Seventy-nine residents of Amherst and Campbell counties complain that the erection of traps, dams, and "other devices" along the James River and its navigable branches have depleted the fish population to such an extent that in the future there might be none left. The petitioners explain that, among whites and blacks in various sections of Virginia, fish is an important part of the diet, and that "in poor families & others wherein are a number of negroes fish of every description become an article of necessity." The petitioners seek to strengthen the law regulating mills, mill dams, and other obstructions along the river.
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Repository: Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
