two inches play {
d. each side and the side poles reach fro
m the bottom of the lock to about fly
feet above the lock wall. The net
~ hung full to make bag of about foI
~ feet. To allow the herring to con
~ in the locks the outside lock gates al
g. left open. The net is put overboar
" crossways of the lock, with one ms
lu at each side pole and one at each pu
70 line. AS the men at the pull lin
ue pull, the men at the poles hold the n
oh down on the bottom. When the e.
IL of the locks is reached the net
at pulled up and taken back to where
was put over and the herring a
scooped out with a big scoop ne
The men who fish in the river with DIR
nets are called "pluggers or 'choc
"u ers. =" The nets they use are six fe
deep and from four to six hundr
; a feet long. The net is fastened
es- heavier lines, one at the top, the" CO
er, line" which floats the net, and 6
lar other at the bottom, the "lead lin
m which holds the net down. A smi
ne, bateau is used; one man rows the bt
bod while the other tends the net. E
rt. herring this year ran away up in pr
ms and instead of 25 cents per hundl
ng- they sold at 40 cents a dozen and
lad cents a pound.
and