Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-04-01
THE POTOMAC FISHERIES.
Their Great Importance.
1ns .annsaf Catch Greater TAss That or
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KING GEORGE, March %, 1873.
Editor Star Very few persons, even in vir-
GINA, are aware that the fisheries of the Poto-
mac form one Of the most important interests of
the country. On the main river and its tributa-
ries are over one hundred established shores"
some of them Of limited extent, but many of
them large establishments, employing q heavy
force on men and teams, and requiring a large
in their management. The fisheries proper are
all above Matthias Point. All that "a done
below that being in a limited way, for q local
SUPPLY This is owing in part to the great ex
1t is with "oyster rock'-large boulders of
oyster shells and oysters cemented in q mass
put more to the fact that the water being salt
the fish hold the channel, and, passing on rapid
ly, DO not spread over the bars and middle
grounds till they "strike" the fresher water
above. The shores in the vicinity of AQUA
creek do rather large business in favorable
seasons in winter fishery, 1. e., for rock, perch
and cat fish, but the proper fishing season for
sHAD AND HERRING
does not usually open till about the middle of
March, and continues about sixty DAYS. For
this fishing, seines are used according to the
width Of the river, from one-half a mile to a
mile and a half in length, and from a fathom to
three or four deep, according to the depth of
water fshed over, and requiring from thirty to
sixty men to handle them, and from four to
eight horses at the capstans, and using up six
hours from the time OF ''laying out" till they
are again "'landed." To meet the great EXPENSE
OF such an establishment, and secure a reason
able pront on the capital invested, there must
be caught during the season over one million
herring and an equal weight of shad and bunch
hsh, and these must be sold on a favorable
market. This market was formerly at the
shores" to farmers who came from far In the
interior to lay in their stock Of fish, This visit,
you may well believe, was an event of great i'm,
portance to the planter, who had collected all
Ihe surplus bacon, -four, dried fruit, and per-
haps little apple jack, to be disposed of in the
towns through whiC b his route Law but to the few
negroes who were permitted to attend him it was
was the reward held out for faithful service.
and furnished rich food for talk for many a long
year, and to have enjoyed the visit twice would
have required the grace of "Uncle Tom" to
remain in proper state of humility. Since
the era Of railroads this whole business is
changed and Alexandria has become the center
vi ., ths hsh trade, the "catch" being sent there
oaily by sailing vessels or steamers, are sold at
auction In bulk, not always, and lately not
Cften advantageOusiy to the catcher. To check
mate the combinations to depress the market
tue seine men have this year established their
Gym packing house in which their s'cargo" is
left If a fair price IL not bid i'm the market A
large and rapidly increasing business is also
cone In washington in Ice packing.
THE OILERS.
This consumes the entire catch of the "gll
lers" whose name is legion, and whose fish are
thought TO be larger, or at least more evenly
large than the seine caught These OILERS are
not the rough fishermen of the pictures, but
are many OF them men of means and character,
VINO come on from "the Jerseys" PhfAdel-
phia, and other more northern towns, with nets
o. great length and costly boats which ffde
safely any storm and rent a ''front" to bring
uem inside the law, and after two months of
q ligent "mindng their own business" return
with well lined pockets. Their fish as have
a ready said, and Of late many seine caught
ih are sent on in ice by rail TO all the north and
west, and the traveller who starts from WASH
II gton in the morning can sup at Elmira or
Rochester on Potomac shad that journeved
with him. Tie entire result of a season is a
catch Of from
THIRTY TO FIFTY MILLIONS
OF herring and an equal weight of shad and
9 bunch" fish, 1. e. rock and perch, &c, and a
bulk of total which at the lower shores is equal
to one-thrd of the saleable fish. This furnishes
an amount OF food equal to or greater than that
furnished by the entire annual catch of Goldfish
ON the banks of Newfoundland. That gives
TWO millions OF cod, or about thirty millions of
pounds; this about twenty million pounds of
herring and An equal weight of all others, or
ABOUT torty millions for total result.
FISH MANURE.
This "offal" is a great nuisance and a great
on the fishermans profits, and vet if
It could be utilized would probably give pecu-
mary results highly satisfactory The proprietor
of large shore informs me that in the proper |
:. season" 1t requires the constant labor OF man
and team to keep his front clean enough TO he |
endurable, and that from four to six hundred |
oads are carted off in the season. In the first |
d the hshlng 1t frequently happens that large |
luahtlties OF small fish are crowded q shore by
The voraciOus fishes following them. and So |
many are sometimes inclosed that a seine is |
landed with difficulty. These have to be taken |
rom me water apd not tugped adrift, because
hey would finger in the loo atty to Be recaus....
or days. Later in the season, and especially if
iieaght, the sources Of the Potomac are lsw,
. tDat the salt water penetrates further inland,
immense quantities of "bug fish''-moss bunk
These having the same mani,
rs the herring, swim with them, and are.
shen caught being worthless for food,
'arted OF and added to the seethin1
mass OF crawling corruption When their mum,
,ers far exceed the useful fish, the good are
'Orted out while in shallow water before land
Dg. and the rest turned adrift to 60 and plague
'ome other fishermen. Sometimes their num-
hat fishing becomes Improbable and the seines
are "cut out" and the shore abandoned. At |
he shores Immediately above and below AQUA
Greek offal enough could be collected to make,
muck, at least five thousand tons of fertilizer,
,aual to the most that is sold with flaming GER |
hhcates. Here Is an opportunity for some Of |
your Washington manipulators who delight in
themselves and useful to the community. The |
muck for composing is everywhere easily ac-
cessible. This muck deposited in the lower |
river Is itself almost fertilizer, being nearly |
pure organic matter, which, having been the
home and the grave of myriads Of the lower
forms Of life, If highly charged with nitrogen
ous matters; with this in proper proportion a
careful manipulation would give cheaply an |
article as rich in ammonia as most Of the re- |
Gently imported guano, and containing phos-
to compare favorably with any of the boasted /
NORTHERN NECK.
COLORADO SAPPHIREs and cut Opals set in
~ d..