Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-06-05
SEASON POOR
IN CHESAPEAKE BASIN

WASHINGTON. d. Z June a.
Inquiries conducted b. the Bureau
Of Fisheries Department Of Com
mefoe show that the present fishing
season has been the poorest Ia many
Year ia most parts OF The Chesa-
peake Bashin and tn aggregate.
catch OF the principal Fpring fish.
shad and herring viii ir much iasa
than To- recent years. The effects Of
the diminished run OF fish will be
seen from three 20 five years hence,
when the reduced progeny Of this
season's supply comes back 10 spawn
The conditions In tbc Potomac
River. which may be- taken as typi-
cal for an me major streams. are in
some respects the worsl Boo 30 years
The upper reaches OF tho river nave
been almost barren OF fsh during
the entire season, ana nearly all the
shad and herring fishermen have
failed 90 meet expense 40 Ferry
LANDING. the largest SEINE ou the
river. 1900 iathOms long. has dis
continued operations la fhe middle
az tho season owing a. fhc scarcity
OF fish. lu former year this cole
hrated fishing shore. with O. small
er seine. someties yielded 200. 900
OF more herring at a haul. and up
20 10 or o. years ago took probably
600 40 10000 fish 90 q haul on
au average Only a fea years back.
from 1000 10 1909 shal were FREE
grently taken az one ~ OF the
seine This year the largest haul
Nas 1000 herring aud 100 shad.
while many times only 20 90 shad'
Werc taken.
The shad h~atcheries operated boy
th" Bureau OF the Potomac and sus-
puehanna rivers had very un
successful season. Their operations
afford o good criterion of the coudi-
tion of the fishery In tlo fresh vat
ors, because the whole field 8, COS,
cred and nearly every ripe fish that
Is caught by the fishermen is strip
ped OF It's eggs by spaWu-takors sent
out from the h~atcherias AZ the
Hhad hatchery on the Potomac. the
egg collections amounted 10 ,9.9SS.-
600. as compared with SS.72I.O0o iu
1872 The hatchery 10 thr mouth
of the SuseQuehanna river has
been able 10 secure only 10000
eggs TO date. as compared with IO.-
100000 In 1912. whicb season was
regarded as an absolute failure.
Shad culture on a scalo that IL
entirely feasible can with minor pro
tectiye legislation, maintain The shad
fishery In almost any stream. but
shad culture under existing condi-
lions Is deprived of one very essen
tial requirement.. nafhely. nm ade-
quate supply Of ripe egges Tor hatch
Ing purposes.
The immediate cause Of the fall
IRE of the shad and herring fisheries
this year is the diminished run OF
spawning fish into C~hespakea bay
from the sea, and he enormous
quantity Of apparatus among which .
a very limited catch had to he DO
vided luasmueh as the great bulk
OF the Weld ~ taken In salt water.
the remnant that was able TO reach
the spawning grounds in the streams
was insignificant aud wholly made
quate 10 maintain the supply.
The remote cause OF the present
condition Is excessive fishing bon
former years, and The lack Of even
the minimum amount of protection
that Is demanded lf regard Tor tho
most elementary principles Of fishery
conservation. Fish entering Chosa-
p.akc Bay have 90 run through such
q maze of nets thar the wonder i-
that any are able to reach their
spawning grounds md deposit their
eggs The mouth of every import /
ant shad and herring stream in the
NJ u.s. iNHAN . llfldllN ilNN 4
gcd with nets thar are set for the
spccial purpose oi u'ercepting every
fish whereas a proper regard for
N" future welfare ~ the fisheries
and for the needs of the migratiug
schools would cau. he nets to boz
set 50 as 10 insure he escape of a
certain proportion %. the spawning
fish.
Adequate protection of the fishes
Is compatible With sreai freedom OF
fishery and with @ .a-ge and incrcas-
inr yield \ very rht curtailmeut
~ the catch perhar. as little as 90
per cent In any given year-may be-
10 perpetuate the species
and result In iucrol 4 production in
a few years. u disregard "a re-
luirement 30 small aud To permit
The continuance OF evil so serious
Id. limit -