Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-15
Gill Nets! Gill NetsI

To the Citizens # WashiagtOn, F,ede-
rick. and .Nontsomery eomtits.
A S the General Assembly Of Ma.
n ryiand will sit in the course Of
a few weeks. | take the liberty of cali.
ing the attention of the people OF the
upper countYs to the subject Of Gill
Nets: that all those who may agree
with me in opinion, may unite in pc.
titions to the Legislature to pass such
laws as may efl@ctially prevent the
use of them hereafter in the Potomac.
Since the Introduction of these Nets
into our waters. the people Of the mp.
percountics have experienced the most
pernicious effects of this practice. Ii
is a fact well known, that many per.
sons 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 considcra.
bic time, exposed to the inclemencies
of the weather. and often without any
sheIterIut what was afforded 10 them
by the coverings of their Wagons,
while their crops too were suffering
greatly q. 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,
il is said, are fished almost exclusive
" by persons from the Eastward-a
rovetnus 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. 1t
is stated they had 500 vessels engaged
in this business during thu last season;
such a number of Nets will form such
an obstruction in the river as to keep
bark the .Shad altogether, and by
breaking the schools of Herrings will
render even the catching OF them un.
certain. And what adds to our griey.
ance, the fish that arc caught in this
manner are not disposed Of to our CT
tizens, but are cured on board the
vessels that take them, and carried as
an article .0f,traffic to some other por.
tions Of the Union, or, perhaps, to 70.
reign parts.
The people Of the upper counties
are peculiarly situated; living remote
from any of tie Rivers, with which
nature has so bountifuliy watered our
state, they have only AL opportunity
affardeded to them once a 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 to
the members that may compose that
body, that fish, from long use and Gus
tom, have become indispensably neces-
sary to our families. o.
If 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 amy 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 J IN.
tended, 1 have only to call upon all
those who feel an interest in this bu.
siness, to lose no time in getting sig
natures to such a petition as ! have
recommended also to see and
converse upon the subject with such
persons as they may think proper to
send az delegates to the next General
Assembly !; and have also to request
the favor 81 the editors of the Frede'
ricktown papers, to give these re-
marks place in their respective pa
pers, that the SUBJECT may be full!
brought before the people of the upper
counties.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE,
Novov,kav ~