THE FISHERIES OF THE CHESAPEAKE 



BAY AND THE CO-OPERATION OF 



MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA FOR 



THEIR CONSERVATION 



By Jno. S. Parsons, Commissioner of Fisheries of Vir- 

 ginia, Accomac, Va. 



The Chesapeake Bay is by far the largest bay in the 

 United States. It lies entirely within the boundaries of 

 Maryland and Virginia, and has a length of nearly two 

 hundred miles. In Maryland, its width is from five to 

 ten miles; while in Virginia, it is from fifteen to thirty 

 miles wide. Its shore line is everywhere very irregular, 

 being indented by many bays and sounds besides the 

 numerous rivers which empty into it. Nowhere else in the 

 United States, and, in fact, nowhere else in the world, I 

 am informed, are the mouths of the rivers so near togeth- 

 er as are those emptying into this bay. On its west side, 

 from Point Lookout to and including Hampton Roads, 

 a distance of sixty-five miles, there empty into this bay 

 and its tributary bays, the Potomac, Great Wicomico, 

 Rappahannock, Piankitank, North, East, Ware, Severn, 

 York, Posquosin, Back, James, Nansemond and Elizabeth 

 Rivers; fourteen rivers in a distance of sixty five miles. 

 The Potomac is eleven miles wide at its mouth. The 

 Rappahnanock and the James are each about four miles 

 wide. The other rivers are narrower ; but the aggregate 

 width of the mouths of these rivers is more than half 

 the entire distance of this sixty-five miles. 



While the Chesapeake Bay, as already stated, is en- 

 tirely within the boundaries of Maryland and Virginia, 

 its tributaries spread out fan-like north, east and west 

 and drain not only Maryland and Virginia, but much of 

 West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, 

 an area of more than forty million acres. From the hills 

 and valleys of this great territory these rivers bring dis- 



