458 KEPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AN^D FISHERIES. 

 FISHERIES OF NEW JERSEY. 



New Jersey is veiy favorably situated for carrying- on extensive 

 commercial fisheries, and, as all parts of the State have easy rail 

 communication with New York, Brookl}^, Philadelphia, Jersey City, 

 Newark, Camden, Trenton, and the immense population of the States 

 of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania outside of the above- 

 named cities, the fishermen have a constant and ready market for 

 their catch. 



As New Jersey fronts on New York and Delaware bays, the Hudson 

 and Delaware rivers, and the ocean, both salt and fresh water species 

 are taken, and fishing is carried on throug-hout the year in at least 

 some part of the State. In the spring- man}^ of the fishermen along 

 the coast and in the interior resort to the Delaware and Hudson rivers 

 and participate in the shad fishery, after the close of which some of 

 the river fishermen engage in salt-water fishing along the coast. 



An important feature of the fisheries is the increasing number of 

 sailing vessels and boats fitted with gasoline and naphtha engines as 

 an auxiliary means of propelling them. This applies not only to the 

 vessels used by clam buyers and clam and fish transporters, but many 

 boats under 5 tons burden used in the clam, shad, oyster, and pound- 

 net fisheries are so fitted, giving much greater facility in carrying on 

 fishing operations in variable weather. 



The increasing use of steamers in dredging 03"sters from the planted 

 beds in Monmouth County is a noticeable feature of the industry. 

 Formerly this work was done by sailing vessels owned by the planters, 

 but lately they have been using these vessels merely in the preliminary 

 thinning out of the beds or carrying oysters to market, while steamers 

 are hired to dredge the main body of market oysters. By operating 

 in this manner but few steamers and men are needed to do the work 

 which formerly required a much larger number of sailing* vessels and 

 men to perform. 



A point in connection with the pound-net fisheries which is not 

 shown clearly in the tables is that for every net set in the water the 

 owner has a duplicate on shore. As the net after being fished for sev- 

 eral days must be brought ashore to be cleaned and repaired, the 

 fishermen have the duplicate net to put in its place, thus avoiding any 

 loss of time in fishing. The A^alue of these duplicate nets has been 

 included in the general value of the pound nets, but not the number. 



During tiie past ten years the "stop net" has been much used, prin- 

 cipally in catching German carp. This is a long, fine-mcshed net, 

 which is stretched across the mouth of a small creek or bight at high 

 tide, preventing the escape of the fish when the tide turns. As the 

 tide recedes the ground is left bare, and the fishermen walk along 

 the inner side of the net and pick up such fish as they want. Unfortu- 

 nately this net does considerable damage, as the mesh is so fine that 



