Evening star., 1933-03-19
ROD AND STREAM
BY PERRY MILLER

thursday IN his nets. IheSe nSh are
reported to have run as large as 6 and
7 pounds.
E. A. Schmitt engineer in the office
of Maj. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., District
engineer for the War Department for
the Washington area. announced last
week that the ship Chicago had just
returned from the fish patrol work in
the Potomac River and its tributaries,
This was attributed to stormy weather
and because of the apparent lack of
fish very few nets were attached to the
stakes
Schmitt explained that this vessel
supervises the placing out of the fish
stakes, insuring that they are out of the
path of navigation. Ordinarily, he said,
there are about 1900 nets in the lower
Potomac, costing from $4,000 to $1,000
each, attached to the stakes. It is a
good thing for the anglers that the
majority of these nets are used only to
catch herring and shad, and that when
the season is over on these fishes, the
nets are taken from the water. If all
the nets remained in the water, COM
paratively few fish would ever get up
stream 10 deposit their spawn.
FISHING for black bass ended in vir-
L ginia last Wednesday, and the sea-
son will remain closed until June
Is. Fishing in Maryland for bass as
all anglers know. stopped on December
l of last year above tidewater. In tide
water, which includes the Potomac
River below Washington to the Virginia
shore, anglers are permitted to take
bass until the end of March, the season
reopening August !. On April / the
season on native brook and rainbow
trout will open in Maryland and Vir-
ginia. West Virginia opens her season
on these fish on April Is.
Last week the Maryland General As
sembly defeated the black bass bill
This was an unexpected blow to con-
servationiSts. The measure had passed
its first and second reading, which,
ordinarily. means that its passage is as
sured. But something went wrong at
the last minute and the bill was lost
There IS no chance for reconsidera-
ton of the vote on the bill at this Ses-
sion of the Legislature.
T Asst Thursday Rod and Stream
IL asked Raymond H. Miller, dele
gate to the Legislature from Will
Transport, Nd, to come to Washington
and explain in detail how the bill was
defeated. Miller. as you all probably
know. introduced the measure in the
General Assembly. He said the bank
ing crisis in Maryland was the direct
cause of the loss of the bill; that many
members of the Legislature who pre-
viosly had voted for the bill switched
on the last vote. This was done, he
said, mainly because they would moi
vote to deprive any citizen of a chance
to earn money in any legitimate man.
ner. The commercial fishermen hao
raised the cry that they would be de-
prived of their livelihood. We all know
and the commercial fishermen them
selves know. they would ctarve if they
relied on the money they received from
the sale of bass. Cold facts and figure.
were presented to the legislators by the
officials of the United States Bureau oi
Fisheries showing that the sale OF bass
in Maryland had dwindled 80 per cent
In 10 years, and that in 1890 the en-.
tire catch in Maryland waters wa
valued at only s2,632. Miller told hi.
listeners how much he deplored the los.
of the measure md assured them ht
would work hard to get it passed two
years hence.