The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-02-20
The Fishing Interest of Maryland.

and we lend our columns for the purpose
Our Fish Commissioners have fat salary
for doing what other men doubtless would
better without pay other than the necessary
expenses. Thus far they seem to have
tritled away the time and means placed at
their disposal to little or no advantage to
/ the public:
owe continue our efforts of putting
upon record the value of the States inter-
est in shad and herring, work begun all
of ten years ago and not yet finished. A
gentleman of Hartford county-a fisherman
and fishing property holder-writes us
that there are nine shores upon Bush
river, worth for rent 500 EACH OF course
there are many more unfshed, SO that we
must put Bush river down for at least
eighteen shores. We have not yet heard
from the Gunpowder river, but know it to
be superior to Bush river in wealth of fish ;
therefore put that river down for eighteen
shores. The Eastern Shore has not been
satisfactorily heard from; we will therefore
put its four rivers down at an average of
three each. Then comes the Patuxent,
the Severn and Patapsco rivers, to which
we will give five shores. We sum up,
then,-Potomac, 70; Susquehanna and Bay,
SO. We have, then, all of one hundred
and fifty shores in the State, worth all of
$40, 600 each, under proper fish regulations,
and in the aggregate would be worth ST.
| 500, 900 as improved property-to- day, not
worth the one-half of that sum. These
fisheries, under full blast, ought to employ
an average of thirty hands each; at one
dollar per day for forty. five days for the
fishing season, would give the laboring
classes all of two hundred thousand dol
lars, $500, 600, pretty round sum to be
scattered around the State; all of which it
is proposed to swap off for few fancy
themselves at their leisure. This is not all
that this industry would lead to; there are
nets, ropes, boats and PUNCHES to carry
fish to market. Worked up to its full
pitch, there is no telling to what amount
the shad and herring interest would in
crease the wealth of the State. We give
here statement of Capt. Hunter David
son, for twenty four shores upon the Mary
land side of the Potomac: 'They use
80, 4SS square fathoms of seine-G19 men
employed. Shad caught in the season by
senes, 10, 400; value, $14, 1853. IIerrings
caught in the season 10y the senes, IL, &c.
900; value, $50, Gill nets, 243, con-
tanning 161, 446 square fathoms of net;
men employed by OILERS, 4GG; shad caught
by gillers, 35l ,S00-value, S3S Cos; herring
caught, 2,S06, 900-value, IS, 421. Total
value for all fish caught for 1871, SILL
7j1.'* Double this sum and we have
approximately the value of the Potomac
shores for both Maryland and Virginia.
By this rule we can find near enough for
our purpose what the value of the whole
State ought to be in fish. Sales of green
fish at the above rate for $50 shores would
approximate $700, annually. We think
that we have said enough about the value
of the fishing property Of the State to
convince all, fancy fish men as well, that it
is the interest above all others in that line
to be attended to. Recollect that this esti-
mate is based upon the catch Of 1871, by
no means a favorable year. We will now
invite your attention to another branch of
this SUBJECTIVE stocking our waters with
bass and salmon, both game fish and fish Of
prey, and which ought not to be put into
the same stream with the harmless shad
Upon this point we have the very highest
authority in the land Bass are remark
ably active and voracious.' Their food
when small appears to be all kinds of
insects, flies, worms, &C. when larger,
though not entirely leaving their early
habits, their principal food is the smaller
fish Of otter kinds. = Report L. S. Com
missioner of Fish, Prof. Baird, part II,
page 81, note.
'They bass are predacious rascals,
though, and would play havoc with salmon
fry, and therefore ought not to be intro
duced into such streams. Norris Fish
Culture, page 2S3. The very same may be
said about salmon, they are predacious
teeth, their rapid growth, &c, and ought
not to be put into streams with shad or
herring. A writer in the Baltimore Ameri
can few weeks ago very justly raised his
voice against bass. He said the report of
Prof. S. +. Baird, |. S. Commissioner of
Fish, will create some alarm among the
bass fishers of the Potomac. 1t is well
known that the bass is a most voracious
gormandizer, and that he subsists on
smaller and weaker species of fish, such as
chubs, minnows, &c. Before the parent
bass, from which a countless progeny has
descended, were put into the Potomac in
1854, all other varieties of fish common to
the Atlantic slope were abundant. Prof
Baird says that the bass, as they have
multiplied from year to year, have literally
eaten up the weaker fish, and that many
varieties which were exceedingly common
before 1854 have almost entirely disap-
peared.,' The writer then goes on with
much useful information upon Darwin's
theory of 'the survival of the strongest,
applies with greater force to the finny tribe
than to quadrupeds or birds, &C. But,
notwithstanding these facts, Dar'cin's theory
which just in THIS instance is doubtless true,
our Commissioners still go on putting pre-
dacious fish in our waters. AS iudicious
would it be if a farmer was to put a wolf
in his fold, and then put in his lambs
We find voice in Maine uttering a timely
warning upon the subject, and another in
the Marlborough Gazette saying if we wish
to increase the staple fish, shad and her.
ring, it should be our care to clear our
waters OF predacious fish, SO it seems
that we are not alone in our views upon
this interesting subject. But still we fear
that the work will go on until it is too late
to arrest the hand of the Destroyer
Science must live even if the whole State
suffers Scientists have had their way in
thi:; matter long enough. 1t is time the
people had thci: eyes open 10 their interest
Scientists twould-hcl are evidently trying
to throw a veil of mystery around this !