Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-12-19
Gill Nets ! Gill Nets


To hs CiIzras # Uushiasfou, Frsde-
rick. an! Montgomery counties.
A S The General Assembly Of Ma.
N ryland will sit in the course Of
few weeks, / 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
wit, me in opinion. may unite in Pc
titions To The Legislature to pass such
laws as may "ilcctnalIy prevent the
use of them hereafter in the Potomac.
Since the introduction of these Nets
into our waters, the people of The up.
pcrcountics have experienced the most
pernicious effects of this practice. II
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 Zoe miles
to reach the nearest landings, and at.
ter being detained there considera.
bic time, exposed to the inclcmcncics
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 oblige,; 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, arc iished almost exclusive
" by pcrsons 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 il left to themselves. It
is stated they had 500 vessels engaged
in this business during the last season;
such a number of Nets will form such
an obstruction in the river as to keep
hack 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 arc not disposed of to our CT
tizcns, but are cured on board the
vessels that take them, and carried as
an article of traffic to some other por-
lions of the Union, or, perhaps, to To-
reign parts.
The people of the upper counties
arc peculiarly situated; living remote
from any of tie Rivers, with which
nature has so bountifully watercd our
state, they have only an opportunity
affordctcd 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 dc.
priyed of this right, attended as it Is
too, with great sacrifice, expense anc
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 indispensable neces1
sary to our families.
II any doubt should exist as to 'a
facts herein stated, have only to OBJ
serve that they will be entirely re-
moved by referring to any one iron
either of the upper counties, who a.
tended at the landings either OF tn
two last seasons, particularly the last
Having said much more than ! ID
tended, / have only to call upon al
those who feel an interest IN tins ou
siness, to lose no time in getting sig
natures to such a petition as J ha'
recommended,-and also to see an
converse upon the subject with sue
persons as they may think proper
send as delegates to the next Genet
Assembly and have also to requss
the favor OF the editors of the Free
ricktown papers, ts give these
marks a place in their respective P
pcrs, that the subject may be fa'
brought before the people Of the upp
counties.
ONE OF THE PEOPLM
November ID