Morning journal and courier., 1881-09-22
Price Four Cents

\ and sail pursers threw their nets and the fish \ changed their course, hauled out again and
 were lost sight of till next morning, when
 they came to the surface apparently bewild-
 cred off abreast of Fire Island inlet but
 passed it and headed for Montauk. The \ great mass could have weathered Montauk
 and gone up sound on their way rejoicing,
 but over 30 sail of pursers stood guard, \ threw their nets, demoralized the fish, and
 for two days and nights these poor unfortu
 oate fish. without leaders, threw their spawn \ amid the slaughter and excitement at the
 surface in over 10 fathoms of water, where it
 must necessarily prove a total loss and thus
 with the mothers in their weak state if not ' gathered in the nets, withdrew to a more congenial cline, mourningno doubt, as sin
 cerely do, the total loss of the years spawn, | lrrecoverably lost to the world All this great ! army or hsh were females, were two-year-
 olds and the only size that spawns Nor is | this all In this wicked, selfish and inhuman ' saughIer we nave none Of the young fry to build upon next year. Countless numbers \ ot these fish should be seen in every nook and corner ln the various harbors of Long Island \ sound, in happy little shoals under splendid leadership, setting their little dorsaIs for an exodus to the south at first frost. in the meantime serving blue-fsh as a choice rich oalt but not one of these are here to day It IS computed by the United States Fish Commlsslon that menhaden spreads, if un- molested, 25,0oO spawn with a reasonable
 
 well as by enemies and other causes. A blue dsh yearling produces about 90, GOO spawn. and the chequit the same, with some allow ance. Now let us take up the blue-ish as connected with this great slaughter. which usn tnls season made much better land fall, and were first seen by the pursers abreast of Sandy Hook, coming in an immense swarth for the land. These were also on the sur face, accompanied by gulls, porpoises and threshers But the blue-fish Cali yearlings, remember) were not as dociIe as the poor menhaden, sharp teeth and purse nets do not harmonize, and some inexperienced fisher men threw them to their severe loss. They. however, could jig them, and in this way soon obtained full hold and deck, ran for a market at New York or New London, elut ted It completely and made losing trade of It. One trip on warm weather was enough One poor fellow filled his craft and made for New London, reported a losing voyage and said, 'Dang it! I had a new large purse net never used before, costing $4OO and the crit ters chawed it all up, and I could not sell my fish, so as they sunk I dumped them all overheard in New London harbor' Then followed his heathenish closing remark, "But. by jIngo! 1t was fun, though, little thinking that he was assisting at the slaughter of two generations of blue-ish at one swoop, and for aught he knew he had helped an entire extermination of the species Now the che quit, not as firm in flesh as some others. but beautiful on the hook, soon loses his pamy speed, and is often jigged in the surf of Mon tauk and Cuttyhunk weighing 30 pounds These fish will probably never be exterminat ed After they are oneyear old they show the beautiful rich, yellow fins. All sizes but the yearllng are spawners. At these great saughters off Long Island this fish, it is true. fared hard; his numbers were greatly reduc ed, but the world has hope of their being re- placed in time They no doubt will change their spawning ground, having wide field Qf fhnI1 coll Pt,4 T my fears for the two others, and desire to impress on the readers mind that the year. ling bluefish and the two-year- old menhaden are the only spawners for their species and this wicked slaughter blots out two success s1ve yearly productions.
 It IS my duty as 8 common citizen with my acquaintance with these fsh-the chequit, oluehsh and menhaden-that these remarks should be placed before the public and trum- pet tongued before every Fish Commission n the Union, and both the Legislatures of New York and Connecticut should take up 5he subject we shall have a second slaugh- 'er next spring. Montauk and Sandy Hook should be blockaded, each by two govern nent ships put on by April 1st and lifted Iune 25th Try it for three years this will snow if the gentlemen who gobble up fish without mercy or judgment will sustain the 'ry of 'Blue-fish and menhaden increas- ng every year" l say, and I know they are lot. You have lost nearly all the production 'f 1881. I can prove it by an examination If Long Island sound and harbors. I chal- enge the world to contradict it. Can you ind single shoal of young menhaden in long Island sound, where millions on mil ions have shown themselves every year dur ng July to the first frost? Have you seen a wo-year- r-old female in Long Island sound his year? Do you expect to see them It is rue that yearlings have been pounded in a mall way all the season, but they are not he spawners. No! they not half the alue or size, and almost void of oil. The Inquiry is for the two year old spawners, and tell you that they were all gobbled up off 1ontauk, made to drop their spawn-but if ny escaped afterward they were few in num- CT and never entered the sound. They ,ent where they usually go, somewhere in he ocean beyond the reach of purse nets, pr they are never seen again. Ask the old lenhaden fishermen. and they if honest will y the same. I repeat the declaration that one but the large two-year- old supply the pawn these were exterminated this spring. he goose will lay you no more golden eggs.
 c. F. HoTCHKIss.