Year: 1871

FISHING ON THE POTOMAC RIVER.


Mr.. Editor: AS the fishing business
is of vast concern to the people of Mary
land. especially to those Of the tide water
region. and. as the subject has Of late
years given rise to great and serious dis
cussion, it may not be uuinteresting to
your readers to publish the subjoined ar
ticle. describing the several modes and ef-
feets Of fishing. It is short and simple
statement. prepared by one thoroughly
conversant withlthe subject. and is intend
ed to show the present and ultimate evils
Of the prevailing manner Of gilling now
SO extensively practiced on our waters
Our informant says: IS.


Fishermen. generally, who haul the
seine only once on tide, occupy about
fifty minutes 10 laying out their seine, and
about two hours in hauling the ends a.
shore. making two hours fishing time on
. tide. or. in other words. the seine is only
in fishing form to catch fish during this
short tine of Two hours on each haul. -
But few seines hauled are 6shed more than


three (3) hauls ia twenfy-fopf .hours !;
xhich aiyes lix hours 4 aesnal tishjag.
time TO the seine 10 twenty -four hours


having eighteen hours Of unimpeded pas


sage-way of fish each day up the river.
A few seines are only hauled twice each


day, once on each ebb-tide. and occupy
the same fishing time each haul. making
four hours of fishing tine each day, and


twenty hours Of uninterrupted passage Of
fish up the river In addition to this,


there is great portion Of time lost by the
seine hauler on account of storms that
prevent his fishing. At times there are
successive days of bad weather during
which time his seine is not cast into the
river; all of which time the fish have an
uninterrupted way up the river, and most
ample time to distribute themselves gen.
orally all along the river shore, and af-
fording large supplies to all the people,
Fishermen generally commence fishing
early in the Spring. to clean their berths
before the regular run of fish commences
to come on; and by the constant use of a
hauling seine in the same fishing berth,


he cleans the bottom Of the river of all
rough coatings and sediments Of wood.


such as leaves, sticks, logs, grass. and
substances such as are attractiveto fish to
spawn upon and for the want of these at
fractions, fish do not pause in their on
ward way, to spawn in the berths of regu-
larly hauled fisheries; and. therefore,


there being no deposit of spawn made in
the berth Of regularly hauled seine. no
injury can be done by this mode of fishing
to the spawn of fish. This fact has not
only been ascertained by constant obser-
walton for many years. but it is in accor-
dance with reason and nature Fish, in
their habits, are not unlike other animals
in providing for their own comfort and
security. The fowls of the air do not
build their nests in high roads. and in
over-travelled ways and cultivated fields,
but rather seek more cougenial spots and
places in undisturbed woodlands. So we
may trace these habits in all animate ma
ture; and by careful observation it has
been found that fish have naturally the
like instincts and habits. It may there
fore be considered plain and easily COM
pretended that the proper mode of catch
ing fish is By regularly located hauling
seine. By the use of gill-nets for CATCH
ing fish. not only are the best fish culled
out of the regular run of fish in the river,
leaving only the poor and small fish that
escape through their meshes to the seine
hauler, affording meagre supply Of poor
fish for the consumer who gets his supply
from the fisheries of the seine -hauler and
in many instances. the fish are SO injured
by being wounded in getting through the
meshes Of their nets as to render them un-
fit for food and by the use of lead weights
which they have on the bottom lines OF
their nets. and which are obstructive to
the spawn, they are enabled to fish their
nets the whole day Of twenty -four hours.
sffording no time of free passage-way for
fish up the river. Furthermore. no wealth
er prevents them from fishing. as it does
the sein-hauler. leaving no time whatever
to the fish to make up the river. That