The Republican journal., 1915-11-25
Plans for determination. =.
Commission Re ceiving Support in Fighting
the Dogfsh.
1.-THE Boothbay Register.1


Much interest has been aroused in fish.
ing circles throughout New England in
the proposed federal legislation to exter-
minat9 the dogfish. startish and sharks
along the Atlantic Seacoast. Thus far
the movement has reached only the New
England coast, but as it's purpose is also
to provide relief along the coasts OF other
States where these scavengers are at
work every year, the Name State Sea-
food Protective Commission, which has
inaugurated the campaign. will extend
its activities farther south in little
time.
Hon. Luther Maddocks of this town,
executive secretary of the commission.
has recently visited several of the fishing
cities and towns of Maine and Massa-
chusetts, with results that have been
pleasing. Last Friday night the Board
of Trade of Gloucester listened to his
arguments for cooperation in the work
and voted to take action to assist. In
Boston the fishing interests are enlisted
in support of the proposed measure and
wherever MIR. Maddocks has been be has
found deep interest. He is to take up
his home in Washington this winter and
will personally have charge of bring
ing of the bill be fore Congress-.
Some notifications of the plans have
been made since the commission was
first created. The most important per-
haps is the taking up of cudgels against
the starfish. How this will affect the
measure may readily be seen when it is
known that along the Connecticut and
Long Island shores of Long Island Sound,
in Jamaica Bay and Chesapeake Bay are
millions of dollars invested in oyster
beds. These are being infested by star
fish and the loss from the destruction of
oysters by these fish, which crush the
shells with their fingers and suck out the
meat is very considerable. The oyster
farmers, so called, are we'll organized
usually, and are in many cases very
wealthy men. They are of high calibre
and will as naturally support such fed,
eral legislation as is proposed, as VIII
those who are personally interested IN
the determination of the dogfish and
sharks.
The following article, which appeared
in the Gloucester Daily Times last Sat-
urday, and has also appeared in the Port
land Express and other papers, will be
read with interest by our readers, who
have always had deep interest in the
fisheries industry. There can be no
doubt the fishing business here will be
immensely improved if the plans can be
carried out. The Times says:
The position of the special Maine Com
mission which is earnestly at work under
the leadership of Luther Maddocks of
Boothbay Harbor, seeking the destruc-
ton of the dogfsh pest; together with
the Maine law already in force, the
Maine plan for the making the exter-
mination of this menace to the fish food
supply matter of National legislation,
and the bill as prepared by the Maine
Commission and ON which it is proposed
to urge Congress to take action at the
coming session are all contained in the
following article prepared by the com
mission ard in which are set forth many
reasons why 1.-THE doghsh must &C"
The article, which is really the fisher
mems brief against the dogfish, says:
l1he Destructive :.Doghsh, Starish and
Sharks.
They are menace to our fishermen:
the reasons are we'll known. They des-
troy our nsh and fishing.ge They
take charge of our New England coast
for the three best fishing months of the
year. They kill and destroy enormous
quantities of our migratory fish that
come upon our coasts during the summer
months to spawn. They drive them from
their natural feeding grounds and
make it almost impossible for our fisher
men who depend upon that class of fish
for living for themselves and their
families. They drive small mackerel
and other surface swimming fish to shoal
water, where they smother and die.
They also destroy many small Holsters.
A lobster seven inches long was taken
from the stomach of dogfsh this last
season. They prey on the fry that are
liberated from the government hatcher
les.
There can be no question but that the
dogfsh and sharks destroy many more
times the quantity of food fish than is
were not so plentiful, and their ravages
were not so apparent, but of late years
they have multiplied very fast and there
has been no way of diminishing their
numbers, so at the present time some
thing must be done to prevent them from
totally destroying our (Atlantic) fisher
les, The starfish, who seem to be the
natural enemy of the oyster, are commit
ting great depredations on the oyster
BEDS upon which We depend SO much as
an article of food
Maine Has a Law
To this end the Maine Legislature
passed law last winter which reads as
follows:
Sec. l. That the Governor and Coun-
ell be hereby authorized to appoint a
commission of three practical men who
shall thoroughly investigate the ques-
ton of the destruction of dogfish and
other members of the shark family in
the waters of Maine, and report to the
next Legislature some feasible plan for
the determination of this very destruc-
tive fish.
Sec. 2. That said commission shall be
empowered to ask Congress and other
States to take this matter in hand and
pass such Legislation as will enable said
commissioners, with such other commits
sioners as may be appointed, to success
fully cooperate on this question.
Sec. 8. That the sum of one thousand
dollars is hereby appropriated annually
for the next two years to defray the
expenses of said commission having this
matter IN charge.
In pursuance of that law the Governor
and Council have appointed a commits
sion to investigate the whole subject and
to ask the cooperation of other States
in an effort to interest Congress to make
an appropriation to finance proposition
tbat will Saua tho ceafond fisborios of