﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES, 
  23 
  

  

  STURGEON 
  FISHERY 
  OF 
  DELAWARE 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  A 
  special 
  inquiry 
  regarding 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  and 
  sturgeon 
  fishery 
  of 
  the 
  

   Delaware 
  River 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  in 
  June, 
  1914. 
  Not- 
  

   withstanding 
  a 
  tremendous 
  dechne 
  from 
  the 
  conditions 
  prevailing 
  

   between 
  1890 
  and 
  1900, 
  the 
  Delaware 
  continues 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  leading 
  

   sturgeon 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  centers 
  at 
  Delaware 
  City, 
  Del., 
  and 
  the 
  active 
  season 
  is 
  

   from 
  about 
  May 
  25 
  to 
  July 
  1. 
  Some 
  sturgeon 
  with 
  large 
  roe 
  are 
  

   caught 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  September, 
  but 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  such 
  fish 
  are 
  

   of 
  the 
  small 
  species 
  (Acipenser 
  hrevirostris) 
  locally 
  called 
  "bottle- 
  

   nose." 
  

  

  In 
  1914 
  the 
  fishery 
  was 
  conducted 
  by 
  135 
  boats, 
  each 
  carrying 
  

   2 
  men 
  and 
  a 
  giU 
  net. 
  A 
  sturgeon 
  boat, 
  with 
  net 
  and 
  other 
  equip- 
  

   ment, 
  is 
  valued 
  at 
  $ 
  00. 
  The 
  boats 
  belonged 
  in 
  tliree 
  States, 
  59 
  

   being 
  in 
  Delaware, 
  69 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  and 
  7 
  m 
  Pennsylvania. 
  The 
  

   largest 
  number 
  of 
  boats 
  hailed 
  from 
  Port 
  Penn, 
  Del., 
  but 
  Bayside, 
  

   Pennsville, 
  and 
  Pcnnsgrove, 
  N. 
  J., 
  and 
  Delaware 
  City 
  and 
  Cedar 
  

   Creek, 
  Del., 
  also 
  had 
  good-sized 
  fleets. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  of 
  1914 
  was 
  the 
  best 
  in 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  years, 
  and, 
  accord- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  local 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  conditions 
  affecting 
  the 
  fishery 
  are 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  improving 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  discontinuance 
  of 
  early 
  fishing 
  at 
  the 
  

   Capes 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  bay 
  and 
  to 
  protective 
  legisla- 
  

   tion 
  affecting 
  the 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  has 
  permitted 
  a 
  fair 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds; 
  and 
  in 
  1914, 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June, 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  cow 
  sturgeon 
  caught 
  

   were 
  spent. 
  

  

  The 
  sturgeon 
  is 
  now 
  so 
  valuable 
  that 
  a 
  boat 
  which 
  takes 
  6 
  to 
  10 
  

   fish 
  in 
  a 
  season 
  will 
  pay 
  expenses. 
  In 
  1914, 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  roe, 
  after 
  

   being 
  put 
  through 
  a 
  sieve 
  or 
  " 
  rubbed 
  out," 
  averaged 
  $1.50 
  a 
  pound 
  

   and 
  ranged 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  SI. 
  75 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  carcass, 
  after 
  decapita- 
  

   tion, 
  skinning, 
  and 
  evisceration, 
  brought 
  12 
  to 
  20 
  cents 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  A 
  fish 
  brought 
  into 
  Delaware 
  City 
  on 
  May 
  22, 
  1914, 
  produced 
  86 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  rubbed-out 
  roe 
  and 
  netted 
  the 
  fisherman 
  $179.82; 
  and 
  

   another 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  had 
  80 
  pounds 
  of 
  roe 
  and 
  sold 
  for 
  

   $1' 
  5.50. 
  On 
  May 
  28 
  a 
  Delaware 
  City 
  fisherman 
  caught 
  a 
  fish 
  12 
  

   feet 
  3 
  inches 
  long 
  that 
  weighed 
  - 
  50 
  pounds 
  gross 
  ; 
  the 
  ovaries 
  weighed 
  

   125 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  screened 
  roe 
  weighed 
  99^ 
  pounds. 
  This 
  fish, 
  

   which 
  was 
  of 
  exceptionally 
  large 
  size 
  for 
  recent 
  years, 
  brought 
  the 
  

   fisherman 
  $178. 
  Another 
  fish 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  had 
  85J 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  roe. 
  

  

  There 
  now 
  exists 
  among 
  the 
  Delaware 
  River 
  fishermen 
  a 
  strong 
  

   sentiment 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  adequate 
  protection 
  for 
  the 
  sturgeon. 
  

  

  CONDITION 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  active 
  cooperation 
  which 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  lias 
  existed 
  

   between 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  and 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  officials 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  charge 
  of 
  fishery 
  matters, 
  and 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  aid 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  fisheries 
  by 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  on 
  

   Albemarle 
  Soimd 
  and 
  tributaries, 
  a 
  brief 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  situatiDn 
  is 
  

   appropriate 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  

  

  