The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-19
"Oh Lord, How Long?"


If the arguments on conservation Of the fish
In the Chesapeake bay did not have
to bankrupt. so many worthy citizens
of this United States would feel inclined to
let those know-it-alls fight it out among them
selves, but knowing the situation from TWEEN
the FISH and oyster industry and with nearly /
eight years in an official position where not
only thorough knowledge Of the business Is I
essential but reliable statistics gathered
and theories worked out TO successful termi- /
nation we feel that it would be dereliction of
duty TO let the misstatements and absurd !
charges pass without defense Of State /
and It's people.
In the report going the rounds of the press /
from the United States bureau that the catch
Of Maryland shad had dropped from 1.7st,S72
fish in 1890 to 47S062 In 1912 and Virginia's
from ESQ. 3es in 1897 to $751; in 1918, and
that the North Carolina catch had increased
from 9S5.500 fish In 1903 to 1.S12500 in 1912,
particular pains is taken to say that the United
States commissioners report is unofficial. This
shows that It is based on mere conjecture. That
1t was based on a few isolated complaints is
very clear to minds, and proves nothing
except a decline of certain monopolies, All
Of us know that a haif-dozen nets will take
more fish than would and 1t Is the his
tory Of every industry, whore a success is
made. that many others rush in with de-
sire to participate in the profits with the
ultimate result that the business is overdone.
Then the cry goes up by those who rushed In
that their successful competitors were running
the business An honest examination would
develop the fact that this is just about the
way these estimates originated. case or n
Gloucester FISH shipper Is cited in the falacious
reports, he having shipped 5000 barrels In
1911, and in 1912 only shipping 100 barrels,
There is doubt that the gentleman had in
! 1901 a monopoly Of the fish shipping business,
but since then he has had many competitors
and his section has shipped more fish since
that time than 1t did before. 1t is only a
matter Of seeing his monopoly slipping away
from him. and not a diminution Of fish, At
any rate. we in Underwater, have been sup
plying Baltimore and the Northern and West
ern markets and there has not been a cry Of
any scarcity In the supply. though the De
rnand OF fish eaters has greatly increased
similar cry about the depletion of the oys~
ter rocks went up year after year. and IT
emanated from about the same sources and
with about much foundation in fact Ten
years ago the Virginia oyster output was only
II 900 100 bushels, while in 1911 the output had
increased to IL 600. 900 bushels. Notwithstand-
ing this fact presented officially, the cry
periodically goes up that the natural rocks are
being depleted, and that the public rocks must
be conserved.
Between the years 1904 and 1907 the State
saw her greatest prosperity in the oyster bust
ness While the increase of output was only
1000 900 bushels prices were much higher
than they before have been since.
9 About the year 1907 the Ture food scare
struck in and It found to be about the
strongest weapon that could he used by the
meat trust. TO knock out its strongest COM
. pettor. Strange to say, many of the Tide
water newspapers took up this cry Of the pol.
luted oyster and scattered II broadcast, just
{ simply on the say-so of Doctor Wiley's subs
3 Along with 1t some State papers, for political
effect cried scarcity when plenty existed and
this could have been proved to them In a few
= hours visit to the oyster rocks. The same
= papers are now exploiting the last promul
cations of the government on fish conservation
without any examination, and knocking a bus
ness into smithereens that has built theil
sections up And yet If congress falls to make
an annual appropriation for two warships
year or change the customs districts to ar
e economical basis there IS howl to go up
@ other State papers that don't love Tidewatel
a little bit are unfair enough to make state
ments absolutely untrue which they know
: to be false and unwilling to verify
It must be remembered that the Geographic
cal situation of Virginia puts her In a mucf
better position than Maryland in respect to the
G fish business. because the FISH to get int
. Maryland waters have to enter the waters o
Virginia first and, naturally, our fishing inter
/, csts get the first pckings, like North Carolin;
g gets the first run Of the shad and herring since
- that State is the first stopping place Of thos
fish their run up the coast to Their annua
r spcwnng grounds Another thing tina
should not be lost sight of is that year
back the waters at the spawning grounds il
the Potomac and Susquehanna pure
r than now, and not so INSTRUCTED by dams.
wear or so ago government officials went IA
as to declare that the of Washington
o had polluted one lone oyster eighty miles be
G low Washington, Possibly the river has go
= purer since the change of adminlstration--b.
way OF parenthesis--the Republican party be
= ing proven rotten to the core; hence the pol
II luton.
Were Maryland placed geographically in tn
same position Virginia, her bays and inle!
would get the first run of fish and she wou
'. also have more fish factories. and this dog il
the manger' howl would not be going up.
Twenty years Baltimore city had
]. monopoly Of the oyster business Of the Cheso
n peake bay. MS oysters not opened to an
. great extent at any place in Virginia but Nor
&c folk Nearly all Virginia oysters Were carrie
G. to Baltimore by vessels and shucked in tina
city and the output of the Baltimore oyste
houses. consisting of the output ~ both tina
state and of Virginia were credited TO Mary
d Wand One hundred thousand bushels wer
ia annually shipped To Baltimore in sailing YES
sells out of little Carriers creek alone. Late
on when the oyster houses were situate
d nearer the oyster rocks in both Maryland an
a Virginia and the oysters shueked and shippe
to Baltimore the vessel trade ceased, an
g while Baltimore today handles many NOR