Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-01-21


New bills for the amendment of our fish
and game laws are popping up all over the
State-and no wonder. The present laws
are disgrace to the fair name Of New Jer-
sey. Probably the most tyrannical is the
law passed in 1901 which reads: sIt shall
be unlawful to take or attempt to take any
fish from any Of the waters Of this State by
means of any continuance whatsoever ex-
cepting in the manner commonly known as
angling with hand line or with rod and
line under penalty Of twenty dollars for
each offense;;n with provisions for the
catching of eels ana minnows. This law
was not enforced in 1901 nor in 1902 nor
not until last July when Judge Miller, of
Camden, was asked to give decision as to
the meaning of the fish and game laws
Their incongruity had led to peculiar
state of affairs and no two persons seemed
TO agree as to their meaning, and even the
Fish Commissioners, the trainers Of the aw.
did not know its import. Judge Miller
decided that it was unlawful to cast any
kind of a net or continuance in the Della
ware river or any Of its tributaries or any
of the watersof the State at any time Of the
year notwithstanding another section Of the
laws passed at the last session Of the Legis-
lature and which read: The term waters
of this State shall be construed to mean all
the fresh waters of the State. He also said
that this act made it unlawful to fish a
shad net in the Delaware river or in any Of
its tributaries.
This was most serious blow to Salem
county fishermen and in fact nearly all our
citizens as well, as they were affected both
directly and indirectly: while many fisher
men from other counties in this part of the
Stare also felt concerned over the matter
1t has been estimated that owing to this law
Salem county fishermen, principally carp
and trout fishermen, lost last fall over
$4,000, and some were compelled to seek
! other ayocations.
Few people know Of the immensities Of
the shad fishing industry and what it will
mean if this law is not repealed. Accord
ing to the recent data secured hy the United
States Fish Commission there are about
25, 600 men employed in the shad fisheries
of the Atlantic Seaboaid Of the United
States; the value of the boats, apparatus of
capture, ETC., exceed S2,000,O0O and the
annual catch approximates $4,000, QUO in
number, valued at So, 600, ,O09 There is no
species of fish more important to the resi-
dents of the entire Atlantic Seaboard than
the shad, and none whose capture imme-
diately concerns larger number of persons.
In their annual migration shad run up the
Delaware distance Of 1s6 mi es. In 1901
the catch in Delaware bay and river
amounted to 100000 while last year it
almost reached 4, 0. 600. While the shad
fishing industry was the poorest in 1901 for
the past thirty years, and only brought an
income of about $150,000 to our shad
fishermen, the returns of the fishermen OF
Salem county in the past few years have
reached sum as high as $3.50, 600, and this
for only eight weeks fishing This p'ainly
shows what an important industry shad
fishing is and why this section Of the law
prohibiting the catching Of shad should be
repealed
In fact a general revision is necessary,
both as regards the taking Of fsh and
providing close stason. While the new
bills popping up all over the State, in most
instances, provide for close season, the
season is named at the wrong period; and
not in a single bill has there been any
reference made as to the capture Of trout or
more commonly termed blue FISH. Bpsld, s
the shad this is the only fish migrating in
our waters While the shad makes its
appearance in the Delaware during the
latter part Of March the trout does nos put
in an appearance until about month after
the shad.
The old law providing for the close
season OF catching shad to commence on
June 18th WAS an excellent one, for shad
begin 70 span about that time, but it would
undoubtedly be a benefit TO the si,ad indus
try il the 81 Sc season could be made Eve
days earlier, often many shad are caught
during the last few DAYS Of the season that
have accomplished the purpose for which
they came up our river.
Many fishermen Of South Jersey are
asking that law be passed allowing them
70 catch trout the most destructive fish IL
our waters), in seine or drift net, the
n,eshes Of which shall nos BE- Irss than three
iichss. excepting between July and Au-
gnst 4, and there is Justice IN their d !