Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-24
CITING upon complaints that
purse METERS have crossed the
Northern Chesapeake Bay

CITING upon complaints that
~ purse METERS have crossed the
~ Northern Chesapeake Bay
boundary lines in quest of
rockfsh, Swepson Earle, Maryland's
conservation commissioner, has dis
patched two vessels of the departmental
feet to patrol those waters.
The special patrol is composed of the
Governor McLane, flagship of the fleet,
and the regular district patrol boat, the
Murray. These boats will be anchored
along the inaginery line of Pooles
Island to prevent the METERS from max
ing crossings into the forbidden waters.
According to Mr.. Earle, the complaints
which he has received not only charge
the meters with crossing the line. but
with failing to throw back fish above
and below the legal size limit. The
law permits the taking OF rockfsh in
the nets over IL inches In length and
under IS pounds in weight.
Mr.. Earle also reported that many
tons of rockflsh have been taken In
the purse nets within the last 10 days
from that part of the bay bordering
on the boundary line. A large number
of fishermen have left this ground
within the last few days to seek trout
lower down the bay. he stated.
Another matter of particular interest
to local anglers using the lower Potomac
for their piscatorial outings is the
passage by the General Assembly of
Virginia of a law prohibiting the use
of any sunken anchored gill nets in
the waters of the Potomac River at any
time, and the use of gill nets known as
floating or drift nets or stake gill nets
is prohibited at all times of the year
except during the shad and herring
season. Any person, firm, or corpora
ton violating any provision of this act
Justice of the peace of any county of
the State of Virginia, most accessible,
forfeit said net or nets of device, to-
gether with all boats, vessels and tackle
used in the violation of this act, and
shall be fined sum of not less than
$500 nor more than 81 1000.
S"DYNAMITING of partially dried
- up streams in which fish are
congregated is a doubly repre-
hensible crime during the drought"
says the Commission of Game and In
land Fisheries of Virginia, in a COM
munication sent to Commonwealth at
torneys and clerks of the Boards of Su-
pervisors throughout that State.
M. ~. hart, executive secretary,
urges road forces and other agencies to
guard carefully the supply of dynamite
in order to prevent occurrences of dyna-
hitting pools, such as have been reported
to his ONCE. Hart says one of his SUI
pervising wardens writes that most OF
this dynamiting is traceable to road
construction camps. county and State
where dynamite is accessible and avail
able
Fish certainly lead what you might
call q dogs life" There is always a
fight confronting them from the time
they are large enough to strike out fol
themselves. First, they are the prey OF
other fish, then they have battles with
all kinds of nets. The anglers dangle
attractive bats and they are dynamiteo
out of their homes, and last but by nc
means least, 1t must not be forgotten
that pollution Is causing the deaths OF
millions of them each year.
THERE is one fish often caught by
i anglers, seldom kept, and of which
they know little-the eel. hith-
erto unknown chapter In the lie OF the
cells life history has been supplied
tional Geographic Society. The bulle-
tin says the missing chapter in the
cells life history have been supplied
through modern deep-sea investigation
rather than in the study of fresh or
coastal waters, where eels are more In
evidence.
According TO the report, all the cells