FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL 79, NO 4 



Figure 12. — Commercial landings of 

 alewife in Delaware, 1880-1977. 



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depression, which created markets for a few years 

 for cheap fish. 



Establishment of water powered mills on all the 

 tidal creeks, with their associated dams, may have 

 contributed to the decline in landings, preventing 

 spawning above the dams. 



liberately to the decline of the sturgeon stocks, by 

 destroying them because they damaged nets. 

 The great demand and high prices for caviar also 

 undoubtedly had an effect. 



Shad 



Sturgeon 



Sturgeon was still fairly abundant in Delaware 

 in the 1880's (Figure 13), producing 1,300 t (nearly 

 3 million lb). By the 1900's, however, they had 

 declined to a low level, and yielded 45 t ( <100,000 

 lb) annually thereafter. It is a tribute to the viabil- 

 ity of the sturgeon that it has continued to produce 

 small catches, despite its vulnerability. Fisher- 

 men in the early days may have contributed de- 



Shad declined in landings much as sturgeon 

 did in the early days, producing relatively small 

 catches after about 1908 (Figure 14). In Delaware 

 it produced somewhat increased catches in the 

 mid-1940's, early 1950's, and early 1960's, but not 

 as great during the days of the Second World War 

 as in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. 

 Like all anadromous species, shad was partic- 

 ularly vulnerable to adverse changes in the envi- 

 ronment of rivers, but changing human tastes. 



FIGURE 13.— Commercial landings 

 of Atlantic sturgeon in Delaware, 

 1880-1932. 



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Figure 14. — Commercial landings 

 of American shad in Delaware, 

 1880-1977. 



586 



