The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-06

County, s. @ ~ dI ~
Early historians c1 tfls South. aud q
South Carolina in particular, all agree In
the staten,ent that our tivefs, creeks end
CROOKS once teemed VITA fishes. The
shad-the prince of the iiying pan--in
the memory OF many now living, was as
common even in creeks 10 ID the diminu-
tive minnow. 1t was the ctistom in those
days for our peops4 to;sisit annually the
different fisheries, where W$ro 10 be had
shad at sixteen to ;ths dolaY;i red.aofse
and ether sGvory ykiietie5 at a song BY
the wagon loade tIfl To- hibtressiug, gas
Economically at ieazt, when wo reflect
that these good old times, like other
loved associations Of the past, have de-
parted. i
That the fsh fanine Of che day may be
properly understood, I shall add few
facts and produce some statiBtica. BeiuR
in Washington few yesra since, called
on tho Hon. Spencer 3. Baird. United
States Fish Commirsioner, for the pur-
pose Of hearing HIN on this Interesting
subject, and to see if anything could be
done for the restocking Of our rivera.
He informed me that ho was anxious to
DO something for &c ;i;s=, sS aSSa that ;F would
locate, for him any point in the State
where could be caught es .naDy as, say,
800 shad during the season, he would
send out parties who would establish q
Matching station.
After diligent search along tho horders
Of the two rivers of my coanty--the
Broad ard Tattefee-and having D..titu-
ted inquiry for such u point anyw'.e .ere in
the State, so meagre weA the.ca at all
places that ! was unwilling to hold
further communication upon tho subject,
and despaired of enlisting his efforts 10
our behalf, and here the matter ended
with me. =" go
He, however, sent out sub-commis.
sion in 1878, which was instructed t., in
vestigate the very facta which | had OBJ.
. taincd but had failed to report: The
observations made by this commission
are specially cited, as they give direct
statistical ti,,,ony upon the numbers
of shad caught in rivers Of Georgia and
South Carolina, and prove more thor.
0ughly, If, indeed, any proof were
necessary, that tho has been marked
decrease.
a synopsis of Seth Green's report of
shad Matching at Augusta in 1878 10 rs
follows: From April 21st 10 April 28eh,
thirteen fishes were taken, none Of which
being in proper condition. no eggB were
procured. From Augusta he goes TO
Newbern, n. c., passing what iyefo once
important fisheries nc yarous points along
the Congaree, and by the onca celebrated
station at Rocky, Mount, on the Catayha,
At Nevbefnj in consequence Of tho river
being too high for fishing, he succeeded
in procuring only two ripe fishes. from
which were obtained $4,000 eREs. or
this number $4,000 were hatc6ed and
turned into the river. ....r
E';siefue he goes TO Weldon, where, in
consequence of continued high water, no
shad are taken, but two ripe rock fah aYo
caught, from which arc procured 10000
eggs From these arc hatctetl and turn
cd into the river 100, 900 young ifisheB.
Passing 10 the Potomac at Warrington.
he meets with better success. One hun.
dred and eleven ripe fahes are stripped,
2,17O,0G0 eggS obtained, and 1,37O,0G0
fishes returned to'the Potomac and co.
600 tranBplanted In other streams.
The s5ofS Hs4s::::sss ss;sd fSas, E!ssa ,Esa.tG;i=
strating as they ydo the decrease in our
fisn supply Ca1i mug n H1ints6nfnrss and
for remeay next. s .u.,nial'r .,c,1 .s.l.
Ls 1t to the clearing Away Of forasto
with its accompanying damaging effect
of fteahets, muddy water aud Ailinglup
of creeks md branches shnt we must look
for an explanation or 10 man more i'm.
nledihteiy tho aeeiits n,i4
Where forests have been- extirpated
along the. banks and aouFces of our
smaller st{eams and their beds are dry,
as is the case in many Instances, exter.
minati0n hna Been the fate of every sofi.
tary ;indlvidpal |; but In oil cased whore
the drought ia not so soyere, and d few
h3lcs retain tsatsF. although shs sss==sassss
may cease to Gov, theroI will yon End
cosinopolitans, the cat, the euskerI the
red-beliied perch aud the universal hIih-
now, lanial descAndants yof tho rarens
stocks placed there BY Providence, lrHs h;ss
You seo, then, that damaging aS age
the above contingencies to tho fish cup
ply, still they are not Of 90 aefioua O
character Gs to aGcoaht forltho total ioas
for having failed TO exteYminare the lc1al
varieties only in exceptional cases, they
would Of course show less effect in the
larger btFeams which hevcr DO dry, ;S1l
upon hpeties Nhich.inhabit them Tor only
q part oEthe yeay.s ,v-, s-S
considering the disastrous tendency OF
dams and the destroying agency of man
with hia traps. nets, hooks and other inn
proved isppliAncee 3oEr ErSiestb. Coul9eh
sense assegfs the pFoposition that where
dams intervene. cutting of the parent
fishes from their spawning grounds and
preventing the derositing Of seed for tho
succeeding years supply, THAI gradual
diminution and eventual exterminati0n
Gre the iiiSSita Bic reBhlts, so t.Hu
All authofitiss agf6e Ia assiguing che
above CD eAe cnGs5 Of thd debline. New,
with the Shafmesitsdi Ind ssfistielft5 1ps6-
vidcd for, .tfere is.y,o, FaasQn, why, spqqegs
mBy not again be seG1Ead. rny o, arc for
tunste in having remedies Cor shsasSd diifRls-
culties. Science shns (, qbppdaptly. ,pr9vi-
ded ug with nusnef0I5 pat0nS fab Eay.,
whereby tho parent Aehlg ore snahlesafto
ascend to awning ,7lss,, t@=h:isk it
has alec denohhtt tated tide EbS pSAAg Of
artificial impregnation anu HaIching
boxes snfaEe Gnh cnn DO sappitadg thangby
thelnaturali pEuCos8 toS SsEE4 fon;7a aIn
many Of the States, the issiaiEass Of katlIsr-
planting ahsua BY thafInillionaa has be.
come .oftbast cpropottfoasy audyis hooked
upon as one afs ths iEnpsftans industriesa
OF the Country. HaEd have been shipped
by the railroad Ss01Si tho Hh6aotli 90 Cali.
fornia and many Intermediate rdinta,
and the egga efytt1e ,SacreHeptQ salmon
bkohght bank, hatehta dHd sGice u sfally
reared IN the Natess pfs tke Eastern slope.
The eggs of EUROPEAN varieties are now
In reach, and tSfithIthe .luureRseJ eHpply,
of fishes coInes inorgased facilities for
;s;,t,.,;. ia l.A-hi:.s che thak