Evening star., 1922-06-25

What kind Of fish inhabit the waters
of the Potomac around Washington
is a question frequently asked by visit
ing anglers. and not infrequently by
local devotees of the rod and reel.
For convenience. the limits OF the
District may be regarded as extending
over a radius of twenty miles from the
Capitol. and the waters considered are
from Occoquan River to a point nVe
miles above the Great Falls
The District fish fauna comprises
eighty-one species, belonging to sixty
two classifications or groups and tnirty-
one families, and range in size from
the small minnow to fish that weigh
as much as twenty or twenty-five
pounds. The largest family. which IN
cludes the minnows and carpllke nsn.
has nineteen species. Other families
with five or more species are the cat
fish, suckers. shad and herring, anu
bass and sunfish.
The local fish fauna has oeen en-
riched by the introduction Of non-ln-
digenous species, some OF which are now
among the best food and game nsnes
of this region. The acclimatized species'
numbering about ten, are mostly iheui
bers of the bass family. About thirty
species are of economic importance; OF
which the principal are the shad, hick-
ory shad, striped bass (better known
locally as rock or rocknsn), "nite
perch, black bass. yellow perch: eel
sturgeon, suckers. carp and catnSneS;
An act of Congress has prohibited all
forms of net fishing in the District
waters, which thus become an important
nursery where such valuable species
as the shad, herring. the striped bass
and the black bass may spaWh un-
InoleSted.
visits by Saltwater Fish.
An interesting feature of the hsh
r1nr
appearance in our waters OF typiciai
Saltwater fishes. These are usually
observed during dry weather, Wheii
there is an extension !I up upstrehaimh whinh Gs is
normally about forty miles oelo"
Washington.
Among our visitors from salt
water, once abundant in the Poto-
mac. but now Comparatively rare. is
the sturgeon. Large mum bers OF lnis
fish were formerly caught in the nets
by shad and herring fishermen. VINO
regarded sturgeon as nuisance and
usually knocked them in the head
and threw them away. The fish now
commands high price.
The striped bass or rocknsh ieaas
all visitors to our waters in size.
food value ard gameness. These nsii
are found here at all seasons, but
are most abundant staId in .sp sprippg pston ana
as far Us Great Falls. The fish com
mission reports that rock" weighing
as much as ninety pounds have occa-
sionally been taken near Washlmg.9an uaa
weight have been caught in the river
in the vicinity of Georgetown. In
former years Little Falls was IA
vorite place for anglers in quest OF
this fish, and it was there that Dan
iel Webster, Thaddeus Norris and
other prominent persons made good
catches. Today the river from the is
constantly being fished by. anglers
who hope to land one of these big
rock fish.
Sharks Sometimes Seen.
The majority of the saltwater fish
seem to make their home in the 20
tonlac river between Fort Washing
ton and Alexandria. where in the past
have been caught the following: The
Iamprey, which ascends small streams
with branch herring (fshermen
make it a point to kill the lamprey
whenever there is an opportunity, as
il is of no economic value and is re
garded as destructive to other hsh) ;
the dusky shark, occasionally obserV-
I'd in the Potomac. and many years
ago one was captured at Fort Wash
ington; the sturgeon, above mention
, ed: the gars (pike gar and orsI silver yer
ferior. is classed as a very destruc-
tive, ish-eating species, ascending
creeks in summer after small hsh, ana
at times Is a nuisance to anglers.
The shad is the most valuable 1000
fish among our annual visitors and
W ashingtonians are always glad to
go to market and be able to get a
%Potomac shad." They usually reach
the District waters about April 1.
The upper limit of its range Is the
Great Falls, where numbers are taken
by means of long-handled dip nets.
the fishermen standing on the rocks.
It's abundance in the Potomac IS
chiefly dependent on artificial propa-
CATION, as large part of the run