Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-28
THE ssNURDEROUS SElNE's AND
THE HUMANE TRAP NET.
A Few Words 20 sss. N. F.,,

To the Editor Of THE EVENING STAR:
1 see by your issue of the 10th instant that .
STAR reporter ran across an old seine-hauler
who had returned home after cutting out with
out the means for squaring his accounts, and In
answer to question from the reporter he said
ats no use; have been in the fishing business
for forty years. and it's played ont. am think
Ing strongly of turning my attention to some
thing else. and would be happy man II
could get anything like the cost Of my outfit
years fruitless efforts and no encouragement
ahead"
This, coming from an old fisherman of forty
years experience. contrasts pretty strongly with
the theoretical clap trap of -. NJ F." who, In a
previous issue OF your journal. took occasion to
class all seine-haulers as capitalists and oppres-
sors of the poorer classes Of fishermen. '.The
real issues" he says, so ably lodged on all
occasions. are between the destructive haul
seine and capital on one side, and the
on the other - the mission of the latter
Is to foster, of the former to DESTROY" He
then enters into an elaborate description of the
''murderous haul-seine," followed by an equally
elaborate eulogy upon the merits of the trap
net. He pictures the haul-seine as an engine OF
destruction gathering up and dragging before IL
small fish, spawn. grass, debris. and, In fact
everything movable. The trap-net is reflect ed
as haven OF refuge. very boon, which is wei
coined with JOY by those Of the fnned tribes
who have been SO fortunate as to escape the
meshes OF the murderous seine. 1t is fished
but once q day, and it protects and holds i'm
suspension immense quantities of spawn: il
stands from two to two and one-half months,
and propagates more fish than it can possibly
capture. After reading 8. NJ. F's article 1 am
led to wonder why the fish commission does not
adopt the trap-net as an important appliance in
the stocking OF streams. He says the fish are
carefully handled at trap-nets. and the small
ones have good chance to make their escape
or to elude the pursuit of destructive fish. s.
NJ. F. deals just little in generalitles
wonder II he ever saw the leaders Of a trap net
LETT down from two to two and one-half mouths2
There are various reasons which demand the
occasional lifting OF these leaders and one very
important one in District waters is the fact that
the act OF Congress providing for the protection
OF the Potomac fisheries demands that all lead
ers shall be lifted clear Of the water for some
thing like thirty hours in each week. To hint
that this law is not complied with might get
trap-net fishermen into trouble The small fish,
he says, have good chance to escape This
hardly goes for the saying though. If the fish
Is not so very small as to PASS through the
mesh Of the leader he need not ex-
pect to find smaller mesh in the
trap or pound. and, therefore, can't see ex-
actly where his good chance comes In. And
then when it comes to eludng the pursuit Of
destructive fish the small fish has here space
twenty-four to thirty feet square in which to
do his evading-comment is unnecessary.
"Fish are carefully handled at the trap-nets,"
he says land none sent away crippled"
They are most carefully handled. and none
crippled or otherwise are permitted to escape
Last spring shad and herring, three to five
nenes In length wers sent in to this city
tanning hundreds and hundreds and
they were sold for less than one dollar per box.
Reference to the books of Mr.. r. A Golden Will
sustain the accuracy Of this statement
Now, Mr.. Editor, allow me to declare myself
a 'murderous seine" hauler and to add that
have had thirty-fve years experience with
seines OF various dimensions / am at present
finishing what think is one of the largest haul
seines on the Potomac river. That seine is
hauled only twice In the twenty-four hours-on
the ebb tides-and is not in the water
altogether over three hours each time. /
catch, just as the trap-nets do. more or less
small fish. q wish / could avoid it, } and do
have to bring I'm good deal of debris in the
early spring. but during my long experience
do not remember to have ever seen or heard Of
single instance where particle of spawn was
drawn ashore by haul-seine.
The method employed in removal Of fish from
haul-seine, when they are brought together
and ready to- remove, is identical with that
employed in taking them out of trap
net am not certain as to whether Mr..
rs. NJ. F. knows where our fish-wharf is, but
if he does not. and will inquire he can readily
ascertain, and then by a few visits during the
fishing season he may learn that which say
here Is literally true. think S. NJ. F. has mis-
represented things on both sides, and want to
say to him simply this:
First. will wager one hundred dollars that
he never saw particle Of the spawn Of shad or
herring held in suspension" by any portion Of
trap-net.
Second. 1 will wager another hundred
that he never saw particle Of shad or herring
spawn drawn ashore by means Of haul seine.
Thirdly. will wager still another hundred
that he never saw haul made by one of the
large ''murderous seines' he refers to in such
bitter terms.
Finally, would say to S. N. F., there is 10
.garden sass" about this. do not even care
to take his suggestion to Mr. Armstrong and
write over nom de plume mean business,
and am ready and willing to back everything
say will be glad to see him at any time at my
residence. WILLIAM NEITZEY,
1910 Maryland avenue southwest.