Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-03-03
Communication.
Maurertown. Va, Feb, 1916.

i
Mr.. EDITOR
In your issue of February 18TH
of Your valuable paper, the Shen.
andoah HERALD, l noticed in the
proceedings Of the Board of Sup
ervisors that they adopted a res
olution making it unlawful for
any person to catch, destroy or
take in any way fish of any kind
from the Shenandoah river or its
tributaries within the County of
Shenandoah from the first day of
March to the first day of May"
This resolution, understand,
was adopted at the suggestion
and instigation of the Shenan-
doah County Fish and Game
Protective Association, which,
we do not think, represents the
ajority of the people of Shen-|
andoah County, therefore, wei
don't think the people should
tolerate law of this nature.
We do not approve of this law
which, with others recently en-|
acted. makes it impossible forl
the farmer, WHO. by the way,
virtually owns the river, to catch
any fish lawfully during the
year.
The farmers work is so dis
tributed that he as a rule hasn't
an opportunity to take advantage
OF the lawful season as have
other people with different occu-
pations. From the first of March
until the first of May, has always
been an open season for fishing,
and together with a short gig
cling season in the fall, which
cannot always be depended upon,
because of the fact that the river
is not always in condition at that
season to permit gigging, have
been the only open seasons that
the farmer could consistently
take advantage of because of his
work. Indeed, this season was
d lie to kindly provision of ma
ture, viz: the spring rains maxi
ing it too wet for the farmer to
perform his work and flooding
the streams thus affording an ex-
cellent opportunity to catch the
| fish that in many cases legally
belong to them. Surely the man
who lives along the river is more
J entitled to the fish therein than
: the man who does not suffer the
loss and damage done by the
river and does not pay taxes Oh
its very bed. Why prohibit the
farmer from catching what in
j. reality is the product of his own
farm r.! 1t is clearly evident that
this law works hardship and is
an injustice and an imposition to
the IA mer. 1t is likewise true
that the farmers are imposed
upon more than any other class
of people-they feed the world
but the world tries to starve
, them.
Do our good sporting friends
in town and country know that
when they sit along the shady
banks of the Shenandoah river,
enjoying a smoke from pipe or
cigarette and indulging in the
sport of catching the finny game
they do it only through the cour-
Itesy OF good-natured farmers? Do
they realize that these good
, natured farmers could virtually
Iprevent fishing in the Sheuan-
= doah river by preventing tres
passing if they felt so disposed -?
Do they conscientiously think
that the farmers would be 0eserv-
ling of censure or would not be
Justified in such course in view
of the law that has recently been
lenacted ?
i We cannot see the wisdom of
the law. Surely there is no bet
ter or more appropriate time to
| fish than the time stated. The
fish taken from the river at this
lseason of the year are mostly
taken by net and nothing but
the large ones are captured, so
this is not a destructive method
of distinguishing for fish and
not alone fer sport.
The so-called sportsman comes
to the river in the summer
months with minnow-bucket.
minnow-net and other tackle. He|
lowers his net and at one raise
catches more fish than the whole
community catches in a season.
He fills his bucket that he might
have few live ones for his hook
and those that are not killed by{