Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-08
CHARLES STMMS.
Gill Nets +! Gill Nets !

To the Citi=ens Of HashiagtOn, Frede.
rick, and Montgomery counties.
A S the General Assembly of Ma.
n ryiand will sit in the course Of
a few weeks, l take the liberty of call.
ing the attention of the people of the
upper counties to the subject of Gill
Nets /; that all those who may agree
with me in opiHion. may unite in pc.
titions to the Legislature to pass such
laws as may cffcctual!y prevent the
use of them hereafter in the Potomac.
Since the introduction of these Nets
into our waters, the people of the up.
percounties have experienced the most
pernicious effects of this practice. 1t
is fact well known, that many per.
sous at the last season, after leaving
their homes, with their teams, at the
most busy season of the year. and ira.
yelling, perhaps, from so to l0c miles
to reach the nearest landings, and al.
ter being detained there a considera,
BILE time, exposed to the inclcmencies
of the weather, and often without any
shelter but what was afforded to them
by the coverings of their Wagons,
while their crops too were suffering
greatly at home, were obliged at last
to return without any fish. Some pro-
cured their Herrings, but not one in
ten could get the Shad they wanted
for their families. These Gill Nets,
it is said, are fished almost exclusive
" by persons from the Eastward-a
covetous people they must be they
would take the bread from our mouths
if they could do it-and they certainly
will the fish if left to themselves. It
is stated they had 500 vessels engaged
in this business during the last season;
such a humber of Nets will form such
an obstruction in the river as to keep
back the Shad altogether, and by
breaking the schools of Herrings will
render even the catching Of them un.
certain. And what adds to our griev-
ance, the fish that arc caught in this
manner are not disposed of to our CT
tizens, but arc cured on board the
vessels that take them, and carried as
an article of traffic to some other por-
tons of the Union, OF, perhaps, to To-
reign parts.
The people Of the upper counties
are peculiarly situated; living remote
from any of the Rivers, with which
nature has so bountifulIy watered our
state, they have only an opportunity
afrordeded to them once year Of pro.
curing fish of any kind for their fami.
lies and it rests with the Legislature
to determine whether they shall be de-
privcd of this right, attended as it is
too, with great sacrifice, expense and
trouble; and it must be known too &c
the members that may compose that
body, that fish, from long use and Gus
tom, have become indispcnsably necss-
sary to our families.
Ii any doubt should exist as to The
facts herein stated, have only to OBJ
serve that they will be entirely re-
moved by referring to any one from
either of the upper counties. who at
tended at the landings either of the
two last seasons, particularly the last.
Having said much more than ~,
tended, l have. only to call upon all
those who feel an interest in this ou'
sincss, to lose no time in getting slg'
natures to such a petition as ] have
recommcndcd,-and also to sec anu
converse upon the subject with such
persons as they may think proper to
send as delegates to the next General
Assembly ; and l have also to reguest
the favor OF the editors Of the Frede'
ricktown papers, to give these re-
marks a place in their respective pa
pers, that the subject may be full!
brought before the people of the upper
counties.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE
| Nayemhep IA