Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-15
A PORTLAND MAN
Declares Casco Bay Fishermen Want
Restriction on Herring SEEMING.

A. ~ Rogers of Portland takes ex-
ceptlon to an article published in the
Portland Express Advertiser Of Feb II
from. "A Fisherman" stating that the
fishermen of Casco bay do not want any
restriction on the seining of herring. Mr..
Rogers writes:
This fisherman IS evidently of the
class who are content with bread and
butter for day, and are not far-sighted
enough to look farther ahead than for a
single season. Under the bill now pend
ing in the Legislature, Caseo bay will be
practically thrown open to all comers
in the seining business, which means that
all of the large seinerS who are driven
from the eastern waters of our state
with their destructive and Illegal outfits
will be at liberty TO destroy the few re-
manning schools of herring that frequent
this bay.
This proposed amendment is most un'
Just to residents of Cumberland county
and is a clear ease of n few greedy indi-
viduals being granted the privilege oi
filling their own pockets at the expense
of the people, and the destruction of one
of our most important industries.
IF this law is enacted there will not he
herring enough left in Casco bay at the
end of the next two years to bait the
travis of single vessel. much less 10
furnish living for this fisherman,
who claims he does not want any protec-
ton in that line.
1T is q most deplorable fact that our
State laws are too often made-not III
the cause of justice and for the good Of
the state, but to crafty the wishes of a
few who have money TO put up in Secur-
ing the passage of such law.
The residents of Cumberland ana sag
adahoc counties, and particularly of
those. towns bordering on Casco bay, are
not willing that our natural resources
should be destroyed for the benefit of
people who have already SO depleted the
fisheries in their own counties that they
are driven out, and like scayengers. are
looking for new prey to fan upon, ana
any measure allowing this TO be done Will
be strenuously opposed by resident tax
payers of these counties. The objection
of a few fishermen" of the class above
mentioned are not TO be considered, as
they have not sufficient business Judg-
n.ent to merit attention, and too often
are not able to make even a fair living
for themselves without the help of others
of larger business caliber.
Tn the interest of all fishermen on our
coast, whether deep sea trawlers sem
ers or weir men, ali seining for any Kind
of fish inside any headlands of our coast
should be stopped. and it is only through
a law Of this kind that any of our small
or food fishes can be saved from entire
destruction.
"Our mackerel and porgies are practi-
cally cxterminated. Shad and smelts are
so depleted as to barely furnish living
for few fishermen, and last and great
est of the evils is the enormous deStruc-
tion of herring. the chief food OF all
other fishes, which are killed and left IN
the waters by thousands of barrels every
year by the sciners who care nothing for
the loss of n few thousand barrels. while
they are permitted to use selnes that Will
take from 1910 to 1900 barrels, at sii,-
gle haul No fair-minded man, or one OF
ordinary business Judgment. can want q
law that will permit this To be done