FISHES OF CHESAPEAKE BAY 
75 
17,700 pounds; Potomac River, 288,000 pounds. The following table shows the tremendous 
decline in the catch and the corresponding increase in value of sturgeons caught in Chesapeake 
Bay. 
The catch of sturgeons taken in Chesapeake Bay during certain years from 1887 to 1920 
Year 
Maryland 
Virginia 
Average price per 
pound received 
by fishermen 
Sturgeon 
Caviar 
Sturgeon 
Caviar 
Sturgeon 
Caviar 
1887 . 
Pounds 
7,800 
7, 350 
99, 932 
72, 445 
141, 069 
8,415 
8, 705 
705 
Value 
$296 
312 
3,313 
2,343 
4,788 
618 
552 
172 
Pounds 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
1, 594 
748 
913 
29 
Value 
Pounds 
(?) 
(?) 
814, 400 
720, 381 
584, 967 
171,943 
153, 865 
22, 183 
Value 
Pounds 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
59, 600 
17, 858 
19, 904 
2,625 
Value 
$0. 038 
.042 
.03 
.03 
.026 
.065 
.086 
.23 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
(?) 
$0.30 
.55 
.70 
2.87 
1888 . - 
1890— 
1891 
1897...- 
1901 
1904 
1920. 
$644 
444 
621 
87 
$24, 466 
21,304 
14, 475 
11,260 
13, 429 
5, 181 
$17,717 
9, 932 
13, 977 
7,531 
It is a matter of common knowledge that at one time sturgeons were considered worthless 
and large numbers were destroyed annually by fishermen, who regarded them as a pest. Their 
value gradually became apparent, however, and a special fishery was inaugurated. Being a large, 
sluggish fish, it was easily captured in great numbers, with the result that each year the aggregate 
catch became smaller and smaller. The retail price of fresh sturgeon has advanced steadily from 
about 10 cents a pound during 1900 to 50 cents during 1921 and 1922. Smoked, it is considered 
a delicacy and is among the highest-priced fishes. 
Even more phenomenal was the tremendous increase in the value of sturgeon eggs, from which 
caviar 4 is prepared. The wholesale price advanced from 30 cents per pound in 1897 to $2.87 in 
1920 and $3.50 in 1922. 
The sturgeon is mentioned in early American history. The first market for American stur- 
geon was established when (in 1628) the fish were cured near Brunswick, Me., and shipped to 
Europe, where they were much esteemed. Large quantities taken in the vicinity of Ipswich, Mass., 
about 1635, were likewise shipped to Europe. The Rhode Island Indians captured sturgeons with 
harpoons and prized them highly for food. 
The vessels worked their way up the coast until Delaware Bay was reached about April 1, 
and operations were continued here until early in May. The fish caught in the south were sent 
to Savannah, where they were skinned, packed in ice, and forwarded to New York. The Delaware 
Bay and Chesapeake Bay fish were likewise shipped to New York, which seemed to be the only 
large market for sturgeon. At this time the fishermen received about 6 or 8 cents per pound. Dur- 
ing 1880 about 3,000,000 pounds of sturgeon were smoked in New York City and were consumed 
mainly by the German population. 
Preparing caviar from the eggs of the Atlantic sturgeon was attempted as far back as 1849 by 
a Boston firm operating at Woolwich, Me. Because of an alleged scarcity of fish, operations were 
discontinued in 1851 and were not revived until 1872. By 1880 sturgeon eggs were utilized at 
many places along the Atlantic coast, but at that time the fishermen received only about 7 cents 
per pound. At Cape Fear River, N. C., the eggs were discarded as being valueless. 
The present-day method of preparing sturgeon for market is essentially the same as that used 
during 1880. The fish is bled by cutting off the tail, and later the head, viscera, and skin are 
removed. The carcass is then iced in a box or a barrel and is ready for shipment. The average 
weight of an adult sturgeon is about 150 pounds, and when a fish of this size is dressed the carcass 
weighs about 65 pounds. 
At the present time most of the Chesapeake Bay sturgeons are caught incidentally in pound 
nets, but a few are taken in gill nets. After the fish are dressed they are shipped to Norfolk, Balti- 
4 The process of making caviar is explained in “Caviar: What it is and how to prepare it.” U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 
Economic Circular No. 20, issued Apr. 19, 1916; revised edition, issued Oct. 28, 1925. 
