Evening star., 1948-09-16
Maryland Boats
PoIicePotonlac
In Oyster War
Enforce longing Low
Against Vireinion;
One Croft Fired On
spseieI pispaseh 10 The ssar

COLONIAL BEACH, Va, Sept.
16.-Maryland patrol craft were
out in force today, policing the
Potomac River to prevent Vir-
ginia oystermen from dredging
on the second day Of a season
already marked by gunflre.
Despite evidences Of tension after
a Maryland patrol drilled the stern
Of a Virginia raiders boat with .
sub-machine gun Tuesday night,
oystermen we're out again today in
relatively small numbers. Packing
houses suspended operations tempo
rarily, awaiting delivery Of another
catch.
Some appeared as determined as
ever to continue dredging oysters,
as permitted under Virginia law,
rather than abide by the Maryland
statute requiring longing.
Fired III Rounds.
The gunfire preceded by . few
hours the opening Of the season
yesterday. Capt. Guy johnson Of
the Maryland oyster patrol, said
he fired at least II rounds from q
.45-caliber machine gun when he
came on a dredge boat near Swami
Point.
Dropping its dredge, the speedy
Virginia craft escaped In the dark
ness Capt. johnson said, but he
punctured the stern at least eight
times. The patrol craft, draw
ing 3 feet Of water, was unable to
follow the dredger across the oyster
bar, Capt. johnson said. The Vir-
ginian's boat was estimated to have
draft of only about foot.
The shooting, which occurred
while Gov. Lane Of Maryland was
attending the National Seafood Fes-
tival at Hampton, Va, was one
among many in the age-old dispute
between the two States.
Have Equal Fishing Rights.
Under an old compact, Mary
land has control over the Potomac
to the Virginia shoreline, but Vir-
ginians have equal fishing rights.
The Free State, on whose side Of
the river the best oyster bars are
found, forbids dredging. It con-
tends the practice depletes the sup
ply too rapidly and destroys the
beds, and therefore recognizes tong
ing alone as legal.
Virginia oystermen say longing
cannot be done in deep water and
therefore dredging should be per-
mitted. But Maryland says the Vir-
ginians too frequently stray from
their own waters.
The Virginians also contend that
when Maryland patrols come on
dredgers, the dredgers flee SO
quickly they do not have time to
Gull the oysters. Thus, say the Vir-
ginians, the undeveloped bivalves
which ordinarily would be returned
to the beds, are carried away and
the supply is depleted.
i Tried in Own State.
j Under the old compact, signed In
i 1785, violators of mutual regula-
tions for the Potomac have been
turned over to their own States for
prosecution. In recent years, some
Marylanders wanted this changed
because, they said, the Virginia
dredgers caught were not being
prosecuted in the Old Dominion.
The issue came to a head at the
1947 session Of the Maryland Gen.
eral Assembly, when q bill was
passed permitting Maryland to try
Virginia violators and conflscate
their boats. An interstate COM
mission then was set up to study the
problems.
Although the commission met
once at Mount Vernon, nothing
tangible has been done to settle the
issue
With new and faster patrol boats,
Maryland officials said Just before
the season opened that they an
ticipated no serious trouble, but q
close watch was promised.
An official of the Maryland Tide
water Fisheries Commission, who re-
fused to be quoted by name, said he
did not attach Importance to the
shooting incident Tuesday night be-
cause craft fire upon poachers every
cooe eoy,