Shad nets hanging for cleaning and drying in New Castle

This picture postcard from the early 1900s shows nets for the annual spring spawning season hanging on poles near Delaware River in New Castle. Herring and shad are among the early fishes that come into the Delaware Bay, and Delaware’s Inland Bays, from the ocean to make their way into the creeks and rivers where they started their lives in previous years.

Herring Creek, which flows into the southwest corner of Rehoboth Bay, takes its name from the spring spawning run of fish that have been prized for centuries for their delicate roe.