236 REPORT OP COMMISSIONER OP PISH AND FISHERIES. 



Between Eagle Point and Fisher Point, on the New Jersey side of 

 the river and directly opposite the city of Philadelphia, there are three 

 very valuable fisheries, which catch more shad than any other three 

 seine fisheries in the United States. The first of these is the Howell 

 Cove, or Fancy Hill, which yielded 65,000 shad in 1896. The seine used 

 was 1,000 yards in length with 4§-inch mesh, the season extending from 

 April 27 to June 5, and 55 men being employed. The following sum- 

 mary shows, for a series of years, the yield of shad at the Fancy Hill 

 fishery : 



Year. 



1818a. 



1819 a. 



1820 a. 

 1821a. 

 1822 a. 

 18466- 

 18466. 



No. of 

 shad. 



11, 492 

 159, 864 

 170, 505 

 107, 091 

 107, 194 



90, 540 

 125, 659 



Tear. 



No. of 

 shad. 



Tear. 



1869c. 

 1870c. 

 1871c. 

 1872 c. 

 ]873c. 

 1896c. 



No. of 

 shad. 



37, 274 

 52, 759 

 45, 000 

 55, 000 

 22, 900 

 65, 000 



a Gill nets not used during this period. 6 A few gill nets used. 



c Gill-net fishery fully established. 



The second is the well-known Gloucester fishery, the yield of which 

 in 1896 is reported at 70,000 shad. A 1,000-yard seine was used; the 

 season extended from April 20 to May 28, and the men employed 

 numbered 53. The following summary shows the catch of shad at this 

 fishery in seven years : 



Tear. 



1884. 

 1885. 

 1890. 

 1891. 



No. of 

 shad. 



26, 428 

 30, 969 

 38, 600 

 36, 500 



Tear. 



1892. 

 1894. 

 1896. 



No. of 

 shad. 



30, 500 

 50, 000 

 70, 000 



The third of this series of valuable fisheries, known as the Pea 

 Shore fishery, is located immediately above Camden, the seine being 

 operated in the channel between Pettys Island and the New Jersey 

 shore. This seine is only one-half the length of the two preceding and 

 required only 29 men to operate it, but the reported catch of shad for 

 1896 is not far short of the other two, approximating 55,000, valued 

 locally at $4,125. 



Between the Pea Shore fishery and Burlington there were 5 seine 

 fisheries in 1896, 3 of which were on the New Jersey shore and 2 on 

 the Pennsylvania side of the river. These are of less value than the 

 3 fisheries opposite Philadelphia, but their yield of shad is consider- 

 able, varying from 35,000 at the Riverton fishery to 3,000 at the Dunks 

 Ferry fishery. From Burlington to Trenton there were 11 fisheries in 

 1896, 7 on the Pennsylvania and 4 on the New Jersey shore, the catch 

 ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 shad. In 1833 the Badger Island fishery, 

 one of the 7 on the Pennsylvania side, caught 2,100 shad on April 1, 



