The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-07-01
SAYS LINTHICUM BILL Will
BANKRUPT N. G, FISHERMEN
n. C. Fisheries Commissioner Believes Measure
Now Pending in Congress Is Designed to
Stop Shad and Herring Fishing in
North Carolina Waters

| he passage OF the L1nth1Cu11l
Bill putting the regulation of the
-ishing industries of the states
under the supervision of the u.
5. Department of Commerce will
absolutely bankrupt hundreds OF
fishermen in North Carolina and
confscate hundreds of thousands
Of dollars Of fishing apparatus, is
the opinion of Theo. S. Meekins,
assistant Fisheries Commission
er of North Carolina, who was in
Elizabeth City this week.
Mr.. Meekins has been in close touch
with the fishing industry of North Car
olina for many years and has a long
acquaintance with officials of the Q. S.
Bureau of Fisheries. He says that the
Federal government has been thoroly
alarmed over the decline of the shad
and herring catch for many years and
the Linthiicum Bill is in line with its
plans to Federalize the fishing industry
and put a stop to the catching of shad
and herring for a period of several
years. q. S. Bureau of Fisheries ex-
perts believe that shad and herring
could be restored to their old time num-
bers if the catching of these fish could
be prohibited except for propagation
purposes for five or six years.
But to prohibit the catching of shad
or herring for so many years would
play havoc with North Carolina fisher
men who would find themselves with
four thousand or five thousand useless
pound nets on their hands, says Com
missioner Meekins. 1t is estimated
there are more than 1000 pound nets
in Dare county alone. Every pound net
represents an investment of about $3.50.
And for every stand of five or six pound
nets the fishermen has an additional in
vestment of around $4,000 in his fish
ing boat, gear and camping outfit. For
the Federal government to step in and
tell these fishermen they could not use
their nets for another five years or such
a matter would result in a direct &C.
onomic loss of more than half a million
dollars to the fishermen of one county
alone ard indirect loss Of NilfiOns, Es-
cause their one means Of livelihood
would be absolutely cut of.
The full text of the Linthicum Bill,
SO called because its author is Con-
gressman Linthicum of Maryland, was
published in this newspaper last week.
It is entitled ga bill to protect fish not
remaining the entire year within the
waters of any state or territory, and
authorizing the Department of Com
meree to define the seasons and regu-
late the manner and conditions under
which they may be taken or destroyed"
The powers to be conveyed to the
Federal Government under this bill are
so broadly defined that the fishermen
would probably find themselves as close
ly regulated as are the game hunters
and the effect might be the same on
the fishing industry as the effect of Fed
eral supervision on the game industry.
Few North Carolina fish would be
exempt from Federal control under the
Lfnthicum bill, as there as very few fish
in the waters of the state
the entire year. Most of the fish In
these waters are migratory. About the
only exceptions are a few varieties OF
perch and bass and these might be ac-
cused of meandering back and forth be-
tween the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia
and the sounds of North Carolina via
the AIbemarle & Chesapeake Canal. On
ly the fish in the Fresh Ponds at Nags
Head and in a few isolated lakes would
be free to be caught.
Commissioner Meekins has written to
Ward protesting against
the passage of the Linthicum Bill. Mr..
Ward has already expressed his dlsap-
proval of the measure. The North Car
oIina Fisheries Commission Board will
meet at AIorehead City, n. G. on Tues
day and Wednesday, July - and IL, and
formal notice of the pending legislation
may be taken by the Commission at that
time. The members of the Fisheries
Commission at this time are DR.. j. Z.
Baum, Poplar Branch, n. G.; Z. H.
Freeman, Wilmington, n. c.; S. P. Han
cock, Beaufort, n. c.; J. K. Dixon,
Trenton, n. c., and W. o. Saunders,
Elizabeth City, n. c.