Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-06-01
ming Interest.


ing on the Potomac is spoken of 10y
all The older fishermen as one of the mos,
unsuccessful and Improbable they have
ever engaged in. The catch, which for
the last ten or fifteen years has been per
ceptibly and steadily dimini ,hing, has
been this year smaller than ever before
known both in shad and herring. 1t was
only the extraordinarily high prices, re-
sulting from the inadequacy OF the supply
of Potomac fish to the demand, that has en-
abled the fishermen to meet their expenses
and, notwithstanding the high figures re-
ceived for fish throughout the entire sea
son, those fishermen deem themselves for
tunate who have come out of the fishing
expenses.
The hauling seines and trap nets hva'
been unable to supply the local demand
for herring. The present very high price:
of hog products and provisions generally
has materially increased the demand from
the Inferior districts of the county for her
ring at the fishing shores, which demand
had in recent years materially diminish
ed. These fac's cause a greater interest or
the part of the people of this section o.
Maryland in the Potomac fishing interest
and this manifest and growing diminutior
in the quantity of TODD fish yielded by the
Potomac ought to awaken a spirit of in
ves'igation on the part of the more public
spirited and thoughtful people of tn.
Safe as to the cause thereof and means OF
remedying the same.
An impression prevails extensively a
mong those who have had observation in
such matters, that the continued drifting
and fishing of gill nets in the river late il
the month Of June operates most disas
trously upon the fishing interest, by ser
iously interfering with the propagation o.
youag fish. At this late period in the
season, it is said, the shad fishermen cas-
their mes exclusively upon the bars and
shoa waters. Their nets, which are deep
are so arranged as to drag upon the bot
tom, and in this way, it is said, do great
injury, by disrupting the spawn deposited
in these places by the Cd fish, before il
has had time to terminate and quicker
into life
Although there is a law upon the sta
tute books of Maryland Uniting the fish
ing season for shad and herring to the
period intervening between the 18th o
March and the 1st of June, and fixing pen
atty of from $50 to 800 with confiscatior
of nets etc, for its violation, yet it appear:
to be practically dead letter, and to bs
more honored in the breach than in the
observance. This law was evidently framed
10 remedy the evil above referred to, anC
1t can only be regretted hat no effectv,
means were provided for its enforcement.
One great difficulty which has attended
the enac' ment OF proper Legislative regula
liohS iol tuS pIottCtiou Oh tuesc III DoIttu
fishing interests, has been the necessity
resulting from the colonial compact form
erly entered into between Maryland and
Virginia, of procuring the concurrence o
the Legislature of the latter State in any
measure concerning the Potomac fisheries
Some have contended that the compact
was abrogated by the adop tion OF the con,
stitution of the United S ates. and is not
now in force ; but the better opinion APP
pears to be that the cons tuition of tbs
United States did not have any such Ell
feet, but rather gave Al additional obliga.
ton TO all existing compacts between the
governments.
1t would seem however that in a meas
ure so manifest'y necessary and proper
as for the protec'ion of the most import
ant but rapidly decaying fishing interests
Of the Potomac, there should not be any
in procuring the concurren,
action of The Virginia Legislature in any
we'll considered law for the purpose. This
matter should receive the earnest aten-
ton of the next Legislature.