Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
</THE approach of the dog days
is no sadder to the city dwell
Ter than the opening of the


Ter than the opening of the
purse net season in Chesa-
peake Bay to those who chase the finny
tribe" Commissioner SwepSon Earle,
Maryland conservation commissioner,
told his invisible audience last Thurs
day speaking over Station WMAL in
Rod and Streams weekly talks to
anglers.
Mr.. Earle pointed out that July IS
was the opening day for purse METERS
to take the striped bass, blue fish ard
other varieties of Chesapeake Bay with
their nets. He said, however, there is
always some consolation, and the fact
that purse meters cannot go into any
tributary waters, including the broad
Potomac River, to haul their long seines,
will give the anglers Of the District of
Columbia better chance in this river.
Another step to protect the Potomac
from everlasting, Mr.. Earle said, was
the law passed by the Virginia General
Assembly at their last session, to con-
form with an act already passed by
Maryland to prevent sunken anchored
gill nets or float nets to be used in the
Potomac, except during the shad and
herring season. The Conservation De-
partment Of Maryland, he said, feels
that forward step was taken to protect
the migratory and game fish of Chesa-
peake Bay when the Legislature saw
fit to pass this law and added that this
Is only a start in the right direction,
and the further cooperation of con-
servationistS Is necessary to save the
aquatic resources of the Chesapeake.
Verifying reports broadcast by this
column last week, the commissioner said
just at this time the striped bass and
blue fish are being caught by trollerS
in the Chesapeake, in the Patuxent and
of the mouth of the Great Choptank
River on the Eastern Shore, and as the
season advances there should be larger
schools of both rock and blue fish. Large
trout, he said, are also being tsken
down the Bay weighing up to seven ard
eight pounds.
The crab season this year is the best
in the history of the conservation de-
partment Earle said, and will, no doubt,
go far ahead of 1929, when over 52,-
368, 1000 hard crabs were taken from the
waters Of Maryland by commercial fish,
ermen. The resorts along the Bay this
Summer have been crowded with people
and the chief sport has been catching
crabs, most every car taking home a
large supply for family use, he informed
his audience. With the arrest Of sew
eral WaShingtonians grabbing on July
at Chesapeake Beach in his mind,
the commissioner issued a word of eau
ton for those who crab. He said the
laws of Maryland will not permit hard
crabs to be taken under S inches in
length and soft CRABS under 3h inches
from tip of spike to tip OF spike. Some
arrests have been made by our ward
ems, he said, and the department has
placed notices wherever possible to warn
the people, in order that they may en-
joy the pleasure of Grabbing without
getting into difficulties with the law.
The commissioner in concluding
touched on the subject Of pollution,
which in the opinion of this column il
more important than the planting of
fish, because If the waters are badly
polluted fish can not live and it is a
waste of time and money to raise and
plant them in such streams.
nROGRESS in conservation work
L during the last few years has been
rapid, but the pollution of our
streams Is still a problem to be over
come. He said: Manufacturing con-
Germs have been urged to come into our
State and establish their plants, and
those located on bodies of water have
used them as the easiest means of dis
posing Of their waste materials, there
by polluting the waters and destroying
still causing us great concern, but in
cooperation with the State Depart
ment of Health, we have cleaned up
a number OF water areas and caused the
manufacturing plants to provide suit
able disposal systems. In many cases
the waste materials have been re-
claimed to the profit Of the manufac-
turer.
I'VE are still confronted with a
serious situation In the Potomac River,
where number of plants and even
large cities are throwing their waste
directly into this great body of water,
which means so much to the resident
Of the District of Columbia, and to the
States Of Maryland and Virginia. The
State of Maryland desires your CO.
operation to assist us in remedying
these conditions"
ID EPORTS reaching us last week
N from fresh and salt water fishing
grounds state that the anglers are
being rewarded with fairly good catches