ISTEVV JEESEY: NORTHERN COAST. 38? 



but the stock is raised from transplanted youug, obtained chiefly at Keyport. At Shark River 

 about 200 lots of oyster-beds are leased, but the product is only enough to supply the local con- 

 sumption at the summer hotels. 



THE PKINCIPAL FISHING CENTER. There are 110 large cities or even villages of note that can 

 be treated separately as fishing centers. The fishermen very naturally gravitate toward the bays 

 and rivers that have been mentioned, and toward the shore at that portion where the coast fisheries 

 are extensive. There they usually become scattered along the water-line, owning small farms or 

 gardens in the rural districts. The nearest approach to a fishing center is Seabright, a few miles 

 south of Sandy Hook, which, owing to its landing and shipping privileges and its nearness to the 

 fishing grounds, has become a popular resort for the fishermen of various localities during the 

 fishing season. The whole section from Sandy Hook to Long Branch is an important one, and 

 many fishermen live within these limits. There are also several settlements along the bays and 

 rivers, where the majority of the inhabitants are dependent on the fisheries for a livelihood. 

 The more important of these are Fair Haven, on the Shrewsbury River, and Mannasquan, on the 

 Squan River, where crabbing and clamming are extensively carried on; and Waretown, near 

 Barnegat Inlet, is a center for the gill-net fishing of Bamegat Bay during the summer months. 



THE FISH-LANDINGS NEAR LONG BRANCH. The property along the shore between Sandy 

 Hook and Long Branch, owing to the demand for building sites, is now very valuable, and, as the 

 region has become more fliickly settled, the fishermen, who formerly landed their catch where it 

 was most convenient, have gradually been driven from place to place until they are now obliged 

 to use property set apart exclusively for this purpose. Such places are called fish-landings. A 

 company of men now usually own or rent a piece of ground fronting on the water, and after build- 

 ing a large number of ice-houses on it, and arranging with the railroad company to have a con- 

 venient shipping station established, they rent privileges at the landing, together with the use of 

 an ice-house, to any and all fishermen who may desire them. The usual price paid for the privi- 

 lege of landing is $5 a year for each boat, equal to $2.50 per man, while the rent for the ice-house 

 varies according to its size and the number of men that are interested in it. 



The ice-houses are from 75 to 100 feet in circumference, and have a conical roof. They are 

 about 14 feet deep, with the floor usually 8 feet below the surface of the ground. The portion above 

 ground is well banked with sawdust, tan- bark, or earth, to protect it from the weather. The aver- 

 age ice-house costs about $200, and holds from 150 to 250 tons, according to its size. Several of 

 the fishermen use an ice-house in common, and divide the expense of rent equally. The price paid 

 averages about $15 a year. With the line-fisheries it is customary for eight men, or the crews of 

 four boats, to join for this purpose, but in pound-fishing one or even two ice-houses may be required 

 for each net. The fishermen gather their ice in winter from the ponds in the locality, doing their 

 own work as far as possible, but hiring men and teams whenever it may be thought necessary. If 

 the labor of the fishermen is neglected, the cost of filling the house is about $GO ; and all who have 

 assisted in the work and contributed toward the expense are at liberty to use as much ice as is needed 

 for the preservation of their catch until the supply is exhausted. The men, however, are never 

 extravagant in its use, as they must pay freight on all that is shipped with the fish, and care is 

 taken that each package shall be as light as possible. In all cases where the fish are shipped, 

 ice-houses similar to those described are constructed and tilled from ponds in the locality. When 

 there is a scarcity of ice the fishing is often discontinued, as it is not profitable to import it from 

 other regions for fishing purposes. 



Owing to the high price for land, the fish-landings are fewer than formerly, and from ..0 .o 

 75 boats have their headquarters at the same point. The most important landings are at Sea- 



