FISHERIES OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES. 



459 



but few ti.sh can o-o tbroug'h, and man}' too small to be of anj^ value 

 to the fishermen are left upon the mud to die. 



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

 principally 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 fills it out and keeps it extended its 

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

 emptied, and fished the reverse waj^ if the fisherman desires. 



German car]). — The catch of this species in 1889 was 2,725 pounds, 

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

 taken. Since 1897 the catch has been steadily declining, amounting in 

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

 pounds, worth $14,290. As a result of the good prices realized this 

 fishery will probably be prosecuted 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 1475,202, 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 

 tlie 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 sJiowiuf/ the number of shad taken in each county of Neiv Jersey in 1901. 



Atlantic 



Bergen 



Burlington . . 



Camden 



Cape May . . . 

 Cumberland. 

 Gloueester. .. 



Hudson 



Hunterdon . . 



Mercer 



Middlesex . 

 Monmouth . 



Ocean 



Salem 



Sussex 



Warren 



Total. 



52, 140 

 2,217 



58, 096 



4,422 



, 347, 440 



1,202 



6,035 



3, 243, 142 



Value. 



$15,117 



418 



11,768 



929 



180, 894 



342 



1,710 



475, 202 



Sturgeon. — 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 year, and as the season of 1902 was less favorable 

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

 fisheiy in 1903. A gill-net fisherj^ for sturgeon in the ocean oft' Holly 

 Beach has l)een 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. 



