Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-12-24
PUTS VIRGINIA SECOND.
her Fisheries Next to Massaehu.
sets, SAYS DIR. Smith

nueh M. smith, Deputy United
States Fish commits sioner. saws tb.
fisheries of Virginia at present are
more extensive and valuable than thosa
OF any State. with the single execution
Oh massachusetts,. DR.. Smiths expert
ence extends over period of rs wears
and recently he has given careful at
tention to the Virginia situation.
But the Massachusetts fisheries :,
he said, ARE to q very large extent
conducted in the open ocean man,
miles on shore, while the fisheries OF
virginia are confined to waters that
are under the jurisdiction of tn. ,.,,,,-
monwealth. IL thus appears that Vir-
ginis holds the first place in the entire
country for fishing prosecuted in bom.
waters. In 1880. and for lU.years
thereafter, the rank of Virginia was
only fifth or sixth, based on The vain.
OF the products. The recent inersa.,
mas been marked and has depended on
increases in population, greater activity
ana especially the use of more effective
apparatus and methods"
Or. Smith further said that tho most
valuable water product of Vrpiuia il,
the oyster, the annual output of which
sells for about 81, 600, 900. He. believes
that the output ought, with very little
difnculty, to be increased to 81. OOO ono
the result to be achieved. by oyster
planting and the abandonment of too
much dependence on the natural grounds
DIR. Smith declared that after 2s
years of special study he had reaches
the conclusion that menhaden fisheries
ought not to be interfered with in ,b..
Chesapeake Bay or elsewhere, because.
other fish destroy infinitely NOR. men
haden than man does.
II am no slarmist," he said ..h,,
the general trend is downward. and tb.
outlook for the perpetuation of som.
species of fish is decidedly unfayorable.
Action should be taken immediat.Iv /"
Dr. Smith suggested that craven
image to the shad be erected bv tn.
State of Virginia. Massachusetts so
honors the cod, he said, and Virginia
could not do better than to adopt as
her emblem the fish that has PLAYED s.,
important part in the devsIopment of
the material wealth Of the State. Tn.
supply Of fish, DR.. Smith showed by
statistics, is decreasing rapidly, being
but little more than half of what il was
ten years ago. The number of nets IN
the bay and around the mouth of rivers
told where the fish had gone, he said.
There are on the western shore Of
Virginia and on both sides of the Poto-
mac 1880 pound-nets, while on the
POTOMAC alone there. are more than
600 such nets, He suggested a reduc-
uon or the number of nets set durin ,
the shad run, an 1 that il be made un-
lawful to set an unbroken line of nets
Tor any desired distance from the shore
the number. of such nets in a given
string to- be limited. - -!
ERemarking on the natural resources
of the Old Dominion and its proximity
TO the great centers Of population, DIR.
Smith said: G
~ no reason why Virginia
should not become a great resort for
anglers. and your rivers and brooks will
become one Of the great assets of the
State. as they have of other States.
The correct attitude toward the con-
servation Of wild creatures and fish has
made Maine the great resort of outside
anglers and sportsmen, who leave $685.
oOo.ooO in the Maine woods each year.
Inc upper courses of all the Virginia
rivers and streams have such great
present and prospective value as recrea-
ton grounds and Sd little value ms COM
merciai fishing grounds that all forms
OF fishing in them for profit or marke,
SHOULD be prohibited, J" - 81