STURGEON FISHERY OF DELAWARE RIVER AND BAY. 373 



stursreon, A. sturio. This belief probably arises from a considerable 

 difference in appearance which exists between the full-grown A. sturio 

 and its young. In some instances the fishermen may have mistaken 

 A. hrevirostris, the short-nosed sturgeon, for the young of A. sturio. 



In 1891 the State of j^ew Jersey passed the following law protecting 

 the " mammoses," or young sturgeon: 



He it enacted iy the senate and general assembly of the State of New Jersey, That it 

 shall not be lawful for any person or persons to cast, draw, set, anchor, drift, or 

 stake any gilling net, or any other device or appliances of any kind whatsoever, 

 for the purpose of catching fish commonly called or known as mammose (which 

 are young sturgeon under 3 feet in length) in the waters of the Delaware Bay, 

 river, and their tributaries, within the jurisdiction of the State of New Jersey; 

 and any person or persons fishing with gilling nets, drift nets, shore, seine nets, or 

 any kind of nets, devices, or appliances whatever in the Delaware Bay, river, or their 

 tributaries, within the jurisdiction of the above-named State, who, on lifting, draw- 

 ing, taking up, removing, or underrunning any of said nets, devices, or appliances, 

 shall find young sturgeon or mammose under 3 feet in length entangled or caught 

 therein, shall immediately, with care and with the least possible injury to the fish, 

 disentangle and let loose the same and transmit the fish to the water without vio- 

 lence Any person or persons violating any provisions of this section, or having in 

 their possession young sturgeon or mammose under 3 feet in length, either for con- 

 sumption or for sale, or who is known willfully to destroy the same, for so offending 

 shall, on conviction thereof, be punished with a fine of $10 for each and every fish 

 so caught, sold, or destroyed, and in default of paying such fine, on being convicted 

 thereof, to be imprisoned in the county jail for 30 days. 



A few years later the State of Delaware ado[)ted practically the same 

 law, but as Pennsylvania has not yet taken action on this subject the 

 law has so far had very little beneficial effect on the fishery. 



FISHING-GROUNDS, FISHERMEN, ETC. 



The fishing grounds on the New Jersey side are located between Cape 

 Shore and Fishing Creek, in Cape May County, and I'enns Grove, in 

 Salem County, the juincipal fishing being near Bayside. The more 

 important fishing-camps are at Cape Shore, the mouths of Fishing 

 Creek and Coliansey River, Bayside, and the mouths of Alloways and 

 Hope creeks. A small fishery is also carried on in the Maurice Kiver. 



In Delaware the principal grounds are between Mispillion Creek and 

 Delaware City, and the principal camps are at the month of Mispillion 

 Creek, at Bowers Beach, IJays Ditch, at the mouth of Blackbird Creek, 

 Port Penn, and Delaware City. 



In Pennsylvania the fishery is usually carried on from Marcus Hook 

 and Chester. Owing to the closing of the season on June 30, the fishing 

 by Pennsylvauians in this locality is practically a thing of the past, as 

 the fish do not usually reach there until after that date. 



In 1897 978 fishermen, 80 shoresmen, and 45 transporters were 

 engaged in this fishery. Two men usually form the crew on the trans- 

 porting vessels, although three and four men are sometimes employed. 

 In the fishing boats two men are engaged. The salary of the head man 

 in the fishing boat averages about $45 x)er month with his grub, while 

 the other man recjeives about -loO per month with grub. The grub bill 

 of a camp usually averages about $2.50 a week for each man. 



