The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-03-24

HN
Of III Hous or Snate and demand to be
let alone IN their course upon tlae plea
that they furnish cheap foed 70 the PEG
the exact reverse is the case at home.
Strange as It may seem the price of llsh
at seaside resorts is higher than before
Quantities OF the fish used at seashore ho-
tells are shipped from itns cities and are
not In the fresh condition that guests
clamor that three years ago, we are in
formed, there were presented to the Leg
stature a petition from sixty-threa ho-
than 100000 property value, the proprie-
tors praying for relief from the fishing
pound abuses. Injury to hotels means a
dependent upon their prosperity-the mer-
chant, the farmer, the dairyman, and the
various trades and vacations.
II we are to accept the statements of the
pound men without question, we are at
once confronted by an anomalous condi-
tieaa Ct affairs; When the smaller net
enormous catches of fish were had. Each
Succeeding year has witnessed enormous
increase in net capacity until at present
the three pocket system IS in use. De-
spite these facts. we are told that The
business has dwindled away until there
IS nothing but ruin staring them In the
Iace, and that the past year has been the
there is no diminution of the fish supply,
ana tnat t1e pound system has no effect
fish life knows that fish always follow q
Wen defined course in their annual yisi-
tatlons, having as their natural ffabita
the immediate. vicinity of the outer bar OF
the .ocean-this, of course, only applies
to the coast line fish. and has no refer
snfe 70 deep sea varieties, as they are
we are also asked to believe that the
present method of taking fish is the only
way the markets can be supplied, and
snat 70 preserve the millions of small
nsn Wnlch are annually slaughtered tc
future usefulness, woul mean the great
est flSh famine the world ever saW-ex.
actiy the same cry was raised by the
Delaware River h fishermen wher
protection was advocated here-remoy
the welrs, baskets, etc, and the peoplt
would languish for shad. AT last the
strong arm OF protection reached out
ana all stationary devices removed which
We're slaughtering untold millions of yoine
shad and most remarkable results fol
lowed. In the year 1880, $50, 900 pounds OF
shad We're taken. with a value of s35. 600
and in 1888, 6,521.A7 pounds were taken
with a value of 1907, All, all taken in legiti-
mate nets, and no small fish destroyed,
hundreds of men given remunerative EN-
pioyment, where comparatively few had
gathered in the entire catch of market
able size fish, and destroyed the balance
What is true of the Delaware is true or
this subject. Limit the destroying capac.
lty OF the pound net. and at once vii
spring into activity the gill and SWEEP
net. and again we will see thousands
of hardy handed line men busy, earning
a completeness.
To argue that the supply of food fish
is exhaustible is most fallacious, and the
favorite argument of desuItory migration
only a scheme to hoodwink the public
We cannot think that it would be eitheI
fishing that the entire product of the sea
be left in the hands of these pound
nets without restriction, nor can we yield
the claim that every man has his title
perfect to mis- just share of the free
swimming fish of the ocean. While the
inalienable right to take fish must be
granted, every citizen has a right to de,
nounce or approve the method employed
and to ask that such legislation be enact
ed which will conduce ''the greatest gooG
to the greatest number"