Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 July 1919 — ’Tis Sad. Shad Tale [ARTICLE]

’Tis Sad. Shad Tale

Fish More Scarce In Delaware Than Ever Before. Many Fishermen Have Placed Nets on Rack and Quit in Discouragement. Philadelphia.—“lt’s a sad shad season,” said the old salt as he shook hi s ’head over his “grog” in Gloucester. “It’s a sad shad tale. In fact, it s so sad that I’ve quit shadding and got me a job in the shipyard. There’s more money in It. Shad fishing is done forever in the Delaware In my estimation.” Inquiries among the fishermen at Gloucester and Camden elicited the information that fewer shad have been caught In the river this year than ever before and the majority of the fishermen now fear the Industry is a thing of the past Some of the men have not caught more than five fish this season, while several were found who have not averaged one shad per drift. Some of the fishermen have placed their nets on the rack and quit In discouragement. Others are utilizing them to catch herring. At Pennsville and Bayside several “fair catches" were made at odd times

during the season, but they were not “one-tenth of what was expected,” although the fishermen found a ready sale for the sfcad at high prices. They will quit early, the fishermen say. Planked shad dinners are now bringing 83 per plate, with the demand far in excess of the supply. Records of the Washington Park fishery show that the highest number of shad ever caught in one haul was about 6,000, fourteen years ago. The run of shad started to fall off in 1909, when the United States fish commission discontinued its steamer, the Fish Hawk, coming up the Delaware because insufficient spawn was to be had to propagate young shad. Since that time the Torresdale hatchery has hatched out shad, but not In large numbers, like the Fish Hawk.