The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-01-25
E;sIYy.nItmre.!t,

f c cola In. Med FISH eommissoner
lis in ithe, city seeking tue passage OF mea.
sossreeI,1ix ssIsp chi ossieoS si
Itfir6 and fncfeasing TIE, stock Of !fshfn oul
rivers. IL il Indispensable for this purpose
tbat tbgre sball be periods Tor the fish Il IN
ffssIpsaWriug season to pass withou nolestatior
Lop5obstructian along rivers TO their spawn
|fag-grounds is For the want Of such inter.
Yais of freedom from 2seInes and fnterrup.
Etfons the stock OF fish has steadily fallen of
| in all our rivers, and 1t is matter OF gene.
raj interest aud Importance to society that
this decline in the supply Of fish should not
only be- checked, but that stens should be
taken to turn The. tide and increase the sup
Iply..G $40 ssiEaAH 7E's1t.2s .5.l' ~
It is,sseertaiued by Investigations Of tile
fish commissioners that there has been great
falling off ii the supply Of fish in the Poto-
imaeriye Since 1866 there las. been fall
ing oaGin herringsto one fifth, and In ;shad
and t0ckto one sixth Of the supply In that
year. The falling or in production has been
from sSses, 600 to $4,000. The falling OF
in, the supply in, james riyer:hastbeen. great
or, though there are no means Of an approx
Innate estimate as to the extent. The FISH,
|eries Oh the Pamdnkey and Mattaponi are
unpro6table,a and so little used as TO be ineon-
siderable. 1.-The same, may be said, Off the
Roanoke GriYer. 1udeed, everywhere I'm
Maryiaftida and. Virginia the .diTip,ltion OF
tie stock, Of fish is alarining, and, the plans
and Efforts, Of Colonel MCDONALD and bis
co-laborers should; be most cordially sup
ported BY the Legislature, 10 '''t2 % /
+ Tt il, Intended to bring in 4 bill at once
for Tie establishment Of close period, so
that lib, may become 70 law in time for the
fishing season?iGIthas been decided chat it
Would be best to establish. a close period
ffnm midday Saturday till Monday morn
ing Of, each week, That viii give two days
for spawning, the ;time.for which begins at
midday. During the close period the sesnes
|areto be taken out Of The water and the hunt
forfsh to be suspended. +. a..,;i,"st1s,.,
Certainly there should be no difficulty in
/ the way OF this regulation. The means OF
enforcing ittshould find ready cooperation
1rnongst ntf tyiISs rucn.~f 70 rs nvle especIsrly
beneEcial to them than to their fellow-citi-
zens that the cultivation and increase of the
supply Of fish, should be successfully carried
out. And we bcIieveR theta be .estab-
lished and The fisliermen and the people
given to un derstand It. and measures be com
pleted to give. to- the regulation! form and
ORDER there will be general acquiescence
In it, and a sort Of cooperation amongst all
TO make it effective. HAN is not quite 80
perYerse an animal as that be viii Wantonly
bproceed to iniure hlmsef by disregardipg a
law that is as much for his own good as that
Of other people. when it is understood
that everybody is inclined to respect the law
individuals win not be inGited to disobey it
under the impression that somebody else is
doing. so.' 1r& Oh ~ .<!1if'th:
7 1T viii be necessary to, have the, names of
fishermen Registered, so that; yiolators olf-fhe
law, may be reachedstsi4r1i u. d aot'su