The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-05-30


and Maryland. IL has been stated BY number OF
persons hat they surprised that ,h, Potomso river
wili not supply The inhabitants of each State with
shaa ana henngs as used but this Ia not al all
surprising 10 those who are acquainted with the ma
ture OF fishing and believe that there is a CON
siderable number OF the Legislatures, &c. of Virginia
and Maryland that hive ia the western counties of
ih'se States, and Of course cannot be as ell ac-
quainled with the nature OF fishing who live
immediately the waters we have il in contempla-
ion 10 tell them something about the nature of fish
lng. The business of shad and herring into any of
our hesh water rivers Is TO spawn, they cannot do
80 IN salt water and ii they do the salt water ime-
diately destroys their spawn Now, their spawn. are
deposited ON rocks, gravel, chuEks, brush, logs,
grass or any other thing lying the bottom of the
river and If they remain in the place position they
are dropped IN, is believed that each shad or herring
VIII yield not less than two thousand but if they be
moved out OF Their place, they dead as much
stalk OF corn would be # pulled up and laid upon lis
MI, or an egg IN the act of becoming fowl was il
to be rolled out Gifts nest by the claw of owl
INTO a bank Of snow. Now, there are some laws in
the States of Virginia and Mary land prohibit gill
hshing, and we believe that the Legislatures have
made them innocentiy, not knowing the above ma
ture, we will tell you of them, ho ing that you will
not forget the same. There are two kinds of seine
used IN these waters for that purpose. The
is what We call a hauling seine, which bring
ashore every thing il surrounds, but the other is
called a gill net, which only catches certain
and at perfect liberty Your Legislature of Virginia,
passed the most grevious law some lime during
the session before the last, prohibiting gill fishing in
the waters of the Potomac under the penalty Of not
less than fifty than five hundred dollars
This petition, II seems, got up by the Potomac
fisherman principally signed by the inhabitants of the
District of Columbia, and sent toand presented by John
Powell of Fairfax county, Virginia This, we would
SUI pose not To be genuine petton but as we wish
TO tell the public something about the game that
MIA wis tnt ,f ttar az
fishing OF these seines, aud their dime siOns also
There from twenty to fifty hauling scints on the
Potomac river, which from sill 10 fifteen hundred
athoms long they are from Thirty to seventy feet
deep, with not less than one thousand fathoms Of
rope. These senes are hauled from shore to shore
caching all sorts, both small and great, young and
old, turning and entirely destroying all the spowns
deposited upon the bottom, while the innocent GIL net
passing up and down the river with the tide, and
catching only certain size by the neck THE
snare would catch Iabbit, not allowed to fish,
Now we pray the honorable Legislatures, Senate al
Commonwealth Of Virginia and Mary land TO repeal
all laws prohibiting gill fishing in each Of the above
named States; and in particular the Potomac river
But for the benefit Of the public, pray that law
be made prohibiting any hauling seine in the waters
of these Commonwealihs of than five hundred
fathoms IN length, with fur hundred fahoms of rope
one hundred going out and three hundred coming in
these senes certainly the of the fish be-
coming And further, You will notice other
rivers, particularly Delaware, the North river, the
Rappahannock James river, Pokomoke, Nanlekoke
Fishing Boy, Chop'ank Patuxent, with other rivers
where there are none of these large senes used and
iorasmuch This is the condition, al the present nc
OF the fishermen, We pray law be made prohibiting
any person persons from fishing any seine, e'ther
hauling or gill seine, more than five hundred fathoms
long; and should any person on the Potomac river,
in the waters Of these Commonwealth, fish any
longer net they shall be under fine of not less than
two thousand dollars, the large fishermen dom
Day INV In n small fine law MR. osne Tod
nor Devil. We have not told you yet the size of the
fish that these seines CATCH We will now DO so -
The size Of the marsh me, III of gill seine is "a
inches wide, and very seldom catch fish weighing
less than four pounds, while the marsh mesh Of the
hauling seines are IA inches, and will catch fish
weighing half an ounce. 1t is generally seen, on the
Potomac that those ho fish with these senes haul
| up large quantities. of all sizes. The merchants BILE
flsh are sold on the shore, sailed the small sized
fish cared the land for manure by hundreds OF
cart loads. The spaw MS of course, destroyed by
hauling, and ifthese seines suffered TO be hauled
on the Potomac river, il is wonder behring's IS
per barrel IL being Of our best rivers for these
hsh, cannot be doubted but that within few years
II will be too late 10 make law 10 this effect. Ii is
the opinion of the best judges, that if Virginia and
Maryland will prohibit those long seines from fishing
and allow gill nets, (the most innocent net that
be used) to fish in their stead fish will be bought in
the western counties of these States cheaper than they
can now be had on the wharf in Alexandra, ID. G.
But there is not much attention paid by officers
kpersons. on the land to fishing oystering laws
we further beg that, in case the honorable Legis.
latures of Virginia and Maryland should pro-
| hibit such hauling seines from being used in
| fishing, that they would compel the sheriff of each
county in each State to enter each fishing shore in
| his jurisdiction and measure examine each and
every seine hauled on such fishing shores not less
than five times III each season; end should he fail SO
TO do, he shall incur penalty Of not less than five
hundred dollars We wish the whole inhab tants Of
| each Sinle n undprsand that such lay We
at present, concerning fishing injurious TO the
community; but, II appears that some OF the propri
etors OF those large senes not yet satisfied and
| have sad that they will have law, to their minds
in the State Of Maryland, prohibiting gill fishing in
| spite gpf hell We understand that another one
has said, that he will have a law made to empower
the Potomac fishermen TO use cannoDs upon all such
boats may be fishing gill nets put in the OF
the Potomac river; anu that he intends To carry all
gill hshermt to Alexandra and ut them IN jail,-
but this is something like what Goah told David
that he would give, &c, Now, consider this tc
be Of more importance than anything under the no
,ice Of the Legislatures Senate and Commonw ealths
Virginia and Mary and Gray that they will an.
swer this request of their petitioners and repeal such
grievous laws as have been made and by so do ng
we believe that you will obi &c the largest end OF
each State. And should YOU not do something Of
this kind, we believe that those who love fish will
have TO eat meat and should they not be able to get
meat, they will have to eat bread. We have noticed
one thing, which is this--hfteen years ago. herrngs
fifty cents per thousand at the wharf, in Alex
andria, and the Potomac seines were two hundred
fathoms long at that time, senes two and three
hundred fathoms long on the Delaware Bay and
behring's from two to three dollars per housa
but now you can very seldom see seine there MOI c
than ,esenty-fve fathoms long, and behring's hard
y ever more than one dollar per thousand. But one
thing more we will menton-that we think It neces-
sary that there should be law made in each Of tho
States, prohibiting any person north Of Newcastle
/ IN To- 81.
the waters Of those Commonweaths, for the purpose
of catching shad or h. rring; there has been t.
seine, or other fixture, invented in New York, that
will catch fish hat will enter the mouth Of a
river Now, for the proof Of this, apply TO the in
hab'tants of James City County, Virginia, Har-