10 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 6, 1894. 



Sandy Hook, or around Sandy Hook. Thes? pound nets a 

 few years ago did not do the damage that they are doing 

 now, for the reason that they did not extend far enough into 

 the sea. But within the last few years they have put on an 

 extra leader that leads out into another pocket, and that 

 pocket goes out to the bar and over the bar. We all know, 

 or ought to know, that fish in feeding up and down the coast 

 run in and out the inlets, especially striped bass, and feeding 

 fish sometimes run along the bar, and over the bar, and 

 between the bar and the shore. Therefore, fish that years 

 ago used to escape by keepiug a little further off are now 

 picked up— all sorts of fish are picked up, all sizes of fish 

 are picked up. These pounds are put out early in the season. 

 Sea bass are caught with spawn and shad are caught with 

 spawn, that destruction goes on all summer and immense 

 numbers of weakfish are caught. I have seen 30,000, 40,000, 

 50,000, 60,000, 80,000, I20,0001bs. of fish taken out of one pound 

 in one day. Fishing will have an end if that destruction is 

 continued year after year. They used to tell us that the 

 buffalo could not be exterminated, nor the salmon. I do 

 not know much about mackerel, but they tell me that they 

 are disappearing. In addition to the destruction in the early 

 summer and id the spring, the baby fish are caught iu the 

 fall, and in the nets a great many, large and small, are 

 crushed, especially the small ones. So many fish are some- 

 times thrown overboard that they become a nuisance on the 

 shore. There is no question that the shore fish are dis- 

 appearing. 



Mb. Caleb Hales- (N. Y. Fulton Market) called for papers 

 and statistics. 



A member of the conference inquired What method could 

 be employed for taking fish for market were the pound nets 

 to be taken up. 



, Mr. ChAMBEHLATSE (Mass.) moved that the resolution 

 .that had been offered by Mr. South wick be laid on the table 

 and that a call be made for papers. 



Mr. A. Wallmg, Jr. (Keyport) offered as a substitute the 

 following: 



Resolved, That this conference adopt as the basis of its action the 

 declaration oE its chairman that the object of the meeting is a full and 

 free consideration of the matters within the general ^purpose of the 

 call, and that a general expression of views be invited. 



This substitute was accepted, and the question being put 

 it was carried. 



The following gentlemen then indicated their purpose to 

 present papers: D. T. Church, Rhode Island; J. M. R. South- 

 wick, Rhode Island, Chas. M. Vail, Orient, L. I.; Chas. F. 

 Chamberlayne, Massachusetts; Henry C. Ford, Pennsyl- 

 vania; E. A. Brackett, Massachusetts; Henry A. Reeves, 

 Long Island; Robert F. Walsh, L. D. Huntington, W. T. 

 Fox, W. T. Miller, Albert E. Cochran, New York. 



Mr. Wm. Findlay Brown (Philadelphia) suggested as a 

 time-saving expedient that the, papers be read under a call 

 of States, but this proposition was deferred for the present, 

 and the conference acquiesced in the motion made by Mr. 

 Roosevelt that the paper of Mr. Huntington be first read. 



Mr. Huntington being temporarily absent, Mr. Daniel T. 

 Church was heard. [Mr. Church's paper was given to a re- 

 porter, and up to time of this report going to press a dupli- 

 cate had not been secured.] 



MR. D. T. Church went on to say as follows: In Holland 

 they tried for 300 years to do with their fishing what these 

 gentlemen are trying to do with our fishing, and as a con- 

 sequence their fishing industry was almost destroyed. But 

 now they let it alone, and since they have had "free" fish- 

 ing they have been prosperous. A restriction interfering 

 with fishermen and their apparatus is against public policy. 



Now, as to mackerel. Iu 18S4 they were as plenty as they 

 were ever known before. The porgy in 1890 made its appear- 

 ance on the coast of Rhode Island, and between Buzzards 

 Bay and Sandy Hook that fish since 1890 has been as plenty, 

 or plentier, than ever before known in the history of the 

 - fishing business. In 1881 sea bass appeared from Virginia to 

 Buzzards Bay, all about one size, and in 1884 more sea bass 

 was on the coast of the United States than has ever before 

 been known in this century. As to striped bass, seven or 

 eight years ago there were more striped bass on the coast of 

 New England than had been known before in the last fifty 

 years. In the year 1892 tautog were plentier than ever 

 before known in the last forty or fifty years, as Fulton 

 i Market fishermen can show you. Menhaden in 1887 

 were as scarce as we ever knew them; but in the 

 year 1838 there were more menhaden between Penobscot 

 and Sandy Hook than has been known in a century. The 

 firm that I represent, in 1887 had twelve fishing" gangs 

 fishing from the commencement to the end of the season, 

 and all we caught was less than 140,000 barrels of fish. In 

 the year 1888-9 one gang of fishermen got more than twelve 

 gangs in 1887, one of the best illustrations of the constant 

 fluctuations of fish. As to weakfish. Men put themselves 

 on record that weakfish are scarce. Not in the history of the 

 business has there been as many weakfish present on the 

 coast of the United States between Buzzards Bay and New 

 Jersey as there has been this year. The water has been 

 literally jam full of them. There have been thousands and 

 thousands of barrels lying idle, left in the nets, for the reason 

 that it would not pay to ship them. Gentlemen think they 

 can always catch fish when they are on the water. In Narra- 

 gansett Bay there is no question that there have been more 

 weakfish than ever before known, and on inquiry among fish- 

 ermen I have yet to find one man who has caught two weakfish 

 with hook and liue, out of this immense number present. The 

 fish were so thick that at some places you could take a gaff 

 and haul them ashore for hours at a time. Fulton Market 

 men will all tell you that there are thousands and thousands, 

 many thousands of barrels of weakfish shipped into Fulton 

 Market that do not pay for the freight and ice and barrels 

 and usual expenses. It makes no difference whether man 

 catches them, or not; it is only a short time when they are 

 going to be scarce. When tautog were plenty in 1892 not one 

 m a million was taken, of course. But in 1893 there was not 

 One tautog in the water where there were a hundred before. 

 That scarcity is bound to come, and man is not to be figured 

 in those periods of scarcity. We are prepared with any 

 amount of statistics and facts to make that plain to every- 

 body. I say to these sportsmen of wealth and leisure that 

 we are not your rivals, we are not in any way interfering 

 with you. When fishing is good, it is good for all; and when 

 there are no fish, there are none, and the fisherman is "notin 

 it" in any way or shape. If you knew the facts you would 

 stand on our side, and do all you could for us to help us 

 along, instead of driving us. We are only 200 years old, or 

 300, as a country, and our fishery industry as a rule is pros- 

 perous because it has been free. But if you restrict us, and 

 drive us out, we shall be the same as fishermen on the other 

 side of the ocean. 



Mr. Huntington's paper was then read as follows: 



EXHAUSTION OP COAST LINE FOOD FISHES. 



The Cause for this Exhaustion and the Neces- 

 sary Remedy. 



$ By E D. Huntington, President Com. of Fisheries, State of New York. 



The growing scarcity of edible fishes along our coast line, 

 from Maine to North Carolina, is a matter of importance 

 that should not be overlooked by the States interested. The 

 cause or causes of this diminution should be ascertained, 

 and some remedy, if possible, applied at once by the enact- 

 ment of simple and uniform laws in all the seaboard States, 

 before the now reduced supply becomes further exhausted. 

 Such were the convictions of the signers of the call for this 

 conference, and this I feel assured is the honest conviction, 



not only of those here assembled, but of every citizen along 

 the coast of our seaboard States that has given the subject 

 his consideration, excepting some of those whose vocations 

 are such that their pecuniary interest in fish, either directly 

 or indirectly, makes them indifferent to the supply of the 

 future. This growing scarcity may be more pronounced at 

 some given points of our extensive coast line than at others. 



I am pleased to see that we have here with us gentlemen 

 representing a good portion of our coast liue, and well ad- 

 vised upon this important subject, especially so as to their 

 section, who I feel assured will indorse as a fact the growing 

 scarcity of edible fish. 



So far as the waters of our bays, estuaries and along the 

 shores of the State of New York go, there can be no question 

 in my judgment, formed from observation and experience, 

 that there is a growing scarcity, especially so for the last 

 decade, accepting as a fact that the edible fishes have greatly 

 decreased. The two important questions then are: First, 

 the cause or causes. Second, a remedy. 



What are the causes? There are probably a number. 

 Possibly in certain prescribed waters, sewerage, the refuse 

 from oil and gas works, and the discharge of other deleteri- 

 ous matters, might account for the fish not now frequenting 

 prescribed waters wherein they were formerly abundant. 

 If it were not for the fact that in adjacent waters entirely 

 free from such causes, we find a growing scarcity, our 

 migratory fish varying as to their abundance, some years 

 more, some years less, they nevertheless, with possible ex- 

 ception, as well as our local fishes, show at every decade a 

 decrease, we might name the above as the sole cause. 



There may be other local causes suggesting themselves to 

 those who have given this subject careful attention, especi- 

 ally in localities other than I mention. 



Gentlemen, there are two real causes that are responsible 

 for the growing scarcity. The first cause (which is a natural 

 one) hailed to the second, which is susceptible of remedy. 

 The first cause I refer to is the fact of iucreased population, 

 consequently iucreased consumption of fish food, thereby in- 

 creased demand. This iucreased demand has called forth 

 the ingenuity of man to invent improved methods of cap- 

 ture, whereby he can take more fish with less labor than 

 with former apparatus. Therefore, of late years we see the 

 purse net and the pound net in use in our bays aud estuaries 

 and along our shores, and the indiscriminate use of nets in 

 general and of the purse net and pound net in particular, 

 with no restrictions as to size of mesh or mode of use, is, to 

 my rniud, without doubt one of the principal causes for the 

 growing scarcity of our edible fishes along our seaboard. 



It is a well-known fact that our coast shore is literally 

 lined with pound nets, many of them extending a great dis- 

 tance from the shore, taking all kinds of fishes that attempt 

 to pass them or feed near them. There can be no doubt but 

 what the pound net, to the extent and in the manner used, is 

 the cause of the destruction aud wanton waste of large quan- 

 tities of valuable food fishes yearly. 



Further, that it is the cause of driving off from our shores 

 (at least along this section of the coast) large quantities of 

 fish that follow the shores to enter our bays aud estuaries, 

 not only for the purpose of food, but for the purpose of repro- 

 ducing. As evidence af this, I might cite Baruegat Bay, the 

 Great South Bay and west end of Long Island Sound. The 

 two bays mentioned, until within a few years past, were 

 noted for their abundance of such valuable food fish as the 

 striped bass, sheepshead, bluefish, weakfish, kingfish, etc., 

 while at the west end of Long Island Sound there were to be 

 found striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, kingfish, etc. For the 

 past few years these favorite feeding and spawning grounds 

 of all these valuable food fish have been deserted by them, 

 and the thousands of men of limited meaus who have made 

 an honest living by taking these fish in moderate quantities 

 within these waters, coupling with it the famishing of boats 

 and bait for the thousands of anglers, are compelled, from 

 no fault of their own, to seek some other vocation to earn a 

 livelihood for themselves and families, and I have no doubt 

 but what this applies to a good portion of our coast shore 

 equally with Baruegat, the Great South Bay and west end of 

 Long Island Sound and waters adjacent thereto. 



It is claimed that the use of the purse net along our shores, 

 in our bays and estuaries, is in no way responsible for the 

 growing scarcity of our edible fishes. I have heard it said 

 by those interested in the menhaden fisheries that the purse 

 nets do not take edible fish enough to supply the hands on 

 board the boats using the nets. To any person at all familiar 

 with the purse net as used for taking menhaden, this state- 

 ment cannot for one moment be credited, as it is impossible 

 to use this net, as the menhaden fishermen do, in waters 

 that do not exceed the depth of the net used, without taking 

 all fish which the net surrounds when set, unless they be so 

 small that they escape through the mesh, or so strong that 

 they break through the net. 



I submit for consideration the following problem: Let a 

 purse net, say 1,500ft. long (there are much longer ones used), 

 beset in a circle with the ends meeting (as they always are). 

 You then nave a flexible wall from the surface to the bot- 

 tom, inclosing a circle of 500ft. in diameter, or containing 

 an area of some four and one-quarter acres. The net is then 

 pursed along on the bottom until it is closed, thus forming a 

 big scoop-net. Now, how do the food fish that are in this 

 iuclosure of four and one-quarter acres escpae, and how are 

 the menhaden only taken? 



I herewith submit for your consideration some valuable 

 evidence upon tbis point in the evidence of Capt. Nathaniel 

 B. Church, one of the firm of Church Bros., of Tiverton, R.I., 

 before the Senate committee in 1882. (Report 706, p. 7): 



Q. Now, if you have caught food fish, state to what extent ? A. We 

 have caught so very few that we have not caught enough to eat, 

 really. On this trip of 2,000 barrels we brought in yesterday, we 

 caught one bluefish; that is all in the whole lot. We caught probably 

 a hundred sharks, and for the last six weeks we have been fishing off 

 the Capes of Delaware; there, in the body of menhaden, we have not 

 caught fish enough to eat; nowhere near enough We catch some- 

 times a bonita, half a dozen bluefish, a weakfish or two. We caught 

 three Spanish mackerel for the year, and three sheepshead. We 

 caught very few mackerel in the spring. We always make a point 

 to pick out all the food fish we can. 



Q What do you mean, throw them back? A. No, sir; throw them 

 on deck, to eat. 



Q. You take in your fish by steam power, do you not? A. Yes, sir, 



Q. I suppose it is impracticable to make any careful selections? A. 

 Yes, sir. The fish coma iu in quantities of five barrels in the net. 

 They go down the same as on this floor, and they spread out. Of 

 course you would not have time to see the whole. 

 , ,Q. How are they deposited in the vessel? A. In bulk. 



Q. What in? A, In a hold made on purpose. The compartment 

 holds auywhere from 500 to 1,600 and 1,700 barrels. 



Q. And as the fun are brought in in the landing net, they are thrown 

 into that? A. They are dumped down right into the box; the same as 

 this room, exactly. 



Q. What is the depth of the hold? A. The depth of my boat is about 

 8ft. 



Q. How much square? A. It hold 1,600 barrels. It is 38 or 30ft. 

 long, about 20ft wide, and 3ft. deep, I think. I do not know the exact 

 uiuensions; that is as near as I can guess. 



Q. If you capture sufficient you throw them into that until you fill 

 it? A. Yes. sir. 



Mr. Oscar O. Friedlander, seven years a Menhaden fisher- 

 man, before the same committee (p. 23), testifies on this point 

 as follows: 



Q. Have you ever seen bluefish as large as that caught in your 

 seines? A. An odd one here and there, sir; a straggler. 



Q. The seine is unloaded into the hold of your ship pretty rapidly, is 

 it not? A Yes; they unload about a thousand a minute; quicker 

 than that even. They have steam hoisters on board the steamer, and 

 hoist them out, 



Q. And the opportunity to see what kind of fish they are is to see 

 them as they are thrown out into the bins? A. Yes, sir. 



Q. They are never examined afterward, are they? A. Well, we see 

 them at the factory as they come in. 



The testimony of Samuel B. Miller, of Brooklyn, N. Y., a 

 fish dealer, before the same committee (p. 39), is in interest- 

 ing contrast: 



Q. The captains of four or five of the menhaden fish steamers have 

 testified that they rarely catch food fish of any kind; it Is an exep- 

 tional fact if they take them.' Have you any knowledge in regard to 

 that? A. 1 have knowledge that I received TO.OOOlbs. from one of 

 Daniel Church's steamers within the last thirty days. 

 „ Q. What fish? A. Weakfish. 



Q. Do you remember the name of the captain? A. His name is 

 Church. . I think he is one of the brothers. 



Q Which brother? A. I do not know any one by name except 

 Daniel. 



Q. Well, Daniel does not fish? A. He does not now; has not for a 

 number of years. I have been acquainted with them since they were 

 very young; they are very nice men. He claimed that they thought 

 they were a school of bunkers. 



Q. That is, menhaden; they claimed to have taken them by mistake? 

 A. Yes, sir. 



Q. And they were put on the market? A. There were 10,0001bs. of 

 them put on the market. 



Q. What was done with the balance? A. Barren Island. That is 

 the load I spoke of. I should think there was T0,000ibs. weight. 



Q Do you recollect how long ago it was? A. It was within thirty 

 days. It is not much more than two weeks ago. I sent a check to 

 Daniel at Tiverton for what he had sold here. 



Q. With that exception, what knowledge have you, If any, as to their 

 takmg food fish? A. I have no knowledge of their takiDg food fish, 

 other than they have sent to market. They have had mackerel and 

 sent them up to market to be sold in the market. 



Q. What market? A. Fulton Market; but I have no knowledge of 

 their taking any that they sent to be tried out, except those that were 

 unfit for sale. They sent these to market, but they could not be dis- 

 posed of there. 



Q. They describe the hold of the ship as a bin 20ft. wide, 25 or 30ft. 

 in length and 3ft. in depth; and I should judge from their descrip- 

 tion that they put fish in there at the rate of about a thousand a 

 minute; they estimate their scoop will take a thousand, and say they 

 can throw a scoopful every minute into the hold of a vessel that 

 way. I suppose food fish, if thrown in that way, would not preserve 

 long in a condition fit to use? A. They throw them right into the 

 hold of the vessel. It is heated. The whole steamer is heated. Then 

 they turn water in on them to cover them. 



Q. That is new to me. A. And when it has lain there some time they 

 blow it out. 



Q. Blow the water out? A. Yes, sir. If he catches any food fish, 

 which he does in the spring, fine mackerel, he generally sends them up 

 to me and we dispose of them. 



Q. What captain do you speak of? A. Daniel; all his captains. 

 These fish were very fine indeed; some they dressed on deck coming 

 up. I took out enough to make 10,0001bs. It was night; too late to 

 take care of them, and those down in the hold were heated. Next 

 morning there were none taken out; they were unfit for sale; the 

 captain came up to see me and I told him to haul right out. 



Q I want to inquire, to be general, if food fish are caught with raeit- 

 haden in their mode of taking fish, whether they would be kept in con- 

 dition for use as food fish? a. Put in the way they put in menhaden, 

 [ do not think that those that were caught Sin. below the surface 

 would be fit in three hours. I think they would heat in less time than 

 that. 



Q. The extent to which they take food fish, if they take them at all, 

 is not, I suppose, within your means of knowledge? A. No, sir. 



Q, How many have you purchased of menhaden boats this season? 

 A. I had a smack come up with a load that she took from ooe of the 

 menhaden steamers, dressed them and put them below and iced them. 

 She was down there and had her ice in. They were brought for 

 market. 



Q. Give an estimate of the cargoes you have purchased this season? 

 A. She must have had 15,0001bs. 



Q- From the menhaden boats? A. Yes, sir; they were in pretty 

 good condition. 



Q. Do you mean in addition to the 70,0001bs. you mentioned? A. 

 Yes, sir. 



Q. "What description of fish? A. Weakfish. 



the 

 been 



from any of these menhaden fishermen. 



The evidence of Maurice Cresse, of Cape May City, is to 

 the same effect (p. 154): 



Q. Now, you know something of the habits of the fish. Wherever 

 a school of menhaden is found and surrounded by a purse net is not 

 it a necessity that whatever food fish are pursuing them are taken in 

 with them? A. Oh, yes. I have fished a purse net myself. 



Q. For the purpose of oil and fertilizers, the catching of menhaden 

 and other fish, I suppose, is a valuable industry to the peeple? A. 

 Yes, sir. 



Q. Which do you regard the most valuable, that or the right of the 

 people to have food fish? A. I regard the right of the people to have 

 the food fish, and the destruction is very great Now, 1 never saw 

 them, but if they should catch a vessel load of what we call bluefish or 

 weakfish, they would put them into the general cargo and br>U them 

 up. They would not get much oil. but they would get the refuse, the 

 fish scrap, which is worth $20 a ton. 



The evidence of Mr. Eugene G. Blackford is confirmatory 

 (p. 48): 



Q. Please state in your own way what your judgment is as to the 

 effect of the menhaden industry upon the quantity of food fishes, and 1 

 the reasons for it ; I would like to get your theory upon it? A. My 

 attention was called to this fact from parties calliug upon me to make 

 complaint to me, as Commissioner of Fisheries, that the menhaden 

 fishermen were catching food fishes and- carrying them to their fac- 

 tories to oe made into oil and scrap. I replied to all those parties that 

 my position as Commissioner of Fisheries gave me no authority what- 

 ever; that there was no law to prohibit that, and that no interference 

 would be made with the business. I have noticed, of course, as I have 

 with everything connected with the fish questions coming up 

 from time to time, that the menhaden interest up to within 

 two years was a growing and expanding interest; that' the 

 number of boats was increasing year by year; that our coast 

 was fished from Maine to North Carolina persistently from the time 

 the menhaden made their appearance until the cold weather; that 

 those points where the fisheries were commenced and most act ively 

 prosecuted seemed to be exhausted after a few years— I speak more 

 particularly of the coast of Maine, where it is called porgy fishery. 

 They call them porgy, which is a different fish from what we know as 

 porgies. It is the menhaden there, and that, from my own knowledge, 

 every year those fishes which feed upon menhaden grow more scarce' 

 The quantity diminishes most notably in the striped bass, and the 

 present year has been one of very marked scarcity in this, one of our 

 choicest fishes. It is not scarce in one particular point, but it is scarce 

 all along the coast, where it is usually found. There have been several 

 instances which have been spoken of here, of my own knowledge, 

 where the menhaden vessels have taken large schools of food fish and 

 have brought them to market. This very large catch of 1881, about a 

 year ae-o, just about this time of the year, was principally of weak- 

 fish. Some four or more vessels came up to Fulton Market with a 

 cargo, a quantity of at least 200,000lbs., nearly all weakfish, and out of 

 that 200,0001bs., about one fourth of it was marketed. 



Q. Where, had they been taken? A. They had been taken probably 

 not over five miles from where we sat, right along this coast nere, the 

 coast of Long Island. 



Q. The outer coast of Long Island? A. As I recollect, it wa3 right 

 in the vicinity of Kockaway they were taken. About one-fourth of 

 those fish were in good condition— fit for food. These are fish that 

 were lying upon the top layers, so to speak. The fish had been taken 

 and dumped into the holds of the vessels, aud it being very warm 

 weii her, heated of course where they lay packed in underneath with 

 the weight of those on top and men were put to work discharging the 

 fish, distributing them to every dealer who would take them on con- 

 signment to sell. They were sold as low as one cent a pound. There 

 was an effort for immediate distribution of the fish because of the 

 warm weather aud they needed immediate attention to keep them any 

 time. The balance of chose cargoes were sent to the factories. The 

 vessels steamed away with them, and they were rendered into oil aud 

 scrap. 



Q. Do you know to whose factory they went? A. No, sir. That is 

 the most notable instance. That all the menhaden fishermen would 

 rather bring their food fish to market than to put them into oil and 

 scrap is a self-evident fact, if they were provided with proper facili- 

 ties for the care of the fish; if they were fitted for market fish. 



Q. Yes, I understand that they are not a desirable fish to manufac- 

 ture? A. No, but you take a bluefish in the fall of the year and it is 

 very fat. 



Q. Now the other part of my question, as to the effect of the men 

 haden fishery upon the food fish aud the reason for it; can you state 

 that? A. In my opinion the effect of the great amount of fishing mac 

 is carried on for menhaden all along the coast breaks up the schools 

 of rish which are followed by the striped bass and bluefish, aud has a 

 tendency to make those fish seek other feeding grounds. I speak more 

 particularly with regard to the striped bass, as that is a voracious fish 

 on the menhaden. The striped biss ten years ago were found in more 

 or less quantities during the entire summer and late in the fall. Verv 



