The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14

slaughtered. There are today but a few hundred in existence
 Think of this, Gloucester menl And yet, Captain Reed had the courage to LOOK me squarely in the face from under ms sou wester. and attempt to argue that It was foolish to think the mackerel and the Holsters would be killed off becau se there were once so many of them
 Oh no! continued this philosopher
 there be Jest ez many mackerel as ever Wuz, but they hey taken anuther course. D
 rms argument l have heard many times along the eastern coast; and al- though it was strongly maintained. no one could tell about where this "other course" might be-
 few years ago, working on this quixotic theory, the German government sent out fleet of fishing vessels, con Voyed by man-of-war, 10 try to locale th1s 'other course": or rather to find mackerel, or other food fish, in waters where they were previously unknown Much effort was consumed, but no satis- factory results were obtained writer who visits Gloucester in search Of facts regarding the fisheries Is about as cordially welcomed as is the man who serves us with an otIce that we have to do jury duty.
 On decayed and unused fish wharf in Newburyport I sat with old Captain Silas Dean. who talked sadly and reminiscent ly, as betimes he carved huge slabs of plug tobacco with "jacknife," conveyed then to his befringed mouth, and then rythmically and deXterously expectorat- ed. using the harbor for a cuspidor.
 Yes! 1t was so. and it was the damned purse seine that did it."
 Captain Sllas enumerated the towns that he could remember as having once had goodly fleets of fishing vessels: Swampscott, Marblehead. Rockport, Cape Porpolse, and many others; but now there were very few survivors
 Newburyport, for instance, once had seventy-five vessels engaged in the fish cries: but now it had absolutely none If 1t wasn't for the summer boarders the people along the coast would have gone hungry. Down at Cape Porpoise, Seth PinlSham used to have a big wharf and fish house. where he handled fresh and salt fish There were thirty vessels sail Ing from that port, and peddlers used to drive from forty miles back to stock up with fresh fish for the inland farmer s and villagers. Now only three schooners of any size sail from Cape Porpoise; the old fish wharf was falling to pieces, and the trolley road company was running q casino what the the Pinkham prop erty. Taking summer boarders is now the manstay of the village.
 The extinction of these fish, or even the unnecessary scarcity which now pre- vails, means far more than appears on the surface It means depriNing the poorer classes of a necessary food arti- ce, to say nothing of taking away from the well to do many appetzing delicacies. It means sending money to foreign coun- tries for fish that should be more plenti- full here than anywhere else in the world: and 1t means to the fishermen the loss of that calling without which they will be in an almost helpless condition. especially in the present condition of our merchant marine.
 But it is not from motives of senti- ment alone that the United States should safeguard the interests of the eastern fishermen with care. Our fishermen arc practically naval reserve available in time of need: and for this reason, if no other. their interests demand our pro- lection.