The Portland daily press., 1889-02-18
NAMES RESTRICTIVE FISHERY LAWS.
A Practical Fisherman Who sSays
They are Useless.
Luther Maddocks, ESQ.,, Lances the
Maine Lawgivers.
Free Fishing and Prosperity; DC
They CO Together.
Especial to the Press.l

this winter presenting the case OF
the Boothbay petitioners. is one of the mer
| connected with the fishing interests of Maine
who has made national reputation. Al
| the time when our controversy with Canads
was under discussion at Washington, Mr.
| Maddocks was Secretary of the National
Fishery Association, which maintained head
| quarters at Washington and labored with 6
success that was as distinguished as it wa:
| gratifying in impressing upon Congress the
| wishes and wants of the American fishermen
| Mr.. Maddocks was among the first to criti
| cize the treaty, and he did not cease to criti
| cize it so long as it was under discussion.
| During the last two years he has made a
| study of the fshing.interests and the fisheries
and the fishery laws Of every State in the
Union but California. In this way he has
added greatly to store of information al
practical experience in every branch of fish
| cries conducted on the coast of Maine.
"In all these years of my experience" said
Mr.. Maddocks, today, Il have acquired some
ideas very different from the ideas of the
men who have framed the laws of our
statute books that refer to the sea-shore
fisheries The leading principle of those
laws is restriction of the operations of our
own fishermen in order that the fish, as it Is
thought, may not be exterminated. But the
facts that my experience has taug ht me are
that the utmost endeavors of our coast fsh-
ermen, whether they use seines, traps or
lines, or any other apparatus known to fish
ermen at the present time, can not and would
not in any term of years, make any appreci-
able diminution in the supply Of those fish
that swim In the sea, especially the migrat-
ing fish. the menhaden, the mackerel, the her
ring and the shad."
"But did not excessive seining practically
exterminate the menhaden on our shores a
few years ago, Mr.. Maddocks?"
mo sir. There is no evidence OF 1t what
ever. The last year the menhaden were here
In 1878, they were In great abundance. an
abundance greater than for any one OF the
sixteen previous years during which SEEMING
cause was a pioneer in the menhaden busi-
ness on the coast of Maine. The fishermen
that followed the menhaden to Cape Cod in
the fall Of 1878 are unanimous in their opin-
ions that no larger schools Of menhaden
passed that point in any year than passed
that year. II they had been all caught up
these immense schools would not have been
left to depart. The next year. in 1879, hardly
a menhaden appeared on our coast. Nor In
the next or the next year, nor until the past
season did they re-appear, when, at their usual
time and upon the old feeding grounds, they
came after an an absence Of ten years in
more than their old time numbers. They
came In fact In greater numbers than ever
before seen by the Oldest menhaden fisher
men ON our coast. From Maine to the Capes
OF Virginia the sea was alive with them. AS
many as 5000 barrels were taken in one fore
noon by single steamer off the coast of
Rhode Island, and the great factories in that
region were unable to manufacture more
than half that could have been caught. No
man knows why the menhaden remained
away from the coast of Maine for those ten
years. For all that time they came regular
ly to the coasts from Cape Cod to Florida,
notwithstanding the fact that every year
they were fished more persistently than they
ever had been on the coast of Maine. They
spawn in the warm waters south of the
Capes of Virginia during the winter months
and range along our northern coasts as count
less swarms of summer visitors This shows
how useless it is for the State of Maine to
restrict its fishermen in the pursuit of these
fish, as If they were natives of our waters.
They are but migratory swarms, and If our
fishermen do not take them the fishermen of
other States will And as the menhaden are
generally fatter on our coasts, fishermen
Of other States, acting under United States
license, will come here and take away the
fish that should be caught and manufactured
by our own people.
Now as bait supply these menhaden are
invaluable, and since our trouble with
Canada these and other bait have become
of great importance. Encouragement should
ne given to the fishing of menhaden on this
account, so that fishing vessels from Massa-
chuSetts and other places may come here and
get their bait supplies as they did in years
past. But this Is restricted by thepresent law
which prohibits seiniDg in the bays and
mouths OF rivers where the entrance is less
than three miles broad.
The same laws govern the mackerel that
govern the menhaden. They too are mi
gratory In their nature and habits, and do
not as rule frequent the same localities
every year. While this present year is con-
sidered year of great scarcity In mackerel
been seined south of Cape Cod. The mack
erel like the menhaden breed in the warmer
Southern waters but unlike the menhaden
range north as far as the bay of Chaleur.
On their way they sometimes pass Cape Csd
and follow in along the coast of Maine; and
sometimes they strike off from Cape Cod
straight to the Provincial waters. Those are
the times when there is scarcity of mack
| erel on the coast of Maine. l can remember
when they have been
| itself we may look for their return In as
| great numbers as ever wherever they see fit
| topUt in an appearance. SO 1t Is plain that
| when they do come the opportunity to catch
tn6iu SuOulu uut Dt EcStIlCtcu. FOI IL our
fishermen do not get them they may never
return but the next year may take an entirely
| different course. The small seiners along
| our shores can reap harvest If allowed to
| fish in our bays, which they could not do if
obliged to go out to sea where more expen-
| fishermen are entirely restricted under the
| present law, which they deem a hardship. y
"What do you think about protecting the
lobster?"
81 think the lobster win take care of him.
| self and ask no odds of the legislature, The
| laws now on our Statute books have been
| enacted to satisfy the caprices of fthree differ
| ent classes,-the men who fish In winter only
| and who want everyone restricted that they
may catch more during their season; the
want the privilege OF catching fish regardless
of size and close time; and the Gamers who
| would like the privilege of buying small
sized Holsters during the spring months
These three classes are antagonistic: l be
lieve they all should have their rights, and
the only way to do that is to give them FIRE,
fishing, and until that is done the lobster
question will always be before the Legisla
ture. As there. is nc. evidence that they
would diminish in numbers, or size, If fshet
for as they were before the first lobster Law
of 1883, 1t would seem safe for the State t
allow this business to regulate itself. 1t i
evident to all that the present close time II
unjust, and works great damage to our mar
kets by causing an annual glut In the fal
when the open time begins.
"As to the determination of fish or lob
sters this much is certain. IL 1t is found tina
| any OF them are actually being exterminatet
and don't believe that ever will be found
the State can, at far less expense thai
the restriction laws now cost, produce an
nually by artificial propagation. enough, T
more than Offset the annual capture. Thi
applies to Holsters as we'll as mackerel o
c0d,- This last year the cod has been NOR
numerous on this coast than for twent,
years, although they have been flshed per
sistently with travis.
i II believe that with liberal State polio
to our fishermen Maine would rank first as
fish producing State, whereas she Is nov
ninth, being outranked by even North Care
lima. The fishery product Of North Carolin
during the first four months of last year wa
over half million dollars. Maine with it
5000 miles of coast, with its bait supply, an
many natural advantages that other State
do not possess, Is kept back by discouragin
restrictive laws. And no man dares inves
dollar In fishery establishment for fea
| the next Legislature NAV idanIara his hus