Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-01-15

Ing and longing interests, as well as
fish. crabs and clans. need attention
and legislation. The ocean side,
James river and Potomac river. par
ticularly. call for immediate legisla.
tion.
The boas-steam. sail and gasoline
of the police fleet have been doing
good work. Tut more are needed. In
Guiding the seaside counties, they
have. with tho inspector force. g.,
square miles OF tidal waters to pa
trol--equal. by the way, to n strip
more than n milo wide extending
from Maine to California. Virginia
producing water bottoms exceed any
in the United States. A comparison
with Maryland shows our fleet ,ne
smaller. fisheries expenditures less
than one.half and receipts more than
double.
The board has never been able to
rent an office. for lack of funds. as re-
quircd to do by law, and its collections
and specimens are lily cared for.
Louisiana. while not yet in advance
of Virginia. carried off the prizes for
oysters at the jamestown Exposition
because the Virginia board had no
funds wherewlth to make an exhibit.
The Chesapeake Bay aud seaside
oyster Is shown to be In demand be-
cause entirely healthful, no pollution
pouring into our waters Enemies to
the oyster are not found here in abun-
dance as elsewhere. The Chesapeake
stands in q class to itself.
Vigilance of the police have driven
many lawless workers from the rocks,
but gasoline boats are giving much
trouble because of easy escape. The
season for longing is recommended
to le from Oct l to April l. The sea-
son for dredging from Jan. to juno
/. The shiftless negro longer who re-
sides here only during the oyster SEA-
son. and then goes North, should be
kept of tho public rocks.
Tho zig-zag Baylor lines in the
James river should be made straight
or. for better policing. The Baylor
liners should be re-run by piece-meal
and permanently marked Some bot.
toms in Mobjack bay and on the sea-
side should be let out for seed pur-
poses. Unless seed can be procured
more readily than now many inter
csts will suffer. A "seed line" rs in
the James. should be established in
the Potomac. Scrapes, and no,
dredges, should be permitted in that
river.
The shucking or opening of oysters
has grown tremendously, but Is just
now at standstill because OF INSULT
Client laws In regard to seed AMI
plants.
Grabbing should not be restricted,
| but should pay good tax. CLANS
should be culled and also n tax for
their taking. Both of these indus
tries have grown rapidly.
A Gull law should be required for
fishing. Tho small fish, or trash
fish, should be thrown back alive
Heavy penalties should be provided
for undue destruction OF food fish. The
Menhaden fisheries. or fertilizer
works, represent million and q quar-.
ter OF dollars Investment. with an an
nual output of nearly million dol.
lars. The pound-net fisheries are just
as great.
Among the relief measures. the
board will advise that tho white ton
ger bo granted grounds for depositing
his catch so al not to be forced into
cheap markets. and that the tax on
planted oysters and shells be abolish
ed and n tax on sales substituted.
Besides being profusely illustrated
a number OF tables appear in the re-
port, showing that 10000 persons are
actively engaged In the fish and oys'
ter industries. the revenues by coun.
ties and itemlzed returns OF the fifty
inspectors. In all, the people of Vir.
ginia derive now between $12.000.0no
and Sl5,OOO,0OO annually from our wa.
ter bottoms.