Common Sturgeon 



Common Sturgeon 



Acipenser sturio (Linnaeus) 



The early records of this country make frequent mention of 

 this sturgeon. William Penn and the botanist, Peter Kalm, were 

 impressed by its large size and immense numbers, and make 

 frequent reference to it in their notes and letters. As late as 

 1820 thousands of this huge fish might be seen in the lower 

 Delaware. 



Not until about the middle of the century just closed did the 

 sturgeon begin to receive attention as a food-fish. Mr. John N. 

 Cobb states that nearly all the older fishermen of the Delaware 

 River say that in their boyhood days few, except coloured people, 

 ate sturgeon, though occasionally a family would fry a few steaks 

 and serve them with cream. The roe was considered worthless 

 except as bait for eels or perch, or to feed to the hogs. From 

 3 to 4 cents a pound were the best retail prices that could be 

 obtained for the meat and usually only 25 or 30 cents could be 

 had for a whole fish. About 1870, however, the meat of the 

 sturgeon began to command a fair price, since which time the 

 price has greatly increased and the abundance of the sturgeon 

 has decreased proportionally. In 1890 the average catch of stur- 

 geon in the Delaware River was 60 per net; since that year the 

 decrease has been gradual and rapid, until in 1899 the catch was 

 only 8 fish to the net. The total catch for the Delaware River 

 in 1890 amounted to 5,023,175 pounds, while in 1897 (the last 

 year for which complete statistics are available), the amount was 

 only 2,428,616 pounds. The taking of the roe for caviar began 

 in this country as early as 1853, and the smoking of sturgeon 

 was begun about four years later. 



In the sturgeon fishery gillnets are' used exclusively, and these 

 are always drifted. The fishermen go out 2 or 3 hours before 

 slack water and put their nets overboard. As the sturgeon is a 



