The Penn's Grove record., 1903-10-16

New Jersey were timely and tothe point.
| will be thankful TO you if you wllal-
low me space for an article relating 20
and fish laws. I will state some
which ! hope will lead every fisher
man to take some action in trying topro-
tect the business that brings him his
bread and butter.
Fishermen of South jersey, if We do
not keep wide awake and stand together
as one man for laws to protect our BUSH
ness we will soon have to engage in some
other occupation besides fishing. The
and fish laws are in such 9 condi-
ton that one dare not shoot any game y
catch a mess of fish without great danger,
violating some game or fish law. Most
these laws have originated in the heads
a lot of loafing sportsmen who are men
of wealth and reside in the upper part
of u State. No doubt we can add to
these a number of Pennsylvania Sports
men, who by paying a small license can
shoot our game and catch . fsh q such
times as suits them best.
What about that outrageous fish law
that wal passed by our Legislature last
winter giving unlimited power to the
Game and Fish Commissioners to grant
or refuse permits to those who wished to
fish for carp or suckers. The law prohi-
bits the catching of food fish altogether,
except with an angling line. Think Of
two thousand fishermen starting to go
shad fishing in the spring with hook and
line. What a ludicrous sight this would
be. Yet this would be the situation or
otherwise stay at home if the laws we're
enforced,
The 10th Section OF the fish law that
was passed last winter reads as follows:
"The Board Of Fish and Game Com
missioners is hereby authorized to issue
in its discretion to all properly accredited
persons permits to take carp and suckers
from the waters of this State by means of
a net, the mesh of which shall be not
less than four inches, provide however,
that in every case all game az food fish
captured therein shall ~ Immediately
returned therefrom uninju,ed as far as
practicable. Such permits to be issued
by the board of Fish and Game Commits
sioners under such restrictions as to the
method and time Of using such nets as
may be deemed proper by said board Of
Fish and Game Commissioners"
If this section of the fish law is not an
unjust one to the fishermen of South Jer.
sey then / do not understand the mean
ing of words not even allowed to catch
carp and suckers with a net less than a
four inch mesh.
Evidently it would be a good thing for
the fishermen if we could capture a lot
of those suckers who are sucking around
our Legislature halls every winter work
ing mischief to the fishermen OF South
Jersey.
But to return to the 10th Section you
will notice says that all food fish captur-
ed must be returned to the water again,
and might as well added these words and
allowed to swim to the Delaware side Of
the river for the special benefit of the
Delaware fishermen and ~Jerseymen are
unworthy to eat any kind Of fish except
carp and suckers. This is what it means
practically. It seems clear to me that
these sporting anglers in the upper part
of our State had the audacity to think
that all of the o f619enHa16
River would swim to the upper part OF
this stream and be confined to its narrow
limits and allow these sporting anglers to
select some shady spot and enjoy their 10
cent segar and drink their fancy wine,
while they would rejoice in the number
of fine beauties they would capture. while
you who live down in the mosquito end
of the State can eat your carp and suck
ers.
But to return to the law in question.
Their seems to be an inscrutable mystery
that surrounds this law-it appears that
no one knows who introduced it or how
it got through the two houses SO quickly
and became a law. The Representatives
from both Salem and Gloucester Coun-
ties don't seem to know anything about
how this bill was passed. All the same
it is a law of the State of New jersey.
The question that now confronts US Isl:
What are we going to do about it !? I sup
pose this answer would be almost unanim-
Gus on the part of the South Jersey fish
Repeal it. How are we going
TO repeal it? | answer by arousipg every
fisherman and every business man to be-
come interested in its repeal and also to
demand of u representatives to the
this winter that they commit
to do what they can to work
or its repeal. This is the feeling that
inmates and sti1s the fishermen and
business men of Salem and Gloucester
Counties.
After two or three pressing invitations
y the Paulsboro fishermen it was the
'riviledge of the writer and my friend
ohm S. Dolbow, to attend a meeting held
n Paulsboro on Friday evening, Oct. I'd.
Or the purpose Of organizing q Shad
'ishermen's Protective Association. They
rganized with II members to start with. |
md with very good prospects Of getting
hundred in the near future. It was re-
larkable to see the interest that was
AIKEN by every member and the enthus-
I'M that was manifested on the ~
very fisherman. Seventy-one
vere laid on the table as the initiation
ses of the members. The speeches made
Tere full of fire and had the right ring in /
hem. The Representatives of Salem
nd Gloucester Counties in our Legisla-
Ire last winter were under fire by the
oeech makers for their supine treatment
I that obnoxious law. The fishermen Of
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