FISHERIES OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES. 



459 



but few tish can o'o tlirouo-b, and man}' too small to he of an}- value 

 to the fi.shormen' are left upon the mud to die. 



Bag- nets, which are used only in Burlington and Atlantic counties, 

 principall}' on the Mullica River, are large, bag-shaped nets and are 

 operated under the ice. Holes are cut in the ice, through which the 

 net is lowered by means of ropes attached to it at each side of its 

 entrance, and the tide sweeping in tills it out and keeps it extended its 

 entire length. When the tide turns the net is lifted out of the water, 

 emptied, and tished the reverse way if the fisherman desires. 



German carj). — The catch of this species in 1S89 was 2,725 pounds, 

 valued at $218, while in 1897 785,409 pounds, worth $39,370, were 

 taken. Since 1897 the catch has been steadil}^ declining, amounting in 

 1898 to 245,983 pounds, valued at $13,884, and in 1901 to 227,419 

 pounds, worth $14,29(). As a result of the good prices realized this 

 fisher}^ will probablv be i^rosecuted with greater activity in the future. 



Shad. — The shad season of 1901 was good in nearly all parts of 

 the State, and all but six of the counties show an increase over the 

 figures for 1898. The decreases in these counties are insignificant, 

 while the increases in the other counties are important. In 1898 

 the catch numbered 2,749,723, valued at $293,173, while in 1901 the 

 number was 3,243,142, which sold for $475,202, an increase for 1901 

 over 1898 of 493,419 shad and $182,029. The greater part are taken 

 on the Delaware River and Bay, and the remainder comes chiefly from 

 the Hudson River and New York Bay. A few are caught along the 

 coast, principally in pound nets. 



The following shows the number taken in each county of the State: 

 Table sliowing the number of fihad taken in each county of New Jersey i)i 1901. 



Stur(jeov. — The sturgeon fishery of New Jersey is prosecuted 

 chiefly in the Delaware River and Bay, a small percentage of the 

 catch being taken in the ocean. This fishery was at one time very 

 extensive, but is rapidly declining;, the fishermen are growing fewer 

 in number each 3'ear, and as the season of 1902 was less favorable 

 than that of 1901 it is probable that few persons will engage in the 

 fishery in 1903. A gill-net fishery for sturgeon in the ocean off Holl}^ 

 Beach has been in operation for several seasons with fair success. 



Efforts have been made in recent years to propagate sturgeon in 

 the Delaware, but on account of the difficulty in securing a sufficient 

 quantity of ripe spawn very little has been accomplished. 



