Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-07
STURGEON NOW GONE,
WERE ONCE ABUNDANT 7
Hudson River Fishermen Mourn
tho Disappearance Of
Albany Beef"


full OF sturgeon and 1t was 80 little
esteemed that 1t sold for only 3 or 4
cents a pound and the delicate stur-
geon roo was fed TO hogs or, at best,
used for eel bait. Sturgeon was so
plentiful that 1t was referred to as
Albany beef" and Albany was nick
named sturgeon Town." says the
Conservation Commissioner. who
blames the direct water pollution and
the fact that the bottom of tho river
IL now clndery. as a result OF COM
mercial industries. for the disappear
ance of the sturgeon. for the Hudson
River sturgeon is a thing of the past.
The Conservation Commission also
announces that eggs cannot be taken
from the sturgeon artiiicially and the
experiment of raising fry has not been
| found successful. so that the disap-
pearance fthe once famous food ish
from the Hudson appears to be ir-
remediable and smoked sturgeon will
continue to command the fancy price
| that it now does.
Fifty years or so ago sturgeon sold
at retail in Albany at four cents a
| HNullu w ftc VII 10 phfhSi'iN NhNl
smoked sturgeon has appeared in re-
cent years in the Albany market IT. has
brought T5 cents pound and disap-
peared so quickly that few knew its
presence. A six-foot sturgeon, once
too common in Albany 90 warrant A
passing glance, today would draw a
bigger crowd than L. 4. Barnum's IA
nous white whale.
In proportion as it's value for food
became appreciated. the sturgeon de.
creased in the Hudson River. In the
early years Of the last century few
except the very poor used this fish az
food; but short time after the Civl
War the sturgeon came into an appre.
citation which. in conjunction with pol
luton by various establishments. ha,
resulted in the practical extermins
tion from the Hudson. n stream with
which it's name was almost synony
nous As THE Valuaba food-flsh de
creased its prices rose A taste 10
sturgeon roe developed In the earlt
sos and shortly afterwsrd the mea
was smoked and one of tho tabl,
deliCaciee of tho American home wa
introduced.
Older residents of Albany remembe
distinctly when the dealer in that cit,
was poorly stocked who had not al
most constantly on display speci
mems which would tip the beam a
from 200 TO 800 pounds. In the so
the roe of this great fish, which 4
now go highly esteemed, was used onl,
as bait for cells and perch or "a foo,
for hogs,
The sturgeon is so far from helms
a game fish that one might almost a
well lift a submerged log for all tn
struggle that will he made by tn
sturgeon in the fishermen'e net, al
though his great eige would lead
person to believe that tho sturgeo,
would make some sort Of ntruggl
when xilled In A net or whel
being lifted into a boat. A drift
ing gilnet is the generally accepte
method of catching the sturgeon. Thi
fish is a bottom feeder. and it {,
5 therefore. necessary TO weight tho ne
) The fishermen generally drift alon
+ with the net, and when a woode
> buoy or dab" indicates that heI
have been taken. the net is hauled ir
5 The sea sturgeon attains a maximum
! length OF twelve feet and a weigh
r of 500 pounds 1t is the sturgeon of tn
Atlantic Ocean and coastal rivers an
it's range is from Maine TO South Caro-
r lima. Besides the Hudson. il was ahun
, dant in the Delaware, SusQuehann
- and James Rivers. The sturgeon is M
gratory. but spends much time in th
r bays and in going 10 fresh waters {
spawn. 1t is said that the sturgeon {
Europe slightly exceeds the species {
r America in length and weight
The Pacific Coast furnishes the whit
Q sturgeon. which is the largest Of th
y family. some weighing 1000 pound
A and thirteen feet in length having bee
recorded. Very large sturgeon were s
. one time common in the Columbi
River, but now a specimen five fe,
, In length and l25 pounds in weight
considered a good catch. The stu
/ geon fishing on the west coast, accorC
! ing to eminent authority. is "qui
depleted
, The green sturgeon has virtual
the same range as the white sturgeo
although it does not attain so large
size, running from 35 TO $50 pound
Its maximum weight is $50 pounC
with a length Of seven feet. I'll
o flesh is inferior and rarely used.
The lake sturgeon inhabits the Mi
sissippi and Ohio Rivers. the Gre
: Lakes, and is abundant in the ALI
" gheny. 1t is smaller than the commC
Il marine sturgeon, the average adu
- being less than FIVE feet in lengt
n although ii frequently reaches
n length Of six feet. It has an ave
age weight of fifty pounds. The egI
of this fish produce a splendid gra,
= Of caviar.
= The smallest of the surgeons is q
short-nosed sturgeon. so-called b
:, cause its snout is very blunt and on
about one-fourth as long as its hea
- This variety is not generally w
known, although an attempt was ma
, by the State TO propagate IL at I
'i' Linlirhgo hatchery of the Conserv
q ton Commission. Eggs cannot
: taken from the. sturgeon artificial
= and the experiment Of raising fry w
r, not successful enough TO warrant
6SSl hibO"H SIye'
men Of this species measured thirt
three inches In length.
The shovel-nosed sturgeon is a n
tive of the upper and middle Miss
sippi Valley. and has been caught
Ill considerable numbers at the Fa
of the Ohio. This fish has been kno,
to reach a length of eight feet. b
the general average was two fC
as and the average weight 21a poun,
n The roe is the most valuable part
IN this fish.-New York Times.
en-
: FATHER DOUGHERTY SAID TO