Year: 1874

the following extract on this important
subject:


| The report of the Fish Commissioners
will be ready for delivery in few days,
and will be found to be a document cover
/ ing the subject which it discusses of con
siderable ability. 1t rehearses the difficult
| ties heretofore referred to in similar re-
! ports of the difficulty of Restocking the
streams of the State with the varieties of
fish once plentiful therein, but which were
extermlnated by the processes resorted to
in supplying the canals with water and
creating motive power for manufacturers,
and makes many practical suggestions on
the subject of introducing new varieties
for propagation. Large quantities of black
bass have been introduced into the differ
ent streams of the State, as we'll as salmon
and other varieties, all of which expert
ments have been universally successful
| The Commissioners also refer to the con-
structien of fish way at Columbia dam in
the Susquehanna, which during the past
season established results that proved, even
against former theories, that shad will pass
over such means of ascent if they are pro-
perly constructed, and that the future will
demonstrate that these fish ways placed
| properly in the Columbia dam will be the
|
upper waters in the Susquehanna. The
United States Fish Commissioners have
been very liberal in their donations to the
Pennsylvania Commissioners, and have
shown disposition to afford every facility
in their power to aid in tho revival of the
fisheries of Pennsylvania, and contribute
| to the introduction of new varieties in all
the waters of the State. A magnificent
| Matching house has been erected at what
are called the Donegal Springs, near Mari
eta, Lancaster county, where the process
of Matching is now being carried on with
great success under careful superintend-
ence. Altogether the report is very inter
esting, proving that the subject Of which
it treats is annually becoming one of more
Importance and better understood by the
authorities and the people.


Governor Whyte has addressed our leg
islators on the subject Of concurrent action
provement of the fisheries on the Susque-
hanna i'll this State, which, from their
proximity to the bay are by far the most
important fisheries on the river, when the
shad and herring are plenty. The fishing
on all the rivers near the head of Chesa-
peake Bay appears to be improving in late
years, which is doubtless owing to the fact
that the fish were so nearly destroyed that
the catch become so small as not to pay,
when the large seines, which used to sweep
both shores Of the river from every accessi-
BILE point, were abandoned. But at the
slightest indication of returning abund-
ance the seiues will multiply and become
more numerous than ever. Gill nets have
accumulated fearfully on all of our waters
and these nets requiring but a small capi-
tai and force to fish, are kept floating till
the season becomes SO warm that shad or
herring will not keep. Our Legislature
will have to enact stringent laws regulat-
ing the fishing of gill nets, and have them
rigidly enforced, too, before any progress
can be made in restocking the SuSque-
hanna or other rivers near the head of the
Chesapeake. If this greedy poaclling bus
spawning season. was held sternly in check
by proper laws, and the enforcement of
those laws, millions of shad and herring
would, in few years, swarm all those riv-
ers, especially the Susquehanna, which pro
duces the best shad in the world. The
rapid current and cold pure water of that
river seem to develop the shad to its great
est perfection, both in size and flavor.
There is another enemy to the shad of the
Susquehanna, which, on account of its
apparent insigniticance, is generally over
looked. This is the "1ish pots" which
are placed in the falls or rapids commenc-
ing short distance above Port Deposit
and extending as high up the river as the
shad reach. These "pots" kill tens Of
thousands of young shad in the fall on
their way to the salt waters. There is
law in this State prohibiting the laths in
the "pots being placed close enough to
hold the young fish, but, this width allows
the smaller, and by far the greater portion
of the ellis to escape; and in order to pre-
vent this, the SO fish pot owners provide
themselves with what they term I" false
laths' which they can inset between the
stationary laths which compose the floor of
the "pot," and remove at pleasure. This
device, completely annuls the law, and
stops thousands of young shad on their
course to the sea. The law provides what
it terms a ''fish pot constable" with
salary of about fifteen dollars year. This
officer frequently has an interest in the
"pots' and no interest in preventing the
violation Of the law he is appointed to pro-
tect.


We hope that our Legislature will do
something definite to protect the fish by
restraining their enemies with a strong
hand. 1t would be vastly more profitable
for all parties who engage in fishing, if the
fish were protected SO as to increase their
numbers to something like they used to be
fifty years ago, and on back to the first
settlement of the country; when the shad
and herring in all those streams, near the
head of the bay, made their appearance in
the spring in countless millions With
judicious legislation, our State, which holds
within its bosom the magnificent Chesa-
peake Bay, might increase her fish interest
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.


THE DUCK LAW.