Fishing in New Castle

Fishermen used these nets to catch shad, a fish vital to New Castle’s river-based economy.

Courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society

Rivers as Vital Resources

In the past, communities relied on rivers as a vital resource in a way that may seem foreign today. Towns and cities built along waterways depended on them for transportation, commerce, and food. New Castle's location along the Delaware River provided access to ocean fish that travel up fresh rivers to spawn in the spring such as shad and sturgeon.

Early Fishing and Shad

These huge predictable runs of fish, especially the shad, were a major source of food for the native Lenape and later the European settlers living along the banks of the Delaware River. Early Swedish colonists quickly realized the value of these “silverbacks,” as did the Dutch, English, and others who followed.

At first, fisherman focused on the shad, viewing the sturgeon as more of a nuisance until the late 19th century. The spiny sturgeon is the larger of the two species and edible, but fishermen greatly preferred shad due to their abundance and ease of capture. Though not eaten as commonly, sturgeon was valued for its eggs, or “roe,” which could be sold as an expensive delicacy called caviar. In the 1890s, caviar prices rose sharply with growing demand. Sturgeon suddenly became a highly lucrative catch, and New Castle’s roe was shipped as far away as Russia.

Commercial Fishing Practices

Each spring, fishermen in shad skiffs dragged massive nets through the river, hauled their catch onto the Delaware Street wharf, and dried their nets near Battery Park at day’s end. During this period, more than a hundred commercial fishermen likely lived in New Castle. Once railcars began transporting chilled food products, fishermen packed their catch in ice on the Delaware Street wharf at the end of the day; their skiffs harbored just to the north.

A group of men stand next to shad nets.

Courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society

Fishing as Local Income

Fishing was such an important and lucrative income that local factory workers sometimes took time off from their regular jobs to fish and sell their catch in the spring. Multiple railroad cars loaded with fish packed in ice left daily from the wharf near Battery Park at Delaware Street. By the early 20th century the fishing industry in New Castle had expanded enough that three fish houses and a large fish shed were built at the Delaware Street wharf.

Environmental Impacts and Decline

However, industrialization along the river in New Castle and elsewhere took a toll on the environment. By the 1920s, pollution had severely depleted the shad’s river population. Today, people still occasionally fish from the riverbank in Battery Park, but the large-scale fishing industry that once helped sustain New Castle no longer exists.

Historic Benchmarks

This article is part of a series titled Historic Benchmarks: New Castle and the Making of a Nation which was created in partnership with the Delaware250, New Castle Historical Society, Old New Castle Outdoor Recreation Coalition, the City of New Castle, and The Trustees of the New Common.

References:

Arnold, H. (1994). The Tides Led the Town: A Recent History of the Waterfront, New Castle, Delaware. New Castle, Delaware: New Castle Historical Society.

Benson, B. E., & Hoffecker, C. E. (2021). New Castle, Delaware: A Walk Through Time. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press.

New Castle Historical Society. (1986). The Best of 'Behind the Times': Selected Columns About New Castle by Nicholas S. McIntire. New Castle, Delaware: New Castle Historical Society.

State of Delaware. (n.d.). Fish Consumption Advisories. Retrieved from Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/fish-wildlife/fishing/consumption-advisories/