﻿66 
  BEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  reach 
  their 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  and 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs. 
  The 
  mouth 
  

   of 
  every 
  important 
  shad 
  and 
  herring 
  stream 
  in 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Basin 
  

   is 
  literally 
  clogged 
  with 
  nets 
  that 
  are 
  set 
  for 
  the 
  special 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   intercepting 
  every 
  fish, 
  whereas 
  a 
  proper 
  regard 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  

   welfare 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  migrating 
  schools 
  

   would 
  cause 
  the 
  nets 
  to 
  be 
  set 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  fish. 
  

  

  Adequate 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  is 
  compatible 
  with 
  great 
  freedom 
  

   of 
  fishery 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  increasing 
  yield. 
  A 
  very 
  slight 
  cur- 
  

   tailment 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  perhaps 
  as 
  little 
  as 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  any 
  given 
  

   year, 
  may 
  be 
  sufBcient 
  to 
  perpetuate 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  result 
  in 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  production 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years. 
  To 
  disregard 
  a 
  requirement 
  so 
  

   small 
  and 
  to 
  permit 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  an 
  evil 
  so 
  serious 
  simply 
  

   invites 
  and 
  encourages 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  valuable 
  food 
  supply. 
  

  

  These 
  conditions 
  demand 
  the 
  unmediate 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  

   and 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  a 
  radical 
  remedy. 
  Their 
  failure 
  or 
  inabihty 
  

   to 
  meet 
  the 
  situation 
  by 
  individual 
  and 
  cooperative 
  action 
  would 
  

   seem 
  to 
  call 
  for 
  interference 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Federal 
  Government, 
  

   a 
  course 
  which 
  is 
  being 
  strongly 
  urged 
  by 
  many 
  thoughtful 
  persons 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  fishes 
  which 
  are 
  migratory 
  and 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   the 
  property 
  of 
  any 
  particuhir 
  State. 
  

  

  PASsiNCx 
  OF 
  tup: 
  sturgeon. 
  

  

  The 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeons 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  distressing 
  in 
  the 
  

   whole 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  fisheries. 
  These 
  large, 
  inoffensive 
  

   fishes 
  of 
  our 
  seaboards, 
  coast 
  rivers, 
  and 
  interior 
  waters 
  were 
  for 
  

   years 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  not 
  only 
  valueless 
  but 
  nuisances, 
  and 
  when- 
  

   ever 
  they 
  became 
  entangled 
  m 
  the 
  fishermen's 
  nets 
  they 
  were 
  knocked 
  

   in 
  the 
  head 
  or 
  otherwise 
  mortally 
  wounded 
  and 
  thrown 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  

   water. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  generation 
  w^e 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  

   the 
  Potomac 
  River 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Mount 
  Vernon 
  lined 
  with 
  the 
  

   decomposing 
  carcasses 
  of 
  these 
  magnificent 
  fishes, 
  witnesses 
  to 
  the 
  

   cruelty, 
  stupidity, 
  and 
  profligacy 
  of 
  man, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  has 
  

   been 
  observed 
  everywhere 
  m 
  our 
  country. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  chapter 
  m 
  the 
  story 
  w^as 
  the 
  awakening 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeons 
  had 
  value 
  as 
  caviar 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  flesh 
  had 
  value 
  as 
  food. 
  Then 
  followed 
  the 
  most 
  reckless, 
  sense- 
  

   less 
  fishing 
  imaginable, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  comparatively 
  few 
  

   years 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  most 
  productive 
  waters 
  wxre 
  depleted, 
  and 
  what 
  

   should 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  a 
  permanent 
  fishery 
  of 
  great 
  profit 
  w^as 
  

   destroyed. 
  Even 
  after 
  the 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  began 
  

   to 
  be 
  appreciated 
  by 
  every 
  one, 
  the 
  immature 
  and 
  unmarketable 
  

   fish 
  incidentally 
  caught 
  in 
  seines, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  and 
  pound 
  nets 
  received 
  

   no 
  protection 
  whatever 
  in 
  most 
  waters 
  and 
  were 
  ruthlessly 
  destroyed 
  

   as 
  nuisances, 
  the 
  decline 
  being 
  thus 
  doubly 
  accelerated. 
  

  

  