The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-05
WILL TELL FISH STORIES.
New York Men Fear That Food Fish
Are in Danger
AND HAyE CALLED A MEETING TO
TALK III OVER.

They Say that the Growing See rcity of Ed
ibIe Fish on the Atlantic Coast Is
Cause for Alarm-A Cynical Critic Re
torts that the New Yorkers are Anglers
Who Have No Luek-This Is Said To Be
Another Attack OH the NIenhaden.
New York, December 4.-There is at
present great diversity of opinion be-
tween the two classes of fishermen, those
the market. upon the question of the
probability of the extinction of fish food.
The amateurs say that the fisheries from
Maine to South Carolina are endangered
by threatened destruction of their food
supply. The feeling on the matter is
shown by the following circular, which
has been widely distributed:
s'The growing scarcity of edible fish
along our coast from Maine to North
Carolina is matter of Importance that
should not be overlooked by the states
interested. The cause OF causes of this
diminution should be ascertained, and
some remedy if possible should be ap-
piled at once by the enactment OF simple
and uniform legislation in all OF the sea-
board states before the now reduced
supply becomes further exhausted.
''With this object in view and with
desire for full, impartial and thorough
examination of the whole subject, we,
the undersigned citizens of the State OF
New York, have determined that some
effort should be made to obtain con-
ference of the commissioners of fisher
les as well as other citizens of the sea-
board states interested. who have made
the matter study, in order that some
plan of action be adopted to secure the
protection and preservation of food fish.
"We therefore invite you cordially and
request that you will personally invite
such citizens of your state as may feel
sufficient interest in the matter to attend
a conference to be held in the Office of
the commissioners of fisheries of the
State of New York, at So Broadway,
New York city, Wednesday, Dec. 13,
1898, at 10 a. m.''
This invitation or request will be ex-
tended to all members of the commits
sions of fisheries of the states of Maine
Massachusetts, Rhode. Island, Connec-
ticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Della
ware, Maryland, Virginia and North Car
olina, and the commissioners in addition
will be requested to invite such citizens
of their states as would be likely to take
sufficient interest in the matter to attend
such conference.
The circular is signed by the follow
ing: Austin Corbin, Henry w. Book.
staver, Henry P. McGown, Robert B.
Roosevelt, Fl. c. Fahnstock, John L.
Hill, W. G. Harris, VIM. Z. Vanderbilt,
Calvin e. Pratt, Phineas G. Lounsbury,
and others.
Its array of we'll known names does
not exempt the circular from the criti-
cism of those men who claim that their
interest in the matter does no! begin and
end in an occasional angling trip.
Il am wholly opposed to the object of
that circular" said Eugene G. Black
ford, ex fish commissioner of the State
of New York, land regard it as based
upon false premises. just look at
those names, sportsmen all of them, who
like to spend their abundant leisure fish
ing, or, as they call it, angling They go
out LOT Qdy sport, CoIHe III empty
handed, and at once give out the alarm
ing report that the reason they have not
caught any fish is because there are no
longer any fish to catch. They have all
been destroyed.
Nov, l ought to know something
about this alleged dearth of the supply
of fish food,'' said Mr.. Blackford."
These anglers, instead of putting the
blame for their inexperience where it
belongs, want to make people believe
that the menhaden fishermen have de-
stroyed the supply of fish.
s'The circular is really directed against
the menhaden or Mossbuntler and the
purse or pound net fishermen. These
catch the menhaden for the purpose of
making oil and fertilizing material. In
taking them up it is alleged that large
quantities of edible fish are also caught,
and thus destructive waste is carr led
on.
81 should greatly deprecate any action
by individual states, such as is contem-
plated in the circular, sent out before an
Investigation could be made by the
United States Commissioner of Fish and
Fisheries"
Letters received insure large attend
ance at the conference, which President
Blackford says is gotten up by the an
glers who fish for sport and can't catch