Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-05-21

Marriage and Death Notices fifty cents. Otiti.
aries will be charged at advertisement rates
Daily one year: six dollars; si2 mocths, lAE:s
dollars.
The Potomac Fisheries.
The statutes Of both Maryland and |iis1a
dse!are that "the fishing season for shai and
herring 10 the waters of the Potomac rive: sh3t
begin the first day OF March snd end the ia
day of June 10 each year" but in practice "a"
| season beeies about the Goth of March %c@
closes between the 18th and Goth of Mag. il@
season of 1878 has already closed, and It's rteu'G
shows smaller ''catch" than ever before ii Tho
history of the liver. At The fish wharf h2Tr:
which receives about half of the catch OF iHt
river, Only about 1900, 900 fish were received
against 3.775, 900 last year.
All the statistics Of the iish yield Of the 70
tomac liver are approximations only; but ao'n"
Of those recently communicated to the rnbHc
with the authority of the head Ut the Unlie1
States fish commission, seem to nave etfa}G 90
very far from probability. 1t is stated ti'".
75O millioua Of hcrrings were eau ught III lhe 10
tomac in 1892 and upon this basis the addltiOa
of the food supply Of the country from the W.
ters of the Potomac is estimated at GOO mllll1us
i
figures that SO 900 Scotch fishermen With ,OUH
boats labor considerable portion Of the year
to catch less fish than six thousand Poto
mao fishermen caught iu six weeks Is
result 80 marvellous that it seems strange thai
it did not lead To the mstrust of the csli-
mate on which it was based. The fact ls thai
all the fish purgies on the Potomac 10 lo3:,
could not have transported more than the tenIh
of 75O,OO0,O00 herrngs. The probability Is
that Martins Gazetteer intended TO state th't
this was the yield for tho ten years precedD%
1882, This comedies with Known facts. TIE
Weld of 1888 in barrels is known to have bcCn
1O5, 900 barrels, and these figures we're notcH
because that was 40 exceptionally good year -:
the fisheries. 1t is incredible that only ~
years previous yield of 975 900 barrels shoul1
not be considered anything remarkable A.
tho rent of the Alexandria fish wharf was 81
OPT in 1892 and $3,0l7 in 1888, it would sceui
likely if as the yield Of the latter year was lO3,
600 barrels, tho yield Of the former year Wa
about 075, 900 barrels thus confirming the sup
position that the estimate should have been tor
ten years and not for one year.
This then may be considered very fair op-
proximation of the annual yield Tor the years
named:
lS22-3322. 100000 100000"
1888. Unknown 52,ooO,OO1
1S49-5l, l,lO3,OOO lI,9OOO"'
1877, 5000 l,0UO'V0'
1878, l2G.000 4:5oOQoJ
And this showing is abundant oonirmailOo
of the opinion OF the fish commission that hercIe
treatment is required to arrest tho decline Gi
the Potomac fisheries.
The causes of the decline arc Vatlous'y oon.
iectured. The use Of miles OF aelnes that sweep
the spawning grounds, gill nets that hinder th4
passage Of the fish to the spawning, ground,
the increased area of plowed ground, mako:
the the spripg freshets turbid and driving back thc
fish to lose their spawn 10 salt water, gas t;l
impregnstiug tho water and driving back IT,:
fish. steam navigation stirring the spawn, pred
atory fish, tho use Of the spawn OF cut hsh j.!
fertilizers iostead Of returning 1t to the river,
and disease arc some among the hundred cause"
that have boen assigned for The deplorable COZ"
dition OF affairs.
II is evident, first, that the increased nunucl
of Inhabitants and of iocks and herds 10 tho
country tends to diminish the supply of game,
and if the food birds are diminished ln ii )
manner, it seems likely that tho same cau
would diminish the fish. When Capt. SGl'h
camc up The Potomac the boat could some'nca
"scaroe7 be driven in narrow inets through
the shoals Of fish which obstructed them. -
When Rev. Andrew Burnsby travelled through
virginia century aud a quarter ago, Sore liz
September were az numerous as herIng5 II
April. ,, &C..
adjoining marsh to catch sorusee, and one oi
them. was informed in the morning, caug ht
nearly hundred dozsn. Tho manocr of tak'nE
these birds is remarkable. The sorus is not
Known 10 Virginia, except for about six week.
from the latter end Of September; at that tine
they arc ouad 10 rrodigious Numbers fecdlDG
On wild OATS At first they are cxoeedlnglgs
lean but in short time they grew SO lat as TO
ba unable 10 fig. In this state they lie upon
the reeds, aud the Indians 20 out 10 canoes and
knock them in tho mead With their paddles
Certainly there has been as large decrease IL
sora az 10 herring, from the luxurance OF those
days.
OF course the remedy Tor necessary artificial
dimipution is in the use OF the most tfectivo
means of artificial increase. The remedy fox
the unnecessary hindra5oe TO spawning hsh. or
destruction of the spawn, would be I'D efect
| LEGAL measures for protecting the tsh. The
want Of this protection is not owing, as has been
said by high authority, to the concurrent jurls.
djction of tgo States over tho Potomac, for
both Mary land and Virginia have now the same
| laws on tho subject OF the Potomac fisheries.
But neither Maryland nor Virginia does eu'
| force the lawa. The words of the statute are
| void without an efficient river police. An e.
6cieut river police is an expensive addition ''
the State budget, and the voters seem more
disposed to have low taxes and high fish tha1
the reverse. No doubt Limitation OF the tin9
during which fisheries are lawful, the prohibi'
lion Of gi,ling, the compulsory return OF hs':
offal TO The liver, the prevention Of all custom
tending 10 make the waters unsafe for the h:u,
e., combined With vigorous work OF artlh
oial increase in aid OF the natural propagatlGn
of fish, would increase the fish supply; but the
enforcement of the laws necessary ior thlS pu!-
jpose would be no small item in the annuai esti
mates sent to the legislatures 6y the nnaaca. Ma.
officials of Maryland and Virginia. HoM
| Cor, Ba1to. S'u.