Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-03

and small mouth bass, crappieS, SUI
Driving around the basin and see
ing it covered with Il coat OF ice IS
not apt to put thoughts of angling
into ones head. but those most in
tereSted in the project to stock 1t with
game fish are thinking of just that
thing.
Those of us who look to the future
will have to put our shoulders 20 the
wheel and push hard to have certain
things accomplished, namely, bills en-
acted by Congress to put q stop to
illegal practices that threaten to de-
populate the waters of fish.
With that end in view Ibis column
is going to- ask United States Com
missioner OMaliey If he will call Il
conference of the Fish Commissioners
of Maryland, Virginia and West Vir-
ginia within short time, and see If
some concrete plan cannot be worked
QUITO place before Congress.
A good suggestion came to this col
umn last week in the nature of
a solution concerning the illegal
practices in the Virginia creeks. 1t
was pointed out that 1t is almost Il
physical impossibility for the game
wardenS to catch these offenders with
the wardens operating from the shore.
no matter how hard they try. 1t was
therefore proposed by one very high
in the affairs of Virginia that a spe-
cial warden be appointed and equip
ped with d motor boat to enable him
to patrol places where violations are
said to be almost a daily occurrence.
Albert Fletcher of Warrenton, Va,
warden for the eighth district of Nir-
ginia, is the right man in the right
place, but SO far as trying to catch
these offenders with the present ma
rhinery at his disposal. his hands
might as we'll be tied. Fletcher and
his corps of able deputies are very
anxious to see a stop put to the catch
ing of bass with hand nets. Not only
are thousands of bass landed in this
manner, but the real small ones, those
they fear will be too small for sale,
are not thrown back into the water.
Congress has passed laws protect
Ing birds and animals and, to GER
tain extent, has helped conserve the
fish, but it can and should do lot
more There is a law prohibiting the
Interstate shipment of bass which has
done a lot for their conservation and
protection.
If the illegal practices of catching
bass are not stopped In the very near
future these fish will become practi-
caily extinct. and then steps will be
taken to prohibit the sale of them al
together in an effort to save them.
Why not do it now and allow only
those bass caught with rod and real
or with hand line to be taken and
pass a law prohibiting the sale OF
either small or large mouth bass!
"As numerous as the fish of the
sea" may become a misleading figure
of speech at no distant date according
to DIR. Donald K. Tressler in a warn
ing sounded recently, addressing the
fourth annual dinner of the Middle At
lantic Fisheries Association. DIR. Tres
sler said that the popular conception
of an unlimited supply of fish was
faflacious, and that unless the pollu-
tion of the coastal waters was checked
certain types of fish were in danger
of vanishing He pointed to the dis
appearance of the shad from New
York waters and said that the stur-
geon was rapidly becoming extinct.
1.-THE bIuefish Is not one-tenth as nu-
merous as it once was" said DR.. Tres
sler. "Oysters. crabs, Holsters, are
similarly disappearing in coastal
waters That pollution is responsible
for these evils is seen. by the fact that
the Pacific Coast, to- which the shad
was transplanted, is now enjoying an
abundance Of these fish" Z.
DR.. Tressler explained that by pol
luton he meant oils and acids from
factories, rather than sewage Sew
age, he explained was of assistance
to, the fish, In that it nourished the