The Penn's Grove record., 1920-07-02
Sturgeon Fishing
Very Profitable
Fewer Shad Caught The Past
Season Than For Years

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10th and the season to catch sturgeon
closed June Both. The catch of shad
was the smallest even known on the
Delaware River and Bay. Fewer nets
were fshed. Twenty years ago 80
boats with nets went from Hope
Creek to catch shad. The past spring
only 7 were there. Formerly 125 nets
were fshed from Bayside. This year
only 20. Anywhere from so to 100
were fished from Penns Grove. This
year there were about Is and they
were smaller than formerly.
When shad were abundant they
were caught by the hundreds daily.
This year some nets were drifted in
the water all day and did not get a
scale. Some nets did not get 100
shad the whole season. When shad
were numerous the prices wholesale
were from S. to $50 a hundred and re-
tailed from 20 to 40 cents each. This
year the prices ranged from 20 to 35
cents a pound wholesale and retailed
from 25 to 40 cents a pound. Shad
will average 5 and 6 pounds each.
Big profits were made by a few
sturgeon fishermen this year at Bay
side and the shad fishermen who were
fortunate enough to get a crustacean
had a golden nugget.
Harry A. Dalbow who buys all the
caviar on the Delaware besides most
of that along the Atlantic coast paid
$28,886 to sturgeon fishermen this
year. The caviar is worth $500 a
pound, the highest price ever known.
The last few years it was S1.50 a
pound. The meat in the sturgeon was
from 20 to 40 cents a pound. The
sturgeon averaged $50 in value for
meat and about $500 for each fish,
caviar included.
Mr.. Dalbow has bought about 5000
pounds of caviar this year. In 1919
he got only 1000 pounds and in 1918,
1900 pounds.
When sturgeon We're numerous the
price Of caviar was as low as 10 cents
a pound and the meat 3 cents.
Before the United States got into
the World War caviar was brought
from the Caspian and Black Seas in
Russia. There was a large supply and
a good market to suit the fastidious
tastes of epicurean diners. After we
got into the wal the market went
low, because there was no time for
leisure and high priced dining. The
supply is now small and there is an
export demand.
Mr.. Dalbow does not account fol
the increased run of sturgeon on the
Delaware. He does not believe in a
closed season unless it be made ma
tional all along the Atlantic coast be-
cause fish which frequent Delaware
bay and river would be caught else
where.
1t takes eight or ten years for a
sturgeon to grow to any size ano
whether it has been al increase in ma
tural propagation or some change II
the ocean currents which have induced
large schools to enter the Delaware
Bay and River are questions that are
puzzling the rivermen.
The past season the Fish and Game
Commissioners of New Jersey ano
Pennsylvania Matched out some shac
fry at the Torresdale, Pa, hatchery
and liberated them in the head waters
of the Delaware, still hoping to re
store the food fish which use to be SC
plentiful and now are so few. Still
confident that the shad and other foo6
fish can be restored in their old-time
plenty to the Delaware under proper
conditions, the commissioners will con
tinue propagation, believing that pub
lie sentiment will eventually become
strong enough to force the State
health authorities to check pollution Of
the stream.