Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-09-22
Protection of Our Fishing Grounds.

shoot at. Gro, FRANCIS TRAIN.
Protection of Our Fishing Grounds.
Editor RutlaRa Ht'ald Will you per-
init me to call the attention of the citi-
zens Of our State, and particularly OF
Rutland county to the rapid deteliora
ton in value of our lakes and streams as
fishing grounds.
Within a few years one could find
every brook of reasonable size alive with
trout, and our lakes and ponds wei! sup
piled with pickerel and other game fish.
Now but few brooks have any quantity
of trout in them, and the best fishermen
visit the lakes for days together without
getting as many fish as would have been
taken five years ago in as many hours.
Some species of fish have become eX-
tinct in their old haunts. as for instance
lake trout in Lake Domaine and Glen
| Lake. There aTemany rerst rs who remem-
Der when lake trout were as abundant in
these and other ponds as cow in the Ad-
| irondaCk lakes.
Now not one can be found. 1t will
| not be denied that trout are more
scarce because some lucky men have
during the present season returned from
their excursions loaded with fish Such
instances are of little value as evidence.
LIST. The warh so largely diminished
the floating population that the number
| of fishermen are greatly less than for
mcrly, and yet the fish ale still very
| scarce.
I'd. This drouthy season has so shrunk
the brooks and streams that the fish
have been forced into few deep holes
where food has become scarce, and the
holes once found, the fisherman of course
could easily fill his basket
Sd. Large quantities oftrout have been
taken by men who go out with rod and
line apparently, but really secretly sup
piled with net, which could be at
tached to pole cut from the hedge row,
and when good hole was found, there
butcher fishermen have abandoned the
slow and sportsmanlike method Of TAX
ing the fish by the line, for the net.
But whatever may have been the sue
cess Of trout fishermen owing to these
several causes those who have visited
our lakes have found sensible dimin-
ution in the pickerel and Oswego
! bass.
Whoever approaches this subject in
| public anu in private is too often treated
with eGHempt. Fish, like blackberries,
are considered common property, and
because they cost nothing, whoever
would protect them from outrage is de-
nounced as meddler with the rights OF
his neighbors, and mischief maker.
But 1 think were parties who go
blackberrying on the hills and noun
tains to cut up the bushes when they
gather the fruit, there would soon be a
hue and cry, and whoever could not
leave the bushes would be denied the
privilege of gathering the fruit.
The fish of the State are public prop
erty and have real value which is not
sufficiently recognized.
1st They are an abundant and varied
source of food to our country people at
the season of the year when meats are
| most difficult to be obtained.
Cd They afford valuable and healthy
pleasure to the community. We are a
very practical and hard working people
allowing ourselves but little time for
amusement, and when Nature has fur
nished US with a profitable as well as
delightful recreation we ought to hus-
band our resources, and try rather to
increase than decrease them.
80 The fish in our streams and lakes
added to the other attractions of our
beautiful country, draw yearly many
persons of leisure and money, and many
toll worn inhabitants. of other states to
spend their vacations amongst us.
These persons do US good in many ways;
they spend their money freely for what
we have to sell, creating demand for
articles which our people have before
found ONO value.
Coming fresh from cities and centres
OF thought and business they bring a
new stock of thought into our market
Many of our most valuable bust.
ness operations In quarrying and milling
have been originated by men who first
visited our state In pursuit of health
and pleasure amongst the hills and be
side the streams and lakes.
The fact that we have no right of pri
| vate property which preserves the fish