SHAD FISHERIES ONCE FLOURISHED ON THE NORTH BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER

For several decades, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, environmentalists, sportsmen, and others with a vested interest, have focused efforts to restore the once abundant shad population to the Susquehanna River.

It’s hard to imagine that shad by the thousands were once harvested by early settlers in the Susquehanna River Valley.

An article from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Migratory Fish Restoration and Passage on the Susquehanna River, provides this assessment:

“There is little doubt that shad numbers were great. The North Branch fisheries alone accounted for several hundred thousand fish each year. The initial demise of shad and herring runs in the Susquehanna River was related to the construction of dams that blocked migrations. Hundreds of mill dams were erected in tributaries, and although passageways for fish were required as early as 1800, few were developed. Shad fisheries on the mainstem Susquehanna up to the New York state line flourished until 1830. Over the course of the next five years, feeder dams for the new Pennsylvania canal system were erected at Nanticoke, Shamokin, Clarks Ferry, Duncan’s Island and Columbia. The Juniata River was dammed a few miles above Newport.”

I found some firsthand accounts of shad fishing on the Susquehanna River in the North Branch, in a paper read before the Wyoming Historical and Genealogical Society. It was condensed in a report from the Fish Commission Bulletin published in 1881.

The article stated that a map of the Susquehanna River pinpointed the locations of fisheries: At Northumberland, or just below, was Hummel's fishery; between Northumberland and Danville there were eight fisheries, in order from Northumberland up as follows: 1. Line's Island lower fishery; 1. Linc's Island middle fishery; 3. Smith's fishery; 4. Line's Island upper fishery; 5. Scott's fishery; 6. Grant's fishery; 7. Carr's Island fishery; and 8. Rockafeller’s. The next fishery of which they had a record was owned by Samuel Webb, located about four miles above Bloomsburg. Above this point about four miles, and six miles below Berwick, was the fishery of Benjamin Boone; the next was located just above the town of Berwick, and about a mile and a half above Berwick was the Tuckahoe fishery.

According to the report, at the eight fisheries near Northumberland, large numbers of shad were taken; three hundred was a common haul; some hauls ran from three to five thousand. Rockafeller fishery, just below Danville (about the year 1820) gave an annual yield of from three to four thousand, worth from 12-and-a-half cents to twenty-cents-apiece.

Among sworn statements taken from the article was one from Joseph Van Kirk, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, dated May 25^th, 1881.

“My recollection of the shad fisheries dates back to the year 1820; in that year, and the succeeding two or three seasons, I fished the Rockafeller’s fishery near Danville. In our party there were six of us; we fished with a seine 150 yards long and caught somewhere from 3000 to 4000 marketable shad, weighing from 3 to 9 pounds. At that time there were eight fisheries between Danville and Line’s Island, located as follows: Rockafellers, just below Danville; next Carrs Island; next Grants fishery; next Scott’s, near where my residence was; next Lines Island upper fishery; next Smith’s fishery; next Lines Island middle and lower fisheries. At all these points large quantities of shad were caught, and they were sold from 12 ½ cents to 25 cents apiece. I have heard of hauls containing from 3000 to 5000, and 300 was a very common haul. People came from 12 to 15 miles for shad, and paid cash exclusively for them.

Salmon, rockfish, Pike, eels, suckers, and a general variety of fish were caught in addition to shad, and we always had a ready market for them for cash. No shad have been taken since the canal was built, and all other fish have sensibly decreased since that time.

The cutting off of the shad supply was a great and serious loss to this community, from both the monetary and economic view, since this fish in its season was a staple article of food and employed in the taking and handling, quite a large proportion of the inhabitants. This industry was wholly abolished by the erection of these dams, and thousands of dollars of capital invested in the business were instantly swept out of existence. The first fishery below this place was known as Hummel’s fishery, and its reputation was good. I never fished there myself, but was well acquainted with it by the speech of my neighbors. In fact, all of these fisheries were profitable investments, and the loss of them to this section of the country was incalculable. All of the fisheries mentioned above, except Hummels, were between Northumberland and Danville. Any mention of these good old times brings up a flood of these recollections, and the difficulty is, not to remember what occurred in those days, but to sift out what would be useful in this connection.”

Gilbert Fowler of Berwick on February 23, 1881, wrote, “I was born February 23, 1792, in Briar Creek Township Northumberland County, now Columbia. I write or dictate this letter on my 89th birthday. I have lived near the Susquehanna River ever since I was born. My knowledge and recollections about the shad fisheries extend from Wilkes-Barre to old Northumberland. The first shad fishery near my home was Jacobs Plains. This was located just above the town of Berwick, and one of the most productive fisheries on the river.” Fowler remembered the fishery of Benjamin Boone, about 6 miles from Berwick. “At this fishery I have known so many caught that they were actually hauled out by the wagon load on Benny Boone’s farm for manure, so plenty were they. The next fishery was that of Samuel Webb, located about 4 miles this side Bloomsburg. This was an immense shad fishery. From the banks of the river at this fishery could be seen great schools of shad coming up the river when they were a quarter of a mile distant. They came in such immense numbers and so compact as to cause or produce a wave of rising water in the middle of the river, extending from shore to shore. These schools, containing millions, commenced coming up the river about April 1^st, and continued during the months of April and May. It was something very peculiar and singular in they’re coming. The first run or the first great schools that made their appearance in the early spring were the male shad – – no female ever accompanied them. In about eight or nine days after the male had ascended the river, then followed the female in schools, heavily laden with eggs or roe. These were much the largest and finest fish and commanded the highest price. Those shad that were successful in eluding the seine and reached the hatching ground at the headwaters of the Susquehanna, after depositing their eggs, returned again in June and July, almost in a dying condition, so very poor were they.

No farmer or man with a family was without his barrel or barrels of shad the whole year round. Besides furnishing food for the immediate inhabitants, people from Mahantango, Blue Mountains, and, in fact, for 50 miles around, would bring salt in tight barrels and traded for shad. They would clean and salt the shad on the river shore, put them in barrels, and return home. The common price of shad was three or four cents each. Besides the shad there were many other kinds of food fish. Most noted among them was the old Susquehanna salmon, weighing as high as 15 pounds. These salmon were considered even superior to the shad and commanded a higher price. They were caught in seines, on hooks and lines, and were the sport to the gigger at night.”

As mentioned at the beginning of this story, a multi-million-dollar effort is underway by federal and state officials in the Susquehanna River Basin and Chesapeake Bay region to bring back the shad which once populated the river.