Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-05-21

Friday Morning.......".".May q, 1856.
Trap Net Fishing.
The question of trap-net fishing, which
in late years has come into very general
operation in the waters OF the Potomac,
has for several years past been fruitful
topic of discussion among those concerned
in the fishing interests of our river. There
seems to be among the practical fishermen
and those directly interested in the fish
ing industry, excepting of course those
who operate the traps, a general, not to
say universal opinion that the trap-nets
operate very injurieusly to the fishing in
terests. 1t is said that they serve to di-
minish the supply of fish very much in
excess of the quantity actually caught, and
that the waters in which that system Of
fishing is extensively practiced seem to be-
come offensive to the fish and drive them
away. Many 60 so far as to charge the
great falling off in the supply OF Potomac
fish which has been SO notable and SO fire.
quently commented on in the last ten OF
twelve years, exclusively to the extensive
growth of the system of trap-net fishing
which has taken place in that period Of
time.
1t is proper that an opinion which pre-
walls so generally upon question Of Sc
much importance should receive full and
fair consideration with view, if neces-
sary, of correcting the evil by proper leg.
islation. There is, it is true, by the com
mon law, public right of fishing 10 tide
waters in any manner which does not i'm
pair or obstruct the public right OF navi'
CATION, and it is desirable upon general
principles that the fullest liberty within
those restrictions should be accorded to
those engaged in fishing; and above al
that there should be no legislative diseri'
mination between different classes of fish
ermen, except 50 far as the public inter
ests actually require. But the question
of maintaining and protecting the supply
of food fish in the public waters is one Of
great economic importance, which affects
the whole people and not the fishermen
alone therefore, when it is shown, if il
should be shown, that any one method o.
taking fish is particularly destructive te
the supply, the public interests demand
that it should be restrained.
It is said that many young fish insult
able for food are killed in the traps and
the quantity of such fish killed in that
way are observable floating upon thewaters
in the neighborheod Of the traps, frequent
ly giving forth an offensive odor along thu
adjacent shore. In addition to this,whict
is Represented as fruitful source OF des
truction Of the fish supply, many contend
that the vast amount of tarred seine KEEP
constantly in the water where the trap
nets are abundant, serves to impregnate
the water to such an extent as to render II
offensive to the fish and drive them away.
Whatever may be the causes, it is said to
trap net fishing that f ~ta II 1 they have
become abundant, great diminution in
the supply Of fish has been observed to
follow. It is said that trap net fishing
was formerly very extensively practiced
in the Delaware river, but that the injuri-
Gus effects of that mode of fishing became
so manifest that, by concurrent leg station
of the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and Delaware, it has been prohibited and
discontinued throughout the entire extent
of that river. We have been informed
that in other northern rivers that method
of fishing has been broken up by law
We learn also that measures looking to
this end were pending before the Virginia
Legislature at the last session, with what
result we have not been informed.
In this connection one important fact
noticeable in the fishing season Of last
year should not be overlooked. 1t will
be recollected that, while in the Potomac
last year we had the smallest catch OF
shad known to the oldest fishermen, in
the Delaware shad were more abundant
than for many years before. 1t was also
noticeable and was commented on in the
papers, that many Of the shad caught in
that river during that season were recog.
nized al the Potomac fish. The U. S.Fish
Commissioner, being interviewed by a
newspaper reporter at the time in refer.
eHce to that fact, undertook to account fol
1t by theory which was not recognized
as by any means plausible or satisfactory
It may be a matter worthy Of considers.
ton ss to whether the superabundasce OF
trap nets in the Chesapeake bay, the Pc.
tomac and other tributaries and tho en-.
tire absence of them in the Delaware bay
and river may net have had an important
bearing on the matter.
In view of the history of trap net fish
ing in other rivers and the rapid diminu-
ton in the fish supply in our river in late
years since that method of fishing hai
been in general operation here, We believe
that the question of the effect of this mode
of fshsng upon the fishing interests and
the supply of food fish merits at this time
mature consideration at the hands of the
thinking people of our State and OF Vir,
ginia.
The fate of young Pearre, which hat
been hanging fire for nearly year before