Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-22
Potomac EisherIes-Estimate of the
Value Of their PrOGuct-hppcai foc
,f

10 the editor OF the Alexandria G0~ette:
Ga the first of last June | obtained employ !
neut with the Uoited States Fish Commission
in The collection of statistics in relation to the
catch of stad ard herring on the Potomac, be-
tween the years Of 1880 and 1878. and having
greater interest in the future success Of our
fisheries THAI the small remuneration that | am
to receive fer my services when my work is
completed, cnttrel ca my task With zeal, and
without regard 10 hours, labored assidious!y
u1ti! the Goth, when | was taken sick, and
Threatened with another severe attack ct cry.
sipelas in the head since which time have
done but little, and 10 renewing my labors
beg the liberty to state that the sales OF Stony
Point fishery, 10 1866. were $50 Gel. 0l ; 10
1867, $50 900 ; 10 1868, $50, 205 g. 10 csli
mate the value of the Potomac fisheries, when
Hshed to two.thrds its full fishing capacity GA
shores) by The sales Of Stony Point for the year
1866, when it was SIC, 600 less than in 1867 aud
| 1865, the aggregate yield would rise above
| 81. 500. 600 but Stony Point beluga celebrated
shore, it would not BIO fair to estimate the value
| of the catch Of other stores by its sales. liz
| passiog to the records OF q clmDon c0un:r};
that which is to guide public conclusions 10 The
| future, the first ADD last care Of chrcnlccr
should be to set st as near correctness as pos
sibIe, hence | merely mentioned tho sales OF
Stony Point in those years, considered by cur
| fishermen as good sessoLs, that the pubic
might know thatI was not eyaggsratng wheu
set down the value of the product Of the
Potomac, in ordinary good seasous, ct from
five hundred and twenty five TO six hundred
thousand dollars; 10 coed seasons FROM SIX
| hundred to SIX hundred and seventy i've thous'
and dollars, and in seasons CT extraordinary
catch at from tour hundred and fifty to five
hundred aad twenty Eve thousand dollars.
| When the correspondents OF our daily papers
underato the catch Of our fisheries they do our
fishermen a positive iIj1ry 10 many ways
among the most noted, that or driving CIT &C.
mands, aud when they ovtrfate it they produce
panics in the market, and Hog prices Ter below
what the fish would otherwise bricg. La some
Instances the publication of exaggerated reports
concerning The quantity caught have been
knowa 10 luin macy Of our fi,hermep, aud
mere or lcss itja!ed all. This season the yield
will not reach nae!y thoHssnd dollars, and
although not ranking with Chapman s Pcint, and
other shores | can name, S!0Gy Polut has
led the way 10 value Of caic!l this sea5ou, 80 lar
| SIS | have hccn able to obtain reliable laotna.
tion, aGd !ti ss!ea ware for oaiy Sc UIO.2l. AID
| that the reader Of the papers usy form some
correct idea abou: The falIiog cfT 10 values,
state that the sales Of Stony Point, from 1866
10 1862 Inclusive, were $lU3 1865 g. trcm
1874 10 1878, Inclusive, $37, 243 IL, sui this
shore was not an exception 10 The general rule.
A similar condition Of stfaira existed all along
the Potomac, and our fish being the !uxuty If
the rich the food OF the r0or, the reward Of
Industry aud nature contribution to our
wealth, | respectfully submit that our hsncr!ta
are an interest too great to lie either neglected
Or iridad With. | further beg the Liberty to
state that the labor5 OF the u. ). Fish CON
mission on the Potomac was decided success,
all disadvantages to the contrary, n0!0lthsand-
ing, and Knew it at the time it occurred, tu!
my knowing it, and then bang able to prove
il were two different thiog7. Oar shad and
herring get their growth in one year, but mark
you, the roc and mllt do not mature under tTo,
! and 10 many instarcss neither shad nor herring
spawn until the ihlG year, and Ii was to The
putting Of several millions Ct you0g shad lDto
| the river 10 1915 that Wc WcrclDds btcd toT the
shad fishery Of 1876. and the fact OF there
bang one years growth OF shad explains Why
there was 50 few Eu roe shaI among the catch.
Ii also eXplaios Why We have bad 50 very lew
full roc herring fer several years. Many OF
cur citiz,ns aud those OF the District OF Co!u2l.
tia and other places have, for three years
pas. been n The habit Ct complaining against
the dealers generally for picking their fish too
cosc. This charge Is incorrect; cut OF the
., $50 900 herring, IN round numbers, that were
landed in this city 10 the sprirg OF 1878, less
THAI four per cent. were packed by our saIter5
AMI dealers, ard no greater per cantage was
taken by those Ct tbs District of Columbia.
Ever since 1872 the Potomac has been steadily
drawing on its last resources, or one years
growth Ct herring, and steadily Increasing the
draught until 1873. when the catch consisted
Of fully eighty tive per coot. OF one years
growth, and it explains Why our shad and her.
ring arc so much smaller than IN former years
ard set are considered By cur fishermen as iulI
CROWD. 1t also explains why there are so few
| shad 10 cur waters, comparatively speaking,
that are suitable for milling purposes. and as
there seems to be settled opinion among our
scientific fishermen that shad do not return to
the waters 10 which they are hatched under
three yesrs-au error that aoy might reasonably
be expected to fall into from the TACT that mary
of them do not spawn under three years-ncVer
theless | do not propose to com munlcate this 10
| formation 10 the Commission at the risk OF con-
troVersy while 10 government emp!oy-quocun.
que trahuut fata sequamur, but give the facts
| to the press that those who are Interested 10
| the future welfare of cur fishermen may take
due notice AID govern themselves accordingly;
aud for The benefit Of the Washington cores.
poudcnt of the Baltimore SUP, whom | have,
from carly manhood, looked upon as enc Of
Americas best ctizeps, aud one WHO honestly
do not believe would Knowingly do wrong or
wilfuy sanction error, beg The liberty to state
that he has beeo imposed upon by some person
who professed TO know more than he really did,
or spoke without duo reflection. Every fisher
man about here knows that the season Of 1856
was o1o of extraordinary catch, and while do
not know how many herring were caught from
the fact that havo cot been at wcrk on that
year, and if did | would not state it, because
that ig not my business ; my duty is to return
the result of 10y LAHORE to the Fish Commission,
nevertheless | cast together the number of
hsus made that season, and while my aggre.
gate may not not have been exactly correct, it
was close enough for me to determine that bis
| Il 49, ~