The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-01-15
GOOD DUCK SHOOTING
In CURRITUCK DOOMED
Salt Water, Flowing Into Currituck Sound
From the Chesapeake, is Slowly Destroy
ing Sportsman's Paradise and
PEOPLES Livelihood
BY W. o. SAUNDERS

Is Currituck Sound and its
marshes doomed rs a sports
mans paradise? Are the mil
lions OF tOothsomc Rcdhcads,
CanvaSbackS. Broadbills and
Ruddy ducks that have made
it the most desirable shooting
ground on the Atlantic sea-
board rapidly dcscrting it for
better feeding grounds?
1t is beginning To look that way.
For four years there has been
steady decline in the number of div,
tng ducks in Currituck Sound. Each
year the shooting gets worse ana
worse. Sportsmcn are complaining
bitterly ana Currituck has already
lost its lure for hundreds of North
ern SportSmcn who have come to its
marshes for years. spending money
laviShly with the natives for ac-
commOdationS.
Thomas Dixon. the author, dis
guSted with the poor shooting this
season rented out his place for the
month of January and went away.
Another wealthy marsh owner, dis
ccuraGrd by the scarcity of birds,
has sold out his holdings and sailed
for Egypt to look for shooting on
the Nile that he can no longer find
in Currituck.
Probably 500 CurrituckianS dc-
pend upon SrortSmcn for Il livell-
hood during tn" winter months, pro-
viding food. shelter, blinds, batter
les and guides for them. The buSl-
ness of these 800 CurritckianS is
steadily falling oil. At the same
time the county of Currituck, de-
pendent upon the sale of shooting
licenses for considerable part OF
its school funds, is issuing fewer
licenses and deriving less and less
revenue from this hitherto lively
and promising source.
Too Much Salt
And it is all because salt water
from Chesapeake Bay. finding its
way into Currituck Sound thru the
government inland waterway, is
slowly but surely destroying the
fresh water celery and ether fresh
water grasses upon which the ducks
feed and driving the birds to find
better feeding grounds, farther
South.
The fact that there was 4 notice
able increase in birds in Currituck
following the recent freeze doesn't
mean anything at all. Disturbed
by sudden severe changes of wealth
Cr the birds are apt 10 80 any
place
Four years ago the government
completed its job of making Il sea
( level water route of the old Albc-
marie and Chesapeake Canal. The
canal WAS Strengthened out drcdS-
cd 10 Il depth of - feet and the
locks at Great Bridge removed. In
Stantly the salt water from tn"
) Chesapeake began to pour into Cur
rituck Sound. The effect was soon
noticeable. The wonderful grasses
upon which the ducks feed began to
rot aud die in the saline solution
/ that came down from the new sea
level canal.
! Specimens of water taken ut vari-
Gus points in Currituck Sound show
"a saline solution of more than lS
parts of salt to LOCO parts of water
at Mundcn, Va. near the Currituck
outlet Of the canal. That is more
than half the saltincSs of sea water
il, which there are 81 parts Of salt
. to 1000 of water. At many other
points in Currituck the saline Solu-
ton is as high az eight to nine parts
per thousand, until one reaches the
: Narrows near Poplar Branch where
the solution diminishes TO less
than three parts. increasing again
below the Narrows where salt comes
in from Albcmarlc Sound. There Is
no guess work about the salt water
coming in from the government i'll
land waterway. No guess work
about its effect on turrituck' $
subaQucOus vegetation.
And this saline solution is de-
Stroying the famous grasses that
have mrcd millions of birds to Cur
rituck every season and made the
Currituck diving duck the most de-
Sirablc bird for cpicureS. There is
tho much salt in Currituck Sound
for the celery, the saSo weed and
the other grasses on which the birds
have depended for food. There is
too much salt for the fresh water
grasses and not enough salt for the
salt water grasses on which the
birds feed in the lower sounds.
There will hc nothing ut all left for
the birds to feed upon when the salt
has completed its deadly work.
Birds Going TO Dare