New-York tribune., 1868-12-17

fish fish and front are daily becoming scTcer
Most of the, streams IN IN io iho t'nt vitini{ hni
heads and ees are almost unknown. Our cities are
overlowng with Idlers, who improve every opportun-
ity TO fish and hunt. Since the introduction OF eAc
son-ticets on the railroad lines, the country 70 ne
distance of from 80 TO 100 miles is tayersed IN all dl-
rections by these land-pirates. Every saturday
evening during the sporting season the uans & itnv nd
birds Poachers go about nights with SILK nets maze
so that they can be carried III their vest pockets
These law-breakers steal through the tAlCk under
growth along the streams which they net and leave
before daylight The Connecticut RIVER was stocke,'
three years ago, with salmon, ana last Sping WIN
smolt-twO-year old salmon-whlch were taken Out
in the set nets for more than month. Stake-nels
must be taken away before IT VIII De OF any use 10
stock waters with game fishes ihere is an2thet -
evil Several wealthy persons are IN the habit OF
robbing the heads of trOut-sreams late IN the au-
tun, TO stock Their ponds or llqnla basllss, & Wi, MN
for sale in NewYork by the st of March, When trout
command the highest prices. .
A Massachusetts, paper speaking on this subject,
saws: at is high time that Eomething should he
done TO stop the netting of trolt. Time and again
within n few weeks trout have been brought mo
Springfield and offered for sale and there was no i
Guilty in disposng OF them. except III rare cases Wneg
hotel keepers refused to buy the murdered tfOut.
Many brooks have already been depopulated Dy lne
land sharks. If only hooks and lines were USED tntre
would be fish enough for all but The man VINO
stands upon the bank with rod III his hand STANDS
poor chance by the side of fellow VINO diags net
making clean sweep OF great anI small 90 sciIco
f years ogo thcy were abundant that some of the
| people are establishing breeding ponds, that they
| may Get fish to restock the streams. One would
think from the cry which is raised about lsi siaug-
ter that we have no laws on the subject fortunately
we havo laws, and good ones TOO, Dut thoy arc ho'
| Obeyed.
| HIs of more importance that our streams be pro-
tectcd than that we engage in stocking them by art
| i6cial means Water, by reason of vital properties
which il contains, has certain hte-givng powers py
which various aquatic animals are produced anu sls
| tanned. These must be destroyed before trout can
thrive All bottom fish such as eels ana the diHercht
pouts increase rapidly aS also do snakes anu iizzuS
| making the waters totally unfit for game isnes'
| The New-York Sp0rsmaEs CInD brought !hese
facts before the Legislature ana at diIieienl tles
tbey have induced it to pass laws for the protection
of game fishes within the State. "A compromise was
also made with the various representatives OF tne
farming interests Tor the protecloh Oh s'ns' VII VIII
the understanding that they were TO assist III keep
ing the waters clear from poachers II the cnp womb
i'm turn respect the birds For some reason however
| this agreement did not prove ehectlFe' Ire new
! England States finding that something more must be
done than the mere passing OF game laws nppoiteui
Fisheries Commission IN eaeh otate o1, or
confined TO protecting thestTeans ana RECOMMENDING
! fish passes" where they are needed Also 70 peu-
tling s0n the waters already depleted. Lastly this
| Commission was established 10 see thlI 'lS i.tMS
touching fisheries were enforced Ohlol . n,
| Commission has done but httle t0Waid iho opIeIt
contemplated. Sandy Creek and Salmon Riyer-boih
salmon streams in the County of Oswego were once
excellent fishing waters, but now they contain
MYERS might be made good fishing streams at com
paratvely small expense. Mr Genio I, scott says \
necticnt RIVER with 7Oo00O slad daily; but wherei
is H. B. Roosevelt the other C1mmlsSI9ei' oi 10 at'e
10 the salmon waters of this staei is ho playing tag,
hide.and 20 seek. casting ny ~ nltht Come,
dollars by protecting the salmon waters, which are neg
lected aud require immediate attention.
mission of Zach state 10 protect The fisheries aud increase
their productyuuess: ls BY visiting tue waters o her
respective states to ascertain what may nS none 70 sH %
fl.l1
% p,sT 5I r o the legislature aud suggest i'm
provomenis. with their approx innate cost Tho report
recently made by the Aassnehnsetts commissioner
ibe- duiy and IL Is with regret that much cannot be
said for hose ~ Sew.YCrk who have Hot even visited
the rivers requiring protection but are letting tee
Ing salmon rivers pass uuHeoaoa eAii nh",nu,
desired TO discharge ihoIn they would know that thr
longer salmon aro dcbarcd from entering taer Nes To
spawn. the harder II becomes lo hunce y I 20 ,'h'
aud the less number viii ever return should not eoI'
plain OF the utcr disregard paid 10y our 20
the interests Oi the Fisheries, was u hot ibAt thr Mao
for salmon entering the uyers 10 tpaNR pissng ahH
the shad fisheries arc now being worked 70 their u eS
will tho bioc and the decaiely fried, and
wait until the shad dcbnfred by nets, and the salmon
which tried 20 enter yors, have bccn forced Ia
enter strange rivers and then return TO The Legislature
an ad capn'dfu report do not blame SETH Green for
leaving to asfs other states IN IMPROVING thor nshoscf.
when there were COmmls siouers still len to oversee
here are certainly not blamoces Tor leaving their post oi
duty and travelling To look after virginia ahds while Inc
But before intmatod. have not much nope IN tho
Would here suggest TO Fishcres Commissioners the
propriety OF hiring salmon river IN convenient part
" province. with the sole object OF propagatng salmon
within the State hiring H or let several States unite aud
keep up propagang establishment there until all our
sweet waters with not prepondeIanco Of surface water
| shall have become amply stocked"
1t is impossible under the present laws and with
the inefficient Fisheries Commission, to improve the
salmon and trout waters Of this State weil-known
! gentleman Of the sporting fraternity says tbat MT
| Seth Green has at his own expense Travelled 10 the
principal fisheries Of theState. and brought TO- light
many important facts touching tins subject. But ho
| could no nothing without the support OF his col
| leagues. AS the matter stands now IN reference tO
the fisheries of this State nothing can be done OF I'M
porance until the next session of the Legislature
| when II is hoped that adequate appropriations WI!
be made TO resock the Hudson River with shad and
salmon. The yield OF shad alone foin thls hyGr
| amounts to one million of dollars annually, which
| might be increased IN hive years To hVe millions OF
dollars and reduce the price OF meats proporoately
! The erection of adequate fish pass on Salmon
| River would be all that is necessary To improve
| that River. There should be stringent law
| passed with heavy penalties attached. forbidding
tho use of sct-nets, or hshp0unds, in any OF the
lakes or rivers in tho State of NewYork, or against
setting them in the estuaries OF streams which de-
| bouch in salt water bays. or IN fact placing them
along the coast of Eastern border until suitable
| passes are built the salmon streams of the
States and the setting OF pounds and stake-nets Is
prevented Hence II is useless to advocate stocking
our streams with game fishes under the present state
| OF affairs.
The following-named gentlemen are tho Commis
| sloners
For Maine-Charles @. ktklns Augusta; n. W. Foster
| East Machias For New -Hampshfe.-The Hon W. A.
Bellows Concord; w. A. SanborD, Wers For Vermont.
Prof d. IIagar, ProctOrsvie; the Hon. Charles Bar
| rett, Grafton. For Massaehusetts-Alfred X. Field
Greenfeldj Theodore Lyman, Brcokline For Connect-
! brook For New-YOrk-seth Green, Mnmford, Monroe
County; X. b. Roosevelt New-York ex-Goy H. IL. sey-
mOur, Albany.
Among the prominent pisciculturists Of this conn
| try are: Geno G.. Scott York City; Aaron
Vail, Smithton. l.. l.; Stephen III. AiDswOrth. West
| UioomGeId Y. II l. p.ll Westminster Co n Y.