Evening star., 1902-01-08
PROTECTING GAME AND FISH
LOCAL ASSOCIATION INTERESTED IN
PROPOSED LEGISLATION.
Amendments to Maryland Law Urged
Upon State sfature-President
PennimaIs's Views.

Members of the local game and fish pro-
tective association are interested in the
outcome Of an efforGfha4 is being made in
Maryland to get laws passed at the present
session Of the legislatuEs which will pro-
vide greater security for fish and game.
Mr.. George Dobbinr Pepniman president
of the Maryland association, says that the
question of fish legislation Is one of the
most important onestin S3lis state. A large
income is derived from the catching Of
fish, large numbef OF people are inter-
ested in catching th4m foF market. and the
interest of these people Must be protected.
A large number sof people, on the other
hand, desire to use fish as an article Of
food. and another Jar@ class would use
fish as an article offfeod If they were suf-
fciently abundant to place the price within
the reach of this class. The interest Of
this class must be considered, and, again.
the interest of a number of people who
catch fish as recreation must also be
considered.
Presidents Penniman's Views.
In an interview printed In the Baltimore
American President Penniman is quote
| as saying:
I'VE propose in the first place to limit the
size at which fish can be caught sold. 1t
is shameful waste to catch and destroy
perch four inches long, when by permitting
that fish to remain in the water at no cost
to the public it would grow into fish
of good size by the next season.
Second, 1t Is absolutely necessary that
the fish should be allowed to observe the
law Of nature and go; to their spawning
grounds. Fish return to the place where
they are Matched from year to year, and it
is evident that unless the fish permitted
to go to the head Of the waters Of the bay
and Its tributaries to spawn there Is an
ever decreasing supply of young fish which
are annually returning to the bay to go to
the place where they were Matched. We
must look to these young fish for each
years supply.
Absolute Prohibition.
Third. The catching of fish for fertilizer
must be absolutely prohibited. We are
aware that there is some capital invested In
this business and some people engaged, but
why should the food of over 100000 people
be made more and more expensive in order
that few Of the people may profit by
catching these food fish for fertilizer we
cannot understand II Is said that these
fish fertilizer boats only catch menhaden
or alewives; this Is not so. for. as matter
of fact, numerous quantities of young rock,
perch and taylor are annually destroyed
small fish, too small to catch and eat, but
sufficiently large to be caught by fine nets
and turned into fertilizer. -
Again, II even only menhaden or ale
wives were caught, this should be prehib-
tied because these fish are the food of the
fish which men desire to catch for their
food 1t is ridiculous to expect that good
fish will or, can come up into the waters
Of the Chesapeake bay II we permit the
small trashy fish on which these good fish
feed to be destroyed It must be evident
to anyone that in order to maintain the
supply Of food fish In the waters of the
Chesapeake bay and its tributaries we
must maintain a supply of small fish on
which these good fish can live while in
our waters.
Small Fish.
'"The bill also provides that the numbers
Of small fsh which are caught when seine
Is hauled should not be left to die upon
the shore.hy the ton. as in the past, but
the nets must be landed in water of the
shore, 80 that the small fish can remain
alive while the large fish are being taken
from the net This pfdvision may cause
more or less hardship fH cases where per-
sons are engaged IN eatching fish by meth
eds which are surely yadestroying the supply
Of fish In the bay. 1sThd sole question Is,
shall the feed supply OF the whole people
Of this state be decreased and rendered
more ana more expensive In order that
few persons may cltain some temporary
work, or shall the aominon good prevail
and a law be passed which Will increase
the supply Of fish efn hour markets each
year and thereby decrease the cost OF each
fish, and place fish assH food within the
reach of MANY whoin1oNItcannot afford it."