Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-01
Fisheries of the Potomac River.

| The Star recently published in its news
columns statement made by a former
fish inspector in the employ of the Dis
trict government that destruction of
food fish by fertilizer factories engaged
| in the manufacture of fertilizers and oil
at different points along the Potomac riv-
| er is responsible for the big shortage in
| the supply of herring marketed in Wash
| ington during the past few seasons.
The depletion of the shellfish and fin fish
of the Chesapeake region is a matter OF
concern to Washington because Of the
question of food supply and of the bear
| ing which this question has on the in
| come and prosperity of the people along
| the Potomac river who in a sense are
suburban residents of Washington. The
| fishing industry of the Potomac river
has been declining for more than a CEN
| fury, with here and there, of course
| seasons of exceptional plenty. Fishing
shores once of great value are now
| worthless for their fishing rights, and
| while few years ago prosperous fishing
| shores were operated close to the city of
| Washington, they have been abandoned
| one after another, until about the only
| fisheries which produce more than water
| hauls are now far down stream or in
Chesapeake bay, and these are beginning
| to complain that fish are scarce.
| When the seat of government was re-
| moved to the District of Columbia there
were valuable fishing shores on both sides
of the Eastern branch as far up as the
present Pennsylvania Avenue bridge In
April, 1907, the trustees of the estate of
Aquila Wheeler, who had owned the land
he af O Penn
sylvania Avenue bridge and ran the East
ern branch ferry, advertised for sale
that we'll known ferry and fishing land
ing" Duke de la Rochefoucauld-Lian-
court, who crossed the Eastern branch
ferry and boated along the Potomac river
at the site OF Washington, wrote:
This is at present a season when
shoals of herrings appear on the coasts
of America in the rivers communicating
with the sea. l have constantly seen at
every creek along the Potomac a num-
Der of people employed in fishing for
them with long nets which they drag for
a while and then draw the extremties
| together. There is seldom draught at
which they do not take thousands. The
| greater part of them are instantly cured.
| There is an immense consumption in
every part of America of this species of
| food. Fresh herringS sell here for 81 a
thousand. Sturgeon are also very plenti-
| full, but do not think it is as good as the
surgeons in Europe"
| Up to the time Of the civil war and even
subsequent to that great period there was
profitable SEEMING along the south shore
or the Anacostia side of the Eastern
| branch along the Talburtt, Barry and
Young farm lands, and as late as the
spring OF 1875 Giesboro, at the south side
of the junction Of the Eastern branch and
the Potomac, was a well known fishing
shore. organs point, on the Maryland
side above Marshall Hall, was valua-
BILE fishing shore, and SO, too, was White
House, the landing on the water front of
| the Fairfax land below Mount Vernon
on the Virginia side. Pressed back down
stream, shore after shore was abandoned,
until now the Potomac and it's tributaries,
once one of the great fishing grounds of
| the country, is comparatively barren wa
ter. Fish culture and correct legislation
against fish waste would probably restore
1t to condition where it would yield a
bountiful food supply.