Evening star., 1945-04-01
BY John Clagett Proctor.

BY John Clagett Proctor.
This is about the time of the year
when droves Of people will be vending
their way up the Potomac River to snag
their share of the large quantity of
shad and herring that come to this
part of the District to spawn in early
spring. But even though the amount
caught today may seem considerable it
can but slightly compare to the vast
quantity captured in bygone days, when
the catch in this majestic stream was
really stupendous, and the industry
for it was once quite an industry-ex-
tended not only beyond Georgetown but
far down the river and up the Eastern
Branch to Bladensburg.
In 1916 the curing and packing Of
herring is said to have been the only
industry left in that old town. And
the further statement is made that at
this period the Eastern Branch in this
vicinity has at full tide or feet OF
water, on which boats ply backward
and forward to Washington" This only
goes to show that great changes have
occurred in many of the water courses
in and around the District of Columbia
in the last century and quarter, some
of which are now entirely obliterated.
Early Fish Stories
But along this line there are many
items of interest to be found IN the
early newspapers, which today might
appear to be just fish" stories. For in
tance, the Metropolitan of Georgetown
of April IS, 1885, has this to say:
I'VE were not fully aware of the I'M
mense importance of the Potomac fish
cries and their value to Georgetown in
particular until this spring. Besides the
larger supplies shipped daily by the
canal every night the long length OF
Bridge street and High street, besides
many other places, Is crowded Win
heavy four and six horse wagons from
the most remote parts of Pennsylvania,
MARYLAND and Virginia, even to the
confines of Ohio, which exchange the
produce they bring down, for the dell
cious fish which this noble stream az
fords in an exhaustless abundance and
return with years supply OF these
cheap and grateful delicacies to the
far-of homestead of the inland farmer.
Activity and enterprise are only want
ing to make the fish trade source OF
immense and permanent wealth to the
town"
Again. on May 2, 1896, the Metropol-
itan has this item:
Great Haul Of Fish-The nsherles
on the Potomac have been unusually
PROSPEROUS for several days past. Our
markets have been glutted with the
finest fish we have ever seen. One thou-
sand rock or bass fish, weighing from
so to 60 pounds each, were caught at
single haul on Friday evening last. 1t Is
said that several hundreds escaped on
the seines coming in shallow water.
We understand they were caught at the
landing called Hollow Marsh, owned by
Mr.. w. King, 81 miles below George
town. MANY of them were sold IN our
markets at ST."
Potomac Fisheries
In 1887 the Belvoir or White House
Fishery. which at one time belonged 10
Ferdnando Fairfax, was one OF the CHIEF
fisheries on the Potomac, as was the
Sandy Bar fishing shore, Daingerneids
fishing shore, Bryans fishing shore
(now Bryans Point; also fisheries at
White House, Freestone, Oxon Run,
Monkeys Point, High Point, Stony Point,
Fair Landing, Longwood, Bridges Creek,
Fowkes Landing, Whites Shore (now
Colonial Beach, Maryland Point, Wind
mill Point, Stump Neck, Stump Landing,
Ackendale. Fallers Landing, Goose Bay,
Budds Ferry, Chapmans Point, Haloing
Point, Monkey Point, Dipple, Sandy
Point, Eagles Nest, Mount Moriah and
Tent Landing.
Seines are still hauled on some OF
these landings, but the results do not
compare with the great yields OF bygone
DAYS, when it was not an uncommon
thing to take at a single haul 1000
shad and upward and 5000 herring.
In 1882 a record catch of $4,000 ac-
curately counted fish was taken in one
haul The low price which these brought
was. for the herring Is cents thou
sand, and for the shad $50 hun
dred. Generally, however, the former
brought $50 a thousand and the
latter sometimes as much as So or "a
q hundred.
Shad and Herring
However, not only are shad getting
scarcer todsy, but they are gradually
becoming smaller. A hundred years
ago they spoke of shad from to 8
pounds being sold in the markets for
6 cents. and we even read OF their
weighing as high as 13 pounds. To us,
at the present day, 6-pound shad
is a whopper.
AS to herring, in the good old days
of our fathers, herring were taken SO
plentifully that at times they were given
away, or purchased for small sum
and used on the nearby farms as .
fertilizer.
One may obtain an idea of the magni-
tude of the Potomac fish industries at
their peak, many years ago. when you
are told there were then $50 fisheries
on the Potomac, employing $500 labor
ers: the number of vessels being $50,
With 1850 men to navigate them. Al
though the season lasted but about
nix weeks, during this time as many
as 22,500,O00 shad were taken, and 750,-
100000 herring. In curing the fish that
we're to be kept for any length of time.